"An' what do ya' think you're gonna do with that?"

She smirked, stupid girl. Like you've never been threatened with a knife before. She licked her lips and dragged the tip of the blade over your desk. The hardwood peeled back, making way for the blade. Curls of polish spiraled away in its wake. The fuck does she think she is.

"When I first walked through these doors, I think I said that to you, hun."

"I've not got time for ya' shit, Rube's."

That stupid smirk again. She's gonna make you do something you're gonna regret. Though not half as much as she will. She stood for a while, wrapping her fingers tight around the handle, fingering the bolster with her index. In a moment, she bore the blade into your desk. It didn't go far, however this was an expensive desk. You're soon on your feet, grasping for it, though she's too fast. Stepping backwards with the blade held over her shoulder, she eyes you suggestively. Crazy bitch. 

"What the fuck Ruby?!" Your bellow could probably be heard in the lobby, there's soon a silhouette at the door, blurred through the shaded glass window. A small female voice is heard.

"Is everything o-" 

You cut off the voice, dismissing them. This could end one of two ways at the moment, probably best not to get others involved.

The woman strode around your office like an alpha lioness. Bold, cocky. Out of place. She had aged as you had, still in shape but weathered by the years. An old, old flame, here for some god only knows reason. Your voice sounded again. Calm, collected, but wary of losing control.

"What do you want, Ruby."

"What I've always wanted, honey, you. And now you're here, you're all mine." She sounded emotional, however was clearly tweaked.

"Ruby what are you on? You think turnin' up with a fuckin' shank is gonna hit me with a fuckin' thunderbolt or somethin'?"

A small, unscripted laugh. She almost gushed, knocking hair from her eyes with her free hand.

"Something like that."

Let's play her game, maybe you can get close enough to-

She lunged forward, you step to the side. It didn't take much to turn her back to the desk and force your weight against her to prevent escape. The blade was between both your hands. The motion caused some unsettling noise, the desk assistant appeared at the door. Again, the voice whimpered from behind you.

"Sir-"

"Claire, fuck off!"

Your attention was back on Ruby, suddenly you found her eyes, her lips, only inches from yours. The knife remained clenched in your hands. 

"You're crazy."

"Oh, only for you, sugar." 

She's lost it, completely lost it. Just disarm her and throw her out the fucking window.

"Listen, you had your chance, we went different ways. I'm married, I got kids. Not my fuckin' fault you didn't do the same, Ruby."

She moves her leg between yours. Does she seriously want this to happen? Maybe once for old times sake wouldn't be such a bad thing. She starts pouting, looking you up and down.

"I did hon, I had a daughter. I may not have married, but I raised her well. She's strong, independent and wants a family of her own."

Her grip loosens on the knife, yours remains firm. As she stares at you, open mouthed, you realize you're not really listening to her anymore. You let her lean in, her breath is soft against your ear. Her hair is freshly perfumed.

"That was until some married with kids asshole aborted my grandson."

Daisy?

The door.

Claire?

That's it, you're done with this shit. You push her backward and prepare to scream bloody murder, but the words do not come. Your throat feels kind of tight, too. Your fingers grope at your neck and it isn't long before you become aware of a second person in your office. And the wire around your neck. That innocent, floating tone is at your ear. It is light and familiar, Daisy, your until-recent regular fling.

"Hello, sir."

The young woman pulls tight as your face flushes. Your fingers now claw at the wire as you drop to your knees, attempting to throw her off balance. This was going to be a struggle. A sudden flash of heat to your gut, a second, third. This was getting harder and harder to resolve. If you could only...

Ruby stood over you, blade glimmering gore. She's gonna fucking get...

It got darker, your eyes feel pressured, swollen. Your bowls open.

If you could just reach...

- Jack Mezzo, The Pharmacy

It's been over a year since you took over the Lacey Lounge & Hotel.  The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, things really have been going your way.  That all changed the moment Ruby walked into your office with:  cheap cheese.

"What the hell is this shit?" You ask her.

Her eyes flashed dark and you knew the sarcasm was just about to drip from every single word she said. "What the hell does it look like? Cheese, duh. Not even the good kind. We can't be serving this shit to customers!"

"Well who did we leave in charge? Obviously cheap cheese is not luxury to our Lounge & Hotel."

"Marcello."

"Bring him to me."

Taking her leave Ruby walked out on the red hot stilettos she always wore to work. You could hear them clicking down the hall as you slowly let out your breath. As if someone would be selling cheap cheese in your place of business. There was plenty of money and surely that meant you had someone trying to skim some of it into their pockets.

Fuming you being to look at Marcello's file. So far there had never been any incident in the two years that they worked for you and now this? Shady. Something was off. Either Marcello was being framed or he was a very patient man.

An hour later there was a knock on your door. You had heard the tap tap tap of the heels and knew it would be Ruby and Marcello.

"Enter."

They walked into your office and Ruby closed the door behind her. Standing in front of it as she usually did you look at Marcello and get straight to the point.

"Why is there so much cheap cheese? I pay you to get the best. Not the worst."

Patiently you stand there and stare at the man before you. You can see the gulp he took and knew what was coming.

"Let me stop you before you pour me any of your lies. You have one chance to tell the truth and I suggest you do so. Pronto."

Marcello looks at you and you can see the exasperation in his eyes.

"They said they would hurt my family if I didn't get them more money. All I have is this job.... and my family... oh god they took my family."

He wails and the tears start gushing. You almost feel sorry for him but as you walk closer you grab a knife that's sitting on your next. Walking near and taking advantage that he is still too caught up in his own dilemma you quickly slice one finger off. Handing him a handkerchief you roll your eyes as he cries out about why you did it.

"I tolerate no thieves. Now how much do you owe them?"

BlueBelle - The Bartenders Collective

It's been over a year since Samurai took over the Lacey Lounge & Hotel of Japanese Street in America. The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, the drug lab in the hotel basement running very smooth and hidden from the DEA and safe to manage financial matter of the illegal narcotics deal from the Hotel. Things really have been going her way.

Suddenly, right a few weeks after New Year. That all changed the moment Ruby walked into your office with satellite phone and a call from guy name Lion.

"Boss! Lion call from London, he says it's important." Says Ruby.

"Hello? Is everything going smooth with you there in London?" Samurai ask.  

"Umph, Boss. The demand of our stuff is getting higher, They even have special name for it. A golden powder they call. The revenue that we accumulate from the deal makes us receive a lot of hard cash and it's going to be a problem to transport it all back into mainland America." Lion says.

Business was pretty good, and the large part of that is because of a guy they called the lion, they recognize him as a hustler from morocco. That he start the narcotic business in London by putting cocaine into his jacket and smuggle it into London. Well, he stay in London and he made it his town.. He was responsible for the smuggling network brought in Samurai narcotics by the ton.. He was great at it.

But bring in narcotics into the Europe wasn't really a problem. The problem was, what do you do with all that money? Sure, some of the cash staying in the Europe, and most of the drug dealer did that. They bought crocked banks, real estate, car dealership, race horses, art.. Just name it. Well if you want to run a narcotic empire, you need a lot of cash, and getting cash back into America wasn't easy.

"Lion, come back to America. We will restructure the plan and make use of all the method to transport back the money to America." Samurai said. 

In her mind, she want to use all the product that Europe export to America to be fill with the hard cash. Inside the bed, in the pillow, in the couch and all the product that can be fill with money! 

 

Samurai - Care Bears

It's been over a year since you took over the Lacey Lounge & Hotel. The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, things really have been going your way. That all changed the moment Ruby walked into your office with some big news.

They weren’t good news, but they weren’t bad either. Ruby was the owner of a really big hotel, everyone knew the Adolphus hotel. Ruby was very excited to come in, she was sure she would get what she wanted from the get go.

«What would you say if I told you I wanted to buy your hotel?», said happily Ruby.

«Well, I would have to think about it for some time.», responded Pretzel. He couldn’t believe the legendary Ruby was in front of her, but Pretzel had to hide his excitement.

«We actually want to buy it!! We would buy it for 8 millions dollars.», Ruby said.

Pretzel thought about it for a second before responding. It was a lot of money, but was it worth it? How long would it take for Pretzel to make that much money continuing to own the hotel. He couldn’t guess, the Lacey lounge & hotel was keeping on growing.

«Actually, the hotel’s not for sell.», I finally said.

«Wait, what?! Do you know what you’re going against? You’ll hear about me!», Ruby screamed as she bolted out the door. You could tell she was very pissed.

Pretzel was left in the dark, not knowing if he did the right decision.

The next day, Pretzel found out his mistake. The news got out quickly, and people couldn’t believe you could deny such an extraordinary offer. It hurt a lot of Prtezel’s hotel reputation, because everybody thought he was crazy. The reviews were getting worse and worse, and less people came to his hotel. Pretzel couldn’t put his head around it, how could such a small action have this many consequences. Reviews started saying that the hotel had bed bugs, mice and the wood was rotting. Pretzel knew it wasn’t true, his hotel was very clean. He knew that Ruby was probably behind all of this, he just had a feeling.

A year later, Ruby was taken to the slammer for blackmailing her most fierce competitor. Police somehow found out what she was doing. She was paying reviewers to write bad review to the Lacey lounge & hotel.

The End :)

~Pretzel, The Blue Trane

Flex had just made it back in town from a business trip. His guard Taga had sent one of the newer Guards to pick him up at the airport. You exit and see the young thug waiting on you, so you go over and introduce yourself.

“Flexx-Mitchell. Nice to meet ya. Just throw the bags in the trunk. I’m ready to go”

Flexx says as he hops in and the thug places his bags in the trunk gets in as well and they head out. He pulls out a blunt from his breast pocket and fires it up. The drive was just a spell from the airport so they would be pulling up shortly. Flexx was just finishing the blunt and they were pulling up. The guards at the gate opened up for them to enter, the youngster parked around back. Flexx stepped out and grabbed the bag that had the work in ti that he needed to do.

“Can you take that other bag up to my room, I will be in my office.”

Flexx heads up to his office and walks in, he gets straight to work on expansions, new locations popping up throughout the country. It's been over a year since you took over the Lacey Lounge & Hotel.  The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, things really have been going your way.  That all changed the moment you hear footsteps, and of a sudden Ruby walked into your office with a smile on her face and a duffle in her hand. Flexx stops what he is doing to see what was so important to just barge in like Ruby did.

“So, this is the lick we have been waiting for. This is the strain that no one else has and we are gonna make a killing. “

Ruby says as she takes a seat. Flexx grabs the bag and slightly opens it.

“We also have 2 pounds to start with. But.  “

When ruby said but, Flexx paused with a hesitation waiting to hear the but.

“What is it?”

Flexx says as he takes another drag of his blunt.

“So this is from the boys on the other side of town. The only thing they want is a discount and first priority on every batch.”

Ruby waited for the response, knowing that was a rival gang Flexx sits for a moment to think. He was at a crossroad, and it was gonna end one or two ways. Either they run up in there and take their hood, or eat it and just work with them. This was the decision that could make or break you.

Flexx-Mitchell -The Knights of Anheuser

Marc sighed, pushing his hair back from his forehead as he scrutinized a stack of paperwork that Ruby, his secretary, had brought him. That woman was always putting too much paperwork on his desk and he felt like he barely had any time to do anything else but look over the stacks and stacks of financial information. Sure, the hotel and lounge was a great business and brought in a lot of money in New Orleans but since his takeover a year ago, he'd been swamped with too much of the tedious stuff and hadn't been able to go out and do what he was best at. 

A knock on the door caused Marc to look up sharply and as he dropped his glasses on the desk, Ruby walked in with her fist buried in the back of young Ciaran's collar. The boy looked sheepish, deftly folding a card back into his sleeve as Ruby dumped him unceremoniously from her grip and shoved him into a chair. 

"Sir, I caught this young man starting a fight with one of the poker dealers. The only reason I didn't have him thrown out is due to the fact that I felt it best if his father dealt with him." 

Ruby sniffed and turned on her heel before looking back at Ciaran one last time to shoot him a threatening look. Marc sighed, wiping his hand across his face as he looked at the teenager who gave a nervous giggle. Marc closed his eyes tight for a moment, taking a deep breath in as he pressed his hands together under his chin. When he opened his eyes again, Ciaran's face fell completely and his nervousness was replaced with terror at the sight of his very calm, but very angry father. 

"Ciaran, I'm at a loss for words right now. I know I've taught you better than to come to where I work to start trouble. You saw the look on Ruby's face and you can be certain that she won't let you come around here again. This doesn't look too good for you right now. I can't say I'm surprised by this, you've always had a penchant for trouble and as much as I tried to keep you out of the business, it looks like you've made it your business too. Thing is, if you're going to be a part of this thing of ours, you're going to need some help along the way. I'll tell you what, picking a fight with a poker dealer and getting collared by Ruby isn't the way to go. Come on, sit down and I'll explain everything." 

Star- The Pharmacy

It's been over a year since you took over the Lacey Lounge & Hotel. The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, things really have been going your way.  That all changed the moment Ruby walked into your office with a large brown enveloppe.

You don't have to open it to know what is in it and now regret that one wild night you had with the Godfather's wife. If you had the chance, you would peel the skin from Ruby's face right this moment. This was not the time.. but how gorgeous that feeling would be to use a scalpel to cut loose the skin ot her temples and then slowly pull the top layer off of that hideous face. That sneaky mean smile ofher would be gone at last..

You are unconsciously smiling until she smacks the enveloppe on your desk. You look at the enveloppe, then back at her..

You are evil.. you say; she just laughs

She takes a seat, lights a smoke and breaths in, making the cigarette tip glow.. Exhaling slowly she says..

50% of hotel profits, 75% on the girls's and I will not tell daddy.

You look her straight in her eyes and know that negotating will be useless. For your defence, you consider bringing up how much work and money you put in, how you invested in the people trafficking network to bring young women from Mexico to work in the hotel, and finally you think about how her mother is an absolute slut.. God, how much you want to use a spoon to flip both of her eyeballs out of their sockets..

You wait a while before you nod. She smiles, again, stands up and leaves your office.

Fuck.. You contemplate what to do. As following her rules and living a non-luxurious life is not an option there would be two options.. Frauding the figures or removing the subject. As you did not really have a bookkeeping network or degree, you decide to chose the latter. Also because of the daydreaming vision he had..

As you pick up the phone you fail to hear the little click and you call the one person you trust most, the guy whose life you saved when he was a kid, the man that already eliminated several judges and officers for you.

I need your help

Ruby..

Yes, Ruby..

I know.. and I understand..

Bring her to the place you brought judge Jones.. Then you leave and are out.

Yes, tonight. I will be there at 10, sharp.

You hang up the phone, smiling.. You go to the back-office to grab your operations kit.. Go on to the kitchen to get some spoons, go back to the office and pick up your satchel, put your tools in and finish some paperwork for the trafficking. You make another call, to make a reservation at Donatello's, where you always go to warm up for a job..

Time is ticking away slowly, and you don't do much until you leave at 8pm. Stepping out of the office, you feel a little uncomfortable, you look over your shoulder to see if there is noone watching you. As you see the coast is clear, you get into your car, put your satchel on the byrider's seat and feel a tiny cold spot on the back of your head..

Then the spot gets very intense, warm.. It is like a huge blanket of heat is covering your head, your back and you feel calmer than ever..

Alejandrito - The Possimpables

DoctorDoom was just sitting up at his office, gently slapping a pen on his palm as he started thinking what to do with the one nuisance who caused a ruckus at one of his owned establishments, couldn't let him go away without punishment after the way he treated one of his staff with such disrespect. To give him a message or to kill him? It was gonna take him a while and with the amount of paperwork he needed to review, it was gonna be saved for later. He stood up and went over to his office door and opened it to step out to the balcony overseeing the lobby, watching as people came inside and left, almost like casual pedestrian traffic.

Walking back to his office, he closed the door and sat down in his comfortable chair. Beginning to write on papers with a bunch of notices regarding the hotel and looking over staff cuts and bringing in more product so they can cook food for the people staying in the establishment. It's been over a year since DoctorDoom took over the Lacey Lounge & Hotel. The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, things really have been going your way.  That all changed the moment Ruby walked into your office with a sealed up bag, he looked up at her and started to ponder what was in the bag.

For all he could've known, it could've been drugs, money, guns or just a giant early Christmas gift. DoctorDoom stood up and began to open up the bag and it was filled with nothing but... money. Relief came over Doom's body and he began to relax with his heartbeat going crazy and probably his blood pressure rising, who knew leaving someone in suspense could have such effects, his glare came over Ruby as she stood there in awe since she probably didn't see what was inside. 

"Who gave you this?"

"A friend, sir. Insisted that you should have it for running such a successful business."

"Right, right, right. Listen, nobody comes into my office without consulting me, okay? I don't need to come back in here and see that my gift is missing. Because you know how I am, Ruby, anyone who takes my shit ends up getting shot." 

"Of course, sir...." 

The horror manifested in Ruby like a disease. She knew exactly what DoctorDoom was capable of and began to walk out hoping that was the last of their conversation. Doom set the bag of money near his chair and sat right back down.

Looks like it was an early Christmas gift after all. 

____________

DoctorDoom - The Saiyan Army

It's been over a year since Jacquotte took over the Lacey Lounge & Hotel.  The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, things really had been going her way.  That all changed the moment Ruby walked into your office with an cease and desist order.

Jacquotte glared down at the notice then back up at Ruby.

"What the hell is this all about?"

Ruby hesitated to answer her, knowing all too well she messed up and messed up good.

"RUBY!!!! Is that what I think it is?"

With a nod Ruby bowed her head in shame. She started trying to explain herself but Jacquotte quickly cut her off and slammed down the bottle of rum that was in her hand.

"You had a simple task, take the envelope to Kenneth McLichen. That's all that you had to do, how in the fuck did you possibly mess that up?"

A tear started to form in Ruby's eye as she looking up at Jacquotte.

"I have no excuse, I just simply forgot."

The rage started to build up within Jacquotte as she took the bottle of rum and threw it in her direction. The bottle just missing her and smashing off the back wall as the room went silent. She stood up from her chair, placed her hands on her desk and stared at Ruby with a scowling gaze.

"Simple forgetting is not an option. I've told you over and over again how important it is to keep the FBN agents bribed. Without them on our payroll we don't have a business. As slimy as they are they need to be paid and paid on time."

She slammed her fist onto her desk and gave the situation some thought. That's when it hit her, that little piece of blackmail she's been holding onto just for an occasion like this.

"I know how to fix this but this doesn't mean you're off the hook Ruby."

Jacquotte looked her up and down once more before motioning her to leave the office.

"I'll deal with you later but for now just get the hell out of my office."

Without hesitation Ruby scampered out of Jacquotte's office. Jacquotte let out a sigh as she sat back down in her chair and pulled it into her desk. She reached for the phone and dialed Kenneth's number. It rang a couple times before he picked up.

"Kennenth McLichen here how can I help you?"

"Kenneth, it's Jacquotte. We need to talk!"

"Ah, Ms. Delahaye. I'm sorry I can't help you, you put this upon yourself."

"Myself? One payment that's a couple days late. Cause of my dumb ass employee? After all these months you're gonna be this way?"

"Like I said, this one is on you and there's no way to stop the process now."

Jacquotte paused for a moment in order to compose herself before continuing.

"Oh, no way to stop this you say? Ok fair enough but let me remind you of the child never had with one of my ladies. Yeah the one we covered up for you so you could live your happy life. Don't be surprised if that child magically shows back up in your life."

She could basically hear his mouth drop on the other side of the phone.

"You wouldn't?"

"Try me!"

The conversation went silent once more.

"Ok, ok... I'll pull some strings. Just don't mention that child, my wife can't know."

"As long as you keep us out of the law's eyes, we will keep that child out of yours."

With a sigh Kenneth spoke up once more.

"I'll lose the paperwork, continue as you were. I should have never gotten involved with you people."

With a smile Jacquotte hung up the phone. Only thing left now was to deal with Rudy's forgetfulness but that could wait for another day.

JacquotteDelahaye - The Bartenders Collective

It's been over a year since Greybeard started over the Lacey Lounge & Hotel.  The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, things really have been going his way. Well, not his way per se, since he was just the bell boy but the tips were really good.  That all changed the moment Ruby walked into the lobby of the hotel.

Greybeard spotted her right away. A family of two parents with their little girl walked in and as usual Greybeard run to greet them but then he saw her. The little girl was holding a goose, Ruby. Greybeard noticed right away that she turned her head towards him. It was clear that Ruby could sense his mortal fear of geese. Her white feathers and her orange beak were the ingredients that nightmares were made of. 

Greybeard stopped and with slow movements, he started walking backwards. He planned to let someone else serve the family but it was too late. Ruby had already fixed her hatefull gaze upon him. With a swift motion, she freed herself out of the girl's grasp and flew towards Greybeard, landing a hit on him and throwing him on the floor. He could hear the screems coming from the girl, trying to stop Ruby's attack but Greybeard knew those were in vain. He knew that if there was any place that he could be safe, it would have to be the kitchen. 

With this in his mind and hope in his heart, Greybeard stood up and start running through the lobby and towards the kichen's doors. He could hear the flapping of Ruby's wings combined with her hellish quacking right behind him. He burst in the kitchen with such force that all the cooks turned towards him. With a quick look around, he spotted the first stove he could see and headed towards it, while grabbiong a pan on his way there. He stopped right after passing the stove and openned the oven door. Ruby finally stopped running. He could see it in her eyes. They were filled with doubt and hesitation now. Ruby looked behind her nad what she saw must have terrified her. Four cooks with knifes in their hands were standing behind, waiting for her to make a move. She knew that there was no way out so her agressive nature took charge. She took a big leap towards Greybeard, combined with the loudest quacking she could possibly let out.

"What the fuck was that?" Greybeard thought while waking up. "I have to stop seeing those dreams" he mumbled and turn on his other side to try and catch some more sleep.

Greybeard - The Bartenders Collective

    The crowd was thick tonight everyone was wearing their best regalia for the one-year anniversary of the Boss giving you control of the Legacy Lounge & Hotel for your part in cleaning up that debacle of a job. You walk through the throng of people shaking hands of the gentlemen and kissing the backs of the hands of the ladies.  Greeting the family with a more discreet nod of the head, as they headed off to the room in back.  On the center stage the music played. with the flappers dancing in step.  You watch in passing as their movement makes the strings at the bottom of their risqué dresses barely kiss their shapely legs to the beat of the music.

  You finally make it to the bar and order yourself your favorite drink. Taking the glass quickly you down it in one swallow and place the empty shot glass on the bar. Before leaving you order several bottles of various wines and hard liquors to be sent to the back room. Although this was a night of celebration business was always to be done, and The Legacy Lounge and Hotel had always belonged to the family.  You moved your way through the crowd and past the center stage the music blaring through the air. With several long strides you work your way upstairs to your office. Opening the door, the first thing to greet you is a plaque the Boss gave you on the day she turned the running of the Legacy over to you it read.

It is okay to lose your shit sometimes, because if you keep your shit, you’ll end up full of shit and then you’ll explode and there will be shit everywhere. 

A shit storm

and Nobody wants that.

    A vivid reminder of that day and what exactly got you here. You smile and snicker every time you see it, possibly why the Boss gave it to you, a reminder to laugh at life.  You hurry to your desk and grab the small pistol placing it absently in its home in the small of your back. You already had one strapped to your ankle but could never carry enough firepower.  Leaving your office, you proceed back down the stairs with the jazzy music filling the air and hurry into the back where the rest of the family had gathered. It was that time of year where they had go to over the books before the feds sent their request for taxes. This was a new tax, called the income tax, the people were assured it was a temporary tax on all income to help the sluggish economy.

    The family had to decide if this would cut into their profits, or possibly increase their profits and the anniversary party seemed like good cover to throw the cops off the meeting. And who knows you think maybe letting the family use the party and the lounge as a meeting place would put you in better graces with the Boss, she was not an easy one to please. The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, things really have been going your way, so this should only put you into higher graces with her.

     The atmosphere in the room was relaxed as you entered breaking it for a moment with the blare of jazz as you closed the door behind you.  Everyone was enjoying their favorite drink a few looked and watched you as you entered the room and several people started milling towards the circle of chairs around the large oval table that was the centerpiece of the room. “Greetings family. Please everyone take your seat at the table. The quicker we have this discussion the quicker we can all enjoy festivities.” You announce as you head toward the table and find your designated seat, the third from the head of the table. The Boss and her hand enter the room from a door hidden behind a large painting of a picturesque scene of the ocean. The Boss took her seat at the head of the table and her hand in the seat between the two of you. She cleared her voice and started the discussion; the money flow was a family business it concerned all, so she wanted everyone’s opinion on this income tax thing and how they could benefit from it. Some discussed tax evasion schemes, while others mentioned that they felt new money laundering schemes would need to be enacted.    After the meeting was over everyone went out to the party except you the Boss requested that you write up the various ideas that came through in the meeting. Slightly depressed that you have been demoted down to a simple secretary suddenly you trod off to your office.

   You are feeling bummed as you hand peck the words out on the typewriter.

Click-click-click-click-click

  That all changed the moment Ruby walked into your office with two flapper girls each with a bottle of liquor in their hands. He drolls at you, his red hair flipping around as he motions with his head towards the girls, “Let’s go an’ has us some fun buddy”.  Smiling at your henchman you push yourself from the table your work finished, but not delivered.

  Your last thought as you grab one of the flappers by the arm and head out of your office letting the door slam shut behind you , are the words on that plaque behind the closed door of your office.

                                                                                                                                                               Nitesprite-Phoenixes of Mayhem

It's been over a year since Lushie took over the Lacey Lounge & Hotel.  The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, things really have been going your way.  That all changed the moment Ruby walked into Lushie's office as he threw a copy of the daily newspaper onto her desk, "Here, turn to page 2, read!" he snapped, as Lushie looked up at him. She picked up the paper as she made a comment to Rudy "This better be worth storming in here like that" she said as she unfolded the paper and turned to the second page to read. 

She wasn't happy with what she was reading, the countryside that her hotel overlooked was being sold to have houses built on the land. One of the things her clientele loved was the views over the fields, the woodlands and the rolling hills. It was a place of serenity, which would all change if it got destroyed to have new houses built on it. She read some more and could read that the sale was yet not finalised, "We got to stop this" she said to Ruby as she sent him on an errand to see if he can find out how much it's being sold for. 

Lushie got up from her chair and went and got the blueprints of her hotel out of the filing cabinet and a map. She unrolled it all out on to the desk to take a look. In her mind, this could be a blessing in disguise if she is able to secure that land. It would mean she could expand her complex and build a bigger empire. She took a good look at the land and realise it be a shame to build on it, but maybe it could make a good addition to the hotel if something else was put on it. All that began to worry her was if they would have enough to get that land and outbid the competition. 

A while later Ruby came waltzing back into her office. He had an odd look on his face of both 'good news' and 'bad news' all rolled up into one. "Out with it", Lushie said waiting for him to explain. He got her to take a seat as he began to explain what he had discovered and how much she would need to get the land, "I am told they would be willing to sell to you if you get the set price they want by noon tomorrow" Ruby said which had Lushie add up the numbers in her head, "We're short a bit" she said as she once again tried to add up her assets of funds in her safe. She realise they needed at least another 100k to pull it off. Luckily for them she knew where to lay their hands on such money at such short notice.

Lushie went to a locked drawer in her desk and unlocked it. In there she had an envelope with photographs in it of a high profile politician cheating on his wife. She had placed it away for a rainy day "Guess its pouring today" Lushie she jested to Ruby as she pulled on a pair of gloves to pick it up. As she went through the photographs she knew she had something of value in her hands. She knew the guy in them would never want them sold to the papers, it would ruin his career and his image. The woman in the photos has already vanished into thin air. She stood up and asked Ruby to bring the car around "We're going for a drive, oh and bring change with you, lots of it" she said as he ran off to go get the motor running. Lushie placed the photos back into the envelope and placed that securely into a briefcase. She went out front to then get into the car "Drive to the village just outside of the city" she instructed Ruby as he put his foot down, went into gear and off they drove.

Soon enough they were miles from the hotel and Lushie had got Ruby to park up by a payphone as she got out of the car to go and use it. She got coins ready to use it and began to dial a number she had jotted down on a piece of paper that was stored with the envelope originally in the draw of her desk. Soon enough she was connected and was speaking to a man, she recognised the voice to be the man in the photos. She placed a scarf over the phone and began to explain she had photos of him and a woman who was not his wife. He didn't believe her until she went further into details of the content of the pictures, "You would have a lot of explaining to do" Lushie said in a husky like voice as far away from her own voice as possible. "What do you want?" the man said, "150k" Lushie said "In 2 hours from now" she continued to say. She assured the man he would have all the photos plus the negatives. He reluctantly agreed. They arranged a meeting point "Come alone" Lushie said as she hanged up the phone.

She got back into the car and told Ruby to drive them to the other side of the city, to a bar. With the traffic, they almost did not make it to The Chicago Inn and thought it was all going to go wrong. Lushie went into the bar and told Ruby to stand near "If anything goes off, grab him" she said to Ruby who nodded. She went to the bar and got herself a vodka and waited. The man she was meeting knew she would recognise him, she had made that clear on the phone. She will summon him when she saw him. 

It wasn't long until the man walked in. He looked around unsure of where he should go. Lushie stood up with the case and made her way to the back room as she caught his attention to follow her. As he followed her Ruby followed him until they were all in the back room as Ruby closed the door and stood by it. "Thought you said you would be alone", the politician said, "Insurance", she said, as she placed the case on the table and opened it up. She pulled out the enveloped and proved she did indeed have the photos, "My God!" the man said in shock as he placed his own case onto the table and opened it. Lushie took a glance and checked through the notes. They both closed their cases and did the exchange, "These better be all of them" the man said to her as he turned to leave. Lushie smiled, "They're but for your own peace of mind, never talk of this", she said as the man agreed. 

They went their separate ways as Lushie and Ruby went back to the hotel. They got the money they have earned together and added to what they already had "Bingo, the land shall be ours" Lushie said as she looked out the window of her office, "What are you going to do with all of that land?" Ruby asked as Lushie smiled some more, "Hows your golf?" she joked as she thought it makes a good addition to the hotel, without destroying her customer's views. 

Lushie - The Seraphim Empire

It's been over a year since Tom took over the Lacey Lounge & Hotel.  The money has been great, the clientele steadily increasing, things really have been going his way.  That all changed the moment Ruby walked into his office with his old friend Mistake. Mistake had gotten out of the life a long time ago, through little choice of his own, but by the look on his face it was clear this thing of ours had pulled him back.

"Hey Mistake, Ruby. Long time since i've seen either of you! How are things?"

Mistake's face changed a little, almost like he thought about smiling for a second, but thought better of it..

"Very well thanks Tom, though clearly you are doing far better than I by the looks of things. I'm not going to beat around the bush or bullshit you though, I've come to ask a favour of you Tom"

Tom gave a wry smile, the favour was obvious request, but he had forgot how straightforward his old friend was and it brought back some good memories hearing his forthright attitude.

"Mistake, anything I can do to help you, it's yours. I wouldn't have the life I have now if it wasn't for you. That score we did before you disappeared helped to set me up enough to get this place, I barely even miss the old life thanks to how busy things are"

At that moment, Ruby interrupted them both and slammed a piece of paper down on the desk beside Tom..

"I hate to kill this lovely re-union.. but time is of the essence here boys"

Tom lifted the paper to reveal an article regarding a large transfer to Fort Knox. The US government was looking to further consolidate its gold bullion stocks in the maximum security facility. Having opened in 1918 it had become workd renown for being impenetrable and the safetest place to keep your gold. The article went on to reveal not only the US moving stocks, but several ally forces had chosen to deposit theirs too and a special convoy was due to go through town in a few days.

"Please dont' tell me that you two are crazy enough to try and rob this train? There will be as much armed guards as there will be gold for fuck sake!"

Ruby let out a laugh and pulled the paper out of Toms hands

"You're right Tom, there will be a huge presence of armed guards. Somewhere in the region of 100-200 men in fact. Almost a suicide mission really. Well, that was until we managed to get old Mistake here assigned to guard duty.. in the fucking vault itself!"

"Come again?? How the fuck did you manage that?"

Mistake put his arm around Tom and gave him a little shake

"Good old fashioned silver tongue, Tom. I've been living pretty rough since I left the life, just so happened I met another of our old associates recently, he took pity on my situation and set me up with a sweet little gig as head of security for the east coast railway, stationed out in New York. This train is starting off in Nova Scotia, Canada. When it reaches New York, i'll be taking over as the head of security for the transfer, but only for a short period, the train will be heading to Chicago before making its way to Kentucky, in Chicago i'm to be met by the US Army and they'll take it the rest of the way - so it's crucial that we find a way to relieve them of the Gold between New York and Chicago.. You up for it?"

Tom still didnt like the sound of the job, even with the odds being slightly in their favour, there was still going to be a massive amount of armed guards even before the Army got on board.

"It still sounds like a massive risk to me, Mistake.. why would you want to get back into this life of crime for a suicide mission like this?"

Mistake hesitated to answer for a moment, leaving Ruby the chance to speak for him

"Because when he gave you all his cash, he left himself with nothing Tom. The man has nothing. Not only that, there are some old debts that need to be paid off, or he'll be meeting his maker either way. The old fool is too proud to say this himself, so i'll say it for him - he Needs your help, Tom."

"Then my help you both shall have. You've always done right by me, Mistake, i'm not going to turn you away now in your hour of need. By my calculations, we've got 2 weeks to preare for the job.. so we better get started!"

Tom, Ruby and Mistake spent much of the next two weeks in each others company, using every last second together to fine tune the plan of attack. By the end of the two weeks, there were still many small details that hadn't been completed to Tom's satisfaction.. but time wasn't on their side.

The night of the trains' arrival came, Ruby had been placed inside the train already in Nova Scotia, originally being from Canada made it easier for her to secure work on the train line in anticipation of the big day. Fearing she might not get selected, she poisoned several of the other staff members in the days leading up to it, ensuring her own participation. As Head of the security, Mistake was able to employ Tom and have stationed in the next carriage. The Army hadn't been foolish enough to allow Mistake's firm to provide security for the bullion carriage, only supporting with security for all other carriages. The main carriage had approx 20 soldiers, many within the vault. Shortly after departing New York, the train ground to a halt. It seemed another train had de-railed up ahead at a fork in the track, several carriages had toppled over on the left side of the track, whilst the front carriage had forked right. The conductor of the train and its driver appeared to be trying to remove the wreckage as best they could, but were getting nowhere.

After assessing the situation, it was clear they couldn't move forward without assisting in the removal of the wreckage, the commanding officer for the armed forces ordered the majority of his men off the train to help, leaving behind just the men inside the vault. Whilst everyone else was distracted, Mistake and Tom de-coupled the vault carriage and coupled it onto the single engine on the other track, the position of the train had been calculated precisely by Mistake to allow for this to be done when they stopped, ensuring that they didnt have to engage any of the soldiers from the offset. Once coupled to the new train, Ruby arranged for the convoy to be moved back to re-couple the other carriages. The soldiers were none the wiser, distracted by their efforts to clear the train tracks. By the time they were all back on board, the two trains were moving in different directions. Leaving only those inside the vault.

During their weeks of preperation, Tom and Mistake had sourced an old depot nearby where they could move the train to, allowing them to be secluded whilst moving all the gold and also be out of sight should there be anyone hunting them down - which there most certainly would be. The soldiers from within the vault drew their weapons the moment the vault was opened, they knew it was too early to be at their destination and the only other reason for it to open so early was a robbery, Ruby took a shot to the shoulder, but together they manage to take out all the soldiers within.

After loading the vehicles with their gold, Mistake took a moment to approach Tom..

"I can't thank you enough for this, brother. It means a lot that you've put your own life to the side these past few weeks and helped me out."

"Think nothing of it, Mistake, I know that if the roles were reversed then you'd be more than happy to oblige. Just make sure you dont get your ass caught now, OK! Oh and I know that we agreed i'd take a 30% cut of the job - but I've decided you can have my cut.. After all, I've got the Lacey Lounge to look after now and I'm happy, if I take this gold then I know that it wont be long before I start to look for the next score, then the next.. I'm done with that life now."

Mistake smiled at his old friend, they exchanged a few more pleasantries before Tom watched as Ruby, Mistake and some of their associates left with all the gold in the back of a number of cars. Tom wondered what they'd do with all that gold... before giving himself a slap and heading off home. It wasn't his concern anymore..

TomKirkman - The Possimpables