Chapter 20

Showtime

Ana sat at the breakfast table, her knee nervously bobbing up and down as she stared into the abyss that found itself this time placed in Isaac's kitchen. She scratched her nose and itched her head as she felt fidgety and anxious craving her favourite drugs.

She felt like she was letting herself down as she still needed her cocaine to function properly. Without it, her mind race's with too many suffocating and intrusive thoughts, which causes her anxiety and stress to build until she can't cope.

Despite her inner epiphany the other night, Ana couldn't just go cold turkey from her stash, even if it was stopping her from getting back to the Joker's team.

The front door open, Ana snapped out of the void to lean over and see out into the corridor to who was coming in.

"… so, what do we do with the remaining stock?" Frank appeared to continue a conversation the guys were having outside as they wandered into the base.

"Just pass it to our low-level customers, have we heard from the contact?" Isaac asked as all three headed down the corridor.

"They've just messaged, they're on their way," Lee replied.

"Good, only the best stock for them," Isaac instructed as they all walked towards the kitchen, "None of this tainted bullsh-," Isaac halted his words as he entered the kitchen and spotted Ana sitting at the breakfast table.

"My little Elizabeth, how are we today?" he tilted his head as he spoke down to his worker. Ana glanced up, her foot still tapping as she itched for her next fix.

"Fine," Ana flatly replied, scratching her head, trying to find a release for her tickly skin beneath the roots.

"You're looking a little flustered?" Isaac mocked as Lee moved past him into the kitchen to grab a snack. "Perhaps you need your next dose," Isaac suggested as he raised an eyebrow at Lee, who had his head in the fridge.

"Lee, give our little Elizbeth our new batch, will you?" Isaac nodded as Lee turned around with a dry-looking leftover sandwich.

"Sure thing," Lee hardheartedly said as he carelessly threw some white powdered packets onto the table.

Ana watched as the sachets slid down the tale towards her, her eyes fixating on the fine white powder. Her fingers were trembling as she reached out to take one, but then her hand paused.

"Did I just hear you say they were tainted?" she raised an eyebrow. A knocking rattled against the front door down the corridor.

"Oh that, it's no different from the previous stock," Isaac dismissed as he glanced back and elbowed Frank to go answer the door.

"Let's do this," Isaac smiled to Lee as he straightened himself up and sauntered to the front door, following Frank. Seeming to forget that Ana was there immediately.

Ana watch Isaac leave with a confused look scrunched up between her eyebrows. She started to fiddle with her new stash, as her craving grew louder and more ravenous.

"What's going on?" she glanced over at Lee, who was finishing off his sandwich.

"We've got a big potential customer," Lee mumbled, his stare fixated on the front door.

"Who?" Ana questioned, following his gaze.

"None of your business, be a good whore and snort your blow," Lee brushed off Ana as he stalked out of the room to meet the new guests.

Ana rolled her eyes and continued to lean over to get a better look at who the new visitors were causing the guys to act curt and jittery. She instinctively flicked her sachet of powder as she waited for them to reveal themselves.

"Welcome," she heard Isaac announce as three people entered the apartment.

"Ciao," an Italian voice rang out. Ana's face dropped at the sudden disturbing familiarity.

"It's a pleasure, Maroni," Isaac beamed as he shook the three mobster's hands. Ana's eyes grew wider and her face paled with a sudden rush of horror.

"Shit, shit, shit," Ana whispered to herself as she abruptly sat back, causing the chair to squeak against the vinyl flooring. She frantically scanned around the room looking for somewhere to hide, but the kitchen was windowless with no spaces to easily disappear in. Ana knew that she was trapped, if she ran out into the corridor and across into another room, she would absolutely be noticed and caught.

"How was your journey over?" Frank's voice rang out.

"I'm not here for small talk, I'm here to discuss business," Pino Maroni's voice was crystal clear to Ana's ears. She only met him once, but that may be all it takes to recognise her. The memory of him in a gas mask flashed through her mind, the image of him watching from his balcony as the rest of the Joker's squad choked on burning gas sent a shiver down her spine.

"Of course, Mr Maroni, we've got some excellent quality stock being shipped in for Thursday," Isaac began to explain his business.

"I'm not here to buy your dirty shit," Maroni argued. An aura of tension and awkwardness could suddenly be felt throughout the corridor. Ana listened, frozen in her seat with nowhere to go.

"I'm here on different business," Maroni finished.

"Right… Well then… Let's go through to the kitchen to discuss this further," Isaac's uncertainty was unusual to hear, as he tried to salvage the conversation and ushered the three Italians down the corridor.

Ana frantically shifted in her seat, unsure what to do.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

Her eyes snapped to all the sachets of powder spread across the table and an idea flashed through her mind. Ana quickly opened one of the sachets and poured it into a messy line in front of her. She then rubbed some under her nose to look like she had snorted the drugs, and rested her head down into her arms and onto the table. Hiding her face from sight.

"Can I get you a drink?" Isaac asked as he wandered into the room.

"No," Maroni answered, stopping in his tracks as he clocked the supposedly unconscious girl at the breakfast table. Isaac followed his gaze and rolled his eyes.

"Oh don't worry about her, she's one of our staff. It looks like she's had too much fun with our latest batch," he chuckled.

Lee scoffed as he wandered over to her. Ana tensed as she heard someone walk closer to her. By the smell of his cheap musty cologne, Ana knew it was Lee. He looked over to Isaac and then revealed a childish grin on his face as he raised his hands and loudly clapped in Ana's ear.

Ana mustered all her strength to not flinch or react, she knew that she must appear completely unconscious to them so they wouldn't move her and reveal her face to the mob boss.

"I think we're good, bitch is out cold," Lee shrugged. Maroni frowned at the trio, seemingly unimpressed by their work ethics.

"So Mr Maroni, how could we be of assistance?" Isaac asked as he sat down next to an unconscious Ana and gestured for Maroni to sit opposite him.

"We're looking to run a… project in a new location that isn't known to be owned by us," Maroni started to explain as he sat down. Ana listened intently, trying to control her breathing. She felt a slight fuzzy sensation as some of the powder under her nose sucked up into her nostril.

"Oh I see, you're interested in my warehouse?" Isaac queried.

"SÌ, but only temporarily," Maroni nodded.

"Right, well my warehouse is perfect for any kind of… project. For the right price of course. It's old and has several floors of unused space. It's all mainly filled with stock and scrap now," Isaac explained.

"This is perfect," Maroni smirked.

"So, if you're using my premises for your little project, don't you think I should be aware of what you're using it for," Isaac leaned back in his chair, resting his arm against the back. Maroni let out a patronising chuckle as he also leaned back from the table.

"Well let's just say, we're putting a clown back in his box," Maroni laughed. Ana felt her heart thud in her chest.

A clown back in his box? Are they talking about the Joker?

"Right…" Isaac mumbled with a twang of annoyance as he failed to gather the dirty gossip. "A clown you say? You know, word on the street is that you're at war with a certain clown," Isaac asked nonchalantly, as he started to pick at his fingernails trying to act disinterested.

"Perhaps, but we intend to end the war," Maroni lightly chuckled.

"Well, how are you going to get him to my warehouse?" Isaac probed.

"We have… information on his whereabouts in the next couple of days. But this doesn't concern you, just name your price," Maroni shut down the conversation, clearly keeping his plans close to his chest.

As Isaac and the Italians closed their deal, Ana's mind started to run wild as she continued to decipher what has been said. Her face was hidden from the room, but her eyes were frantically searching in the darkness for answers.

If they have new information, then the mole must still be alive.

Ana couldn't believe it, how is it possible that the mole remained silent after 8 months? This newfound sense of betrayal started to churn up anger within her, feeling like it was burning a hole in her chest. Ana tried to contain her rage and steady her breaths, ensuring her cover wasn't blown.

Maroni is going to ambush the Joker and end the war?

Ana had a realisation that she could stop Maroni right now, at this breakfast table. It would be perfect. But she doesn't carry a gun, only a knife in her boot. There was no way that she could attack him before anyone else in the room stopped her, particularly with Isaac sitting right next to her. Ana mentally slapped herself for not being able to afford a gun.

Shit.

"Would you like to come see our warehouse, to get a better idea of the space you have to work with?" Isaac proposed to the room.

"The only time I have available is perhaps, right now," Maroni nodded to his henchmen.

"Right then," Isaac said as he stood up, jerking his chair backwards. "We'll lead the way," Isaac explained as he began ushering everyone out of the room. Maroni and his two guys calmly followed, their thuggish exterior clearly made Isaac nervous.

Ana listened to the cluster of footsteps exiting the room, noticing how the sound changed from walking on the vinyl kitchen flooring to the carpeted corridor. She waited until the footsteps faded off into the distance and the front door squeaked open and shut again.

Once Ana trusted that the close was clear, she raised her head and wiped off the powder on her face. Her breathing started to get faster as her eyes paced back and forth, trying to figure out what her next steps were.

"What do I do?" she whispered to herself with only the silence of the apartment responding to her question. Ana glanced over to the sachets of cocaine on the table.

It might help me think better.

Ana grabbed another sachet from the pile and poured a portion out onto the table in a neat line. Without hesitation, Ana snorted up the substance that she had been craving all day. Ana felt a delightfully familiar tingling sensation in her nostrils almost instantly, her head started to throb as the drugs rushed through her system.

Ana let out a guttural cough as a burning wave seared her nostrils and the back of her throat. This doesn't normally happen. The girl grabbed her nose as she felt it sting. She leapt out of her chair and grabbed a cup and filled it with water from the kitchen sink.

She hastily gulped down the water to help soothe her throat. Ana opened her eyes to watch the water disappear with reach gulp, but then violently choked as she noticed the water turning red. Ana slammed down the glass onto the counter and rubbed her nose again. Looking down at her hand, she saw blood.

"What?" Ana murmured as her nose never normally bleeds after taking cocaine. Ana quickly grabbed a dirty tea towel that had been carelessly thrown onto the counter. She dabbed her nose to get rid of the blood.

Ana's thoughts started to suddenly blur together as the drugs swept over her and took over.

"Oh wow," she breathed as she lowered her head, feeling it weigh heavier than normal. Ana wiped her nose against the tea towel again and noticed the blood starting to die down. She figured it was best to get out of the base to try and work out what to do next.

Ana stumbled out of the kitchen and down the corridor, holding onto the wall as a guide through the blurry fog. Once she was outside, she looked down at the tea towel and saw that the bleeding had almost stopped. She let out a scoff and threw the tea towel over the balcony of the apartment walkway, absent-mindedly watching it float down to the dead courtyard a few floors down.

She swiped across her nose and gave a hard sniff before stumbling down the walkway and out into the streets of Gotham.

Time seemed to drift by unnoticed. Ana staggered down the street, clutching onto her denim jacket as she felt shivers tingle her skin, mistaking them for the bitter cold. Her mind raced in sporadic waves as she tried to decode everything she heard. She needed to warn the Joker of the mob's next attack but didn't know how.

Her head felt dizzy as if the streets around her were spinning. After giving her head a quick shake, the world went back to standing still for now.

Ana glanced around her surroundings and realised that she didn't know where she was. She focused on the towering buildings looming over her but didn't recognise any of them. She spotted a few homeless people littered across the path ahead.

Where had her mind taken her? Was she so out of it that she blacked out? Ana glanced around again for any notable landmarks but there was nothing, just the never-ending Narrows.

"What's wrong little missy? Are you lost?" a homeless man called from ahead. Ana looked over to the group of men and felt a rush of panic bubble up in her throat. Trying to hold her stern uninterested expression, she abruptly dodged them and crossed the street. Looking over her shoulder she turned a street corner and picked up her pace.

Crap. Where the hell am I?

After walking down a few more forgotten streets, Ana started to feel a sense of familiarity. She curiously scanned around as she saw more homeless people on the other side of the road, along with barrels that were alight to keep the group warm. The street was lined with burnt-out cars and run-down buildings. The faint smell of gunpowder and burning metal touched Ana's nose.

"Wait a minute, this is…" Ana's mumbling was cut short by a screech of a vehicle behind her. As she spun around to see who made the noise, an instinct instructed Ana to duck behind a parked car. Ana obeyed and peered through the worn-out windows as a black van zoomed past her. Ana instantly recognised it as one of the Joker's vans.

She watched as it recklessly slowed down, giving another deafening screech, and turned down an alley further away in front of her.

"The hideout," Ana spoke to herself as she stood back up and stared at the upcoming alley with hopeful eyes.

Ana ran down the street, focusing on the narrow alley and ignoring the homeless people scattered around. Without hesitation, she bolted down the alley, gawking at the familiar brick walls and uninspired graffiti. This fuzzy sense of home bubbled up in her stomach as she felt a smile try to escape.

When she turned the corner, she was met with a closed metal fence. Ana halted in her steps and gripped onto the metal criss-cross wiring. Her eyes landed on the black van that had just passed her, parking up in front of her old hideout. A small smile escaped as she heavily panted.

"Ana?" a familiar voice spoke in front of her. Ana gazed down and saw George sitting on an old foldable garden chair, eating a packet of crisps. He must be on shift to guard the gate.

"George! It's so good to see you! Can you let me in?" Ana beamed, almost jumping on the spot like a lost puppy as she clutched to the metal wire.

"Er… Ana what are you doing here?" George cautiously stood up and glanced back at the van, worried about who is about to come out and see her.

"I need to talk to the Joker," Ana grinned.

"I don't think that's a good idea," George carefully spoke as he watched her, studying her hyperactive motions and unusual happy persona.

"No no, it's okay! I've got to tell him something. I need to tell him," Ana's words were coming out too quickly, she couldn't find the correct words for George to understand her.

"Tell him what?" George hesitantly asked.

"I just need…" Ana's thoughts were interrupted as she clocked Duncan and Rex climbing out of the back of the van. "Oh my god, Duncan! Duncan! Over here!" she called after her ex-lover and tried to wave him over.

Duncan squinted towards Ana with a confused look, as he clearly recognised her voice. Ana saw his eyes widen in a look of panic, he then looked back to check the coast was clear. Rex also looked over and let out a chuckle as he saw the girl behind the metal fence. Duncan jogged over to the gate, while a smug Rex sauntered over.

"Ana, what are you doing here?" Duncan questioned, lowering his voice as he got to the fence.

"I need to talk to you," Ana couldn't help but smile at her old teammates.

"You can't be here," Duncan ignored her comment and shook his head.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Rex chuckled as he wandered up to the gate and cocked his head to the side.

"Oh shut up," Ana weakly defended. "I need to talk to the Joker, I have new information about the mob," Ana leaned harder into the fence as her fingers sat in between the metal wiring.

"The mob? We haven't had any problems with them for 8 or 9 months now?" Duncan shrugged, glancing at Rex and George for confirmation on the timings.

"No no no, you don't understand, the mole is still alive, I heard them talking, they're planning on something at a warehouse in the old part of the Narrows. They are planning something big…" Ana spoke quickly with wide eyes. Duncan struggled to follow what she was saying, he anxiously glanced back to the van.

"You heard the mole talking?" Duncan questioned.

"No! I saw Maroni, well I didn't see him because I was hiding but I heard his plan to kill the Boss," Ana rapidly spoke.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Rex suddenly asked, interrupting Ana's story. Duncan stared at Ana with a look of concern.

"What? Nothing?" Ana dismissed.

"She doesn't look right," George's voice echoed in Ana's ear. Ana shook her head as she started to feel fuzzy again.

Not again. What was in that stash?

"Ana?" Duncan's voice came out muffled as Ana took in a deep breath, her fingers were turning white as they started squeezing into the wired fence.

"Ana, are you still using?" Duncan asked. Ana looked back up at him, feeling hurt about his assumption, despite him being right.

"Of course she's still using. Just look at her. She doesn't even know what she's saying," Rex grunted.

"What? No. Well maybe, just a little, I needed it. I needed…" Ana muttered until she felt a wet sensation under her nose again. She swiped across her nostrils and saw a smudged droplet of blood smeared across her finger.

"Oh," Ana breathed. Duncan, Rex, and George stared at their ex-teammate with a look of pity. Realising how deep Ana has gotten, Duncan closed his eyes in disappointment and let out a drawn-out sigh.

"Ana, you need to leave before the Boss sees you," Duncan insisted. Ana glanced up with sad eyes as everything snapped back into focus.

"But I have to tell the Joker," Ana mumbled.

"No, you don't. If you don't leave now, we will have to force you," Duncan sternly spoke. Ana lowered her hands away from the fence and stared at Duncan, unable to shake the sense of betrayal from his tone.

"Fine," Ana mumbled, suddenly feeling incredibly tiny. Duncan nodded and walked away back toward the van, nudging Rex to follow him. Rex let out a condescending scoff as he sauntered back to the hideout.

"Fine," Ana breathed again. George cautiously sat back on the chair and watched Ana, hoping that she would just go away now.

Ana stared after Duncan, digging her eyes into the back of his head. She hoped that he could feel it and would change his mind.

Her eyes flickered to another presence, standing beside the driver's door of the van. Ana locked eyes with the Joker. He was staring at her in his full purple attire and smeared makeup.

Ana gave a sharp inhale of hope but was unable to move. From afar, his dirty warpaint merged into a wicked clown face, it almost looked like his disformed Glasgow smile was pleased to see her.

They kept their stare as if talking in another celestial language, with Ana trying to tell him that she has something important for him. But his dark sunken eyes showed illegible solitude, difficult for her to penetrate and understand.

The Joker formed a wicked smirk before letting out a satisfied scoff and turning away to head back into the hideout.

Once the connection was broken, Ana lowered her head in defeat. These drugs ruined what was supposed to be a poignant moment.

Damn these drugs, damn their creator, damn Isaac Baxter.

She let out a frustrated growl as she gripped her hair and squeezed her head. George watched with a mixed look of concern and surprise at her motions.

Ana stood up straight with a serious expression.

"I'm coming back," Ana declared to George before spinning around and walking away.

The next day arrived, allowing time for Ana to shake the tainted poison that she took the day before. Her head felt clearer, and her nose and throat no longer burnt.

Her heeled knee-high boots clicked with every step as she walked along the apartment complex walkway. Staring straight ahead with her dolled-up face wearing red lipstick and black mascara, she ignored all the other civilians around her.

She squeezed past the same old woman who hung out on the balcony to have her cigarette and sharply dodged the group of children who came running by her. Ana let out a subtle long sigh as she neared Isaac's apartment. She patted down her fitted purple dress and tugged at the rolled-up sleeves on her black denim jacket.

Giving a glance behind her, she made her way to Isaac's front door and let herself in. She instantly heard the guys talking in the kitchen and made her way in to join.

As she wandered in she surveyed the room, noting all three at the table, whilst a woman was swaying at the counter preparing their lunch. Ana slyly rolled her eyes at the blatant abuse of power.

"Here's my girl," Isaac cooed from the other side of the table, eying Ana up and down. The man practically licked his lips as if ready to devour his next meal. Ana felt disgusted by his mere presence.

"And how are we today?" he scoffed.

"Better, no thanks to that shit you gave me yesterday," Ana curtly replied as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Awww, well you get what you pay for," Isaac shrugged with a sly smirk and lean back on his chair. Ana glared at the man, as he stared back with a smug look.

"Ere, make yourself a useful little whore," Lee grunted as he slid a chopping board across the table and into Ana's line of sight. She glanced down at the table, breaking the staring competition, and saw a ring of chorizo laid out on the wooden board, next to a butcher's knife.

"Sure," Ana falsely smiled as she sat down next to Lee and opposite Frank to start chopping.

"Remember to use the pointy end to cut," Lee elbowed her and laughed at his own sad little joke.

"Funny," Ana flatly spoke as she picked up the knife and started cutting. "So, how did the visit from the big important customer go?" Ana probed.

"Fine, we'll be doing business with them soon," Isaac broadly explained.

"Oh wow," Ana acted surprised. "They liked your product?" she continued to sway the conversation as she cut up the chorizo into coins.

"Nah, they'll be working in our warehouse for a few days for something else," Isaac brushed off.

"Oh really? Well done you," she sweetly smiled, catching Isaac's attention. "When's that going to start then?" she pried.

"Whenever they give me a text," he tapped his mobile phone that sat on the table and cocked his head to the side, "You're asking a lot of questions Elizabeth," he started to interrogate.

"Oh, am I? Sorry, my head is feeling all fuzzy," Ana pretended to be flustered, "I couldn't have more of your stash, could I?" she asked, hoping that he would take the bait. Isaac let out a scoff.

"Why not," he scoffed and gestured to Lee to hand some over. Lee obeyed and flicked some more sachets onto the table.

"Thank you," Ana breathed as she reached for them.

"But first," Isaac leaned forwards, halting Ana in her motion, "You didn't pay for the last batch or this one. You'll need to settle your debt," Isaac wickedly grinned. Ana let out a sigh and tried to contain her smug look as he fell right into her hand.

"How do I do that?" Ana asked without looking up from the pile of cocaine. Isaac let out a chuckle as he leaned back and eyed her up and down again, enjoying her red lipstick.

"I think you know," Isaac grinned.

"I suppose I do," Ana glanced up at him.

"Go be a good whore," Lee sneered next to her. Ana gave Lee the side eye as she contained her impatience, concealing it all in her fist that squeezed the butcher's knife handle tightly.

"Let's go my little Elizabeth," Isaac cooed as he grabbed his phone, got up off his chair and walked around the table to stand above Ana. Ana glanced up at him and nodded, tentatively putting the knife back down.

As Ana stood up, she felt all the men eye her tight-fitting dress. It made her skin crawl.

Isaac ushered her into his bedroom, eyeballing her as she walked in front of him. As Ana entered his room, she swallowed a lump in her throat.

One chance.

She scanned the bedroom, recognising all the same furniture from all the other times she had been whisked away to here and taken advantage of. She glanced at the unmade bed that sat in the centre of the back wall, then to the drawers along the left side and a wardrobe and ratty sofa along the right.

Ana felt nauseous as she stood in this god-forsaken room. The sooner she got this over and done with, the quicker she can move on.

Isaac closed the door and walked up behind her.

"Be a good girl," he breathed as he started to kiss her neck. Ana closed her eyes tightly as she physically felt her skin crawl again. Isaac's hands started to wander around her front as he removed her denim jacket, revealing her fitted purple dress.

Isaac suddenly spun her around to face him, allowing his hands to explore her figure further. Ana looked up at him as he came in for a forced kiss. She automatically arched her neck away, but then quickly corrected herself to continue the charade.

Ana pulled back and gazed into his eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him more area to play with. Isaac smirked as he kissed her again. Ana held tightly onto him and deepened their kiss.

"That's it," he breathed into her mouth as he thrived in the attention. His hand slowly grazed up Ana's bare thigh and went underneath her dress. As Ana felt him between her thighs, she immediately pulled away. Isaac watched her as she teasingly backed away and sat on the end of his bed. He let out a chuckle as he sauntered over to her.

As he got closer, Ana leaned back and rested on her elbows. Isaac smirked as he squeezed between her legs and leaned over to kiss her again. His hand grasped her breast harshly and wandered downwards.

Ana breathed heavily as she pressed her hand against his groin.

"Come here," she smirked as she crawled out from underneath him and moved up to the head of the bed. Isaac watched her curiously and crawled after her. He laid on top of her again and pulled her in for a rough kiss. Ana matched his energy as she gripped his shirt and kept a tight hold on him. As their lips locked, Ana pushed up against him to roll them over.

Now on top, Ana bit his lip and sat up. Isaac let out a breathy laugh.

"You're getting the hang of this," he breathed.

"When I know what I want, nothing gets in my way," Ana whispered.

"And what is it you want?" Isaac said, squeezing Ana's hips.

"See, I'm a girl of simple taste," Ana rested her hands on Isaac's chest, "I enjoy cocaine, alcohol…" Ana started to gently caress Isaac's torso and move downwards towards his belt. Isaac watched as he enjoyed being teased.

"And blood," Ana smiled as her right hand slowly reached into her boot, while the left aimlessly fiddled with his belt buckle. Isaac's face dropped in confusion.

"But you know what the best thing about them is?" Ana leaned into Isaac and gave him a light final kiss, ignoring his concerned look. "I have them all right here," she whispered to him.

The noise of a flick knife rang out.

Ana grinned as she sat back up and abruptly sliced her knife across Isaac's throat. Isaac's eyes grew wide as he instantly grabbed hold of his neck and let out a gurgled yelp. He jerked to sit up, but Ana shoved him back down.

She viciously rammed her knife into his ribs to get him to stay down. The motion felt so good, so she stabbed him again and again, watching as the blood seeped out of his neck and trickled out of his mouth.

Isaac was helpless as he stared in horror at the girl who was straddling him.

"Oh, did I forget to mention my previous employer? See my name is not Elizabeth. It's Ana. And I used to work for this guy called the Joker, you may have heard of him, hmmm?" Ana cocked her head to the side, watching every minute of his sad life dwindle away.

Isaac tried to breathe but only thick gargles came out. He looked back at the girl one last time before he stopped struggling and went limp.

Ana stared at the bloodied corpse that she was still sitting on. She made a sucking sound as she glanced down at his jeans pocket and retrieved his phone.

"I'll take this," she said to him as she climbed off of him and out of the pool of blood that had formed on the bed.

Ana put her denim jacket back on and wandered over to the drawers to rummage through them. Patches of Isaac's blood were stained on her legs. Her eyes landed on his gun.

Bingo.

After reloading and cocking it ready, Ana looked back at Isaac laying on his blood-soaked bedsheets and then walked out of the room.

She walked down the corridor towards the kitchen where Frank, Lee and the other woman were, and leaned against the door.

"That was quick," Lee scoffed, only briefly glancing over his shoulder at her and then going back to counting money.

"What can I say, I'm full of tricks," Ana flatly replied, staring at the back of his head. Frank scoffed and looked up at the girl. His eyes landed on her blood-covered legs. Frank met Ana's eyes as his face paled and his mouth hung open. Ana cocked her head to the side as she smirked at him.

"Want to see my next magic trick?" Ana asked as she raised her gun. Lee noticed Frank gawking and turned to see why.

Lee's eyes widened as he instantly tried to leap up. But before either could make their move, Ana violently fired, causing the woman at the counter to scream and fall to the floor. Ana shot Frank first in the head and then blazed through Lee with the rest of the bullets.

The ruckus went deafly silent as both henchmen bled across the table, and splatters of blood dripped down the walls.

Ana heard the woman whimpering to the side of her. She looked back at Lee and noticed that he was counting money before his untimely demise. Ana grabbed a wad of the cash and handed it to the woman.

"You never tell anyone what happened here. Go and do better with your life," Ana instructed. The woman nodded her head, visibly shaking, and cautiously squeezed past Ana before running out of the apartment.

Ana let out a long sigh before she felt Isaac's phone vibrate. She read the incoming message.

"Jack in the box is a go, divert all shipments until further notice," the message read. Ana noticed the sender's name was 'the Italian'. She let out a scoff at Isaac's simplicity.

"Well alright then," she breathed as she grabbed a pile of the cocaine-filled packets on the table.

Ana turned her back on the kitchen and wandered out of the apartment for the last time.

They've got the Joker. It's showtime.