A/N - Thank you to @chythurs for proposing this idea to me :) This is for you.
**
Brooklyn - 1931
It was simple.
Get in, find out anything and everything even if not relevant. Get out.
Now as Delphine's feet took her towards the back streets of the Brooklyn docks, there were very few people about. It was 9pm, and no woman like her would be seen frequenting an area such as this. The only ones who came here were workers and ladies looking for a night of fun in exchange for money. Even they were nowhere to be seen.
Her walk was filled with purpose. Intent. After all she was there with both - eventually turning down yet another side street where she could see a figure standing patiently outside a run-down shop that had not been occupied for some years so it seemed.
The click of her heels made him turn and she came to a stop in front of him.
"Nice night out tonight, miss". He nodded to her, lifting his flat cap slightly in greeting.
Delphine nodded. "It is, but I always carry an umbrella".
On this, the man stepped aside and knocked twice on the door behind him. It opened immediately and she passed through, slowly taking in the dimly lit hallway before descending some steps to another door.
As she opened it, the music and laughter broke free. The room large and bright. Heaving with people. Some at tables making conversation, playing card games while others were at the bar. On the stage there were a group of dancers moving to the jazz band that was entertaining the patrons of this secret and very much illegal establishment.
The Lehigh Club.
That was what the name said on the sign above the bar.
It was the right place. Her father had been right...
Delphine Ross had no idea why she'd chosen to agree with her father's plan in the first place. Inspector Ross worked for the police department, and his one talk was to close down all the Speakeasy's in New York and it's surrounding areas. Alcohol distribution was prohibited by law, however notorious names within the gangs that operated In New York, Brooklyn and beyond had ensured that this wasn't to be the case. People such as Tony Stark were on the radar, however they always seemed to be one step ahead of the cops, which made Thaddeus Ross even more pissed.
The only person on the radar tonight was one man. One who had slipped through Ross's fingers so many times that now it meant he had brought his youngest daughter in to be a pawn in a rather dangerous game.
Steven Rogers.
"You get in there, find out what they're operating, Speakeasy or not, then you get out and come home". Ross told her as she had put on her coat. "I had a reliable tip off that once you get to the door, the guy will say that it's a nice night out, to which you reply with 'yes, but I always carry an umbrella'" Ross told her. "DO NOT forget that. Otherwise we're just not going anywhere".
Delphine nodded. "And what if there's nothing there of relevance?"
"Then we keep trying to find out what the bastard is up to. Steve Rogers is dangerous Del. He needs to be flung in a jail cell to rot".
She said no more and began her journey to the location that her father had acquired from his source who also provided him with the password. Now here she was, and in very much an illicit establishment. Now all she needed was a drink, and a watchful eye.
**
"When's the next shipment coming in?" Steve asked as he sat back on his chair and lit a cigarette. The muffled sounds of the bar from downstairs was enough to convince him that tonight was a busy one. It always was - people simply wanted to drink, and with that came money. Money that he could use in order to buy, make and distribute alcohol. The latest load he'd acquired had been coming from Australia.
"2am tomorrow morning. Sam will be with me to see it's all there".
Steve held the cigarette between his fingers, in his other hand, he grasped a glass tumbler filled with whiskey and ice, slowly swirling the liquid around while the frozen cubes clinked against one another. The club had been thriving since the law had been enforced. With it came the constant threat of being discovered, and there had been a few close calls - however they had seen that these had been dealt with swiftly. He had connections to the cops, Nicholas Fury in general - and it was a wonder that the place had lasted as long as it had. Fury had done a good job in ensuring no one was on their asses, and in return he got his own rewards.
Rising from his chair, he downed the drink and nodded toward the door. "Lets go watch some of the entertainment for a while". He said. It was rare that he ever got to mingle with the patrons. Work was usually taking up too much of his time. If he wasn't keeping track of shipments, accounts and distributors, then he was putting a bullet in someone who hadn't made him happy at all.
"Quite a lot here tonight". Natasha Romanoff was leant against the wall outside the office, smoking her own cigarette - red and black dress skimming the right parts of her body. "Look at my ass again Barnes and I'll knock you through the wall".
Bucky smirked and straightened his suit, giving a sharp shrug of the shoulder as he tried to keep his cool. "You'd love that wouldn't you Natalia?" He said her name in a Russian accent to which she pushed herself from the wall and now came to stand incredibly close to him, one hand shooting out and grabbing his balls through his trousers.
"Don't make me twist it off..." She smirked, then releasing him and walking past Steve. "Few pretty girls out there tonight too - might find yourself a wife at last".
"I don't need a wife". He rolled his eyes and walked to the top of the stairs that descended down from the office levels and into the speakeasy. His eyes scanned the room, mainly for trouble or anyone who stood out.
They came to rest on a woman drinking by herself at a table, watching the girls dance on stage. Her head bobbed to the music slightly, but at times she would look around before turning her attention to the stage again. She was pretty. Blonde hair pinned into a fashionable style.
"Seen something you like?" Natasha mused, lips turning up as she followed Steve's eyeline. "Ooooh, fresh meat - never seen that one before".
He simply ignored her and walked down the steps, still keeping the woman in his sight and crossing to the bar. "The usual, and a gin". He instructed the bartender who set about making the drinks straight away.
The boss never waited for anyone or anything.
Taking the drinks he walked over to the woman's table and set hers in front of her. She looked up at him from kohl lined eyes and perfectly shaped red lips. Lips that would look good around his cock if he were honest about it enough. "On the house, I've not seen you here before?"
She shook her head. "My first time, heard from a friend that this was the only place to get a decent drink".
He sat himself down opposite her, block the view of the stage. "Well your friend told you right".
"You're a regular".
She had no idea who he was, and this somehow riled him up more than he thought it would. "Yep. Here every damn night".
"You must like it a lot then". She smirked and put the drink he'd brought to her lips, setting the lipstick stained glass down in front of her after she was done. "I can see why".
"Got some of the best stuff you can get, but that's why this place exists. Only the best here, alcohol and patrons alike". His eyes trailed over her, "you certainly fit the aesthetic". His eyes then flickered up to meet her own. "You got a name, doll?"
Her gaze dropped to the empty glass in front of her, hiding the pink tingeing her cheeks at his charm.
"It's Delphine". She told him quietly.
"Delphine..." He rolled the name on his tongue, sounding it out curiously. "Well Delphie, would you let me buy you a drink? Or maybe three?"
She shrugged, but then became a little more confident in herself. If this man was a regular then he'd know a hell of a lot about the place. "It depends on how much you think I'm worth..." She trailed off, realising he'd not yet introduced himself.
"Steve". He replied. "Steve Rogers".
Delphine knew from that moment on that she was well and truly fucked, however she seemed to manage to conceal her shock. "Well then Steve, buy me what I'm worth?"
His eyes looked her up and down again, tongue wetting his lips. "Something already tells me I don't even have barely enough to cover that cost..."