Noir

C'est comme déplacer des montagnes (it's like moving mountains)

*** TW // Violence ***

God, why couldn't she ever just be on time? Maddox glanced at her watch. 3:35 pm and they were due to meet at 3:30. Punctuality was a myth. Had to be.

She shot another discreet look over her shoulder, careful not to break stride as she hurried down the sidewalk. Yep. That guy across the street wearing the black baseball cap and doing a shit job of being inconspicuous was definitely following her. Even worse, he held a camera in his grubby little hands.

This was becoming an increasingly common occurrence. The more often the media speculated about her relationship with Harry, the more often she was harassed. Thankfully, they always kept their distance, never approaching directly. She only wished she could keep her distance from the new articles cropping up bearing her name on a daily basis.

Distance. She was almost grateful for the thousands of miles between her and Harry.

It didn't make sense, though he'd explained the situation with Desiree a million times. And it sounded like bullshit every single time.

But today wasn't about him. Maddox had just left therapy and was meeting a friend for a late lunch. While she'd have been fine having a double-double at the local In-N-Out, there was a bop in her step as she headed for a rooftop restaurant downtown.

Instructions? "Dress kinda fancy. Bring your ID, but leave your wallet at home."

In no position to turn down a free meal, she'd done as asked. If the look on Lorena's face at the sight of her was any indication, she'd followed directions well.

"Ooh, bend me over, hottie!" Lorena quipped, throwing her arms around Maddox in a tight hug. The two women embraced for a long while, there in front of the hotel with little regard to any passersby. They'd spent the past three years as partners in crime, warriors in the fight against John Goldsmith. As a result spawned an unbreakable bond. Noticing an older couple throwing looks their way as they brushed past, Lorena shook her fist. "Nothing to see here, assholes! You should see what we do behind closed doors!"

"You're fucking crazy," Maddox laughed as they finally parted, watching the uncomfortable couple quickly scurry away.

"It's been said," Lorena acknowledged, tossing long, recently-dyed, jet black locks over her shoulder. She was apparently channeling Angelina Jolie, all hazel eyes and puckered pout, and Maddox had to admit, it worked for Lorena. "Girl. How've you been? I have missed you so much."

"Eh, I'm hanging in there," Maddox said, hoping Lorena was in no mood to grill, as she was in no mood to spill. She had an inkling she wouldn't get so lucky. "I miss you too. Like crazy. It's weird to go from seeing someone every day to not at all."

"That's on us. We gotta fix that," Lorena said, slipping her arm around Maddox's. "We'll start right now."

The pair was picking over appetizers while finishing their first drink and were gunning for a second round when Lorena cleared her throat.

"So. This is a celebration of sorts," Lorena revealed with a mysterious smile, swirling the remaining red wine around her glass. "My book. It's being published."

Maddox's eyes widened as she squealed, ignoring the attention she drew from nearby diners. "Oh my god! Who knew writing out that thing on John's clock would pay off? Who's publishing? It should definitely be a movie, from what you let me read."

"Funny you should say that," Lorena said, grinning. "There's super early talk of potential movie rights, if it sells how they expect. I'm so fucking excited, I could explode at any given moment."