WRITTEN FOR ME ( thomas shelby )

001 ━ A New Piece on the Board ..

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" A New Piece on the Board "

          KNOW YOUR ENEMY. It's the real first detrimental factor which dictates the result of a war and if anyone were to ask Jacqueline Alloways whether or not business could really be comparable to the great battles of mankind, she would in a heartbeat confirm that with such violence at play, her land of work stands to be described either as a warzone or a zoo, with no merciful in-between.

"First impressions?" Gene dropped his inquiry right in her ear, so that the loud music and the chatter did not stand too much of a chance to silence his voice to his sister's sensitive hearing. They danced lightly near the center of the room, a single strand of their early childhood bringing to the surface an instinctual adherence to the rhythm, though their attention was far from the race party they were attending.

"He's a dull man," Jacqueline sighed, recalling the happenings of that day spent in the company of the so called King around these parts. "His power is superficial and relies heavily on his wealth, to which he clings like a drowning man to a boat when it comes to anything other than personal pleasure. I reckon he'll do business with our clients given we persuade him to think going through with this investment will impress us — and by us, I mean me — in the long term." Letting herself be guided by her brother, she was forced to give him a pointed look once another fellow pair of dancers brushed her shoulder as they moved through. Of the culprits of the interruption, she only caught glimpse of a red dress, before they lost her interest entirely and she returned her focus on more significant matters, spoken with a smile, as if they were talking the latest harmless neighborhood gossips, not precursors of war.

"I had a talk with one of Kimber's men this morning though," she confessed, pausing for a danced turn, "while we were on the tracks. There's tensions concerning Mr. Kimber with a Lee Clan in the area. Can you confirm?"

"Robert said sum about it," Gene nodded. "This man lacks the security, the loyalty too, Jackie, but he ain't lacking the funds. Seen the registers. He may not be the most pleasant man, but you can't deny he'd be easy money. Our interest is huge for this deal. And I know what you're thinking..."

"If I had a penny for each time a man said that."

"I am yer brother before I am a man," Gene was immediate to retort her interruption. "You're thinking 'bout your worst case scenarios, but this guy ain't that smart to pull a trick on us, Jackie. He's even got the hots for you. We take his money, with interest, give him the goods and move on."

After resting his case, he gave in to a sigh. Changing Jackie's mind once she had set herself on an idea had a snowball's chance in Hell to actually happen, and when those thoughts of hers circled around possible danger to their business, the odds were plummeted to non-existence beyond the operation grounds of miracles.

Staring blankly ahead was a side effect of thinking too deeply — the angles were tormenting her. On the one hand, the cards had been dealt well to suck a Birmingham boy dry of his savings on a deal cheaper for them to transport to England then most of their shipments. Their client was selling at a considerably lower price than they were, so given her brother was able to confirm Kimber's wealth and she too lavished in it since morning, worries should have skipped her mind. However, he was indeed not the brightest, nor even the most likable man to be around and that, unfortunately proved to have rendered him rather vulnerable to thefts. Should their horses be compromised because of Kimber's lack of security, Jackie took into consideration only too seriously that he was stupid enough to demand his money back or add them to a neverending list of enemies.