Chapter Eight
Candi Cayne took one last drag of her cigarette before stubbing it out. She had a decision to make: what was more important, loyalty or survival?
The young girl on the couch stirred but didn't wake. Helena Kanly, or more appropriately, Helena Kyle, the daughter of her old friend Selina, had only woken once since she showed up at the door in the early hours of the morning. Candi knew the girl must still be in shock and wondered if her mind was just shutting down so it wouldn't have to deal with what it had seen. With concussions, you weren't supposed to let people go to sleep, but was it the same with shock? Should she wake her up? She decided to let her sleep while she wrestled with the other questions plaguing her.
She lit another cigarette.
Selina had always been nice to her. When Candi had first rolled into town all those many years ago, it was Selina who taught her how to survive on the street. Sell your body, not your soul, Selina would always say. Robin Hood was an idiot was another one of her favorite sayings. Never give away what you rightfully earned or stole.
But Selina did give things away. Even after she changed her name and moved away, she would occasionally show up, bringing Candi clothes or food or just money. Candi went through all of it fairly quick, but Selina would always bring more, no questions asked. If you have to ask, you either don't want to know or it's none of your business, Selina always said.
Candi knew all about minding your own business. She'd slept with city officials and mobsters alike and was privy to many of their secrets. Some of those secrets could pay her well, but it was the cost that kept her mouth shut. She even had a brief stint with the Riddler's gang once and was present when he concocted his cleaver clues. Once, she had spoken out of turn and she still had the question-mark shaped scar on her painfully thin shoulder blade to remind her of that folly.
Selina had stepped in on her behalf that time, too.
Selina never judged her or preached to her about what she should do, she just looked out for her from afar. Sometimes when Selina came by, they would sit up and talk for hours about anything and everything. The last few times Selina had visited, Helena had come with her.
That's probably why she came here after what happened, Candi thought. No one else knows about me. If she'd run to any of her friends, she'd been found pretty quickly.
Candi wonder how she got so far so fast, though. From Selina's house on the outskirts of town to the tenements of downtown Gotham was a nice little trip. And once you were here, getting past the gang-bangers, pimps and drug dealers, especially if you were a young girl wearing a little bit of nothing, was no mean trick. Then again, if you have to ask…
She made her decision. If Selina was dead, she wouldn't be stopping by anymore. She wouldn't be bringing her any more clothes or money. Without Selina, how would she survive? She had to look out for herself. That was the bottom line.
Candi finished her cigarette and started packing her pocketbook. Brass knuckles, pepper spray, stun gun. A girl couldn't be too careful in a two like Gotham. She wrote a note for Helena, in case the girl woke while she was gone, pulled a stocking cap over her buzz cut and headed down the four flights of stairs to the street.
It didn't take too long to find who she was looking for.
The three men sat in a greasy diner, eating some sort of unappetizing fair that had a passing resemblance to burgers and fries. They had been a part of many entourages, but were best known for their stint in the joker's gang.
"Are you the ones looking for the girl?"
"Who the hell are you?" one of the men growled at her.
"Someone with some information to sell," Candi said.