Prologue
"'And the prince and princess live happily ever after'" The mother finished reading the story to her daughter. It was only nights that HE was gone that she could enjoy such luxury.
Her daughter ate up every word. "Mommy, I can't wait to meet a prince who will take me away from here." The dangerous words of her five year old daughter shocked and scared the mother. The mother slapped her daughter.
"No one will ever take you from us and there are no such things as Princes." Her daughter started crying earning her another slap. "Don't! We Milianos never cry." Her mother scolded. She was lucky it wasn't her father who saw and heard her like this.
At the young age of five, the girl learned that to survive she had to get out of here.
Chapter One
Joker's POV
I had completed a heist last night but was injured by Batman. My left shoulder burned and I needed stitches. It was moments like this that I missed Harley, there were definately few moments but this was one. I had to lay low in one of the warehouses we had, until morning. I was heading to an abandoned mansion I had recently acquired. It was one of a wealthy families of Gotham who had went bankrupt. It had been empty for about a decade. After Batman blew up my club last week, taking my apartment with it, I had moved to this location.
I had been busy and not much was there and much was still uncleaned, besides my bedroom, the large office, and a conference room. It felt good to start anew but Batman will pay for ruining what was MINE. Johnny Frost was handling the affairs of dividing the money amongst those who participated, then he was due to meet me back here. I wanted to bandage myself up and sleep, maybe have a drink of whiskey.
I entered through the front door, something I rarely did, but saw bloody bare footprints on the floor. I readied my gun. The footprints were small so either a woman or a small boy, I didn't feel the need to call for backup since clearly this small person was injured. I followed the prints to the living room and was surprised to see a young woman asleep on the couch and...in a wedding dress? The absurdity of it caused me to laugh waking up the girl, causing her to frantically swing a knife she must of had hidden. That made me laugh even more.
"What? Who? How?" She was very confused and looked around.
"That is precisely what I would like to know." I tell her. "What are you doing in my home?" I ask her genuinely curious.
"Your home? I thought it was abandoned? Besides, I lived here as a child." She said. I was surprised by her lack of fear. She must really be confused.
I try to recall the family that lived here before. I don't think I have ever seen her before and trust me, I would have remembered. She was stunning to say the least. She hide wild curly dark brown hair that was almost black. Her eyes were a vivid and almost unnatural green, surrounded by thick, long, dark eyelashes that made her eyes look big and innocent. She looked like a breakable little doll with porcelain skin. She was a curvy girl and I wondered what she looked liked under that dress, even though it didn't leave much to the imagination.
"I have recently moved in here." I was feeling light headed from blood loss. I don't want anyone to see me vulnerable. "Leave now and I may let you live." She goes to stand and I notice she doesn't even wince though her feet look awful. They are bloodied and shredded.
"Okay, I am sorry for the intrusion, Mr. Joker. Before I leave would you like me to fix your wound?" She asks as she walks closer to me. I hold the gun to her head.
"Do it quickly." I tell her. I go to sit on the couch and ignore the feeling of the warmth from where she was laying. She is running back to me with a dusty first aid kit. We stay quiet as she works. I want to ask her a bunch of questions but I am afraid the weakness from blood loss will be heard in my voice and I don't trust this girl. Someone insane enough not to fear me is someone I don't trust. Even Harley, though she loved me, feared me.
She removed my shirt and I want to joke about her having me naked but I stay quiet till my strength regains. She has cleaned it and even pulled some metal debris out. I have never seen anyone work so quick and efficient with my wounds before. "Okay, I'm about to do the stitches and I don't have any numbing agent unfortunately, but here." She moves my hand to her hip. "Squeeze if it hurts, it'll help."
I want to laugh, but then suddenly it stings. Not enough to squeeze her. I focus on touching her instead, she is so soft, the dress is silky but she is so tender, I feel that if I do squeeze her in pain, then she would break. I cannot get over her warmth.
"Mr. Joker, your skin is cold and I am afraid it might be the beginning stages of shock. Do you have someone I can call?" She looks...concerned. What the hell is this?
"HA HA HA, no. I run cold anyways." I feel my strength gaining already. She did great with the stitches too. She purses her lips not believing me. "Oh darlin, you should have left when you had the chance." I say as I close in on her. She doesn't back up, she doesn't show fear.
"And why is that?" She asks. She has spunk. I like that. She is useful with treating injuries, that's why I want to keep her. At least, I tell myself that.
"Because now I have decided to keep you. You are going to be mine now." She will be my new toy. I laugh out loud.
"Oh Mr. Joker, I am much more trouble than you know." She tells me with a smirk. Oh yeah, she is going to be a fun one to break. "You are not going to want to keep me for long."
Her feet are still bothering me, that revealing wedding dress is bothering me. It all bothers me and not only for the reason of why it is there. Finally it hits me, the Miliano family. They are the ones who used to own this house. Rumor has it that they went bankrupt are in a huge debt to Don Falcone. But everyone who is someone in Gotham would have known they had a daughter. This little brat is lying to me.
"The Milanos don't have a daughter." I state calling her out.
"No, they have a daughter. I have been kept hidden away for years. I am Adelina Miliano." She tells me and I like the way her tone takes a little Italian hilt.
"Prove it." I demand of her. Maybe she has an ID or something under all that silk...Doubtful, that thing is skin tight.
"I don't have any proof right now, but guaranteed there will the whole Italian mafia of Gotham looking for me." She explains, still no fear I take note. Hmm that would be troublesome, if it were true.
"And why would they be after you? You are pretty but NOT that pretty." I lie, this girl could cause wars over her beauty.
"I knew growing up that I would be raised and sold to the highest bidder, leaving one prison for another, leaving one abusive home for the next. This new one happens to be Carmine Falcone's son Mario." She practically spat the last part. I heard of him, daddy's boy who has had everything handed to him. Even a beautiful wife apparently. "They couldn't even wait till after I was eighteen, the wedding was scheduled on my 18th birthday, yesterday. Happy fucking birthday to me, here is a husband." I liked her sarcasm and dark humor.
I circled around her and assessed her. I tried to be intimidating but nothing phased her. What has happened in this girl's life for her to not fear someone like me? I am almost jealous of the thing that causes her fear. After sometime she sighs.
"Look, west wing, down the hallway, last room on the right. It is an emerald room with a black queen sized bed with gray bedding, it used to be more silver, the furniture is all black, and the attached bathroom is all black marble." My neck is around hers instantly.
"How do you know that?" The footprints show she has been nowhere but in this room.
"It used to be my room." She said evenly. Her breathing struggled but her face held no discomfort. I wrapped my hand tighter...and nothing still. This was very frustrating. Her face started changing color so I let go. Her breathing was heavier but that was all. I saw a bruise forming already.
"Well that was all the proof I needed. You didn't have to tell me your whole sob story." I told her condescendingly.
"Yeah, well I thought you might want to know what you are getting yourself into." She smirked. Oh how I wanted to wipe it off her face, preferably by kissing the living shit out of her. That thought took me by surprise. "So how do you like my room?" She asked still smirking.
God damn it! That's it. This short little spitfire is going to get it. I raise my hand to slap her and when she doesn't flinch, my hand lands gently on her cheek and I am kissing her hard. Mission accomplished and smirk is gone. I can't stop kissing her though. She is kissing back. Her warm mouth on me is more intoxicating than eighty year old scotch. I am about to use all my strength I have left and stop when she lets out a moan. I am completely done in then. I am going to take this girl on this dusty old couch here and now. My knife is in my hand and I use it to slice off that wretched wedding dress. I never pull my lips from hers and I probably have cut her but I don't care and she doesn't seem to either.
Since when do I care if it hurt her? I can feel she has a strapless bra on and her panties feel silky. My hands are feeling her entire warm body as I push her down to the couch, my body against hers. I feel every inch of her warmth. I cut off her bra as well without looking and my hands grab her full tits. Her small hands are on my chest, I think she is about to push me away until she balls up my shirt and pulls me closer.
One of my hands slip down and starts to rub her outside her panties. I don't think I have ever wanted a woman more in my life. It is almost like I have to be in her or I will die. Her panties are about to join her dress and bra, knife is by her hip and all. Her moan vibrates against my lips. Then we are interrupted.
"Hey boss! Where are you?" I hear Johnny call for me. I don't want him to see my girl naked. My girl? What the hell?
"I will meet you in the office. Don't come into the living room." I yell in a deathly tone. I pull away from Adelina. I didn't notice she had gotten my shirt completely unbutton and smirk until I take in her sight. I look at her with disgust.
Her body is beautiful, more beautiful than I imagined, but it is covered breasts to toes in bruises. Now I know why even though the dress was revealing, it was long sleeved. I don't even see any normal skin color. Shit, she might even have broken bones under there. I feel an urgent need to get her to a doctor and guilty that I hadn't even notice.
She mistook my look of disgust and I finally see a pained expression in her face. I don't bother to explain myself although something compels me to. "I.." I'm struggling to comfort her but she cuts me off.
"Do you have clothes I can borrow?" She won't look me in the eye. She is ashamed. Ashamed by something she didn't even cause? It makes me furious. Unfortunately, that fury stays in my tone.
"Upstairs in my room. Stay up there till I come to get you." I turn and leave not wanting her to feel ashamed and hurt anymore.