hell fire • joker + bruce wayne ✔️

II

I'm not scared of you.

"I thought we keep this downlow?" Chenchen asked Sal, giving Stephanie a smile that was more threatening than welcoming.

"Uh, I don't mean to impose. Sal and I can come back any—"

"I not talking to you," Chenchen interjected.

Stephanie recoiled as if she had been slapped, too stunned to think of a comeback. Her eyes darted to the exit on her left. If Sal's friends were this rude to his sister, what kind of people were they? Maybe she could still leave.

As if he had read her mind, Sal threw an arm around Stephanie's shoulders and locked her in place. "This is on the downlow. We're family."

"If you can even call us that," Stephanie snorted. At best, they were a dysfunctional pair of siblings. "Where's the food? I'm hungry."

"Just a second, kid. Go grab yourself a seat."

She turned left but a heavy hand stopped her.

"Ow," She said under her breath as Chenchen tightened his hold on her arm and dragged her to the kitchen.

"Not in open, genius." He snapped. "In there."

"Are you serious?" She asked. "Let go of me!"

Chenchen didn't let go, and Sal didn't stop him.

Instead, her brother walked forward and pulled out a foldable chair for her.

Chenchen forcefully sat Stephanie down. When he stepped out of her personal space and took his distinct scent of liquor and cigar, the putrid smell of the kitchen slapped Stephanie in the face.

"Oh my god," She gagged.

"Did you kill someone and hide their body here?" Sal questioned Chenchen, scrunching his face up.

"Maybe," Chenchen replied, leaving the Maroni siblings to ponder if he was serious or not.

"Sally, what are you doing? And more importantly, why am I here?"

Sal didn't answer.

Thirty minutes later, Stephanie received her answer in the form of twenty men. All were dressed in some sort of fancy wear. They settled down in their seats at two buff men carried a TV into the room.

Sal strode in and slid Stephanie a takeout box of crab fried rice, ignoring her attempts to get answers.

So much for our bonding time.

"Who's he?" Stephanie mumbled and nodded to the TV screen, opening the box and wielding her chopsticks like a pro.

"Lau. He's helping with the family fortune."

"I wasn't aware we had a family fortune."

"Well, now you are."

Everyone settled in their seats. Each gang of criminals stuck to their groups. Stephanie recognized some from the mugshots they plastered over the news, but most of the men were nameless.