and the wheels keep rollin'

SUMMARY: The year is 1925. Officer Levi belongs to Law Enforcement, tasked with preventing the illegal sale of alcohol. However, when Levi is assigned to stopping a shipment of rum from reaching Trost via train, he finds himself wondering if he's really cut out for a life of justice after all. Smooth-talking cop!Levi and Femme Fatale!Mikasa.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Written for Rivamika week over on tumblr. Prompt had something to do with red and inebriation so here you go. Also, some light influences of Baccano in here.

DISCLAIMER: Don't own.

"You have nowhere to go now." I leveled my gun at the beautiful woman, tilting it slightly to catch a better glimpse of her face. She was the exotic type; dark hair framed a pale face while curious grey eyes peeked out at me.

"You're wrong." When she spoke, it was rich like velvet. Words like smooth silk wrapped with a velvet voice and set in a pretty red box. "I have plenty of places to go. You're just in the way. Unless you'd like to come with me?"

"Sorry about that, Velvet," I apologized. "Can I call you that? Velvet?"

A tiny smile quirked the corners of her lips. A dangerous expression, but damn was it ever nice to look at. "You can call me whatever you want," she purred. She acted like she was socializing at some fancy party and even looked the part in a pretty dark red dress and stockings, but her body was tense. Leonine. Graceful.

"Too bad I won't be able to visit you in jail," I said, my gun still pointing at her.

"We'll see about that."

FOUR DAYS EARLIER

"We've received intel on the movement of the Shiganshina Trio." My superior, Commander Erwin, plopped a thick folder on my desk.

I ground the end of my cigarette into the ashtray. "Shiganshina Trio?"

Erwin grimaced. I offered him a ciggy, but he declined. Like always, Erwin was a straight-laced kind of guy devoted to his job like nobody else. "Organized crime. They used to be just a bunch of hoodlums until they started getting involved in bootlegging. Now, they're big shots."

I edged one of the files toward me with my free hand and opened it. A mug shot of a pretty dame stared up at me with frigid eyes. "She their moll?"

"She's their muscle," Erwin corrected. "We've had her in custody before, but she's managed to break out every single time. This is their consultant," Erwin pointed to a mug shot of a blonde kid who looked way too young to be a gangster, "who takes care of all the public relations stuff."

"Who's this?" I pointed to the last file on the desk.

"Eren Yeager," read Erwin. "We think he's the leader, though from what I've seen, I doubt it. He has connections with every other gang in the city, but lacks the skill to lead."

"Who is their leader?"

Erwin shrugged. "Nobody knows. The Trio seems to lead themselves. And you need to stop them before they get that shipment of rum to Trost."

I slammed all the files shut and stood up, lighting another ciggy. The smoke wafted through the empty office, coiling around empty coffee cups and scattered papers. "When do I leave?"

PRESENT

Velvet lifted the hem of her beaded skirt, exposing porcelain skin. She bent down slightly, looking up at me through thick lashes. "Enjoying the view, officer?"

I tilted my head. "Very much so."

She smiled, her eyes glittering with malice and before I could blink, she pulled a knife out and pointed it at my throat. It was hardly a difficult feat since I was shorter than her. "Too bad," she said lightly. "Afraid I'm going to have to cut the show short."

TWO HOURS AGO

"This is one hell of a fancy train," a fellow officer, Mike Zakarius, said to me. His face was scrunched up, probably from the fumes. Mike had a scarily accurate nose and had on more than one occasion, sniffed me out of trouble. "Smells fancy."

"I hate fancy trains," I grumbled, watching disgustedly as wealthy folk heaved their many pieces of luggage on. "Fancy people, too."

"We're looking fancy," said Mike, smoothing down the front of his suit. "Erwin got us these hats, too."

Just then, my eyes landed on a group of kids standing further down the platform. They weren't really kids. Not really. They each held an instrument case and wore heavy black coats. One of them—the bird—saw me staring and ducked her head.

"Pretty bird got your eye?" Mike followed my gaze. "I don't blame you."

"I think that's the Trio," I said back, fighting to have myself heard over the whistle of the train.

Mike's eyes widened as we made our way to the seats. "You don't say."

PRESENT

"You're a handsome fellow," Velvet said, the knife not moving one inch. Girl had steady hands. "It'd be a shame to muck that up." Though she still looked and spoke the same, something about her had changed. Like there was this jagged part of her that she kept hidden beneath the pretty dresses and rich voice.

"Don't worry about it," I countered. "Tell me where the rum is and none of us has to muck anything up."

She scowled. "So, you're a real cop. Not one of those posers, then?"

My hand strayed to my pocket where I kept my badge. Her eyes followed, but she let me take it out and show her.

"Hm. Impressive." She dropped the knife to her side, stepping closer to look at it. Our noses were almost touching. "I do like police officers. I almost want to tell you where it is, that's how much I like you."

"The instrument cases, isn't it?"

She paled immediately, but quickly recovered. "Won't you stay here with me, officer? You can show me how to shoot that gun of yours?"

I chuckled darkly. "Something tells me you could probably shoot it better than me."

She wrapped her hands around my waist, folding her body into my own. "Why don't we see?" With a smooth movement, she wrestled the gun from my grip. Her knife dropped to the ground in the process and I reached out to grab the weapon, but she put her foot down on it.

ONE HOUR AGO

"You from around here?" I slid into the seat across from the attractive girl on the platform.

"Yes," she said primly, tucking her short hair behind her ears. She wore a pretty clip in her hair and it sparkled under the lights. "My brothers and I are visiting our aunt."

"Your brothers?" I gestured to the blonde and brunette on the other side of the car. "You look nothing alike."

"We're all adopted," she said, lowering her eyes. "Our father just passed on, so we're heading to our aunt's house in Trost."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I took her hand into my own.

She blushed prettily at the contact, like some schoolgirl with a crush.

"You musicians? I saw you had cases on the platform."

She nodded. "Our father loved music and his sister does too. We thought the least we could do is show our appreciation."

"You mind playing me a tune?" I briefly glanced over at Mike who sat by the window, flipping through a book. He saw me staring and inclined his head ever so slightly.

She motioned for me to lean forward. "Why don't you come to my cabin?" She whispered. "I can show you everything you want to see."

I stood up instantly. "Lead the way."

PRESENT

"Sorry, officer." The same bird who'd sat with me and talked about musical instruments and stories of a (false) aunt now pointed the barrel of a gun at my head. "I like you very much. Almost enough to let you live, but you're in the way and I'm a busy girl."

"Looks like I'm not getting that recital, aren't I?" I said through gritted teeth.

Her smile was almost regretful. "Not today. Maybe I'll play at your gravestone when I feel up to it."

"Or maybe you can play to me while you're in jail."

She blinked confusedly. Then, Mike burst through the door, taking her by surprise. He quickly overpowered her—though I'm sure if it weren't for the element of surprise, she would have quickly disarmed him—and shoved her against the wall with her hands behind her back. He clipped a pair of handcuffs on.

She laughed, a sour mocking noise that seemed to echo around the cabin. "Too late, boys."

Mike held onto her arm and used his other hand to help me up. "What do you mean?"

"We're just the decoys," she said, shrugging. "The shipment's already arrived. You're too late." She laughed again.

SIX HOURS LATER

We arrived in Trost with Mikasa Ackerman of the Shiganshina Trio in custody. We didn't manage to get the other two as they escaped just as the train pulled into the station, plus we wouldn't have been able to pin anything on them. At least with Mikasa, she'd harmed an officer of the law.

"Oi!" I called to her as she was being escorted down the hall by no less than four burly guards. "Velvet, come 'ere." The guards looked at me cautiously.

She walked up to me, chin up and every bit of her still utterly defiant. "What is it, officer?"

Cupping her face in my hands, I pulled her down for a passionate kiss, which she responded to with equal enthusiasm. I let my hand rest on her waist, the other wrapped around her neck. When we finally parted, faces flushed, I gave her a wink. "See you around, Velvet."

She only smirked back.

TWO HOURS LATER

It was only after Mikasa Ackerman had been escorted to her cell that she finally opened her mouth and let the tiny silver key fall out.

"Stupid officer. Always falling for womanly wiles, that one."

ONE AND A HALF HOURS LATER

I swiveled my chair around. "You're late, Velvet."

Normally, people would fall all over themselves trying to apologize, but my girl had steel in her. "You didn't tell me they were putting me on the second floor."

I laughed. "Like that should deter you."

I could hear her footsteps coming up from behind me and when she reached my chair, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, kissing the crown of my head. "How about next time, you don't get your partner to shove me around, okay?"

"I'd blow my cover if I was too gentle."

"You're hardly gentle, Levi," she chided. "Or should I call you 'boss'?"