I sat while Edward filled me in on everything I'd missed. Aside from him being the most hated person after Batman, and Arkham City being closed and turned back into a part of Gotham, I was pretty much up to date.
"I heard that crime rates are down, and Batman's kind of unnecessary these days. You on holiday or something?" I joke.
"No one plans a heist publicly." Riddler quips. "Some of the rogues really think Batman killed Joker back in the theatre, so they're laying low. Dent and Cobblepot mainly, but Ivy still isn't convinced the Bat didn't do it."
"It's probably not the worst thing to have them scared of him." I say. "But I don't like the idea of the rest of the citizens of Gotham thinking he's capable of that. He's meant to stand for something, you know? Like, he's there to prove you don't have to sink to their level to get things done in this city." I stop when I see Riddler smirk.
"Very idealistic, aren't we?"
"Don't start with me, Edward. I'm not going to argue with you about this again."
"I'm not starting anything. I just find it amusing that you put the Dark Knight on such a high pedestal. He's only human. How will you feel when he makes a mistake, or doesn't live up to your standards?"
"I'm not answering that." I scowl at him, only making him grin wider. "Back to the problem at hand. What are you going to do about Scarecrow? He's not exactly the type to forgive and forget. He's going to try again."
"He will." His face turned thoughtful. "I have some ideas on how to deal with him, but I'll wait for him to make a move first. See what I'm up against, as it were."
I looked past him, out the enormous windows, to see the sun setting over the city. I still can't believe I'm back in Gotham. And as horrible as it sounds, I'm completely content. I don't miss home at all. I don't miss my apartment, my classes, or my few friends. I do feel a pang when I think of Mom, but I'm comforted to know she has Brett now. She's happier than she's been in years, she loves her job, and I'm not worried about her. But the thought of not seeing her again...
Riddler waves a hand in front of my face, bringing me back to the moment. I smile apologetically.
"Sorry. Lost in thought for a bit."
"I noticed." He stood up and held out a hand to me. "Come on. We'll go and get dinner, you must be hungry." As soon as he said it, I realised I was starving. I took his hand and stood, following him to the front door. "What do you feel like?"
"Surprise me. Show me some authentic Gotham food." I grin, and he answers with a smile of his own.
"I know a place." He leads me out to the elevator and we walk in. As soon as the doors close the atmosphere changes. Suddenly I'm very aware of Riddler, and how close he is, and all I can smell is his cologne. Spice and wood and musk and Riddler. I take a breath and try to control the feeling in my lower stomach. I peek up at him and see my own tense body language mirrored back at me. In an effort to ease the tension I take a step away, but my hand brushes against his. Before I can blink, he grabs my arms and pushes me up against the wall, leaning in so I can feel the hard lines of his body against mine. He pauses for an instant, his face millimetres from mine, looking at me with such intensity. I open my mouth to speak, and he takes advantage and closes the gap between us. The kiss is furious and rushed, but full of feeling. Everything he doesn't know how to say goes into the kiss, and I'm almost lost in it when the elevator doors ping open on the ground floor. We break apart, me flushed and out of breath, him smirking darkly.
"Wow." Is all I can say.
"Wow indeed." He says, more to himself than to me. We walk out onto the street and Riddler throws up a hand to hail a cab. He gives the driver an address, and we speed off.
"Where are we going?" I ask, trying to get past the kiss.
"An Italian take-away place a few blocks away. The pizza is the best in the city." He says, looking out the window.
"Are you worried?" I ask. "About Crane, I mean." He doesn't answer, but the troubled frown on his face tells me that he is, at least a little.
I stare out the window, still marvelling in the fact that I'm in Gotham again. Before long the cab starts to slow. I lean over and look up at the store front.
"Falcone Pizza? As in Carmine Falcone?" I look at Riddler in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding. You've got a target on your back, and you're eating here."
"Yes and no." He smirked. "We are eating here, the pizza is the best. But no, it's not Carmine Falcone. It belongs to a second cousin who's cashing in on the family name. Free protection for the business, and a certain amount of respect and fear, and he doesn't even have to do anything. No connections to the mob at all." He explains, helping me out of the cab.
"How do you know all... Right. Stupid question." I frown at him. Of course he knows all that. It's Riddler. I follow him into the building, which turns out to be a cosy room, full of small tables and booths, all bathed in warm light. Each table has a small vase of flowers on it, giving it a nice, homey feel. Most tables are occupied, but no one even looked at Riddler and I as we walked in. I let him order, and continued to look around the restaurant. There was an older couple at one of the tables, sharing a pasta dish. Over in the corner a small family was eating pizza, the little boy picking mushrooms off his slice and slipping them into his napkin. A cute young couple occupied the booth near the door, making eyes at each other and giggling. And towards the back...
"Hey, Edward?" I say quietly, as he finished speaking to the man behind the counter. He looks to me, eyebrow raised. "That guy in the back looks familiar, but I can't place him. Do you know who he is?"
Riddler oh-so-casually looks around, sees the man, and looks back to me, face tight.
"Alberto Falcone."
"As in big daddy Falcone's oldest kid?" I ask, already knowing the answer. "What's he doing here? I thought this place was unrelated to the mob!" I hiss, trying to keep my voice low.
"It isn't related." He says, brow furrowed.
"Well I doubt it's a coincidence. Come on, we should go."
"No." His face suddenly lightens, but the tension remains around his eyes. "Follow my lead."
I don't know what he means, but before I can ask, he snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me close to his side, smiling like he doesn't have a care in the world. He picks up a flyer from a stack on the counter and pretends to look it over with me.
"If, for whatever reason, he is here for me, he's already seen me." He says conversationally, smile still in place. "We'll get the food and leave as planned, and see if we're followed." He says, looking relaxed. To anyone else in the restaurant, we'd look like a normal, happy couple looking at a flyer for a travelling circus coming to Gotham. I lean my head into his shoulder, continuing the act.
"And if we are followed?"I ask, looking blankly at the flyer.
"Then I'll handle it."
A man comes out of the kitchen, pizza box in hand. "Mitchell?" He asks, checking the order slip.
"That's us." Riddler releases me and walks over. I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Mitchell?" I say, as he collects our food.
"Was trying not to draw attention. Should I have ordered as The Riddler?" He jokes as we leave. I'm too nervous to speak now, but follow him up the street for a while before he hails a cab. We get into the back seat and I look over at him questioningly. He nods slightly, eyes tight.
We are being followed.
This isn't what I wanted. I didn't want to keep fighting; I just wanted to be in Gotham, with Riddler. I sigh loudly. Back into the fray, I guess.
"So, what's the plan?" I ask.
"Get you somewhere safe, and then go after Alberto. Find out what he thinks he's doing." He says, tapping away on his phone, not looking at me.
"Hey, screw that." I say a little too loudly. The cab driver gives me a look that clearly says 'shut up, lady.' Riddler looks up at me, vague surprise on his face. "I'm not sitting around waiting. To hell with that." An idea hits me. "Do you still have that warehouse? You know, the one where I was a hostage, back when this was still Arkham City?" I ask, eagerly. And yes, it might have been a low blow to bring up the hostage thing, but hey, I was still somewhat pissed about that. Riddler has the decency to look contrite at the mention of the hostage incident.
"I do, why?"
"We'll go there; it'll be a better place for a confrontation with Falcone than the apartment. You go inside, very conspicuously, and I'll jump little Alberto when he tries to follow." I say proudly, thinking it was a good plan. Riddler seemed to disagree.
"Are you mad? Alberto will shoot you and not think twice. He's an idiot, and what's worse, he's a ruthless idiot. Anything to impress dear old dad." He shakes his head. "No, you go in, and I'll teach the boy who he's dealing with." He pauses, thoughtfully. "Though the warehouse was a good plan."
"I had a good idea, no need to sound so surprised." I mumble. "But he's not after me, why would he follow me in?" I say louder.
"Trust me." Riddler says, a grin widening across his face. "Take a right here," He says loudly to the driver. "We're going to a new address."
"None o' my business," says the cab driver, "But that car behind us 'as been followin' since I picked you up."
"I'd noticed that." Riddler replies.
"Want me to shake 'em?" He asks, and in the rear-view mirror I can see him smile, kind blue eyes crinkling. "Used to be a driver for a low level fella in Sionis's crew. Been in a chase or two." He adds.
"Go." Riddler encourages, and fills me in on the plan.
A few minutes later and we pull up outside the warehouse.
"For your trouble." Riddler hands a wad of bills over, too many for the cost of the ride.
"Nah." The driver shakes his head. "It's on me. My bit o' fun for the night." Riddler nods at him, and we exit the cab.
We move quickly. Riddler moves to the shadows around the side of the building, disappearing from sight. I hurry to the door of the warehouse, pizza in hand. I open the door but stay outside, waiting. The cab idles at the curb, the thrum of the engine the only thing breaking the silence.
We don't have to wait long. Headlights on the road tell us that Falcone is about to arrive. Just before he rounds the corner, the cab slowly pulls away, giving the illusion that we've only just arrived. I walk inside, closing the door behind me loudly, but leaving it unlocked. I immediately put the pizza down on a table to the side and move towards the back of the room.
The back door is camouflaged against the wall and difficult to spot, but I find it. I quietly exit the building, trying not to make a sound. I turn right and creep around the side, peer into the ally and see Riddler at the end, watching the street. I head back and up the other side of the building, and see two goons trying to peer into the blacked out windows. I sneak up until I'm directly behind them, close enough to be able to tell they both needed to wear way more deodorant.
"Evening gentlemen." I whisper, and they jump, turning to look at me. I pull out stun gun Riddler gave me and hit the first thug with it before jumping back. He slumps over, out for the count, before the other one realises what's happening. He looks at his buddy, then at me. He charges me, and I grab the taser at the small of my back, aim and fire. I say a silent thank you to The General back home for making sure I can hit my target. The thug stops in his tracks, convulsing. He falls to his knees, and I drop the taser. The guy groans a little before one well-placed kick to his head knocks him out cold. I lean over and check his pulse, just to be sure. Still alive. Thank god.
The whole exchange had only taken about sixty second and hadn't made much more noise than a cat rummaging in the trash cans. No one would be coming to investigate. Not that anyone in this neighbourhood would.
I hear a scuffle around the front of the building and run towards it, just in time to see Riddler laying Alberto out on the pavement, a pistol levelled at his head.
"Are you okay?" He asks me as I come forward, not looking up from the other man.
"Yeah. No problems. Let's get him inside." I say, and Alberto looks to me, terror on his face. I grab one of his arms and Riddler grabs the other, roughly pulling him to his feet. I push the door open and we drag the mobster into the building. I lock the door behind us while Riddler ties Alberto to the chair in the corner.
"What the hell is this?" He asks, speaking for the first time. "You two morons know who I am? You'll pay for this." He promises. He reminds me of a petulant, spoiled child.
"No one will be seeking revenge if no one knows what happened to you." I point out.
"The question, Alberto, is do you know who I am." Riddler says.
"Of course I know who you are, you freak." Falcone spits at him. "And you're about to be a dead man. My boys are gonna come bustin' in here-"
"You mean the two incredibly smelly goons I knocked out in the ally?" I ask, smiling innocently. "Yeah, they aren't going anywhere for a while."
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Falcone demanded, looking at me. "Since when does The Riddler have a partner?"
"I'll be the one asking the questions here." Riddler says, and Alberto looks back to him. "Why are you following us? Who are you reporting back to? Obviously you won't be the brains behind whatever this is."He says condescendingly. Alberto just looks at him defiantly, not speaking. Riddler sighs comically.
"Well if you won't talk... I'll have to start cutting things off until you do." He says darkly, pulling a large knife from inside his jacket.
"Whoa! You don't gotta do that, I'll talk!" Alberto pleads, looking frantically from Riddler to his knife and back. Riddler looks pleased.
"Look, no one sent me okay? It was my idea." He sounds weird, proud almost. Obviously Riddler offended him by saying it couldn't have been his plan. "My father told me-" He stammers as Riddler raises an eyebrow at him. "Yeah okay, I overheard my father saying that everyone in Gotham is after you. The cops and Batman, as usual, but all the big players on the other side too. Everyone from Zsasz to Scarecrow. And that crazy guy with the hats." He adds on as an afterthought. "I never heard why they want you, but I thought it might, I dunno, help out my father if I bought him information on where you were." Alberto says dejectedly. He knows Riddler's won this.
"Translation, you thought you'd garner the old man's affections if you told him where I was. Always so desperate to get into his good books." Riddler sneers, looking down at Alberto, whose jaw and eye were beginning to bruise. He doesn't say anything. "Well? What exactly did you learn?" Riddler asks, and the low, threatening tone of voice sends a shiver down my spine.
"Not much. Found your apartment, this place, and..." He stops when he notices Riddler's glare. "I mean, nothing. Didn't find out anything. Just saw you at cousin Lorenzo's restaurant. Didn't even know anyone was lookin' for you." He says quickly, desperation in his voice. Riddler smiles, but it's a cruel, mocking smile.
"Good remember that. And remember this," He holds up the knife, "Should I ever find you near us again." He takes a step back. "Your men should wake soon." He looks over to me, and I shrug guiltily. I did hit that guy pretty hard. "Or maybe not. But when they do, and they get you out of that chair, remind them of what you found." He puts the knife back in his pocket and walks over, and offers me his arm, smiling. I grin back and take it, and he escorts me out of the warehouse, while Alberto shouted and cursed behind us.
A/N: Another update so soon? I know, I'm shocked too!
Hope you enjoyed. Reviews make me write fast!