DA Meadow: The Hellbent and the Broken (Jason Todd) BOOK 2

Seventy Two: Leather, Cigarettes and Whiskey

"You want chocolate, or strawberry?" I ask, fitting my hands into my pockets and leaning back against the wall.

Keenan grins at the creamery owner, "Strawberry."

Samita smiles back and begins scooping pink ice cream into a cone. Her store is a small, run-down deli on the outskirts of Crime Alley. It is one of the places just barely brushed by the efforts of the Wayne Foundation.

I had invested in spies here years ago. I paid and helped many families in this area and as a result when I need information, they can give it to me.

They are the best spies.

Why? 

Kids see more than adults.

"Everything all right?" I ask, turning to them. Samita shuts her shop and disappears into the back as I had requested.

I have six of them. Twin boys named Keenan and Raymond, three girls named Oriana, Stella and Yashvi and another boy name Joel.

They were pre-teens when I first hired them to keep an eye out for anything. They have a direct contact to my line and are the reason I get a lot of the evidence I do.

It has been a while though.

"Sort of," Joel nods, "Heard a lot more people are getting shot up lately these days."

The others nod in agreement over their ice creams

"Deathstroke? Gang wars?" I press.

They shake their heads and Keenan continues, "Not the Falcones or anything like that. Deathstroke hasn't been around but a girl wearing his colours has. She tried to tumble with Torque over in Blüdhaven but Blockbuster put her down. She's been licking her wounds in an apartment North of here."

I refuse the urge to snort. Rose would not last seven seconds against Blockbuster.

"Then the gunfire is..." I trail off.

Stella looks up at me from her cup of chocolate ice cream, "Red Hood."

Ah. 

"Apparently he is getting more violent," Martina adds. 

"Thought so," I try and steer away from that topic, "What else?"

The kids look around at each other, waiting for someone to speak. It's endearing as they all seem quite into their ice cream. Treats are rare for them. I also feel guilty for my lack of visits. Jason essentially became my information centre.

I stopped needing them, like I stopped needing Angelique.

 Keenan and Raymond are fourteen, as well as Stella and Martina. Oriana is sixteen and Joel is fifteen.

"No one has seen Catwoman in awhile," Stella says. Again, something I already know. They continue to shift eyes and eventually I pick up on it.

"You're all avoiding it."

They wince together, big innocent eyes darting up to stare at me guiltily.

"I assume someone told you that I was going to ask about people dressed in red? I assume that's why Tommy and Malik and Chontel aren't here?"

Instead of speaking, they all nod. They stop eating their ice creams and hang their heads in shame.

"They said they were protecting you and that if you found out, people would get hurt," Oriana says. 

"We don't even know how they knew about our connection to you," adds Joel.

Flora of the Warriors of Red, I assume. She can see everything.