Rolling his head back, Thorn slowly opens his eyes to find himself sitting alone in a room faintly illuminated by the yellow glow of street lamps. He tries to lift his arms, but discovers they've been tied down. Looking around, he finds the only thing furnishing the bare room is a projector on the floor in front of him. He tries to pull himself free of the binds but quickly fails.
"Don't bother; you'll just tire yourself out," Batman, leaning on the wall behind him, advises.
Thorn whips his head around, but Batman is out of his line of vision. "To what do I owe this special treatment?"
"Thought we could have a little heart-to-heart."
"And you expect me to talk because…?" Thorn asks with a cocky grin.
"It's highly recommended."
He lets out a loud, amused laugh. "Oh, Batman. Who do you think you're dealing with here? You think I built a reputation from thin air? Now, now, what would people say if I couldn't handle my own poison? But I'll let you humor me; I'd like to see what the legendary Dark Knight has up his sleeve."
"You're chatty tonight; how bout you tell me where Boris is."
"Screwing your girlfriend," he replies with a spiteful grin.
"I really don't like repeating myself."
"Then you better teach me a lesson so I don't do it again," he taunts.
The projector in front of him suddenly whirrs to life and the opposite wall fills with the image of a woman, the faint wrinkles around her eyes suggest she's in her mid-thirties. Thorn's smile instantly fades when he recognizes her.
"Remember her?" Batman casually asks. "Sure you do; she's your wife; oops, I mean ex-wife."
"I know this tactic," Thorn tries to sound confidant, but his smile doesn't return. "Save your breath, it's not going to work. You'll have better luck adopting some of my techniques."
"Oh, but you're wrong. That old saying about sticks and stones, Jimmy, you know it's a lie."
"So you're going to use my wife to make me talk? Tell me how much of a monster she thought I was and how she walked out on me? Save it," he scoffs. "You're better off finding a couple stones, Batman"
"Actually, I was planning on telling you how well she's doing without you," Batman replies, noticing Thorn stiffen. "She's married now; to a dentist. Says she's never been happier. The way she talks about you though," he clucks his tongue before continuing. "Says you were the biggest mistake, a coward, beating her cause you didn't have the balls to pick on someone your own size. Her only regret about leaving you was not being able to see your face when you found out she was gone."
"Not working, Batman. Try again." Although he keeps his voice calm, Batman can sense the tension he is trying to hide.
The picture blinks to reveal a different face. This woman is considerably younger, but she shares a resemblance to the first woman. "Krystal Falon. Oh, my mistake, she changed her name to Krystal Kolby. She wanted nothing to do with you, so she adopted her stepfather's name. Nice girl, nothing like you of course. She told me about the day she publicly disowned you at the family reunion you crashed. Must have been embarrassing to have a seventeen-year-old girl humiliate you like that."
"You're failing miserably," Thorn informs, looking away.
"Is that why you can't look at a picture of your daughter?"
"I don't give a shit about them."
"What about mommy then?" Batman asks, switching the picture to that of his mother. "She's quite a character. What was the word she used to describe you? Oh yeah, a lowlife." He strikes a nerve in Thorn. "A good for nothing son, a little bastard who was never good enough for her," he taunts, pleased when Thorn visibly tightens every muscle in anger.
"Enough," he hisses through clenched teeth.
"Not done," Batman replies and switches to the next picture. "Molly is her name, right? I've heard about sibling rivalry, but you never had a shot at winning anything. I mean look at her, she's the perfect baby sister. Beautiful, smart, married well, and most importantly, mom is so proud of her. The day she was born, mommy washed her hands of you, didn't she? Molly got the attention, the toys, the love," Batman mockingly adds the last words. "Shadowed by a baby girl; how pathetic."
"I said enough!" He yells, proving Batman's hunch about him having a superiority complex around women was right.
"Your poison getting to you, Jimmy?" Batman asks with a smile in his voice.
"You want to know where Boris is?"
"Your call; I've got a bunch more family photos you'd love to revisit," he casually replies.
"He's hiding out in Barcelona," Thorn confesses with his head hung low.
"Spain? He's supposed to be in France."
"He flew to his Barcelona office a few days ago. Told me to call that number after I finish off the girl."
"Do you know her?"
"I don't ask questions. Nick offered fifty grand for her dead and I took the job. He gave me the address and name, and I went to work."
Straightening, Batman takes out the small disk containing the pictures in the projector and places it in his belt. Standing in front of Thorn, he takes out the recording chip from his wrist and plants it on top of Thorn's binds.
"Thanks for volunteering the info, Jimmy," Batman states as he walks to the open window. "Cops should be around to pick you up in a few minutes. 'Night." He shoots him a satisfied grin before flying out into the night.
Thorn lets out a cry of frustration when he realizes Batman has just screwed him over. During their conversation, Batman made sure to only tape the confession, and by taking away the evidence of pictures, Thorn will look like he volunteered the information rather than forced into confessing. Since word travels fast in the criminal world, he's sure no one will be willing to hire him for a hit once they know he's a squealer. To add insult to injury, he'll be the laughing stock of Gotham if they find out he caved after having a taste of his own medicine.
"I'm going to rip that bastard to shreds," he hisses before the door bursts open and the police rush in on the scene.
"Smooth," Jazz compliments over the comlink as Batman drives home. "How did you get all that info on him?"
"With a fake police badge and a charming smile."
"Does Barbara know about the badge?"
"You think I'm an idiot?"
"You have your moments," she teases. "Anyway, Nick is an executive for a shoe company called Achilles. I have the address of the office Thorn was referring to, so how do you want to go about this?" She asks, making Terry quirk a brow at her willingness to work as a team.
It's a stark difference from the stubborn woman who had dangled her most recent victim over the edge of a rooftop, so he's happier about the change.
"Call Barbara," he replies, hiding the surprise. "Let her know where he is and see if they can get some sort of international warrant ready." He knows that the more they stick to the books on this one, the more likely Nick will get a conviction instead of walk on account of Batman's interference.
"What, that's it?"
"Has it ever been?"
"First time for everything."
"This isn't one of those times. We'll keep an eye on Nick so he doesn't find a way to slither out of this."
"We?" She asks, surprised he's including her.
"I didn't stutter," he replies, bringing a grin to her face.
"Before you make it back, an alarm just went off at the art museum in downtown."
"On it," he nods before cutting the link between them as he speeds in the direction of the museum.