The casino lit up the night like the recently past Fourth of July. And if things went according to plan, Kates hoped to be setting off some more fireworks in the near future. And for once, she didn't have to be the distraction. She didn't mind it, necessarily, but when Rourke instructed her in briefing after briefing after briefing "Wear something low cut, you'll have to distract the guards"... well, it got old fast.

Tonight, though, was different. She was perched on the roof of an office building next to the Belle Isle Casino, with a clear view of the park leading out to the water. Pulling a heist on an island was certainly not standard procedure, but that's why there were six of them there tonight. Kates up high providing cover. Dru_Delray waiting at the getaway boat with a Tommy Gun. Matt_Haas, EdwardRossi, and WillieRourke were making the grab in the casino and sprinting for the boat. Rourke would be at the bar drinking and flirting with various women. "The Lookout", he called it.

Sighing, Kates adjusted the rifle on her lap. It was an old Springfield, lightly painted black for stealth, which was a gift on her 16th Birthday after it had become clear she enjoyed aspects of her father's business. Her usual dresses left back home in her closet, she had her "work" clothes on. Black pants. Black boots. Black tank top. Just like the like old days, practicing her shooting with PedroRourke the Elder in the Las Vegas desert. In a lot of ways, she missed those days with her father, Pedro, and Adrian. There was even talk about her taking on some sort of leadership role within her father's family. A small, specialized captaincy. But that was the past. Checking her watch, she positioned herself at the edge of the building. Go time.

She heard the shots ringing out from inside the casino. At this point, Dru, Edward and Matt were at the cashier's windows, grabbing as much cash as they could, as quick as they could. Speed was key for this sort of operation- you hang around too long and you end up paying for it. And not in a good way, since there was a police station a few hundred yards down the road.

At 11:45, when the first gunshots rang out, Kates saw a crowd of people rushing out the front of the casino and raised her rifle to focus on the side door where her three family members would be making their exit. From the time they opened the door, it should take them about 45 seconds to sprint for the boat. Once the boat pulled away, Kates would be responsible for making her own exit, which involved a smaller boat on the other side of the island. Of course.

Kneeling on the ground, with the rifle against the edge of the building, Kates saw Matt_Haas kick open the side door, followed by EdwardRossi and WillieRourke. Each man held a pistol in one hand and a large sack in the other. Their dark suits blended in with the grass stretching towards the lake, but Kates froze for a moment as she saw red and blue lights out of the corner of her eye. The cops.

Turning to the right and readjusting the rifle against her shoulder, Kates saw the line of three police cars making their way towards the casino. The men down on the grass saw it too- they were sprinting towards the boat. Dru_Delray raised his Tommy Gun in case the cops got close, but there was nothing he could do from that distance, especially with the three running men in front of him.

Kates tracked the driver of the first car, which was approaching her in a straight line. But dead cops meant much more trouble for Marietta. Might as well try the hard way first...

Dropping the rifle down and to the right, Kates let a single shot fly out from the rifle towards the first car, but it was enough. It barely clipped the tire, but the car immediately dropped down in a shower of sparks. Twisting to its side, it screeched to a stop- completely blocking the road. Kates cleared her throat and uttered her first words for the last couple hours.

"Well. That went better than expected."

Standing up, Kates saw Matt_Haas jump first into the boat, followed by Edward and Willie. With a sardonic salute Dru_Delray, already at the wheel, gunned the engine and sent the boat flying off through the lake. They were away, and with a pretty hefty sum too, it looked like.

Kates was struck by the beauty of the scene before her, with the ever-expanding wake of the boat reflecting the full moon above. Luckily, she wasn't struck by the bullet that flashed by her. Dropping down to a crouch behind the wall, Kates cursed her inattentiveness. She stashed her rifle in a nearby heating duct, where she could come back for it later and, still ducking, quickly moved to the fire escape on the opposite side of the building. Hopefully the donut patrol was moving at its usual speed. Flying down the fire escape, Kates sprinted for the dock towards her own boat. But cops were crawling over it. She came to a halt quickly.

A generic pistol from the armory, not her usual larger one, was attached in a holster at the small of her back. But they hadn't noticed her yet. How many... five. And probably one below deck. She could take them. Kates narrowed her eyes for a moment and her hand drifted around towards her back. But then she sighed, and began walking in the other direction. Six dead cops would cost Marietta a small fortune.

"The things I do for that woman..." muttered Kates, as she tugged off her boots and socks on one of the other docks nearby, tossing her footwear and gunbelt into the nearby bushes. She heard the approaching sirens behind her as she dove into the lake. The cool water lapped over her as she began stroking her way towards the distant city lights.