It's a snowy Saturday morning and I'm still here. If I were a normal sixteen year old I'd probably be out meeting up with my posse already. You know, scaring the hell out of mall security guards everywhere with my youthful exuberance.
But I'm not and I'm even getting used to that.
So instead of being out at some teen joint in midtown, I'm wandering around the Clocktower, annoying the living hell out of Barbara.
Serves her right; she's been doing it to me for almost three weeks now.
Ever since Helena took off.
"Dinah," I hear Barbara mutter. Her voice is low and I can tell that I'm about to be read the riot act. I turn towards her and offer her my brightest smile. I see her look melt from irritation to acceptance. She sights dramatically and I watch the tension ebb away from her.
Okay, yeah, that was a cheap shot.
Got a problem with that?
"Is he still sleeping?" I ask.
"Who?" she queries, her eyebrow quirked at me. Then she seems to understand what I'm getting at. "Oh! Reese." She points back towards the training room with her thumb. "He's lying down on the futon in there."
"Is he okay?"
"Just overmedicated," she laughs. "He took a few too many painkillers for his leg. He should be up and around shortly." She shakes her head. "It was getting dicey for a few minutes there though. I thought he was about to start singing ballads."
"Note to self; Reese with the meds is bad," I grin.
"That's about right," she chuckles.
"So," I say, sitting down on the table. She glares at me but I ignore her. I know she wants me to get up but I don't plan to. It's fun to annoy her. It's usually Helena's job but with her MIA, it becomes my duty. "Whatcha doing?"
"Mmm? Oh. Checking into that convenience store robbery from late last night."
"Why?" I ask. I know I'm probably really starting to get on her nerves but damn I'm bored. I could use some action. I could use something to get my blood pumping.
Wow, I didn't realize how much like her I'm becoming.
Her being Helena of course.
She turns her chair to look at me. She reaches up to her face and removes her glasses. She sighs impatiently. "Is your homework done?"
"It's Saturday," I reply with a grin. "And any I did have, I'm not doing today. Or tonight. Or anytime other than late tomorrow evening." I stick my tongue out at her and she laughs. In spite of herself.
Yeah, it's my job these days to try to keep things light.
We have enough to worry about.
"Fine," she replies. "Then what about Gabby? Why don't you..."
"You're trying to get rid of me," I sing out. She blanches a bit, as if caught. She stumbles for an explanation, about a thousand looks crossing her face in a few seconds.
"No," she says quickly. Then she stops and sighs. "Yes, I'm sorry. Yes."
"It's okay," I say, standing up. "I can go out on patrol, see what's out there."
"I'd rather you didn't," she says, her eyes back on the screen. I see her frown and then she starts punching keys, her short manicured nails clipping against the low buttons. "Besides, it's only nine in the morning. Unless you're out looking for newspaper thieves, I think you're gonna have a slow day."
I choose to ignore her commentary on the early-bird thugs. She's not wrong though. My sense of time is so mucked up these days. Has been ever since I came to live with her. "What's up?" I ask, moving closer to her. I move a cup of coffee away from her hand and lean over her shoulder. I catch the soft aroma of strawberry shampoo rising up from her hair.
She points towards the screen. There are two pictures there. One of them is a color photo that looks like a high school mug shot...I mean yearbook picture. Shush now.
The other one is a black and white crime scene photo.
They're both of the same girl. A third item on the screen in a different window is a police report. It gives her name as Jenny Thompson, age 27.
"She was killed in the robbery last night," Barbara tells me.
I lift an eyebrow. "The convenience store one?"
"Right," she mumbles. I wonder why she's so interested in this. It seems like normal everyday crime. Certainly not worthy of the great Oracle and her wayward wards,
Okay okay, I'm on a roll.
Somebody stop me.
"So," I say, trying to be cool. "What's the what?"
"I did some research on our girl..."
"Why?" I ask, touching her arm. "I mean, why her?"
"I do research on every victim," she retorts, not unkindly. I know she's lying though and I wonder why. I know her too well. She does usually check into the identities of people who get killed around New Gotham but not to this degree. Especially not when the crime looks so cut and dry.
"Barbara," I say softly. "We couldn't have stopped it."
"I'm not so sure about that," she replies. She highlights a portion of the police report. I see messy scrawl there but the words are still legible. It says: daughter of Joe Lucazzi.
"So?" I say as I shake my head. I blow a strand of hair away from my eyes and end up eating it. I hate when I do that. Vitamins are one thing but come on now.
She turns back towards me. Her hand snakes out to grab at the mug of coffee that I had relocated. She takes two quick gulps and then groans. "Cold," she mutters. She slides over to the opposite table and settles the mug on a pulsating red disk. It's some kind of heater plate. "Lucazzi is a member of the Table. He used to go by the handle of Tiger."
"And considering how we just found a necklace from this Zeus guy we're thinking..."
"Totally not coincidental," she finishes for me. She smiles suddenly as she looks past me. "Just the man I wanted to see."
I turn a few inches to see whom she's talking to even though I already know. I can hear the heavy thump of crutches scraping across the floor. That means it's gotta be Reese.
Damn I'm good.
I nod to him as he approaches. He offers me his crutches and then falls into a chair just to the right of where Barbara and I are seated. I take them from him and lean them against the table. "How are you feeling?" I ask. I grin at him. "Better? Less drugged?"
He snorts at me and then opens his mouth to protest. I lift my eyebrow to let him know that no matter what he says, I'm so not buying. He seems to get it and just flicks his hand in the air. He turns his attention to Barbara. "What's up?"
"You ever know a daughter of Lucazzi's named Jenny?" she asks him. I can see that she's studying his face, looking for a reaction.
She gets one.
His face falls a bit as if he knows what she's about to say.
He nods slowly. "Yeah." His words are thick and heavy. "Why?"
"She's dead," Barbara says, her voice softening. She seems to understand that this upsets him. I get that too. I wonder who this girl was to him. I'm guessing we're about to find out. "I'm sorry."
He blows out air, his mouth forming a perfect circle. It's weird to describe that. I think to myself that even though I must have done the same thing a thousand times, it looks strange when someone else is doing it. "It's been years," he starts. "I haven't seen her since we were both nineteen. Years."
"Reese," Barbara starts, sounding uncertain. "I have doubts about this being..."
"I know," Reese cuts in. "It was a hit. Zeus had her killed. I don't know why though. I mean she hasn't talked to her dad in years. Or at least she wasn't talking to him back when we were dating."
Okay then, there it is.
A former honey of his. Well that makes sense. He looks upset. I get that; his love life lately has been pretty much the suck.
"Didn't like his line of work?" Barbara prompts.
"Jenny came from an affair with a maid. Tiger's wife had the maid killed and they raised her as their own. After she found out the truth, she didn't really want a hell of a lot to do with her old man."
"I can imagine," Barbara mumbles.
So can I.
Okay no I can't.
I always knew that my adoptive parents were just that- not real. It's probably how I survived them. Even as angry as I was at my real mom for leaving me behind, I always knew that the abuse was coming from people who weren't my flesh and blood. Helped me to deal.
But what if one did I had woken up to realize that they had killed my real mother and my entire life was a lie? Yeah, I think I'd be pretty pissed too.
Still though, night and day.
"I can't see that changing," Reese says, his eyes still on the screen. His pain is obvious. I don't know what he felt for her but what he's thinking of right now is the past and the girl he used to know. "But then again, it was almost eight years ago that we talked. We were just...we were going separate ways."
Barbara squeezes his shoulder. "You don't owe us an explanation," she reminds him. Then she shakes her head. "So why would Zeus have her killed? She can't be a threat to him."
He lifts an eyebrow at her. His look seems to challenge her. "She's an heir to one of the seats at the Table. In or out of the family, she's always a threat."
"So what you're saying is..."
"Zeus is staking a claim to the lead seat and removing anyone who could challenge him." Reese pauses as if he suddenly understands what he's saying. "Anyone."
I feel my heart drop to my toes.
Wow.
Do me a favor huh? When someone tells you not to ever say that things can't get worse, don't okay?
Don't because guess what, they will.
They will always get worse.
The nightmare finally released her back into the waking world just seconds after Wolf's face exploded into red dust. Bone turned to mush and flew towards her but the girls' lips were still moving.
"I'll get you," Wolf said, even in death.
She had never said that of course but in the nightmare world where reality merged with subconscious terrors, that hardly mattered.
Not a wick really.
Her eyelids ripped open and she began to gasp for air. She could feel salt on her cheeks and she knew immediately that she had been crying in her sleep. That wasn't so unusual. She wasn't the type to cry openly and easily so often her mind took care of business while her body was resting.
She tried to jerk upwards but she felt arms around her waist. She sagged backwards, momentarily caught and off guard.
"Reese?" she stammered, reaching down for the arms. She blinked when she realized that she was being held by a man with white skin. Not Reese then.
"Easy baby," Mick mumbled, digging his face into her neck. He pressed a kiss to her skin and tightened his hold on her. He continued to nuzzle her, his lips wet against her flesh.
She blinked, reality sliding over her like a black cloak. Using both of her hands she shoved away from him and pushed herself to her feet. "No," she growled. "No, no, no."
He sat up in bed, looking disorientated and confused. He was almost handsome in his boyishness.
Almost.
Then she remembered all he had done to her. All he was trying to bring out in her. And all he was willing to do to ensure what he wanted.
That kinda killed the cute thing.
"Kyle?" he said softly. "What's your issue?"
Helena reached out for a blanket and yanked it around her naked body. She brought it up over her bare chest and glared down at him. "You just don't take no for an answer do you?"
He laughed. "Well first off you never said no," he replied, altogether too smugly. "And second, nothing happened. Relax. You passed out in the van last night and I brought you back here."
"And stripped me down?" she demanded, anger tensing her body.
"You were in leather, babe. Not exactly comfortable."
She sighed. He wasn't wrong about that. Sleeping in leather was a definite no. Just the same, she wasn't stupid enough to dismiss his actions as altruistic. She knew better; Mick Collins was completely out for himself. Add to that the fact that he himself was also obviously naked and well two and two really did add up.
"I'm heading out," she said gruffly. "I need clothes."
"You can wear mine," he said, pointing towards a dresser. "We tossed yours from the heist last night. You know, get rid of the evidence."
"Aww how sweet. And also convenient," Helena muttered, yanking open the top drawer of the dresser. She pulled out a pair of jeans and then a tee shirt. She had no real desire to wear his clothes but she figured it would only be until she got back to her place.
Wearing a lovers clothing was such an intimate thing and she had no intention of letting Mick get the satisfaction of thinking that she belonged to him. He wasn't her lover. She knew he'd beg to differ but that really wasn't her problem.
"You gonna go commando in my jeans?" Mick asked with a grin. "I mean not that I mind."
She snorted loudly. "Not in your fucking dreams."
She yanked open a drawer and pulled out a pair of boxers. She wasn't anymore thrilled to be wearing his underwear but she figured she could temper it by burning everything after she took it off.
Just to let him know just how much he meant to her.
Not childish or anything.
"Whatever you say babe," Mick replied, crossing his hands behind his head and leaning back against the wall. The sheet slipped down to reveal a very tanned and muscled chest. He was a good-looking man but the whole psycho killer bit was something of a turn-off.
She turned suddenly, anger igniting her blue eyes. "You fucking set me up you stupid bastard," she hissed. She took a step towards him, momentarily forgetting that she was only half dressed.
His eyes widened but he didn't seem alarmed so much as amused. "I did what I had to do to let you know that I will do whatever needs to be done to keep you with us. You're part of us now, Helena. No mistaking that."
She growled at him and took two more predatory steps towards him. He just laughed at her. "I could kill you right now," she said to him, deadly serious. "And you know it."
He nodded. "I know it babe. It's why I love you. And yeah, you could kill me but it wouldn't do you any good. You see my computer had an auto-send function. If I don't disable it every night at exactly eleven, it'll send those lovely photos from the ball right over to the cop shop. Now tell me, do you really want to spend the rest of your life taking it from guards who think you're just too damn cute?"
"Fuck you," she snapped.
"Man, you get gutter when you're pissed," he mused. Then he sighed. "Relax Helena, just relax. That was it...that was my last test. That was my last trap. It was just a warning shot, that's all. I think you get me now, right?"
She sighed, looking defeated. "I get you."
"Good," he said, standing up. He reached under the bed and offered her a pair of his sneakers. "We tossed your boots too. Sorry about that." He turned his back to her and walked towards the bar on the side of the room. It was more like a table with a few tumblers on it but it was something. He went into the refrigerator under the table and took out a bottle of what looked like orange juice. He poured it into a glass and handed it to her. "Drink. It'll wake you up."
"Does it have vodka in it?"
He laughed. "No. Just some quality OJ. Florida fresh."
"Whatever," she muttered, draining the glass in three gulps. She dropped back down to the bed and yanked on the shoes. Then rising again she started for the door. "So, when then?"
"I'll call you. Just relax. Take it easy." He narrowed his eyes. "And don't be stupid. Don't think you can go around us and not be caught. You can't. I'm always..."
"Stalking me, I know," she replied, irritation in her voice.
"Watching you love," he suggested. "Just watching you." He crossed over to her and kissed her on the lips. She pulled away but he didn't seem bothered. He took her hand and kissed it. "You'll come around, I have faith in that. In the meanwhile, just be smart."
She turned away from him, eyes full of anger and despair. She grabbed at the metal doorknob and jerked the door open. Her feet hit the ground hard but the soft sneakers were almost completely silent save a few scuffs.
She stepped out into the icy cold morning and took a deep breath. Snow was falling in tiny wet clumps. She was standing outside of a large warehouse in the Red Zone. She could see a few small fires burning in the alleys where some vagrants were trying to keep dry and warm.
She sighed and then started back towards her apartment, wrapping her arms around her waist. She had pulled on a long-sleeve shirt but she rather figured that the cold was something else anyways.
Something far more internal.
I have way too much caffeine running through my blood right about now. Eight cups of coffee and a half-liter of Pepsi. My fingers are dancing over the keyboard and I feel like I'm jittering every which way. I probably am.
"Hey, you okay?" Reese asks from my left. I look up at him and I'm shocked that he managed to sneak up on me. That's not like me at all. Of course at this moment, I'm not exactly like me.
"Fine," I say slowly. At least I think slowly. It's possible that all of my words are overlapping right now. "I'm just downloading the surveillance video from the store. Maybe we can gather some clues from it."
"Huh?" he says. He's laughing at me. "Did you just say that we could download donkey porn from the police station?"
I smack his arm. "I certainly did not!"
Okay, maybe I did.
It's possible.
"Sure, sure," he says. "Whatever you say." He's humoring me. Laughing at my expense. Usually I'd be annoyed but right now I'm relieved. I know he's upset right now. Even though he hadn't seen the girl in eight years, she's still part of his past. People like to have their own chance to get closure, not have it forced on them. Reese doesn't have that option now.
"How are you?" I ask softly, squeezing his forearm. These last several weeks have been hell for him too. Almost four weeks ago he was in a very steady relationship with Helena, whatever it be. Now he's just like us, hoping that she'll hold on and one day come back to us.
Wondering when he'll snap and go drag her ass back to us, kicking and screaming if need be.
That time is coming quick.
For all of us.
"I'm dealing," Reese replies and I can tell that he's talking about more than just Jenny Thompson. He's got his plate full with Jenny, Helena and this whole drama with Zeus.
"Hey guys," Dinah calls out from the elevator. We both turn to see her entering the room. My eyes are immediately drawn to a long bloody scratch on her cheek.
"What the hell happened to you?" I hiss, turning towards her. I wheel over to her and put my hand up to her face but she brushes me away. I pull back stunned. She rarely shakes me off.
"Nothing," she says, quite out of breath. This is when I notice that her eyes are large and she looks excited. "Everything...everything."
"Dinah, slow down," I instruct her, putting a hand on her arm. I point towards Reese. "Get me the med kit from under the desk."
He nods and slides his hand under the wooden table. He feels around for a few moments before he finally bumps into the white box. He unhooks it and then offers it to me. That's what I notice that Dinah is still breathing hard, still trying to get everything back in rhythm.
"Dinah?" Reese asks, concern in his eyes.
"I'm fine...I'm fine. I...I...I..."
"This could be a very long conversation," I quip as I start to clean out the scratch. It's not deep but I don't want it getting infected just the same.
"Helena," she stammers. "I saw Helena. She saved me."
My eyebrow shoots into my hairline. One look after at Reese and I can see that he's just as shocked. And intrigued. This could be the break we were waiting and hoping for. "Really? Where?" I demand.
"Over by the Dark Horse. I chased some guys there...you heard me..."
"You went off comm," I reply, giving her a very pointed look.
She frowns. "No I didn't, I dropped it in the sewer accidentally."
"Uh, okay...how?"
"Saw a penny...tried to pick it up...figured we could use some good luck," she admits sheepishly. "I bent over and I must have snagged the comm on something...it dropped in. I guess it didn't fall into the water."
I think to scold her but decide to let it go. I'll do that later. Her news about Helena is more pressing. Reese apparently concurs because he steps between us. "Helena," he demands.
"Right," she says. She blows out air and then takes a deep breath. "I ended up chasing them into an alley. There were four other guys there. I had them under control you know..."
Again, I consider scolding her. She has to be more careful. She gives me a look that tells me not to bother. She knows she's in trouble. I just wave my hand for her to continue but she's sadly mistaken if she thinks she's just going to get out of this one without at least a few more training sessions.
"Go on," Reese urges.
"Anyways all the sudden Helena comes sweeping in from the roof. She starts kicking on them. Before I know it they're either out cold or running."
"So she looked alright?" I ask, hopeful.
She frowns as she thinks back. Then she shakes her head, the expression deepening and creasing her brow. "No," she says thoughtfully. "Actually she looked terrible."
"What do you mean?" Reese asks, before I can.
Dinah chews her lip. I can tell she's replaying her encounter with Helena in her head. Finally she says, "I don't know, I can't really put a finger on it but something was off; she was off."
"Explain," I say as I finish cleaning the cut on her. I'm satisfied that she doesn't need stitches. That's a relief; she's more of a baby than even Helena and that's saying a lot.
"She was slow. I mean, she was faster than them but that wasn't hard. They just outnumbered me is all." She frowns again and I can see that she's getting more aggravated by the moment. "Barbara, she was really off. Her kicks, she was telegraphing them."
"Did she say anything to you?" I ask, swallowing hard. "Could she just have been drunk?"
It pisses me off to think that she's out there patrolling plastered but it would hardly be the first time and it certainly wouldn't be a shock these days. After all, her current state isn't exactly what I'd call peachy.
"Drunk, no," Dinah says thoughtfully. "She came close enough to me...no, she didn't smell like alcohol but everything was off." She snaps her fingers and looks up at me. "Her eyes....they didn't look right..."
"Drugged?" Reese suggests.
"I don't know," I say. "She tried some stuff in high school but she's never been much for drugs and after what happened with the Topside..."
"Well something was wrong," Dinah announces. "I think I could have taken her and I'm not just saying that."
I rather believe her. Usually Dinah likes to build herself up to be able to go a few rounds with Helena but this doesn't sound like that kind of false bravado. I believe her because she looks worried.
I'm just not sure what it all means.
Behind me I hear Delphi beep at me. I turn and stare at one of my monitors. "Download is finished," I say. I slide over to it and start the video playing.
Reese and Dinah move closer to me, both leaning over my shoulders. It's grainy black and white but it clearly shows four figures enter the store. Three of them are male and one is very clearly female. They are all wearing black masks.
Reese's old girlfriend is behind the counter. She looks up in shock. We see her hand go under the counter. She's reaching for a gun. The man at the front of the pack motions to the girl and she starts forward.
"Oh my God," Reese mutters from behind me. I think for a moment that he's upset because he's watching his friend getting pummeled. Even though it looks like she's giving back as good as she's getting.
Then I realize what he's actually looking at.
"No," I say, shaking my head. "Oh God no."
I click a button on my keyboard and pause the video.
Reese bends forward as if to confirm his suspicion. I already have.
The video shows the female robber on the ground, the back of her shirt up away from her stomach, revealing skin. It plainly shows a tattoo on the small of her back.
A tattoo that belongs to Helena Kyle.
I hit the play button and she stands up. She starts motioning every which way. I look at the torn mask she's wearing and now it seems so clear that it's her. It's so damn obvious. I choke back my concern and anger. None of this makes any sense. Helena wouldn't do this. She's angry and brash but she's not a simple stupid thief. That's not her.
Of course it's Dinah who actually says the word both Reese and I lack the strength to say. "Helena," she whispers. She looks up at us. "Oh God, she was scratched on the face..."
"I don't understand...this isn't her," Reese insists, backing away from us. He stumbles backwards, having forgotten that he still needs his crutches. His hand snags the table and he barely remains standing.
"Reese," I say, a hard knot in my throat. I point at the screen. "Reese, look."
He turns back towards the screen and I see all the color drain from his face as his eyes fall across what I'm pointing at.
Zeus's necklace.
Helena is wearing Zeus necklace.
Oh boy.
What trouble has she gotten herself into now?
She stepped out of the shower and walked down the hall towards her bedroom. Water dripped down her face and spooled at her shoulders. Her wet hair was messy and uncombed but she didn't really care. Her head was pounding like a steel drum and she felt like she was walking through a snow-storm.
She grinned as she passed the trashcan in the kitchen. She could see one denim leg emerging from the lid. Mick's clothes. She reminded herself to burn them later. She'd worn them too long anyways.
She had meant to return to her apartment right away but had found herself sidetracked by about a thousand old memories. She'd even found herself standing on the ledge outside Reese's apartment. Of course he hadn't been there and considering the fact that she had been wearing another mans' boxers, that was probably a good thing.
She blinked her eyes trying to clear her head. She placed a hand to her forehead and rubbed at her temples. It wasn't so much that she had a headache; it was more like her brain was filled with giant cotton balls.
"You don't look so good," a voice said from the doorway.
She glanced up, angry that yet one more person had broken into her apartment and invaded her privacy. She made a resolution to get a better lock put on her door. "What the..." she started. She stopped when she realized that she was looking at a man she didn't know.
"You're Helena Kyle, right?" he asked, gray eyes intent on her.
"I am," she replied stiffly. "And I don't really care who you are but you have twenty seconds to get out before I toss you through that window."
"I don't think you're going to do that," he said calmly. He stepped towards her and she saw that he was a handsome man of perhaps fifty or so. He was also a very big man, quite imposing. She shook her head, reminding herself that no one intimidated Helena Kyle. No one.
She grinned at him wickedly and then winked. "Pops, you don't know who you're messing with."
He laughed. "I know exactly who you are Miss Kyle." He wrinkled his nose and started to walk towards her. She held her ground, digging her heels into the carpet. She was only wearing a pair of green running shorts and a white tee shirt but she figured that they'd do just fine for kicking grandpa back to his retirement community.
"Oh?" she replied mock sweetly. "You sure? Because I think you're in for a world of trouble."
"I should introduce myself," he said, still quite calmly. "My name is Marco Jameson but you can call me Zeus."
"I think I'll go with asshole," she replied, tensing her body for a fight. It seemed almost unfair but hey, what the hell.
"You're wearing my necklace darling, you should show some respect," he informed her, eyes still locked on her. He did a sweep of her body but unlike most men who looked her over, he seemed unimpressed. More like disgusted which was odd.
Helena glanced down at the necklace and scowled. "This? A cheap token from a stalker." She put a palm around the emblem and made to rip it off but stopped when she heard him speak again.
"That stalker is my son you stupid bitch," Zeus snapped, moving quickly into her personal space. She moved to knock him back but he grabbed her wrist and turned it. She cried out in pain as he twisted it. "And we need to have a little discussion about him."
"I don't talk so well when I'm being hurt," she growled. "And if I were you, I'd really step off before I kick you into a coma. Your punk son should have told you what I'm capable of."
Zeus laughed loudly. "I can see what he likes in you. Fiery. Dangerous." He took his hand off her wrist and then slapped her face. Hard. She felt a stinging heat where he'd hit her. "I however am unimpressed. You're only marginally better than Tara and at least she was controllable."
"Stop," she quipped. "You're making me cry. I hate parental rejection."
She moved to kick him but again he stopped the blow. He seemed to have her timed perfectly. Either that or she was moving too slow.
Then again, it occurred to her, it felt like she'd been moving that way all day long. Certainly in the alley with Dinah. There had been entirely too many close calls there. She felt kind of like she was moving through mud.
He punched her hard across the face and she fell backwards. He followed it with another blow to her chest. She groaned as she felt a bone crack. He was on top of her before she could gather her wits about herself. He slugged her twice more in the face and then once again in the gut. She felt the rib snap under the contact and a flash of red hot heat surged through her body.
Then just like that, he stood up. He walked into her kitchen and retrieved a dishtowel. He wiped his hands clean of the blood and stared down at her. "You worry me Miss Kyle."
"That sucks," she muttered. She wiped blood away from her mouth with the back of her hand. She coughed a few times, feeling her gut burn with pain. She wished that she could find the strength to rise up and take him on but her entire body felt numb and disorientated.
To put it bluntly she felt like she was drugged.
Which wasn't possible but whatever.
Zeus sure didn't seem to care in any case. He'd gotten the drop on her and he seemed more than a little proud of himself.
"You're a smart little girl now aren't you?" he said with a wry smile. Her eyes zeroed in on the massive ring on his hand. This guy was definitely a mob boss.
Great, Mick was the son of the mafia.
Wonderful.
"What can I say?" she mumbled, rolling on her back. She turned her eyes away from him and stared up at the ceiling.
"By smart I don't mean intelligent," Zeus said, reaching out for her. She spun away from but he seemed rather undeterred.
He crossed over to her and bent down next to her. "My son likes you. He may even love you..."
"I don't care," she replied, refusing to look at him.
"I don't really care about what happens between you and Mick. That's just cheap whore sex for all I give a damn. Doesn't involve me. What does is my business. If you fuck up what I'm doing, if you even begin to think you can, I'll make you wish Wolf had killed you. I promise you, you cause me any problems and I will make any nightmare you have right now seem like a fucking daydream."
She opened her mouth to tell him off but was greeted with another punch to the gut. He followed it with a slap across her face. His ring cut into her flesh and left a bloody wake. It reopened one of the cuts from the previous night.
She put her hands over her skin and dropped her head into her palms. She heard him get up and leave the apartment, the door snapping shut behind him.
She looked up then, blood trailing down her cheeks.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Wrong move, pops," she gasped out. "I'm no one's bitch."
TBC...
But I'm not and I'm even getting used to that.
So instead of being out at some teen joint in midtown, I'm wandering around the Clocktower, annoying the living hell out of Barbara.
Serves her right; she's been doing it to me for almost three weeks now.
Ever since Helena took off.
"Dinah," I hear Barbara mutter. Her voice is low and I can tell that I'm about to be read the riot act. I turn towards her and offer her my brightest smile. I see her look melt from irritation to acceptance. She sights dramatically and I watch the tension ebb away from her.
Okay, yeah, that was a cheap shot.
Got a problem with that?
"Is he still sleeping?" I ask.
"Who?" she queries, her eyebrow quirked at me. Then she seems to understand what I'm getting at. "Oh! Reese." She points back towards the training room with her thumb. "He's lying down on the futon in there."
"Is he okay?"
"Just overmedicated," she laughs. "He took a few too many painkillers for his leg. He should be up and around shortly." She shakes her head. "It was getting dicey for a few minutes there though. I thought he was about to start singing ballads."
"Note to self; Reese with the meds is bad," I grin.
"That's about right," she chuckles.
"So," I say, sitting down on the table. She glares at me but I ignore her. I know she wants me to get up but I don't plan to. It's fun to annoy her. It's usually Helena's job but with her MIA, it becomes my duty. "Whatcha doing?"
"Mmm? Oh. Checking into that convenience store robbery from late last night."
"Why?" I ask. I know I'm probably really starting to get on her nerves but damn I'm bored. I could use some action. I could use something to get my blood pumping.
Wow, I didn't realize how much like her I'm becoming.
Her being Helena of course.
She turns her chair to look at me. She reaches up to her face and removes her glasses. She sighs impatiently. "Is your homework done?"
"It's Saturday," I reply with a grin. "And any I did have, I'm not doing today. Or tonight. Or anytime other than late tomorrow evening." I stick my tongue out at her and she laughs. In spite of herself.
Yeah, it's my job these days to try to keep things light.
We have enough to worry about.
"Fine," she replies. "Then what about Gabby? Why don't you..."
"You're trying to get rid of me," I sing out. She blanches a bit, as if caught. She stumbles for an explanation, about a thousand looks crossing her face in a few seconds.
"No," she says quickly. Then she stops and sighs. "Yes, I'm sorry. Yes."
"It's okay," I say, standing up. "I can go out on patrol, see what's out there."
"I'd rather you didn't," she says, her eyes back on the screen. I see her frown and then she starts punching keys, her short manicured nails clipping against the low buttons. "Besides, it's only nine in the morning. Unless you're out looking for newspaper thieves, I think you're gonna have a slow day."
I choose to ignore her commentary on the early-bird thugs. She's not wrong though. My sense of time is so mucked up these days. Has been ever since I came to live with her. "What's up?" I ask, moving closer to her. I move a cup of coffee away from her hand and lean over her shoulder. I catch the soft aroma of strawberry shampoo rising up from her hair.
She points towards the screen. There are two pictures there. One of them is a color photo that looks like a high school mug shot...I mean yearbook picture. Shush now.
The other one is a black and white crime scene photo.
They're both of the same girl. A third item on the screen in a different window is a police report. It gives her name as Jenny Thompson, age 27.
"She was killed in the robbery last night," Barbara tells me.
I lift an eyebrow. "The convenience store one?"
"Right," she mumbles. I wonder why she's so interested in this. It seems like normal everyday crime. Certainly not worthy of the great Oracle and her wayward wards,
Okay okay, I'm on a roll.
Somebody stop me.
"So," I say, trying to be cool. "What's the what?"
"I did some research on our girl..."
"Why?" I ask, touching her arm. "I mean, why her?"
"I do research on every victim," she retorts, not unkindly. I know she's lying though and I wonder why. I know her too well. She does usually check into the identities of people who get killed around New Gotham but not to this degree. Especially not when the crime looks so cut and dry.
"Barbara," I say softly. "We couldn't have stopped it."
"I'm not so sure about that," she replies. She highlights a portion of the police report. I see messy scrawl there but the words are still legible. It says: daughter of Joe Lucazzi.
"So?" I say as I shake my head. I blow a strand of hair away from my eyes and end up eating it. I hate when I do that. Vitamins are one thing but come on now.
She turns back towards me. Her hand snakes out to grab at the mug of coffee that I had relocated. She takes two quick gulps and then groans. "Cold," she mutters. She slides over to the opposite table and settles the mug on a pulsating red disk. It's some kind of heater plate. "Lucazzi is a member of the Table. He used to go by the handle of Tiger."
"And considering how we just found a necklace from this Zeus guy we're thinking..."
"Totally not coincidental," she finishes for me. She smiles suddenly as she looks past me. "Just the man I wanted to see."
I turn a few inches to see whom she's talking to even though I already know. I can hear the heavy thump of crutches scraping across the floor. That means it's gotta be Reese.
Damn I'm good.
I nod to him as he approaches. He offers me his crutches and then falls into a chair just to the right of where Barbara and I are seated. I take them from him and lean them against the table. "How are you feeling?" I ask. I grin at him. "Better? Less drugged?"
He snorts at me and then opens his mouth to protest. I lift my eyebrow to let him know that no matter what he says, I'm so not buying. He seems to get it and just flicks his hand in the air. He turns his attention to Barbara. "What's up?"
"You ever know a daughter of Lucazzi's named Jenny?" she asks him. I can see that she's studying his face, looking for a reaction.
She gets one.
His face falls a bit as if he knows what she's about to say.
He nods slowly. "Yeah." His words are thick and heavy. "Why?"
"She's dead," Barbara says, her voice softening. She seems to understand that this upsets him. I get that too. I wonder who this girl was to him. I'm guessing we're about to find out. "I'm sorry."
He blows out air, his mouth forming a perfect circle. It's weird to describe that. I think to myself that even though I must have done the same thing a thousand times, it looks strange when someone else is doing it. "It's been years," he starts. "I haven't seen her since we were both nineteen. Years."
"Reese," Barbara starts, sounding uncertain. "I have doubts about this being..."
"I know," Reese cuts in. "It was a hit. Zeus had her killed. I don't know why though. I mean she hasn't talked to her dad in years. Or at least she wasn't talking to him back when we were dating."
Okay then, there it is.
A former honey of his. Well that makes sense. He looks upset. I get that; his love life lately has been pretty much the suck.
"Didn't like his line of work?" Barbara prompts.
"Jenny came from an affair with a maid. Tiger's wife had the maid killed and they raised her as their own. After she found out the truth, she didn't really want a hell of a lot to do with her old man."
"I can imagine," Barbara mumbles.
So can I.
Okay no I can't.
I always knew that my adoptive parents were just that- not real. It's probably how I survived them. Even as angry as I was at my real mom for leaving me behind, I always knew that the abuse was coming from people who weren't my flesh and blood. Helped me to deal.
But what if one did I had woken up to realize that they had killed my real mother and my entire life was a lie? Yeah, I think I'd be pretty pissed too.
Still though, night and day.
"I can't see that changing," Reese says, his eyes still on the screen. His pain is obvious. I don't know what he felt for her but what he's thinking of right now is the past and the girl he used to know. "But then again, it was almost eight years ago that we talked. We were just...we were going separate ways."
Barbara squeezes his shoulder. "You don't owe us an explanation," she reminds him. Then she shakes her head. "So why would Zeus have her killed? She can't be a threat to him."
He lifts an eyebrow at her. His look seems to challenge her. "She's an heir to one of the seats at the Table. In or out of the family, she's always a threat."
"So what you're saying is..."
"Zeus is staking a claim to the lead seat and removing anyone who could challenge him." Reese pauses as if he suddenly understands what he's saying. "Anyone."
I feel my heart drop to my toes.
Wow.
Do me a favor huh? When someone tells you not to ever say that things can't get worse, don't okay?
Don't because guess what, they will.
They will always get worse.
The nightmare finally released her back into the waking world just seconds after Wolf's face exploded into red dust. Bone turned to mush and flew towards her but the girls' lips were still moving.
"I'll get you," Wolf said, even in death.
She had never said that of course but in the nightmare world where reality merged with subconscious terrors, that hardly mattered.
Not a wick really.
Her eyelids ripped open and she began to gasp for air. She could feel salt on her cheeks and she knew immediately that she had been crying in her sleep. That wasn't so unusual. She wasn't the type to cry openly and easily so often her mind took care of business while her body was resting.
She tried to jerk upwards but she felt arms around her waist. She sagged backwards, momentarily caught and off guard.
"Reese?" she stammered, reaching down for the arms. She blinked when she realized that she was being held by a man with white skin. Not Reese then.
"Easy baby," Mick mumbled, digging his face into her neck. He pressed a kiss to her skin and tightened his hold on her. He continued to nuzzle her, his lips wet against her flesh.
She blinked, reality sliding over her like a black cloak. Using both of her hands she shoved away from him and pushed herself to her feet. "No," she growled. "No, no, no."
He sat up in bed, looking disorientated and confused. He was almost handsome in his boyishness.
Almost.
Then she remembered all he had done to her. All he was trying to bring out in her. And all he was willing to do to ensure what he wanted.
That kinda killed the cute thing.
"Kyle?" he said softly. "What's your issue?"
Helena reached out for a blanket and yanked it around her naked body. She brought it up over her bare chest and glared down at him. "You just don't take no for an answer do you?"
He laughed. "Well first off you never said no," he replied, altogether too smugly. "And second, nothing happened. Relax. You passed out in the van last night and I brought you back here."
"And stripped me down?" she demanded, anger tensing her body.
"You were in leather, babe. Not exactly comfortable."
She sighed. He wasn't wrong about that. Sleeping in leather was a definite no. Just the same, she wasn't stupid enough to dismiss his actions as altruistic. She knew better; Mick Collins was completely out for himself. Add to that the fact that he himself was also obviously naked and well two and two really did add up.
"I'm heading out," she said gruffly. "I need clothes."
"You can wear mine," he said, pointing towards a dresser. "We tossed yours from the heist last night. You know, get rid of the evidence."
"Aww how sweet. And also convenient," Helena muttered, yanking open the top drawer of the dresser. She pulled out a pair of jeans and then a tee shirt. She had no real desire to wear his clothes but she figured it would only be until she got back to her place.
Wearing a lovers clothing was such an intimate thing and she had no intention of letting Mick get the satisfaction of thinking that she belonged to him. He wasn't her lover. She knew he'd beg to differ but that really wasn't her problem.
"You gonna go commando in my jeans?" Mick asked with a grin. "I mean not that I mind."
She snorted loudly. "Not in your fucking dreams."
She yanked open a drawer and pulled out a pair of boxers. She wasn't anymore thrilled to be wearing his underwear but she figured she could temper it by burning everything after she took it off.
Just to let him know just how much he meant to her.
Not childish or anything.
"Whatever you say babe," Mick replied, crossing his hands behind his head and leaning back against the wall. The sheet slipped down to reveal a very tanned and muscled chest. He was a good-looking man but the whole psycho killer bit was something of a turn-off.
She turned suddenly, anger igniting her blue eyes. "You fucking set me up you stupid bastard," she hissed. She took a step towards him, momentarily forgetting that she was only half dressed.
His eyes widened but he didn't seem alarmed so much as amused. "I did what I had to do to let you know that I will do whatever needs to be done to keep you with us. You're part of us now, Helena. No mistaking that."
She growled at him and took two more predatory steps towards him. He just laughed at her. "I could kill you right now," she said to him, deadly serious. "And you know it."
He nodded. "I know it babe. It's why I love you. And yeah, you could kill me but it wouldn't do you any good. You see my computer had an auto-send function. If I don't disable it every night at exactly eleven, it'll send those lovely photos from the ball right over to the cop shop. Now tell me, do you really want to spend the rest of your life taking it from guards who think you're just too damn cute?"
"Fuck you," she snapped.
"Man, you get gutter when you're pissed," he mused. Then he sighed. "Relax Helena, just relax. That was it...that was my last test. That was my last trap. It was just a warning shot, that's all. I think you get me now, right?"
She sighed, looking defeated. "I get you."
"Good," he said, standing up. He reached under the bed and offered her a pair of his sneakers. "We tossed your boots too. Sorry about that." He turned his back to her and walked towards the bar on the side of the room. It was more like a table with a few tumblers on it but it was something. He went into the refrigerator under the table and took out a bottle of what looked like orange juice. He poured it into a glass and handed it to her. "Drink. It'll wake you up."
"Does it have vodka in it?"
He laughed. "No. Just some quality OJ. Florida fresh."
"Whatever," she muttered, draining the glass in three gulps. She dropped back down to the bed and yanked on the shoes. Then rising again she started for the door. "So, when then?"
"I'll call you. Just relax. Take it easy." He narrowed his eyes. "And don't be stupid. Don't think you can go around us and not be caught. You can't. I'm always..."
"Stalking me, I know," she replied, irritation in her voice.
"Watching you love," he suggested. "Just watching you." He crossed over to her and kissed her on the lips. She pulled away but he didn't seem bothered. He took her hand and kissed it. "You'll come around, I have faith in that. In the meanwhile, just be smart."
She turned away from him, eyes full of anger and despair. She grabbed at the metal doorknob and jerked the door open. Her feet hit the ground hard but the soft sneakers were almost completely silent save a few scuffs.
She stepped out into the icy cold morning and took a deep breath. Snow was falling in tiny wet clumps. She was standing outside of a large warehouse in the Red Zone. She could see a few small fires burning in the alleys where some vagrants were trying to keep dry and warm.
She sighed and then started back towards her apartment, wrapping her arms around her waist. She had pulled on a long-sleeve shirt but she rather figured that the cold was something else anyways.
Something far more internal.
I have way too much caffeine running through my blood right about now. Eight cups of coffee and a half-liter of Pepsi. My fingers are dancing over the keyboard and I feel like I'm jittering every which way. I probably am.
"Hey, you okay?" Reese asks from my left. I look up at him and I'm shocked that he managed to sneak up on me. That's not like me at all. Of course at this moment, I'm not exactly like me.
"Fine," I say slowly. At least I think slowly. It's possible that all of my words are overlapping right now. "I'm just downloading the surveillance video from the store. Maybe we can gather some clues from it."
"Huh?" he says. He's laughing at me. "Did you just say that we could download donkey porn from the police station?"
I smack his arm. "I certainly did not!"
Okay, maybe I did.
It's possible.
"Sure, sure," he says. "Whatever you say." He's humoring me. Laughing at my expense. Usually I'd be annoyed but right now I'm relieved. I know he's upset right now. Even though he hadn't seen the girl in eight years, she's still part of his past. People like to have their own chance to get closure, not have it forced on them. Reese doesn't have that option now.
"How are you?" I ask softly, squeezing his forearm. These last several weeks have been hell for him too. Almost four weeks ago he was in a very steady relationship with Helena, whatever it be. Now he's just like us, hoping that she'll hold on and one day come back to us.
Wondering when he'll snap and go drag her ass back to us, kicking and screaming if need be.
That time is coming quick.
For all of us.
"I'm dealing," Reese replies and I can tell that he's talking about more than just Jenny Thompson. He's got his plate full with Jenny, Helena and this whole drama with Zeus.
"Hey guys," Dinah calls out from the elevator. We both turn to see her entering the room. My eyes are immediately drawn to a long bloody scratch on her cheek.
"What the hell happened to you?" I hiss, turning towards her. I wheel over to her and put my hand up to her face but she brushes me away. I pull back stunned. She rarely shakes me off.
"Nothing," she says, quite out of breath. This is when I notice that her eyes are large and she looks excited. "Everything...everything."
"Dinah, slow down," I instruct her, putting a hand on her arm. I point towards Reese. "Get me the med kit from under the desk."
He nods and slides his hand under the wooden table. He feels around for a few moments before he finally bumps into the white box. He unhooks it and then offers it to me. That's what I notice that Dinah is still breathing hard, still trying to get everything back in rhythm.
"Dinah?" Reese asks, concern in his eyes.
"I'm fine...I'm fine. I...I...I..."
"This could be a very long conversation," I quip as I start to clean out the scratch. It's not deep but I don't want it getting infected just the same.
"Helena," she stammers. "I saw Helena. She saved me."
My eyebrow shoots into my hairline. One look after at Reese and I can see that he's just as shocked. And intrigued. This could be the break we were waiting and hoping for. "Really? Where?" I demand.
"Over by the Dark Horse. I chased some guys there...you heard me..."
"You went off comm," I reply, giving her a very pointed look.
She frowns. "No I didn't, I dropped it in the sewer accidentally."
"Uh, okay...how?"
"Saw a penny...tried to pick it up...figured we could use some good luck," she admits sheepishly. "I bent over and I must have snagged the comm on something...it dropped in. I guess it didn't fall into the water."
I think to scold her but decide to let it go. I'll do that later. Her news about Helena is more pressing. Reese apparently concurs because he steps between us. "Helena," he demands.
"Right," she says. She blows out air and then takes a deep breath. "I ended up chasing them into an alley. There were four other guys there. I had them under control you know..."
Again, I consider scolding her. She has to be more careful. She gives me a look that tells me not to bother. She knows she's in trouble. I just wave my hand for her to continue but she's sadly mistaken if she thinks she's just going to get out of this one without at least a few more training sessions.
"Go on," Reese urges.
"Anyways all the sudden Helena comes sweeping in from the roof. She starts kicking on them. Before I know it they're either out cold or running."
"So she looked alright?" I ask, hopeful.
She frowns as she thinks back. Then she shakes her head, the expression deepening and creasing her brow. "No," she says thoughtfully. "Actually she looked terrible."
"What do you mean?" Reese asks, before I can.
Dinah chews her lip. I can tell she's replaying her encounter with Helena in her head. Finally she says, "I don't know, I can't really put a finger on it but something was off; she was off."
"Explain," I say as I finish cleaning the cut on her. I'm satisfied that she doesn't need stitches. That's a relief; she's more of a baby than even Helena and that's saying a lot.
"She was slow. I mean, she was faster than them but that wasn't hard. They just outnumbered me is all." She frowns again and I can see that she's getting more aggravated by the moment. "Barbara, she was really off. Her kicks, she was telegraphing them."
"Did she say anything to you?" I ask, swallowing hard. "Could she just have been drunk?"
It pisses me off to think that she's out there patrolling plastered but it would hardly be the first time and it certainly wouldn't be a shock these days. After all, her current state isn't exactly what I'd call peachy.
"Drunk, no," Dinah says thoughtfully. "She came close enough to me...no, she didn't smell like alcohol but everything was off." She snaps her fingers and looks up at me. "Her eyes....they didn't look right..."
"Drugged?" Reese suggests.
"I don't know," I say. "She tried some stuff in high school but she's never been much for drugs and after what happened with the Topside..."
"Well something was wrong," Dinah announces. "I think I could have taken her and I'm not just saying that."
I rather believe her. Usually Dinah likes to build herself up to be able to go a few rounds with Helena but this doesn't sound like that kind of false bravado. I believe her because she looks worried.
I'm just not sure what it all means.
Behind me I hear Delphi beep at me. I turn and stare at one of my monitors. "Download is finished," I say. I slide over to it and start the video playing.
Reese and Dinah move closer to me, both leaning over my shoulders. It's grainy black and white but it clearly shows four figures enter the store. Three of them are male and one is very clearly female. They are all wearing black masks.
Reese's old girlfriend is behind the counter. She looks up in shock. We see her hand go under the counter. She's reaching for a gun. The man at the front of the pack motions to the girl and she starts forward.
"Oh my God," Reese mutters from behind me. I think for a moment that he's upset because he's watching his friend getting pummeled. Even though it looks like she's giving back as good as she's getting.
Then I realize what he's actually looking at.
"No," I say, shaking my head. "Oh God no."
I click a button on my keyboard and pause the video.
Reese bends forward as if to confirm his suspicion. I already have.
The video shows the female robber on the ground, the back of her shirt up away from her stomach, revealing skin. It plainly shows a tattoo on the small of her back.
A tattoo that belongs to Helena Kyle.
I hit the play button and she stands up. She starts motioning every which way. I look at the torn mask she's wearing and now it seems so clear that it's her. It's so damn obvious. I choke back my concern and anger. None of this makes any sense. Helena wouldn't do this. She's angry and brash but she's not a simple stupid thief. That's not her.
Of course it's Dinah who actually says the word both Reese and I lack the strength to say. "Helena," she whispers. She looks up at us. "Oh God, she was scratched on the face..."
"I don't understand...this isn't her," Reese insists, backing away from us. He stumbles backwards, having forgotten that he still needs his crutches. His hand snags the table and he barely remains standing.
"Reese," I say, a hard knot in my throat. I point at the screen. "Reese, look."
He turns back towards the screen and I see all the color drain from his face as his eyes fall across what I'm pointing at.
Zeus's necklace.
Helena is wearing Zeus necklace.
Oh boy.
What trouble has she gotten herself into now?
She stepped out of the shower and walked down the hall towards her bedroom. Water dripped down her face and spooled at her shoulders. Her wet hair was messy and uncombed but she didn't really care. Her head was pounding like a steel drum and she felt like she was walking through a snow-storm.
She grinned as she passed the trashcan in the kitchen. She could see one denim leg emerging from the lid. Mick's clothes. She reminded herself to burn them later. She'd worn them too long anyways.
She had meant to return to her apartment right away but had found herself sidetracked by about a thousand old memories. She'd even found herself standing on the ledge outside Reese's apartment. Of course he hadn't been there and considering the fact that she had been wearing another mans' boxers, that was probably a good thing.
She blinked her eyes trying to clear her head. She placed a hand to her forehead and rubbed at her temples. It wasn't so much that she had a headache; it was more like her brain was filled with giant cotton balls.
"You don't look so good," a voice said from the doorway.
She glanced up, angry that yet one more person had broken into her apartment and invaded her privacy. She made a resolution to get a better lock put on her door. "What the..." she started. She stopped when she realized that she was looking at a man she didn't know.
"You're Helena Kyle, right?" he asked, gray eyes intent on her.
"I am," she replied stiffly. "And I don't really care who you are but you have twenty seconds to get out before I toss you through that window."
"I don't think you're going to do that," he said calmly. He stepped towards her and she saw that he was a handsome man of perhaps fifty or so. He was also a very big man, quite imposing. She shook her head, reminding herself that no one intimidated Helena Kyle. No one.
She grinned at him wickedly and then winked. "Pops, you don't know who you're messing with."
He laughed. "I know exactly who you are Miss Kyle." He wrinkled his nose and started to walk towards her. She held her ground, digging her heels into the carpet. She was only wearing a pair of green running shorts and a white tee shirt but she figured that they'd do just fine for kicking grandpa back to his retirement community.
"Oh?" she replied mock sweetly. "You sure? Because I think you're in for a world of trouble."
"I should introduce myself," he said, still quite calmly. "My name is Marco Jameson but you can call me Zeus."
"I think I'll go with asshole," she replied, tensing her body for a fight. It seemed almost unfair but hey, what the hell.
"You're wearing my necklace darling, you should show some respect," he informed her, eyes still locked on her. He did a sweep of her body but unlike most men who looked her over, he seemed unimpressed. More like disgusted which was odd.
Helena glanced down at the necklace and scowled. "This? A cheap token from a stalker." She put a palm around the emblem and made to rip it off but stopped when she heard him speak again.
"That stalker is my son you stupid bitch," Zeus snapped, moving quickly into her personal space. She moved to knock him back but he grabbed her wrist and turned it. She cried out in pain as he twisted it. "And we need to have a little discussion about him."
"I don't talk so well when I'm being hurt," she growled. "And if I were you, I'd really step off before I kick you into a coma. Your punk son should have told you what I'm capable of."
Zeus laughed loudly. "I can see what he likes in you. Fiery. Dangerous." He took his hand off her wrist and then slapped her face. Hard. She felt a stinging heat where he'd hit her. "I however am unimpressed. You're only marginally better than Tara and at least she was controllable."
"Stop," she quipped. "You're making me cry. I hate parental rejection."
She moved to kick him but again he stopped the blow. He seemed to have her timed perfectly. Either that or she was moving too slow.
Then again, it occurred to her, it felt like she'd been moving that way all day long. Certainly in the alley with Dinah. There had been entirely too many close calls there. She felt kind of like she was moving through mud.
He punched her hard across the face and she fell backwards. He followed it with another blow to her chest. She groaned as she felt a bone crack. He was on top of her before she could gather her wits about herself. He slugged her twice more in the face and then once again in the gut. She felt the rib snap under the contact and a flash of red hot heat surged through her body.
Then just like that, he stood up. He walked into her kitchen and retrieved a dishtowel. He wiped his hands clean of the blood and stared down at her. "You worry me Miss Kyle."
"That sucks," she muttered. She wiped blood away from her mouth with the back of her hand. She coughed a few times, feeling her gut burn with pain. She wished that she could find the strength to rise up and take him on but her entire body felt numb and disorientated.
To put it bluntly she felt like she was drugged.
Which wasn't possible but whatever.
Zeus sure didn't seem to care in any case. He'd gotten the drop on her and he seemed more than a little proud of himself.
"You're a smart little girl now aren't you?" he said with a wry smile. Her eyes zeroed in on the massive ring on his hand. This guy was definitely a mob boss.
Great, Mick was the son of the mafia.
Wonderful.
"What can I say?" she mumbled, rolling on her back. She turned her eyes away from him and stared up at the ceiling.
"By smart I don't mean intelligent," Zeus said, reaching out for her. She spun away from but he seemed rather undeterred.
He crossed over to her and bent down next to her. "My son likes you. He may even love you..."
"I don't care," she replied, refusing to look at him.
"I don't really care about what happens between you and Mick. That's just cheap whore sex for all I give a damn. Doesn't involve me. What does is my business. If you fuck up what I'm doing, if you even begin to think you can, I'll make you wish Wolf had killed you. I promise you, you cause me any problems and I will make any nightmare you have right now seem like a fucking daydream."
She opened her mouth to tell him off but was greeted with another punch to the gut. He followed it with a slap across her face. His ring cut into her flesh and left a bloody wake. It reopened one of the cuts from the previous night.
She put her hands over her skin and dropped her head into her palms. She heard him get up and leave the apartment, the door snapping shut behind him.
She looked up then, blood trailing down her cheeks.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Wrong move, pops," she gasped out. "I'm no one's bitch."
TBC...