RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Writer's Block "Malum in se"

New York: people either loved it or hated it, she thought as she poured herself a stiff glass of whiskey. The ice shifted in the crystal glass as the smooth brown liquor ran over it. She capped the decantur, picked up her whiskey and walked over to the floor to ceiling windows to watch the sun set over Central Park. From her penthouse, her city looked peaceful. Only, she knew better. Right now, in her city there were interlopers determined to take what was hers.

Bringing the glass to her lips to sip, she tasted the cool whiskey and its warmth calmed her nerves. She tucked a strand of her red hair behind her diamond studded ear as she pondered what was to come in the days ahead.

They were all on their way for what she had in her possession. She knew from the moment she found out that Vivian had been released that the clock was ticking. The only question was: did she run? Or face all of them when they came for her and what she had?

Sure, there was money to be had, but more important than money, there was the information. Damaging information - and the key to power, if one knew what the information could lead to; which as far as Leigh could tell, none of them knew...yet. It was one of the reasons Leigh was determined to keep it out of Vivian's hands. Vivian had a way of figuring things out and sticking her nose in business that wasn't hers. And now Vivian was out of jail and hooked up with her ex again. Shit. That only complicated things. And worse, there was no doubt in Leigh's mind that Viv had contacted Sam along the way - despite all the evidence she'd found proving Sam's betrayal, old habits died hard - Leigh knew that better than anyone. If only Vivian had shot Sam instead of the goddamned car! "At least that would be one less problem I would have to deal with," Leigh thought as she gulped down her drink. Why did the girl have to be such a lousy shot? "I know I taught her how to shoot better than that," she thought as she poured herself another round.

The whiskey burned Leigh's throat as it went down, but with her second drink, some of the fury she felt when she first learned of Vivian's release dissappated. Leigh knew she was going to have to keep a cool head in the days to come if she was going to keep one step ahead of them all. And she knew she couldn't do it alone.

Quickly she ran through her mental rolodex of who she might be able to contact for help, but between Sam, Vivian, and Seth she had burned many a bridge. Then there was Aaron. Once they had trusted each other, but that was two years ago before everything went to shit. Before Seth and Vivian had fucked him over, before he thought she had been part of setting him up and leaving him for the cops, before..everything. Leigh sighed audibly, remembering for a moment. The past between them was scarred, but there was no one else anymore. No one from the old days who knew her back when - and more importantly, no one as slick, smart and as good with a gun as he was. She had as much contempt for him as he did her now, but Vivian and Seth were already in her city and that only meant that Sam was on his way. Leigh knew she was running out of time to set up a preemptive strike. She had worked too fucking hard for what she had to lose it all now. Whether Redjack was with them, she hadn't found out yet, but Leigh didn't want to take any chances. Despite her loathing for the man, she would have to call Aaron. She could only hope that Viv and Seth hadn't gotten to him first.

Quickly she crossed the living room and entered her private office. Scanning the books in the mahogany bookshelves she found the one she was looking for and flipped it open. There, on a postcard that he had given her two years earlier, before everything got fucked, was the one number that she knew Aaron would never change. Leigh stared at it for a long time.

Reluctantly, she reached for her cell and slowly began to dial.