WARNING: INTENSE GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND REFERENCES TO SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THIS CHAPTER!

On that note, Happy Holidays, everyone!

All hell broke loose. Chairs, tables and glasses came flying from all directions. People threw punches at their neighbors, not even caring who they were. Dementia bounded into the fray all too eagerly, sinking her teeth into the first poor loser she could find.

Lita knew better to get involved in this. After all, she was still recovering from her last battle. And that had been a one-on-one! To avoid injury, she crouched down to the floor and crawled over to the nearest table. She would hide under here until she could find a proper escape route.

A minute later, she discovered she wasn't the only person in the bar to have this idea.

"Lita?"

The voice caused her to stiffen. Turning, she found herself face-to-face with a brunet man on his hands and knees. The fedora, trench coat and sunglasses did nothing to hide his identity from her. She knew him all too well.

"Paulo?" Lita said in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?" Paulo whispered harshly.

It took her a while to answer, as being in his presence brought back a lot of bad memories.

"W-What am I doing here?" She narrowed her eyes, her anger masking her terror. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm undercover," he said, lowering his sunglasses slightly to reveal his blue eyes. "Trying to get information."

"Are you crazy?" Glancing around, Lita lowered her voice. "You've pissed off half the people here!"

"That's why the disguise. But you didn't answer my question!"

She scoffed. "I have a record, Paulo. Is it really surprising that I'm in a place like this?"

"But I thought you were past all this! You said…you said you were trying to go clean!"

She was scowling hard now. "You didn't seem to think so when we broke up!"

He put a hand to his forehead. "I made a mistake, okay? Can't you just let it go?"

"I will when you do!"

"I don't…" He sighed. "We're getting off-topic! What are you doing with Black Hat's henchgirl?"

So, Paulo had seen her with Dementia. Lita tried not to show her panic. Paulo was not a man she could trust with her secrets. Not anymore.

"None of your fucking business!"

"Lita!" Paulo said, taken aback by her harsh language. "It's just that all you did was rob a few houses, right? Why are you hanging out with a crazed mutant hitwoman?" His face paled. "You…you didn't get mixed up with…with Black Hat, did you?"

She turned her face away. "I don't have to answer any more questions for your fucking article!"

"Is that what this is…? Look! Forget that stupid article! Does your dad know about this?"

"What do you care about my father?" she said with a glare.

"Lita, don't be like that!"

Deciding she'd rather risk being trampled, Lita attempted to crawl out from under the table, only for Paulo to grab her by the shoulder. She recoiled at his touch.

"I haven't heard from you in months," he said firmly, "now I see you running around with Black Hat's crew? I have a right to be concerned, Lita!"

Shoving his hand off, she replied, "You lost any right to be worried about me when you published that tell-all article!"

"Lita, come on! We ended things in a bad place, but I still care about you!"

"Yeah? Well, I hate to break it to you, but I've got some new people who care about me now!" Lita caught sight of Dementia, who was banging two guys' heads together like cymbals. "And unlike you, I believe them."

"Lita!" Paulo called as she bolted out from under the table.

Lita made a beeline for her friend, just as she was finishing her orchestral set, dropping the two unconscious men.

"We're leaving," Lita said, snatching her arm.

"Aw, come on, Little Lita!" Dementia whined. "The party was just getting started!"

"We can have some fun elsewhere! Let's just get out of here before—"

"Lita, wait!" Paulo shouted, pushing through the crowd after her.

Dementia spotted him. "Who's that?"

"No one important!" Lita insisted, shoving some masked villain away from the exit.

But Paulo was persistent. "Lita, where are you going? She's dangerous!"

Fed up with him, Lita turned to the crowd and shouted, "Hey, everyone! It's Paulo Blanco from Hatsville News!"

Many heads turned, and Paulo ducked under the nearest table, as if that would help him. Before she could see the consequences of her actions, Lita bolted out the door with Dementia in tow.

"Hey, hold on a minute!" Dementia said, wrenching her arm free. "What was your deal with Sam Spade back there?"

"Ex-boyfriend," Lita said bluntly as she continued walking.

Suddenly intrigued, the mutant caught up with her. "You mean to tell me you didn't have any friends, but you had a boyfriend?!"

"Emphasis on had!"

"Ooh-hoo-hoo!" Dementia grinned in elation. "I've never seen you this testy, kid! What'd he do, what'd he do?" She moved in front of Lita, walking backwards. "Did he forget your anniversary? Sleep with another woman? A man? Some other gender?" She gasped dramatically. "He's not a hero, is he?!"

"No, no, no, no, no, and I don't wanna talk about it!"

"Aw, come on! I dumped all my emotional crap on you just now! You gotta give me something!"

Lita finally stopped walking. "He's a jerk, he tried to turn me into something I'm not, so I dumped him! End of story!"

"Ooh, sounds like he messed ya up real bad!" Showing her teeth, Dementia took Lita by the shoulders. "And ya know what two hot messes like us need, kid? To blow off some steam!"

"I kinda just wanna go home," Lita said, not realizing what she'd just called the manor.

"Not yet!" She put her arm around her. "You've got a lot of built up anger! We gotta put that to good use! Where does this ex of yours live?"

"Why?" Lita asked suspiciously.

Dementia chuckled mischievously. "To blow off steam, Little Lita. To blow off steam."

Minutes later, the two women were in front of Paulo's apartment building.

"Which one's the jerk's?" Dementia asked, bouncing around the cars parked on the street.

"That blue Nissan there," Lita said, pointing. "He never brings it when he's out undercover."

"He a government spy or something?" Dementia asked as she went to examine the blue Nissan.

"Reporter. Dementia, what are we doing here?"

"Nice car," the lizard-girl said, tracing her finger on the side mirror. "Be a real…shame if something happened to it."

Grinning toothily, Dementia pulled a spiked bat out of her ponytail. Lita's eyes widened once she realized what her friend had in mind.

"Dementia, stop! We can't destroy his car!"

"Why not?" Dementia said nonchalantly. "You hate him, right?"

"Well, yeah, but…that's vandalism!"

Dementia blinked. "So?"

"Well, I…I've never… I'm a thief, Dem! I don't go around destroying people's property!"

"Not even people you hate?"

"Of course not! I'm not that kind of person!"

The mutant looked at her incredulously. "You mean to tell me you've never had one revenge fantasy against somebody who totally messed ya up and made ya feel like total garbage even though you did nothing wrong and he totally deserves to be punished?"

Lita opened her mouth, but then stopped. She couldn't deny that the thought had crossed her mind. Not just with Paulo.

Giggling like the madwoman she was, Dementia held up the bat towards her and said in a singsong voice, "You know you want to."

Lita's hand raised slowly towards the bat. Then she retracted it.

"Just one little swing," Dementia said, gently swinging the bat like a hypnotic pendulum. "You'll feel loads better."

Still, Lita did nothing but stare at the bat in silence.

"Oh, come on! What's the worst that can happen? We get arrested?" The mutant huffed. "You're a villain now, Ladrona! You can do whatever the fuck you want!"

Villains do what they want.

As if something had snapped in Lita's brain, she grabbed the bat, held it above her head and brought it down onto the hood of Paulo's car. The spikes pierced through the shiny blue metal, the wood denting it severely.

Shocked at what she had done, Lita let go of the bat, leaving it stuck in the hood. She stared down at her hands, then at Dementia, who was giddily jumping in place.

"Tee-hee-hee!" she squealed. "That was so badass! How did that feel, how did that feel?!"

"I…" Lita looked back at the bat embedded in the hood. "It felt…" She clenched her hands into fists. "It…felt…"

She couldn't say it. But the word rang out loudly in her mind.

Exhilarating.

Narrowing her eyes, Lita picked up the bat and swung it back. "Report this, asshole!"

She shattered his windshield, setting the car alarm off. This snapped Lita back to reality.

"We gotta go!" she said, dropping the bat and running.

Laughing, Dementia picked up the bat and raced after her. "Didn't I tell ya that would be fun?!"

"We were almost caught!"

"Aw, relax! The cops in this town are idiots! We'll be long gone before they get here!" She tucked the bat back into her hair. "But come on, ya gotta admit that felt good, right?"

Dementia was right. Lita's heart was still pounding from the adrenaline rush. And the thought of Paulo's face once he realized what had happened to his car caused a sickeningly satisfied smile to grace her lips.

"Oh, ho, ho! I know that smile! You loved it, didn't ya, Little Lita?" Dementia flipped around and began running backwards. "The night's still young! Any other assholes ya wanna get revenge on? Huh, huh, huh?!"

Once Lita realized what street they were on, a certain name came to mind.

"So this Victor guy fired ya," Dementia said, looking up at the sign for Los Vestidos de Victoria, "just because ya left out a few details on your resumé?"

"Yup," Lita said, squinting through the store window to see if anyone was inside.

"Even though you were his best salesgirl?"

"That's right."

"Wow." Dementia placed her hands on her hips. "And I thought I was unappreciated!"

"No one's in," Lita said, stepping back. "Good to know Victor keeps the same hours."

"So this was where ya worked before?" The mutant pressed her face against the window. "Ooh! That's some real pretty junk in there!"

"Great prices too," Lita grumbled.

"Forget revenge! I'd rob this place just for the heck of it!"

Stepping back, Dementia pulled a sledgehammer out of her hair and lifted it over her head.

"Wait!" Lita exclaimed, moving in front of her before she could smash the window. "You'll set off the burglar alarm!"

Frowning, Dementia let the sledgehammer drop, leaving a crack in the sidewalk. "Well then how do you suggest we break in, genius?"

Lita held out her hand. "Got a hairpin in that magic rat's nest of yours?"

Glancing at the front door, Dementia said, "You're kidding, right?"

"Do you, or don't you?"

Rolling her eyes, the mutant dug around her ponytail and pulled out a single bobby pin.

"Thank you," Lita said, taking it from her fingers.

Turning around, she crouched down in front of the door and started picking the lock.

"That kinda stuff only works in the movies, you know?" Dementia said. "Seriously, we'd save a whole lot of time if we just smashed…"

She shut up the moment the door clicked open. Lita sent her a sly look as she handed the pin back to her.

"Thirty home invasions."

Dementia grunted as she swiped her pin back. "I'm still the one who got us past Blackie's security. And it wasn't easy getting that spit of his! I had to—"

"Can we just agree that we're both smart and get moving?" Lita said, opening the door further.

Seeing a bunch of gorgeous clothes up for grabs snapped Dementia back to her senses. Or rather, snapped her out of her senses as she lunged towards the nearest display of shoes, toppling a mannequin in the process.

"Careful!" Lita whispered, shutting the door behind her. "The neighbors might've heard you!"

"Oh, relax!" Dementia cried, scooping up a pile of shoes and tossing them in the air. "Live a little, Little Lita!"

Lita glanced up at the lone security camera in the corner of the store. "Alright, we'll just throw a few things around, grab some clothes and get out of here."

The lizard-girl huffed as a mismatched pair of high heels dangled from her horns. "I thought you wanted revenge! Not some petty pranking!"

"What's the difference?"

"Oh, boy," she said, slapping her forehead. "Have you got a lot to learn! Look." She stood up from her shoe mess. "This isn't just for fun and games, right? This guy screwed ya over by firing ya, right? And ya wanna make him pay for it, right?"

"Well…sort of, I mean…" Lita rubbed her arm awkwardly. "I guess it was a bit my fault for lying and—"

"No, no, no!" Dementia shouted, grabbing her shoulders and pressing their noses together. "You're the villain! You don't think about what you did wrong! Everything you do is absolutely right, and your job is to prove to everyone that's the case!"

Lita blinked. "I, uh…I don't know about this anymore."

Sighing, the mutant released her and started looking around. "Where'd you usually do your selling bit?"

"Uh…" She pointed to the front desk. "Register's over there."

"Good."

With a grin, Dementia skipped over to the register and smashed it with her fist. The drawer opened upon impact.

"Aw!" Dementia whined. "It's empty!"

"Of course, it is," Lita said. "No one leaves money in the register overnight anymore. It's all kept in the safe."

Her evil smile returned. "And where's this safe?"

"In the office." She pointed to the door, then froze once she realized what Dementia had in mind. "Oh, no! Dem, don't you dare—"

"Perfect!"

Ignoring Lita's cries of protest, the mutant charged at the door like a raging bull, using her head to break it down. There was a second crash and Dementia reemerged a minute later with a smashed open safe under her arm.

"Time to collect unemployment!" she cried, tossing the bills at Lita.

She waved them away. "I don't want Victor's money!"

Dementia dropped the safe and gestured to the racks of clothes. "Then pick a color, any color!"

"Dem—"

"The guy canned ya after ya sold all his stuff! The least ya can do is get something for all your hard work!"

As the lizard-girl bounded over to the dresses, Lita pondered over her options. A year ago, she would've said no to raiding her former workplace out of revenge. But she had done so many other things since then. Heck, she had vandalized her ex's car just a few minutes ago!

This wasn't a job. She wasn't doing this for anyone else's benefit. This was…this was selfish.

But Dementia didn't seem to care as she tossed dress after dress behind her. She had no grudge against Victor. She was just doing this for the hell of it.

Lita looked down at herself, and couldn't help but notice the wear and tear in her hoodie. She had been wearing it for years. This was the very hoodie she'd worn on her last day working here. She'd been a different person then.

Wait, she thought, glancing around. Is it still here?

She went over to the rack of coats and jackets, rifling through each hanger until she found it. A purple motorcycle jacket she'd had her eye on for ages, but had not been in a position to buy it, even with her employee discount. She certainly had enough money for it now.

But she wasn't thinking about money.

After removing her backpack and then her old hoodie, Lita tried the jacket on. It was a perfect fit, and showed off her figure much better than the hoodie. She ran her hands along her waist, enjoying the feel of the faux leather.

Catching sight of the security camera, Lita narrowed her eyes and held up a middle finger towards the lens.

You thought a leopard couldn't change her spots, eh, Victor? Well, you may have been right. But you know something?

"I never wanted to change!" Lita shouted before pushing a mannequin over. "So you can go fuck yourself, Victor!"

"Preach it, girl!" Dementia shouted, pumping a fist in the air.

After several minutes of knocking things over and tossing clothes in the air, the two women stiffened upon hearing sirens.

"Shit!" Lita cried, snatching up her bag. "Someone must've heard the noise and called the cops!"

Dementia swept up as much cash and clothing as she could and stuffed it in her ponytail. She ran towards the front door, but stopped once the room was flooded with red and blue blinking lights.

"This way!" Lita said, running towards Victor's office.

She went to the window and pulled up the blinds. She tried lifting it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Locked!"

"Outta my way!" Dementia shouted, coming up behind her with a chair above her head.

With a mighty cry, the mutant tossed the chair through the window. The alarm went off, but Lita realized there was no point now since the police were already here. Dementia jumped out the window and Lita didn't hesitate to follow her into the alley.

Unfortunately, Dementia was much faster, and it was hard to keep up with her. The mutant could leap over fences with ease, but it took much more effort for Lita.

"Hey, wait up!" she called, grunting as she struggled to climb the chain link fence. "Dem, I can't—oomph!"

She landed ungracefully onto her hands and knees, chafing them on the concrete. Wincing through the pain, she rose to her feet and continued running. Then she stopped and looked around.

Dementia was nowhere in sight.

"Dementia!" she called. "Dem! Where'd you go?"

Walking ahead, she continued shouting for her friend, not even thinking about how stupid it was. But after all that running, she had no idea where she was now! She could be on the other side of town, far away from the manor!

Realizing her cries were futile, Lita stopped a moment and pulled her phone out of her bag. Not caring that Black Hat was keeping tabs on her phone use, she opened Google Maps. Even if she couldn't find Dementia, she could at least get back to the mansion before the boss realized they were both out.

She had just typed in "Black Hat Manor" when she heard footsteps. Looking up, she saw three dark figures coming towards her.

"You lost, sugar?" a male voice asked.

Gulping, Lita quickly closed Google Maps and went to her contacts. "N-No, I'm fine."

She was about to click Black Hat's name, not caring about the earful he'd give her, when her phone was suddenly snatched from her hands. The man who took it was tall, beefy, with a shaggy brown beard and long hair.

"Perhaps we can help you, darling," he said, showing his yellow teeth. "It's not safe for a gal like you to be wandering alone this late."

Lita heard the two other men moving behind her, blocking any chance of escape.

"L-Listen, boys," she said, reaching down to her leg. "I don't want any trouble."

"Neither do we," said the gang leader, wagging her cell in her face. "So how's about you have us take a look inside that backpack of yours, and we gives ya back your phone?"

Kicking up her legs one at a time, Lita quickly drew her knives. The men stepped back in surprise as she pointed the blades at them.

"How about you give me back my phone," she said with a scowl, "and I don't slit your throats?!"

The thugs laughed, which wasn't the reaction she had expected.

"This chick's got spunk!" one of the men behind her said.

She was about to show she wasn't kidding when she felt something sharp against her right wrist. Crying out, she was forced to release one of her knives. She turned to see the bearded leader holding up a switchblade. She raised her other hand, only for it to be grabbed from behind. Her other knife fell to the ground.

"Not very good with manners, are ya?" said the leader with a chuckle. "Perhaps ya need a lesson in respecting your elders, eh, girlie?"

Her other arm was snatched up and held behind her back as Beardy looked her over.

"Say, you're kinda cute," he leered.

Lita knew that tone, but she tried not to show her fear. "I-I'm warning you! I work for Black Hat!"

They laughed again.

"I'm serious! I'm his number one henchgirl!" She half-hoped Dementia wasn't around to hear this. "A-And he'll be really upset once he finds out you—"

"A teeny little thing like you?" Beardy said. "Work for Black Hat?"

"Maybe she's his hooker!" one of the thugs behind her said.

"Am not!" she shouted, kicking Beardy in the shin.

He cried out in pain, and looked at Lita with anger. "That's it, bitch!"

Before she realized what was happening, he swiped his knife at her face, cutting her cheek. She bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming.

"Well," Beardy said, smiling wickedly, "if you're really Black Hat's little doll," his hand reached towards her jeans, "perhaps he wouldn't mind if we played around a little with—"

He never got to finish that disgusting sentence. A black claw came from above and clenched around his head. Beardy cried out as he was lifted into the air. Lita and the other two thugs looked up to see what had taken him, but he was nowhere in sight.

Just then, there was a horrible ripping sound, and the two men holding her screamed in agony. Lita's arms fell to her sides, and two bloody dismembered hands slid from her arms to her feet. With a screech, she jumped away and spun around. The thugs were on their knees, gazing in horror at the bloody stumps where their hands had once been. There was a loud thud as Beardy's body landed on a nearby dumpster. His moans indicated that he was still alive, but he was barely moving. His head rose slightly, showing the fresh claw marks.

Lita took this as her cue to run, but before she could take a step, something wrapped around her ankles. She yelped as she fell to the ground and was dragged over to the brick wall, a good distance away from the injured thugs.

One of the one-handed men used his remaining hand to pull out a gun. The other picked up one of Lita's fallen knives. They waved their weapons around, trying to find their attacker.

Two enormous black claws emerged from the shadows, snatching up the two men, forcing them to drop their weapons. The knife landed beside Lita, who quickly grabbed it. They were slammed against the wall. Lita tried to get up, but her legs were still being held together. Glancing down, she saw a familiar black tentacle wrapped around them.

When she looked back up, the creature came into full view. He stood at least ten meters tall, his back curved in a way that his spine was poking through his trench coat. His teeth were as big as a megalodon's, gritting together as he growled like a tiger. His one eye was glowing red, a skull reflecting in his monocle. His shoes had been ripped open, revealing the raptor-like feet he'd kept hidden for so long.

Black Hat.

Relief and terror filled her pounding heart.

He brought one of the squirming men to his open mouth, tearing him in half. Lita did not look away as blood splattered everywhere. The other one-handed thug, he took in his claws, ripping the rest of his appendages off one by one before going for his head.

She didn't flinch. Didn't even blink. Only watched with wide eyes.

She'd never seen him like this. Tall and scary, yes. But she'd never watched him kill before. He was ruthless, merciless. He didn't even hesitate in hurting these men. He wasn't quick either. He wanted to ensure their suffering before granting them the sweet release of death.

Not even when he started ripping out the corpses' organs and shoving them into his mouth, did she feel the urge to look away.

Once he was done with the two thugs, Black Hat grabbed Beardy off the dumpster.

"Don't," he said in the most demonic, most distorted voice she'd ever heard, "touch," he brought the man to his eyelevel, "my," and then proceeded to break both his legs in one snap, "Lita!"

The scream Beardy made was so piercing, Lita couldn't stop the gasp from escaping her lips. Black Hat's eye snapped towards her, the redness dimming almost immediately. He had nearly forgotten she was here. The fear emanating from her was pungent. But he didn't need to smell it to see that she was shaking in terror.

It then occurred to Black Hat that he had just killed two men in front of her. Ripped them apart, devoured their insides, all with her watching. Why wouldn't she be terrified? This was a normal reaction. He'd been wanting this from her since the beginning.

So, why did it hurt to see her look at him that way?

Suddenly, Black Hat was no longer in the mood for murder. He slowly shrank back to his usual height, holding Beardy above his head.

"Not even I," Black Hat whispered to the man, "would stoop to your level."

He tossed him to the ground and stepped over his body. The wretch wasn't worth any more of his time. As if nothing had happened, Black Hat dusted off his jacket, ignoring the fresh blood stains; readjusted his hat and folded his arms behind his back.

Lita's heart beat faster, her breath quickening as the demon approached her. Black Hat stopped in front of her, staring down. His mouth was dripping with blood. Human blood.

She was still in shock over what she had just witnessed. He had murdered, maimed, eaten two people! And he'd done it so easily! How could he look so calm right now, when he was still covered in their blood?

Hearing a click, Lita looked to see that Beardy still had some fight left in him. He had picked up his dead colleague's gun and risen himself just enough to point it at Black Hat's head.

Not even thinking about it, Lita picked up her knife and threw it at the thug, piercing him in the eye. Black Hat spun around in surprise. Beardy managed to release one last horrifying scream before he dropped dead.

Black Hat turned back to Lita. His eye widened as he felt a mixture of shock and…pride.

She had just killed a man. He had killed two men.

And yet…she didn't feel any remorse.

"Lita."

Hearing his soft voice, she faced Black Hat again. His bloody, gloveless claw was stretched out to her. Her hand shook as she accepted it, her legs wobbling as he pulled her up. Not finding the strength to stand on her own, she fell forward into his chest. Black Hat supported her arms as he examined her injuries. Her palms were scraped, new blood was trickling from her right wrist, as well as her face.

Slowly, he raised his claw to her cheek. She winced at the pain, causing him to growl internally. He was glad to have killed those men.

His claw moved to her chin, raising it so her eyes could meet his. He worried about what he might see in them. There was no way she could ever look at him the same way again, after what she had just seen. Black Hat wasn't sure why, but he didn't want her looking at him like everyone else did. Like a monster.

It would be worse than seeing her injured.

"Are you," he spoke softly, "alright?"

Bursting into tears, Lita threw her arms around Black Hat and buried her face in his shoulder. He stood stiffly.

This was certainly not the reaction he had expected.

Lita didn't care if he shoved her away. She couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. She had been so frightened! Not by Black Hat, but by those men who had hurt her, who had almost… She'd never felt so helpless in all her life!

But no, it wasn't Black Hat who had scared her. He had saved her! He had killed those men for her! Brutally, yes, but she could never fear him for that! How could she, when she knew he could never hurt her?

Black Hat stared down at her, confused, and unsure of what to do. She was sobbing into his shoulder, still shaking as she clung to him. Yet the smell of her fear was fading away.

She didn't fear him. On the contrary, he made her feel less afraid.

Black Hat didn't know whether to leap for joy or claw out his eye. But the warm feeling of her body pressed against his brought him back to their dance the other night. No one was watching this time. They were alone. This was no ploy to get other men off her back.

She wanted to touch him.

And he…he wanted her to.

Reluctantly, Black Hat returned her embrace, one claw resting on the small of her back, the other stroking the top of her head.

"Um, uh…there, there?" he said unsurely.

In spite of everything that had just occurred, Lita laughed at how awkward he sounded. Clearly, he wasn't used to comforting others.

"How…how did you even find me?" she said, once she found the strength to speak.

"Tracker," Black Hat said, moving his claw from her head to her shoulder.

Lita chuckled against him. She had nearly forgotten about that.

"Now," he said, moving back slightly so he could look at her, "perhaps you could tell me, my dear," his claws clenched as he scowled, "what in the hell were you doing out here?!"

Lita's face fell, suddenly remembering the real reason he had come looking for her. "I was, uh…well, uh…Dementia, she…"

His teeth gritted together. "And where is Dementia?"

"I, uh…I don't know! She…she was so fast, I…I couldn't…"

Growling, Black Hat tightened his hold on her, but taking care not to inflict any more injury. "When we get back to the manor, you two are going to be in a wide, wide, wide load of—"

"Lita!" came Dementia's voice from above. "Kid! Little Lita!"

"Dem?" Lita said, looking up.

The mutant jumped down from the roof of the building behind them. "Sheesh, I thought you were right behind me, kid! Thank Black Hat I…"

She trailed off when she saw her boss, and the angry look on his face.

"Oh shit."

Told ya a lot would happen. Don't worry, the story with Paulo will become clearer soon.