A Mafia's Riddle

Chapter Two {Planning The Master Plan}

The next morning, Jerome and Jeremiah called Every. Single. Member. of the Rogue's Gallery and told them all to show up at the Iceberg Lounge at noon...much to the displeasure of a certain Birdy(he's just mad that they decided it and didn't ask to use the Iceberg Lounge). Except for Riddler. He was deliberately not told and no one was to let him know any of the plans.  At exactly noon, everybody else stared at the Joker Twins, who stared back, grinning in their own ways. They explained that a special guest would be coming to stay with them. One who had a preexisting issue with one of them...that's why he wasn't invited. The Dark Angel was to be kept away from Riddler at all costs. The twins spoke dead faced, both serious. They were never that way unless it was a dire issue.  They said no more, leaving the group to wonder why and to silently be terrified, should the day ever come that they DID ever have to find out...

Riddler woke up a bit later than usual, getting ready quickly before taking a car and dashing off to his secret project. He let himself in, and after seeing her bedroom door was open he peeked in, seeing she was in the bathroom. He silently crept to the closet, hiding inside, hoping she didn't need anything from inside..but also secretly hoping she did, and that when and or if she did she wouldn't see him, but he'd be able to see her, and be close to her for just a moment. And yes...there were darker, more lustful thoughts too, but he tried to focus more on the sweeter and more innocent thoughts. He suddenly gasped though when he saw her walk in, only wearing a towel, loosely draped around her, exposing a lot of her back and the top of one hip...but that wasn't why he gasped, he gasped because every exposed inch of her back and the top of that hip so probably the tops of both hips were covered in scars. Old, white from time, faded scars. He raised a hand to his mouth as Riddler felt unwanted and unbidden tears to bubble up in his eyes at the sight of the scars. Not because he thought she was ugly now, no no no no no no no no no....of anything she was more beautiful because she had clearly gone through hell...AND SURVIVED...! He watched as she grabbed something from her bed and went back into the bathroom, and it was only just as she was closing the door to the bathroom after going inside again, that he noticed she had been shivering the whole time. He remembered she had said a few days ago that her heating and air were out. So she had no heater...Riddler vowed then and there he'd save her when she moved...

"But first  I have to figure out what Jerome is planning. Who is this Dark Angel? Why was she coming to the hideout? Why did the phone call have to take place at 4:20 in the morning? Why so late/early? " Riddler shook away the thoughts as he heard the bathroom door open again. He looked up to see the woman had come back in, now dressed in a pair of baggy jeans, a tee-shirt, and a hoodie with a green spot he couldnt quite see, and boots. She had thrown her hair into two simple low pigtails. She looked both adorable and sexy. He watched as she walked out, he heard her lock turn a few minutes later and after about ten minutes he snuck out too. He didn't know where she was, or where she had gone, so he simply walked around the small town his devoted lived in. Stopping for lunch at the small bistro that she had worked in...having a "chat" with the Owner and The Manager, introducing them to the shiny gold and emeeald Quesfion Mark cane he took everywhere with him. And also his knife, and a gun he had borrowed from Zsasz. "Fascinating...'Who's selfish, sexist, and who sexualizes all their female workers...?!" He paused for a moment waiting for those answers, not forgetting that he had cut out their tongues earlier, and then duct taped their mouths shut, so they were choking on their own blood. "yeah...sick monsters like you two. People like you make me hate humanity... But the sweet woman you fired, and didn't even have the manhood or human decency to talk face to face to... She is the reason I still believe in humanity."  He growled softly, dangerously, before killing them both with a clean shot to the heads. He called a few of his men to handle the bodies and the mess, knowing that the bodies would feed his secret habit...quite literally...Riddler smirked. Oswald, Jerome, Jeremiah, and himself would eat well for a while.