Are we ready for some action? Buckle your Bat-seatbelts and keep all extremities inside the car because here we go...

Chapter 25

Watchtower; June 24th, 13:44 EST

"Breathe, Shay…you need to breathe," Diana practically ordered her friend, her arm wrapped around the Thanagarian's waist as she escorted her to the infirmary.

"That's easy…for you to say," she snapped. "You're not the one whose water broke in the commissary n front of everyone or the one who's about to push out a baby the size of a watermelon."

"I've had two children, Shay…remember? I know what you're going through," the Amazon patiently reminded her. "You can do it. You've done this before."

"I'm not supposed…to be in labor yet," Hawkgirl groused, struggling to catch her breath. "This baby isn't supposed to come for—"

Her words were abruptly cut off by a cry of pain as Shayera doubled over, a colorful flow Thanagarian curse words following. Diana hit her commlink, realizing that she wasn't going to be able to walk much further. This baby was coming now, ready or not.

"Steel," she called. "I need a site to site transport to the infirmary for Hawkgirl and myself."

"Transporting now, Wonder Woman," he informed her.

J'onn turned in time to notice the appearance of the two heroines in the infirmary, but it was the blood-curdling scream from the Thanagarian that told him the reason why they were there. "I see someone is in active labor," he stoically noted.

"Ya think, genius?" Shayera yelled as Diana helped her to one of the medical beds. "Why am I in labor, J'onn? I'm not supposed to be in labor yet! You told me I wasn't due for...Ugh! This can't be happening…not for another two weeks or—"

"Well, it appears the baby has decided it is time to make its appearance regardless of the due date," J'onn calmly told her as he grabbed a pair of medical gloves.

"I'll get a hospital gown," Diana volunteered.

"Someone needs to contact—" Shay began only to lean forward and grip her knees with a scream as another contraction took over.

"Where is John, Shay?" Diana asked, returning with the gown.

Shayera sat up, allowing Diana to help her change. "He…he's on a mission…in Colombia, South America with Batman and Superman," she managed to get out between gasps for breath as a couple of nurses appeared at her side.

"What are they doing in Colombia?" Wonder Woman questioned her with a frown. "I thought Batman was with Superman in Metropolis helping him with a case."

"They were, but their investigation led them to Colombia," Shay explained. "That's when they called John in to back them up."

"I'll go take John's place so he can be here with you," Diana reassured her as Shayera lurched forward, her arms wrapping around her protruding abdomen.

"Get him here now," she ground out with a sneer, gritting her teeth against the pain. "This is all his fault. He needs to be here to see the pain that he has caused me."

"Okay, Shayera," J'onn said after checking her. "You're not ready to push yet. You're only about five centimeters. You need to breathe through your contractions. Do not push until I tell you that you can."

"I know what to do!" she yelled, her head falling back as she fought to catch her breath. "This isn't my first baby. I swear by all that is holy if that man ever touches me again, I'm going to shove that ring of his where—"

Shayera's cry cut off her next words, allowing Diana the chance to ask her friend a question. "Is Rex in daycare?" Diana asked her, trying to calm her friend down.

"Yes, I was going to go pick him up…but it's his nap time so he's probably sleeping now."

"I'll notify daycare of the situation," J'onn said.

"And notify Black Canary," Diana told him. "She said she'd take care of Rex when Shayera went into labor."

"I believe she's on monitor duty right now," J'onn replied. "I'll send her a telepathic message alerting her of the situation."

"I'll check on you later, Shay…good luck, J'onn," the Amazon told the Martian Manhunter with a broad smile as she walked past him.

Diana quickly made her way to the transporter room to check in with Steel, letting him know the situation. "I need you to beam me directly to Green Lantern's position," she instructed him. "Shayera's in labor."

"Locking in on GL's signal now," Steel informed her.

She made her way to the transporter pad, turning to face him as her hand found her hip. "Wait thirty seconds before transporting Green Lantern to the Watchtower."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a grin. "Good luck."

Diana returned his smile with one of her own. "I think it's John who's going to need it. He's in pretty hot water about now."

Steel couldn't contain his chuckle as he transported the Amazon to the Colombian jungle, knowing truer words had never been spoken. He liked Hawkgirl, but he was more than relieved that he wasn't the one who had to deal with the hormonal, pregnant Thanagarian at that particular moment.

Colombian Jungle; June 24th, 15:13 EST

"How much longer are we going to wait before we go in?" Green Lantern whispered, clearly growing impatient.

"Patience, John," Batman quietly told him. "We have to make sure this is really the location."

"I thought you two already did that?" he asked.

"We did, but we haven't confirmed it," Superman clarified. "We just narrowed it down to this compound. Besides, we want to wait to see if anyone else shows up that might be in on this."

"Great," John grumbled, slapping his neck to kill another mosquito. "Couldn't you have picked a less bug-infested area to track them down to?"

At that moment, Wonder Woman appeared directly behind them, causing all three heroes to abruptly turn around at the unexpected visitor. "What are you doing here?" Batman demanded to know with a dark scowl.

"Good to see you too," she replied with a frown. "John, Shayera's in labor. I'm here to take your place."

"What?" he nearly yelled only to receive a deadly glare from the Dark Knight. "She's not due yet."

"Steel is transporting you now to the Watchtower," she warned him. "Good luck."

"But…but…she's not supposed to be…" John began only to disappear from sight before he could finish his sentence, his expression one of shock mingled with a hint of fear.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Batman turned around to survey the scene before him to make sure that they hadn't been discovered during John's little outburst. "Illegal gun-running operation," he told her.

"They've been funneling hundreds of firearms into Metropolis for the last six months," Superman informed her. "I asked Batman to look into the case yesterday. He's already managed to track the ring back to here."

Diana cast a sidelong glance at her husband who was studying the compound through his binoculars, a small smirk forming on her lips. "You never cease to amaze me," she told him with a shake of her head.

A slight twitch at the corner of her mouth was her only response as he spotted someone coming out of the compound. "That's him," he confirmed. "Santiago Ramirez. He's our heavy hitter."

"Let's go get him," Diana eagerly said only to find a firm, yet very familiar hand roughly grasping her forearm.

"Wait, Princess," he said. "We need to make sure that no one escapes or that the caches of guns aren't lost. The more we can take down now, the bigger the dent we'll make in their illegal operation."

Diana rolled her eyes before glancing at Superman with exasperation clearly written on her face. "Hera, Batman," she reminded him with a scowl. "This isn't my first mission."

Superman attempted to fight back a snicker, but it was completely stifled after receiving the infamous Batglare. Batman then turned his attention to his wife. "I realize that, Wonder Woman," he snapped, overemphasizing her name. "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Superman."

Diana smirked at the Man of Steel who was now pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezed closed in escalating agitation. "This isn't my first mission either, Batman," the Kryptonian pointed out.

Diana lightly placed her hand on her husband's shoulder. "High or low?"

Superman shot her a questioning look as Batman responded with, "Low…keep it neat."

"How neat?"

"Very neat," he told her. "I want intel."

"Fine," she reluctantly agreed. "You're no fun."

Clark shook his head in disbelief. "You two are spending far too much time together."

Husband and wife turned to stare at him, both frowning with his observation. "He's going in low and we're going in high," she explained. "Keep the causalities to a minimum so he can interrogate as many as possible in order to gather more information about who's really behind this."

"I'm not going on anymore missions with two of you," Superman readily decided with a roll of his blue eyes.

"When you're out in the field, you have to keep talk to a minimum," Batman told him. "There isn't always a lot of time for full conversations."

"Whatever," Kal muttered in frustration. "Can we just do this already?"

"I just want to make sure we're all on the same page," Batman replied. "I believe there are some very dangerous weapons being manufactured in there."

"I've handled worse," Diana said.

"Don't remind me, Princess," the Dark Knight bit out, none too pleased with the reminder.

Batman watched as Ramirez went to his Jeep to retrieve something before beginning to head back towards the compound. "Go," he darkly rasped, exchanging his binoculars for a batarang as he followed his teammates through the thick jungle cover towards their target.

Hearing something, Ramirez looked up to find Superman and Wonder Woman coming straight at him like deadly, heat-seeking missiles. He cursed as he ran for the compound, yelling orders in Spanish as he reached for the gun he kept in the waistband of his jeans.

"Why do they always go for the gun?" Superman gripped.

"You'd think they'd learn by now," Diana replied, raising her arms to deflect the bullets being fired directly at her.

Over two dozen men poured out of the compound, all armed to the teeth with automatic guns. Superman and Wonder Woman drew their attention away while Batman snuck inside of the compound. Diana soared through the air, deflecting bullets and making sure that their focus was on her and not her husband. She zigzagged sharply before abruptly diving straight at a group of men.

She ripped weapons out of their hands, crushing them before delivering a flurry of punishing blows. When she was done, she turned to find Superman holding up Santiago Ramirez by the scruff of his neck.

"I thought we were supposed to go easy on these guys?" Kal asked, his narrowed eyes roaming over the ground littered with two dozen men, all knocked unconscious.

"I did," she claimed with a smirk. "None of them are bleeding…that much. Besides, they'll come to soon enough."

Superman just shook his head as Batman walked out of the compound, noticing all the bodies on the ground. "Diana, I thought I said I wanted to question them."

"I left you one," she maintained, nodding to Santiago.

"I did what I was told," Superman smugly taunted, giving her an arrogant look as he dropped Santiago to the ground at Batman's feet.

"Suck-up," Diana muttered under her breath, knowing that he'd heard her.

Batman crouched down low, his cowled face a breath away from Santiago's. "Talk."

The terrifying grate of Batman's voice sent an icy shiver through the Kryptonian. Even after all of these years of working together, it never ceased to amaze him how abrasive and biting Bruce could truly be when wearing that cape and cowl. He knew, though, it was more than necessary when it came to Gotham and situations like this one. It also helped to know the kind of man he was behind the mask, the husband, father, friend.

Santiago just glared up at Batman, meeting his glower without even flinching. "I don't know nothing," he spat out with a sneer in broken English.

Batman hauled him up onto his feet before dragging him over to where a large machete lay on the ground beside one of his fallen comrades. Batman leaned down, speaking low in his ear as he pointed at the machete before pointing at Santiago. He then dragged him back over to his teammates.

"Now, let's try this again," Batman began as he crouched down again. "Where are these guns heading?"

"Gotham," Santiago reluctantly revealed, scowling furiously at the Dark Knight.

Diana noticed how Batman instantly stiffened with the information, his hands balling into fists. They shared a brief, knowing look before he turned his attention back to the man on the ground. "Who's the dealer in Gotham?"

"Some lady named Falcone," he replied. "I don't know nothing more than what I told you."

"Who do you answer to here in Colombia?" Diana asked.

Santiago contemplated not answering her for a brief moment, but changed his mind when Batman started reaching for him again. "Okay…okay," he said, holding up his hands in self-defense. "It's my cousin."

Batman felt his patience rapidly running very thin, especially with the knowledge that Sienna was involved in this as well. What else was she involved in that he didn't know about yet? "Where is your cousin?"

"He's not here," he spat out. "He's in the States."

"Where in the States?" Batman demanded.

"Gotham," Santiago stated.

Batman felt his insides twisting with dread, holding his breath in anticipation of the answer to his next question. "Who is your cousin?"

"You're gonna get me killed for this," Santiago yelled. "I already told you too much."

"Who is it?" Batman growled, his fury felt.

"Andres Rojas," he confessed. "This is his operation. I run it here in Colombia while he runs things in America."

Batman abruptly grabbed him by the front of his shirt, lifting him up off his feet with a raw fury that nearly consumed him. His nose was nearly touching the gun-runner's, his lips curled back into a fierce sneer. "What else do you know?"

"Nothing else!" Santiago screamed. "That's all I know!"

"What else is Andres up to?"

"Man, I don't know!" he claimed. "We don't talk about nothing but the guns."

Batman dropped him like a rock, a low threatening growl escaping through his clenched teeth. "I should've known that Andres was involved in this somehow."

"It'll be all right, Batman," Diana attempted to calm him. "We'll take care of Andres when we return."

"You know you didn't have to threaten to castrate him with a machete in order to get the information we needed," Superman pointed out.

"It worked, didn't it?" Batman snapped, knocking Ramirez out with a boot to his jaw.

"So does my lasso," Diana reminded him. "What now?"

"We call the authorities to come get them," Batman responded, turning his attention to Diana. "Then, you and I are returning to Gotham to take down Falcone and Rojas."

Gotham; June 25th, 00:33 EST

"He's not here," Robin reported to Batman.

"Keep watch on his apartment," Batman ordered him. "Notify me the second Andres returns."

"Got it…Robin out."

Batman's scowl darkened even further if that was possible. Batwoman noticed it immediately. "Now what?"

"We keep looking for him," Batman ground out. "He's around here somewhere stirring up more trouble."

"What about Sienna?" she asked. "She was discharged from the hospital this afternoon."

"Wherever he is, I'm sure we'll find her there too," he told her. "They don't seem to go far without the other. I have a feeling they're behind a lot of the trouble going on in Gotham."

"Do we start at Sienna's hotel room?" she suggested.

"Yes," he agreed with a grim nod.

"What is it?" Batwoman asked with a frown, her head tilting slightly. "I can tell there's something you're not telling me."

"It's just a bad feeling that's been nagging me," he admitted.

"What kind of bad feeling?"

Batman slowly shook his head as he reached for his grappling gun. "I'm not sure," he replied. "Just keep a sharp eye out."

"That's reassuring," she muttered under her breath as she reached for her grappling gun as well.

Her husband's bad feeling was suddenly making her feel very unsettled, her skin prickling with a surge of worry. It was bad enough that Sienna was gunning for Batman now, forcing them to constantly be looking over their shoulders, but Bruce's ominous feeling about something bad only added to it. She learned long ago to trust his gut feelings. They rarely if ever boded well.

She sent up a silent prayer to Hera as well as Athena for protection and wisdom over her and Bruce tonight, knowing they were going to need it. She was anxious to get her hands on Sienna and Andres, more than anxious to deliver some much deserved justice to the pair of lowlife crooks. She knew that Bruce was just as impatient as she was to end this.

Getting those two behind bars would definitely go a long way in putting a major dent in the increased crime rate in Gotham as well as stopping all these senseless murders at the hands of the underground fight club. After having learned of their involvement in smuggling illegal guns into the country, she and Bruce were ready to take them down tonight.

Batwoman landed silently on the balls of her feet on a rooftop, keeping close watch on her husband. She didn't want him going anywhere without her or for him to leave her sight for even a second. She knew that he could take care of himself, but she felt better if she was there to watch his back as well.

The unexpected blaring of a bank alarm caught their attention, forcing the duo to alter their course. Sienna would have to wait a little longer. Batman led the way releasing his grappling line and using his cape to descend onto the scene like a frightening demon falling from the night sky.

He crouched low as he assessed the situation, Batwoman following his lead. He slowly straightened up to his full, imposing height as two men with black ski masks ran out of the front doors of the bank. They stopped dead in their tracks at the fearsome sight of Batman and Batwoman already standing there to greet them.

"Going somewhere?" Batman rasped, nodding at the bags of money in the hands of the robbers.

The man's lips twitched into a smirk. "Yah…planning on it," he smugly responded.

"What to try again?" Batwoman asked, folding her arms against the golden bat emblem on her chest.

"Not really," the second robber countered. "We think you'll have your hands full with them."

Batman and Batwoman turned around to find Two-Face approaching from behind along with over a dozen of his men. "Well, well, Batman," Two-Face greeted him with a sadistic grin, gun pointed directly at him. "I like the new partner. She's a definite improvement over that little bird that usually follows you around and very attractive at that."

"What are you up to, Two-Face?" Batman demanded with a sneer, his gauntleted fingers curling into fists.

Two-Face laughed something insidious and chilling as he stared down the pair of heroes. "Actually, I'm here to capture you," he honestly admitted. "There's a mark out on your head and I'm going to collect on it. It's a pretty hefty sum too."

"You'll have to get through me first," Batwoman spat out.

"Oh, so very feisty," Two-Face said with a darkening leer as he carefully sized her up. "I like that in my women. I was going to just kill you, but maybe I'll turn the Bat in and keep you for myself, sweetheart."

Batman growled, taking a threatening stop forward as he ground his teeth. "You're not going to win so give up now."

"I don't know about that," Two-Face retorted. "It seems to me that you're outnumbered two against…oh, fourteen or so."

Batman grunted in response. "You know as well as I do I've been up against far worse odds than this by myself."

"I think your luck has just run out, my friend," Two-Face told him before turning to his thugs. "Get me Batman and leave Batwoman for me!"

Two-Face's men readily launched an attack on command, splitting up to take on both vigilantes. Batman instantly prepared for a fight, pulling a batarang and throwing it with great skill. It knocked a gun out of one of the thug's hand as the Dark Knight reached for his brass knuckles.

Spinning on his heel, Batman delivered a bone-shattering boot to a man's jaw before unleashing a right hook on another that had the man spitting out teeth and blood. He never got a chance to launch a counterattack as the Caped Crusader followed up with a kick to his chest that sent him flying back against a brick wall.

He cast a quick glance at his partner in time to see her unleash a volley of bat-grenades that exploded before a couple of thugs, causing them to stumble back in a cry of surprise. Turning, Batman received a punch to the abdomen, but it didn't faze him as he swiftly snatched the henchmen by the arm, yanking him towards him and smashing his forehead against his.

The man slumped to the ground unconscious, revealing two more men coming straight for him. One held a club, the other a sword of some sort. The bladed weapon glinted in the moonlight as it arched towards him. He held up his gauntlet just in time to catch the deadly blade in the scallops, catching the thug by surprise.

He slammed his fist directly in the man's face, breaking his nose. The sword slipped from his grasp as he fell to the ground, blood pouring from his broken nose. Batman spun on his heel, kicking the club from the other guy's grasp. The man recovered quickly, however, pulling a switchblade out as he ran straight for the vigilante.

Batman ducked the swing of the thug's arm, sweeping out his leg and knocking him off his feet. The man landed on the ground with a grunt, quickly rolling out of the way as Batman followed up with his fists. He thrashed at the Dark Knight with his switchblade, catching him in the side, but Bruce shook it off.

He ran towards him, delivering a flurry of punches and kicks that disabled his opponent within a matter of seconds. Breathing heavily, he pulled a couple of electrified batarangs as he turned his attention on Two-Face who was standing several yards away, watching as the attack unfolded.

"It's over Two-Face," Batman angrily spat out as he slowly closed the distance between them.

Two-Face laughed something heinous as he stared down Gotham's vigilante. "That's what you think," he taunted him. "I want them both alive!"

Batman watched as over twenty more henchmen seemed to pour from the shadows, converging on them with a vengeance. They were intent on getting their hands on him no matter what it took. He waved at the men to come and get him, a smirk on his lips. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

Batwoman crouched low to the ground, dodging a blow to her head only to shoot up and hit her opponent with an uppercut that stunned him senseless. She immediately followed him as he stumbled backwards, letting loose with a couple more punches that rendered him unconscious.

She spun on her heel, momentarily checking on her husband. She knew that Batman was their target, but she was not about to let them take him away from her without a fight. She could tell they were trying to separate them, drawing them away from each other. She needed to work her way back to Bruce.

The swell of henchmen that poured into the street only served to further fuel her fury as she paused to retrieve a bola from her utility belt. Everything inside of her wanted to rip off the cape and cowl, to attack them with her meta strength and speed in order to end this and protect Bruce, but she knew that she couldn't. No matter how worried she was about him, she couldn't risk revealing their secret identities.

She fought the urge to contact Robin for backup in order to ensure Bruce's safety, but she knew that her husband had positioned him where he was for a reason. She couldn't go against his orders. This was his city, his rules, his mission. If she wanted to continue to be his partner out here, she needed to submit to his lead no matter how much it sometimes wounded her pride.

Gritting her teeth, she charged at the men with a renewed sense of vengeance, determined to keep her husband from being hurt or taken from her. She had a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was definitely something off about all of this.

She punched and kicked her way towards her husband, a thug jumping her from beyond and wrapping his arms around her throat in an effort to take her down. With a growl of rage, she flipped him over her shoulder, kicking him in the jaw.

She could hear Two-Face taunting Batman in an effort to get under his skin, telling him all the things that he was going to do with the money he was going to get for turning Batman in but also all the vulgar things he would like to do to her. She wanted to get to Two-Face and shut him up, but more men were converging on her and blocking her view of her partner.

She heard his occasional grunts and growls, catching a momentarily glimpse of him. He seemed to be fairing well as per usual for him, handling each one in turn and sometimes taking out two at a time. She forced herself to focus on her own fight, praying that Hera would protect him for her.

Two-Face was rapidly running out patience with this whole plan as Batman and Batwoman handily took down one henchman after another. Neither of them had taken a blow violent enough to incapacitate, both skillfully defeating his men. It was time to make their move now.

Batman threw an elbow directly into the chest of a guy, nearly cracking his sternum and dropping him to the ground. The Dark Knight stepped over the downed henchman, his sights set on the duplicitous villain beginning to back away from the scene. Trusting Diana to handle the rest of the attackers, he made his way towards Two-Face.

There was no way he was going to allow that psychotic monster to get his hands on Diana. He was going to get that criminal back in Arkham where he belonged. "Two-Face!" he snarled. "It's over."

"Not by a long shot," Two-Face smugly retorted as he faced off against his archnemesis, a wicked grin spreading across his disfigured face as he flipped his coin. "Oh, Cedro! Now would be a good time."

Batman immediately sensed someone coming up behind him, forcing him to turn around and take his eyes off Two-Face. A hulking man of Latino descent was stalking straight towards him, his lips twisted into a sneer. He was at least six inches taller than himself and a good one hundred plus pounds heavier. Tattoos covered his thick, muscular arms and neck, his meaty hands curling into murderous fists.

The man reminded Batman of Bane in many ways, but there was no Venom providing him strength. This was the underground fight club prized fighter they'd been searching months for, but he never would've guessed that Two-Face was connected to Andres or the illegal activity as well.

"You're going down," Cedro ominously threatened the Dark Knight with a deep, accented voice that rolled like thunder.

"You can try," Batman retorted, pulling another electrified batarang as he faced off against the fighter.

The mountain of a man lumbered towards him, grinning viciously from ear to ear. Batman threw his batarang only for the guy to easily bat it away as if it was nothing more than a fly, clearly unfazed by the electrical current and forcing the vigilant to dodge an enormous fist coming straight for his head.

Cedro recovered with an agility that took Batman by surprise as he quickly recovered, delivering a punch to the abdomen that caused Bruce to double over. As Batman straightened up, Cedro wrapped an arm around his waist and neck, an electrical current unlike anything that he'd ever felt before firing through his system.

Batman screamed out in unbelievable pain, causing Batwoman to whip around to find a large man holding a limp Batman in his fist by the throat. Her heart was suddenly in her throat at the sight of her husband, not knowing if he was even alive or not.

"Batman!" she cried, fighting off more men in order to get to him.

"Cedro, get him out of here!" Two-Face ordered him.

Cedro obediently carried the unconscious Batman away, leaving Batwoman to fend for herself. Rage flooded Diana's veins as she continued to fight off the men who were trying to contain her, refusing to go down without a fight. She needed to get out of here and follow the man who had just taken Bruce away.

"Take her down!" Two-Face yelled as he fled the scene.

The unexpected sound of gunfire caught everyone off-guard, giving Diana the distraction she needed to gain the advantage. Using a little more strength than she normally did as Batwoman, she delivered brutal kicks and punches that quickly turned the odds back into her favor.

A loud explosion caused Diana to whip around only to find Red Hood taking on the remaining henchmen, a nearby car engulfed in flames. She swiftly began searching for Two-Face to find that he was no longer there, her heart sinking like a rock knowing she had just lost her only lead to finding Batman.

As Red Hood finished off the last of Two-Face's men, he turned to find an enraged Batwoman stalking straight towards him, her chest heaving. "Where is Batman?" she hissed, pushing him hard in the chest.

"I don't know," he replied as he stumbled backwards, shaking his head. "I got here in time to see Two-Face and that beast taking Batman away."

"You knew that there was a mark on Batman's head," she spat out. "You should have been here watching his back."

Jason's own anger flared with the accusation that this was his fault. "I was tracking you guys, but I got involved in breaking up a gang fight," he ground out. "Besides, Batman can take care of himself. He's been doing it for years."

"He could be dead right now!" she yelled.

"Look, arguing isn't going to find him," he stated. "They won't kill him right away. We have to track him down before they do."

Breathing hard, Diana swallowed her pride and her fury, knowing that letting her emotions run rampant would do little to save her husband now. She turned to look down at one of the men beginning to come to. She crouched down beside him, her fingers curling into the front of his shirt as she pulled him in close to her.

"You are going to tell me everything I want to know," she growled.