Was it wrong to say that Ryan was also feeling a little selfish? He couldn’t help but think about a lot of things while he continued to relax, after he had returned to the couch where he usually sat. His chin rested on his hands while he thought. Instead of focusing on what was going on now, all he wanted to do was look at what he was going to do with Eric. He knew what he wanted, but he was going to have to be careful. Pulling someone from the military into his gang was still a pretty big move. If he played his card right, he really would have a lot of people staying out of his way. On the other hand, there was a good chance it might also cause some issues. Sooner or later someone was bound to believe that he had sold himself out to the military.<br/><br/>In a way, he had been selfish. He wanted power and this was the best way to get what he wanted. As attracted as he was to Eric, there had to be some selfish motivation that drove him to do what he did. The best part was that it had all gone so smoothly. Maybe things would turn out alright. And what better way was there to just put the icing on the cake and really seal the deal? Why, the announcement that Eric was in.<br/><br/>Ryan stood from the couch and took a quick look around the room. Everyone was still carrying on and having fun. It was a shame to ruin the moment, but it had to be done. This has gone on long enough, now it was time to get back down to business. He put his thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistled to gather everyone’s attention. Immediately, the excitement seemed to come to a halt in the blink of an eye and everyone had their attention on Ryan. For the first time since he took control of this gang, he felt nervous about speaking in front of everyone. He knew there would not be too many positive reactions. That was the main reason he had decided to do this now, getting it out of the way, clearing up anything, before they continued to aid the military in figuring everything out.<br/><br/>“Well, boys, I have an announcement to make.” He began. “As you all know, Adam is now gone and his territory is up for grabs. You bet your ass I’ll be the one who claims it, even if we have to drive out another gang first.” A few cheers went up, which were quickly silenced when Ryan raised a hand. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became a mixture of serious and anxious. They were dying to know what he was going to say next. “However, before that happens, I am proud to say that Eric is now part of our growing family.” There was a look on his face that said that nobody had better say anything. He could already see some of his men were displeased. “And, unfortunately, that means that I must work with the military a little longer… Oh, but worry not, it won’t be long before we can return to business as usual.”<br/><br/>He smiled at Eric, “Would you like to say anything, dear Eric?”<br/><br/>-----------------------<br/><br/>Kat was beginning to grow extremely anxious. Sitting around like this was making her feel like she was going crazy.  It has been awhile since Tony left, and Eric was still nowhere to be seen. She was tired of waiting around, this mission, tired of everything. A voice in the back of her mind was telling her to just forget it and go back There was a lot that needed to get done; this was not the time for doing absolutely nothing. It looks like she was going to have to do everything herself. Big surprise there. She was always getting stuck doing everything, and it irritated her to no end. She was done being stuck alone… it always happened. For some reason or another, people would just leave, her distrust in Tony aside. Was it really that impossible for her to work with people?<br/><br/>Sighing heavily, she decided to look through the few things that were there. For some reason, some of Eric’s things were missing. That had all of what she needed to look though. She let out another sigh, this time one that expressed frustration. The more she thought about it, the more she doubted that something had happened to Eric. Not something that would have gotten him killed any way. He was… just distracted. Oh yeah, she had a feeling she knew where he was. This was not going to fly with her. He’d better have a damned good explanation for this. She did not like being stood up, no matter what it was. Maybe he was gathering some information? Even if he was, she wished he would have come back to her or left her some kind of message. It looks like she was going to have to go to him herself.<br/><br/>-----------------------<br/><br/>Slipping through the streets, Tony went back to the meeting point where his partner was waiting for him. When he got there, the man was leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. There was no mistaking the displeased look on his face. Tony bit his lip, knowing he was in for it for being late.<br/><br/>“Sorry that took so long.” He said, but the small attempt at redemption was not flying with his partner.<br/><br/>“I don’t want to hear it. You know what the captain said.”<br/><br/>“Yes, yes, I know. She’s… not willing to trust me. I don’t think her partner is either.”<br/><br/>“And?”<br/><br/>Tony felt a cold sweat; his partner was being pretty unforgiving right now. He wouldn’t expect any less from the man. “And… I think they’re hiding something.” He shifted a little, trying to appear confident.<br/><br/>“Naturally.” His partner tilted his head a little, furrowing his brow. “So, someone doesn’t trust you, what do you do? You win them over.”<br/><br/>“I tried.”<br/><br/>“Well, obviously it wasn’t good enough.”<br/><br/>“Obviously. Look, I really think something else is going on. We need to take a different approach.” Tony bit in the inside of his cheek. His partner didn’t look like he was going to budge; this was not good at all. He was kicking himself for this. Kat was one tough cookie. His partner reminded him a lot of her. Hell, if Kat was a guy she’d probably be him and vice versa.<br/><br/>His partner ran a hand over his face and signed, “No shit.” The look he wore right then worried Tony. “I’ll send the message… time to step it up a notch.”