A/N: Greetings, dear readers! I've been blown away with all your responses to this story. Thanks to every single person who has followed, favorited and reviewed. Thanks for adding me in favourite author list. And most importantly thanks for reading. These things always push me to write more and better.
Here's the new chapter. Enjoy! :)
Chapter 9
Their laughter ceased and a deadly silence took control of the room. The enjoyment they were having by torturing the restrained woman came to a sudden halt as everyone looked at the person who interrupted their entertainment – the sight shook their core.
There, dressed in all his purple glory, smirking evilly was … The Joker.
Vincenzo suddenly found himself very, very pissed off. He was in the middle of an important meeting with the sister of Gotham's most powerful man and the Joker decided to intervene. In Gotham, sighting of this clown was considered as a bad omen.
The Joker was extremely smart; this morning when his men informed him about the newly crowned mob boss, he already knew all about it. He sent his men just to cross-check the information before meeting 'the boss' personally. But he wasn't expecting to see her. The Joker completely ignored their presence in the room and slowly stalked towards her; his steps measured, his shoulders hunched. Finally, the game of hide-and-seek was over.
As her profile slowly came into his line of vision, his brows rose with amazement. No doubt the mayor was so protective of his young sister. And he should be, especially when the sister was loaded with beauty. Joker realised why the Wayne guy was trying to woo her. Obviously, he wasn't going to let a woman like her slip through his hand. He wanted her incredible genes in his children.
With half lidded eyes, the Joker stared at her, his eyes drinking in every single feature of her face—from her perfectly curved brows to her plump lips. Her lustrous black hair was tied into a ponytail and cascaded down her back and chest, clashing against the white top she was wearing. Loose curls fell around her face and two peacock feathers were dangling from her ears in the form of earrings.
For some reason, the Joker adjusted his suit and tie, smoothed his messy green hair and sauntered over to the strikingly attractive woman. He noticed how her body tensed up and she stopped struggling. She was aware of his presence near her. After blinking several times she allowed her eyes to open; the long eyelashes casting shadow on her cheekbones as two milk chocolate irises stared at him. The Joker felt his scars stretched against his facial skin as he tried to give her a charming grin.
…
Even with my closed eyelids I could sense a dark presence before me, it was something superior. My eyes refused my command when I tried to open them as they were still burning and watery from the smoke. I blinked rapidly to clear my vision before looking at the owner of that deep, masculine voice.
My eyes travelled up the long purple-clad limbs, green vested chest and broad purple suited shoulders before resting on a ghoulish face. For a moment, I forgot the burning sensation of my eyes, the strong plastic around my small wrists and the rope around my body; my attention was condensed on those horrendous splits that extended his mouth into a lurid grin. The overhead light played an important role to accentuate his horrible Glasgow smile. I noticed how one of the scars was smoothly curved while the other one was messy, larger and rippled. They looked like deep cracks on earth surface.
The man flashed me a grin, pulling his scars taut. All the vital organs inside my abdomen exchanged their position at the sight and I forced myself to meet his eyes. It was a mistake. My blood froze in the veins from the intensity of his gaze. There was something very dark and strong in his eyes that was forcing me to look away, but at the same time they challenged me to do so. This man was doing something that the mob had tried and failed.
Intimidate.
This man was downright intimidating. His slightly hunched and tall figure towered over my diminutive frame, making me feel fragile. I couldn't help myself from shrinking slightly by watching him standing in such powerful position. Everything about him was screaming of power. With his white painted face, green hair, purple suit and red smile, he was a colourful version of darkness.
Who is he? Was he someone the mob used to control the stubborn and non-cooperative hostages like me? Or he was the real boss. I quickly surveyed everyone's expression to get my answer, but failed to decode their body language. The men looked alarmed and defensive as they stared the man in purple with… fear… anger… disgust? I couldn't quite point out.
"So all those news articles are bullshit, huh? You're still in Gotham." The thick silence was broken by Vincenzo. "What are you doing here?"
With a sharp jerk of his head, the clown man looked at him and for a brief moment my gaze landed on his neck, the only place where his skin was visible.
"I was just passing by." He began, his voice husky and breathy. "And thought I should see my, uh, old friends." He said and again I was his centre of attention. My skin crawled, staring back into those pools of tar. He wasn't leering but his gaze was touching my skin.
"But…I didn't expect to see a peacock among the crows." I gasped when he reached out to touch my earring; his arm came up so fast I didn't have the time to register it. He locked his gaze with me while his fingers almost caressed the colourful feather dangling from my ear.
"Don't touch," I protested in a quiet voice when his gloved hand touched my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. I was all restrained and defenceless but that didn't mean anyone could touch me. So I tried my best to hold my chin up.
He raised a brow and tilted his head ever so slightly; his tongue flicked out from his mouth, licking his lips. He looked very interested about something, but I didn't know what. The man finally let go of the feather with a light tug on my earlobe.
"Tell me, gorgeous, what you call a group of crows?" he wiggled his brows.
Murder.
In any other situation, I could've chirped the answer to show off my knowledge, but this case was different. He certainly didn't want to know the simple answer. Were they going to murder me? Whatever thing that possessed me to talk back the mob, was now completely gone as a concrete fear obstructed my throat. My mind suddenly started to picturize all those things I had read in the crime novels.
"You are wasting my time, clown. Tell me what you want." Vincenzo demanded, snapping me out of my dreadful thoughts. The words spilled from his lips with extreme annoyance and it grabbed my attention. If they worked together and were friends as Mr. clown claimed, then why he was looking so pissed off?
With a dramatic sigh Mr. Clown closed his eyes, almost rolling it. His brows rose in a bored manner as he looked at the mob supremo. His tongue again flicked out and I couldn't help but wonder was it his habit or the red paint was causing irritation on his skin.
"You see I'm a very private person," He started. I noticed how he liked to talk with a lot of hand gestures as his fingers were dancing to the rhythm of his words. "I don't, uh, like to discuss anything in front of an outsider." He turned to look at me while hunting through the pocket of his purple trench coat. My stomach churned when his hand came out with a knife. My assumption was right, he was going to kill me. I shifted in the chair uncomfortably and put pressure on my wrists to break the zip tie.
Where are you, Batman? My heart cried for the masked hero. He was the only one who could save me from my untimely death.
Mr. Clown took a measured step towards me. I thought to utilize my free legs to kick his male pride before he tried to harm me. But then what? What would be my next move? I was tied in that chair and was completely defenceless. I looked at Mr. Clown and – is he smiling at me? Or at least I thought he was as I failed to differentiate his real smile from the permanent one.
"So…" his words died on his lips and he did something highly unexpected. With almost a choreographed movement he flicked his wrist and the zip tie fell on my lap… broken.
My hands were free.
"Hey —" the black-haired man tried to stop him.
"Ah, ta-ta."
Mr. Clown's hand was nothing but a blur as he pointed a gun at the man. The black-haired man raised both of his hands in the air, his gaze locked on the gun aimed at him. Mr. Clown slowly stalked towards him and pressed the barrel underneath his chin, pushing his head upwards; the cigarette fell from his victim's mouth.
"Smoking kills," clown man hissed, smashing the burning cig with his boot. The word slithered off his tongue like there was a viper hidden inside his mouth.
With wide eyes and an utterly confused mind I watched the high-voltage drama unfolding before me. My gaze altered between the two men as my brain failed to understand what the hell was going on.
"What do you want?" The black-haired guy asked through gritted teeth, masking his fear masterfully.
"Release her." Mr. Clown demanded. What? At first I thought I heard it wrong, but the clown man confirmed it. "The young lady should never have to see how we work-ah. Let her go."
Everyone was silent in the room and my brain finally deciphered the meaning of their friendship. Rival gang. Mr. Clown was demanding my freedom to establish his superiority, while the mob was desperate to retain their pride. When nobody moved a muscle or said anything, Mr. Clown cocked the gun to force them to take a decision.
"Marcus?" the black haired man commanded immediately. Marcus didn't need another word as he rushed towards me to follow the order like an obedient dog.
I couldn't believe this was happening. It was too dramatic. This clown man single handedly flipped the entire situation. The mob had all their manpower while Mr. Clown was alone. But he was the one who was in charge.
Dogs come in pack, tiger hunts alone.
Every system has a top position. Underworld was no different and this man in purple suit and clown makeup was the apex predator of Gotham's underworld.
"You are free to go." Vincenzo remarked as soon as I was out of the rope. I watched how his gaze changed its direction to glare at Mr. Clown. "Now what, you want an escort?" he asked sarcastically, looking back at me.
"No, Thanks. I know the way. Your men drive pathetic." I answered, my voice sounded confident. The mob supremo narrowed his eyes at me, trying to figure out how I could possibly know the way as I was blindfolded. Well, I had no intention to explain how physics works. I was free and it was the most important thing. And now my first job would be to kick their ass by informing the Commissioner.
Before leaving that nasty place, I threw a last glance at my saviour and – shit he's looking at me. Okay, he forced the mob to release me, but I couldn't deny the fact that his mere presence was unnerving. Taking my eyes away from him I made my way to the front door. As I walked past Vincenzo he said something which made me stop in my track.
"You're in big trouble," he said lowly so that only I could hear.
"I'm sure the Commissioner will say this same line," I replied, hoping to see fear on his face. But opposite to my assumption, he chuckled.
"You're too naïve," he murmured, shaking his head as if I was a four-year-old. My brows drew together into a frown. "Don't tell anyone about our secret meeting." He looked at me and gave this disgusting smile as he added, "Your brother is a very good man."
My heart stopped at this remark. You don't need to be super intelligent to understand the hidden meaning of this statement. The threat was clear. This man first kidnapped me to gain the upper hand and when his plan failed, he took a different way. And he was the winner. I was ready to delete this day from my life to keep my brother safe. The mixed feelings of terror and rage was visible on my face as the so called 'Boss' gave me a nasty smile.
"I know He's like your father. I know how much you care for him. So, 'Hush, little baby, don't say a word,'" he mocked.
My hands curled up into closed fists and my chest rose and fell with heavy breathing. This man was the most disgusting person I had ever met. That nasty smile made my blood boil and without a second thought, I kicked his cane, showing him how to stay grounded. A high-pitched laughter was heard in the background as I stormed out the room, fuming with rage.
…
The Joker howled with laughter. He was mesmerised how she combined the words and insulted them beautifully. The moment he heard her talking back to the mob, his mind aborted the plan to kill her. Killing her would be a crime and she was too much fun.
"Dynamite-ah," the Joker remarked, releasing the black-haired man from the gun point and pocketed his weapons.
Vincenzo managed to stand up with the help of his cronies. He was pissed. The spoiled girl, who was not even half of his age, had the gall to insult him, just because her brother was sitting in the top position of the city. And the Joker, because of this bloody clown his golden bird flew away.
"Usually a hero emerges in this type of situation. Never knew you had such desires." He remarked, glowering at the Joker. "You have any idea who she was?"
"Oh, I know." The Joker smacked his lips together and nodded his head. "She's the, uh, pampered sister of the honourable mayor."
"Yeah, the man you tried to kill a year ago. Should I consider her release as an act of atonement?" The Joker snickered at this remark while the mob boss continued. "Mayor's office is gearing up to shut our business down. She was the only way we could stop him. And you decided to play hero."
"There would be no game…" the Joker began and it was then his eyes landed near the leg of the chair where Rose had been tied. He licked his lips and made his way towards the chair. "If the pawns refused to move-ah." he continued. A small smile spread on his lips when he discovered what it was. He picked up that 'something' and pocketed it.
"And your hostage was very smart, un-fortu-nately." The Joker clearly understood what she meant when she said 'your men drive pathetic'. Maroni's men had definitely blindfolded her but she counted the turns during the drive. He took a mental note of this. This woman was not like the others; her brain worked a little extra.
"I'm not interested in her intellect," the head mob glared at the clown with disgust. "Just tell me why did you let her go?"
"Because I can." This simple reply was enough to explain his power. The Joker slowly stalked towards the newly crowned mob boss and stood in front of him. "I heard you saying, uh, you control this city, hm?" He smacked his lips together as he dusted off Maroni's suit in mockery. "I'm here to show you the reality. This is my city and you just can't pick anyone without my permission." The mass murdering clown nodded his head slowly, his gaze hard and cold as he locked his eyes with the kingpin. "You can't control Gotham. Because I. Am. Gotham."
"Nice dialogue, clown," the black-haired guy taunted, aiming a gun at Joker. There was a soft clicking sound and the Joker turned his head to glance at the man over his shoulder. Vincenzo smiled smugly at the turn of the tables and missed another sound. The Joker turned fully to face the black-haired man.
"Ooh, I'm scared-ah." He raised his hands in mock surrender, suppressing a smirk that threatened to curve the corner of his ruined mouth. The room immediately echoed with 'shit's' and other low curses as everyone made their distance from the Joker; their eyes fixed on his hand where a hand grenade was secured and the pin was gone. The only thing preventing the grenade from showing its power was Joker's thumb against the safety lever.
"A single bullet and boom," the Joker exclaimed dramatically as if he was explaining them an amazing thing, but his face was dead serious.
Actually, the Joker was offended that the mob thought he stepped into their lair only with a gun! He lived a life where he gambled with death. He didn't even trust his own shadow and they expected him to carry only a gun. Now that was a good joke!
The black-haired guy clenched his jaw tight as he lowered the fire-arm. The Joker made his way towards the backdoor, eyeing the men and relishing the fear radiating off their face. The mobsters didn't know what was waiting for them. It was just a trailer; they were going to watch a blockbuster movie.
…
It took a few minutes to find the exit of the building. Strangely, none of the mob's men were seen on my way. Well, it was their luck that they didn't have to face a wounded lioness.
Stepping outside, I looked around. The whole area was a forest of warehouses that had seen some better days. Some were long forgotten while some were waiting to register their name in the 'abandoned' list – a perfect hiding place for the pests.
"What time it is?" I thought aloud. Shit o'clock. My utterly pissed off inner voice spat. I looked up at the sky; the sun again covered his face under the veil of dark clouds. I had no idea what the time was and where the hell I was in that goddamned city. However, the screeching gulls and the mild breeze informed me that wherever I was, there was a dockyard somewhere near.
Counting the turns while blindfolded was definitely a smart move, but to follow the exact same route was much more difficult than I thought. After a considerable moment of walking, I came into human contact. In front of a warehouse, a few men were unloading goods from a huge truck. One of them was holding a clipboard in his hand and giving instructions to the others. Finding them was like finding water in the middle of a desert.
"Excuse me, sir," I called out to grab their attention. They stopped in the middle of their work and looked at me as I approached them. "Could you please tell me the way to the 25th street?"
They looked at each other, probably thinking what the hell a girl was doing here. One of them put the box down and looked back at me. "You're far away from there, Miss." he informed.
"Oh!" I exclaimed, eliminating the 'F-word'.
"Well, there's a shortcut to the downtown," the man with the clipboard said, scratching his head, "You could hire a cab from there." he suggested.
They were kind enough to explain me the fastest way to the downtown. Thankfully, those mob fools didn't check my pockets so the cash supply to get back to my safe heaven was secured in the depth of my jeans pockets. The only thing that bothered me was my phone; it was sucking electricity in my room. If brother called– I shuddered thinking about the outcome of such situation.
I thanked them and began my journey, careful of each approaching alley on my way. Following their instructed routes, I finally emerged on a busy street. So many thoughts, so many questions clouded my mind as I walked down the sidewalk. I had noticed one thing, brother introduced me to only a handful of people, the people he trusted. He was very careful of this. Then how did the mob get to know about me? Had they rats at brother's office or –
The car, they have been keeping an eye on the residence.
The avalanche of realisation came crashing down on me. The sudden appearance of that strange car outside the apartment building, then brother's conversation with Gordon this morning and then my kidnapping – all these things met in the middle of my mental Venn diagram.
The mob had been keeping an eye on my movements. They were waiting for the right moment to strike and today I gave them the golden chance. It was entirely my fault. I felt helpless and angry for not able to give them proper treatment. My Bottom lip trembled as angry tears terrorised to cross the boundary of my eyes. Blinking, I ward them off. Crying was not a solution.
"I will skin them alive. Those bastards will know who I am." I muttered as those threatening words throbbed inside my head. An old lady gave me this weird look seeing me talking to myself, but at this moment I didn't care. "And that lame horse, he'll need a wheelchair. He will know what the real trouble is when Batman gets his hands on him."
Yeah, and Batman is waiting for you at a café. My sarcastic inner voice chimed.
There was a sudden drop in my adrenaline supply. The truth was I couldn't do anything and I was helpless. I had to keep my mouth shut in order to keep my brother safe. Because the moment the police would show up at their lair to arrest them for kidnapping mayor's sister, they would harm my brother. They were dangerous men, they had moles everywhere. Usually these types of men had access to everywhere – even in the police force. There are so many people who sell their moral for money. Only Batman was not for sale. I wish I had his helpline number. I knew he would help me.
I was so zoned out that didn't realised when I reached the heart of Gotham – downtown, the commercial sector of the city. I heaved a miserable sigh and my gaze traversed the area, taking in the surroundings. Sky high office buildings, blinking traffic lights, honking cars, pedestrians waiting at a crosswalk, Bruce Wayne…
Oh no, Bruce!
My breath decided to stay in my lungs as I spotted the dashing owner of Wayne Enterprises. My gaze followed him as he made his way to an expensive looking car while buttoning up his suit. The distance between us was merely a few meters and I just prayed he would leave the place without noticing me. Right now, I really didn't want to confront him. I watched as he went straight towards his car, unlocked it, opened the door and then looked up.
He stopped and I froze.
My unlucky stars were shining bright as he looked directly at me and arrested my gaze with his own. Everything around me seemed blurry as we stared each other. Bruce looked at me for a moment as if confirming it was really me he was seeing. Confirmed, he smiled his captivating smile. Shit! I immediately broke the eye contact and looked away.
"Taxi." I called out and slipped inside the vehicle the moment it pulled up. "25th street," I gave the driver my address and urged him to drive fast.
I felt so bad for behaving like this. Only a few days ago I had visited his place for a dinner and now I was doing this. But I couldn't help it; I had been kidnapped by a group of dangerous men, then rescued by another dangerous man and finally managed to earn a threat from the gang leader. My mind wasn't in the right state to chit-chat with anyone. All I wanted was to go back to the apartment, lock all the windows and doors, hide under the bed and remained there for the rest of my life.
Slumping back in the seat I looked out the window while rubbing the raw skin of my bruised wrists. Great. Now I had to apply makeup on it 24x7, if I didn't want to show off my little kidnap memento. It was only when I felt certain emptiness in my left hand – it felt naked.
"No," I gasped softly as if my weak protest would negate the reality that I had lost my most prized possession.
…
The Joker had two men stationed outside the building. They were chatting with each other, leaning against a black Escalade. The car was borrowed only a few days ago; they had already changed the number plate and tinted the windows. Their body went rigid when they saw their boss coming. The Joker crossed the distance with a few long strides while pinning the grenade and putting it back in the pocket. He hopped inside the car as one of his men opened the door for him.
Sitting comfortably in the seat, the clown let out a huge sigh. The day turned out very good for him. Well, it would've been great if he snatched her from the crime lord. But the time wasn't right and she was smart. He couldn't hold her with a handful of certified morons. She had the ability to outsmart his men within a blink of an eye.
But the Joker was smarter. By rescuing her, he killed two birds with one stone. One: It pissed off the mob and showed them who possessed the real power. Two: He lulled the beauty queen with the illusion of safety. He let her believe that he was no threat to her. And it only increased the fun of this game. Everything was in his favour or – the Joker knew how to turn everything in his favour.
He drummed his fingers on his thigh and started humming tunelessly as the car drove through the street. His henchmen shared a cautious glance with each other, fearing that the clown would like to kill them just because he was feeling happy. He had already started today's fun by killing the informer and they didn't want to be the next.
The Joker pushed his hair away from his face and inhaled deeply; his mind slowly changing its gear. The woman – what was her name? He tried to remember the name he had heard this morning. Roseline. He liked her name; it rhymed with gasoline.
'Don't touch' he snickered recalling her warning. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't fascinated. He hadn't expected her to be like this; she had a fire in her. Even in her vulnerable state she was not ready to surrender.
"Pretty," he murmured, licking his lips absentmindedly. She had the most mesmerising eyes he had ever seen. Those big brown eyes framed by long thick eyelashes reminded him of a gazelle. The way she was looking at him, the Joker realised she didn't know anything about him. Big brother did the best to keep his baby sister safe; but all his efforts were futile – a tiger was going to stalk that beautiful gazelle.
Stalk, ambush and subdue… that would be so much fun. The beast inside him slavered with a sensation he couldn't identify.
He smiled devilishly as he remembered something and slipped his hand inside his suit pocket. A wave of electricity coursed through him when it came out with the thing he had found inside the warehouse.
"See you soon, Butterfly," he drawled, looking at the thing that was wrapped around his long fingers. A thin silver chain with a tiny butterfly dangling at the end–
Rose's bracelet.
A/N: So it was the chapter. I personally loved writing it. Our favourite clown surprised you, didn't he? I hope the Joker isn't acting OOC. Leave a review and let me know.
Cassie-011: Oh, I'm so evil to leave you with the cliffhanger. :D Hope I didn't disappoint.
Guest: Thank you so much dear guest for your reviews. I'm so happy that you enjoyed and hope you would continue to like it. And I have too many things in store for you guys. Stick around! ;)
Liam1094: Thanks dear for the review. There's nothing more encouraging than knowing you guys want to read more. Hope you enjoyed it as well! :)
PaulinaDragona: Hey, dear! I'm very happy that you liked Rose's personality. Hope you enjoyed the update. :)
Guest: Thank you dear! Hope you liked the chapter. :)
Guest: Thanks dear guest for your love and support. :)
scarlet rose white: Thanks dear for the review! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as well. Let me know. :)
Until the next update, lovely readers! :)
