My Ghost

eight

I wait in the room where I first encountered Black Mask. Instead of sitting in front of his desk, I stand quietly in the middle of the room, my arms folded across my chest. I stare out the large window and out across the night sky.

"Ms. Hady!" I hear Roman greet, and I turn to see him exiting the elevator, his arms extended and a grin across his skull.

"Roman," I reply, nodding to him.

His arms retire to his sides and he walks over to me, wrapping his left arm around my shoulders. "You did a marvelous job last night, Ray! You never fail to impress."

"Thank you," I answer dryly, my arms remaining across my chest. "What's next?"

Roman laughs, removing his arm from my shoulder and walking past his desk, over to the giant window to look out of it. "Eager to proceed, I love it."

I cautiously follow him, standing beside him by the window. I uncross my arms and place my hands behind my back, holding my left hand in my right as I look out the window at the Gotham skyline.

"Eager to test my new suit," I say, smirking at Roman.

He turns to me and smiles back before returning his gaze to the city. "You will soon, trust me. Right now you just need to lay low and re-enter your old life as best you can."

"My old life includes my street life."

"I understand that, but you will only act when I tell you to. If I find out otherwise, I will fry that pretty little brain of yours," he threatens.

I glare at him. "Give me tonight. One night."

"And what do you think you're going to do?!" he yells. "In case you didn't realize, you're a villain now sweetheart!"

He's right. As desperate as I am to return to my old life, I can't live it how I did then.

"I understand," I mutter.

"Good," he grumbles, turning to look at me before going to take a seat at his desk. I stay at my place by the window, finding comfort in standing there.

"We got away with nearly three million dollars last night," Roman informs me from his desk. "Genius, by the way, distracting Bruce Wayne like you did."

I grimace at the memory. "Thank you, sir. Never could stand that rich prick."

"I heard you had a visitor?" he asks, and I look over my shoulder to see him glaring at my back.

"Yes, Nightwing stopped by my father's home," I answer him, simply, turning my whole body to face him again.

"He knows your identity?" he asks.

"Yes."

"I want a list of everyone who knows," Roman commands.

"The only ones who know are Batman, Nightwing, and potentially the new Robin," I answer. If he knew about Jason then I might get him hurt, and I couldn't do that to him.

"The Bat-crew? What are you close with them?"

"You could say that," I grumble. "Typically I avoid their business and they try to get into mine."

He nods, turning away from me and pressing a button on his desk, calling for his assistant to bring us a drink.

"Are they suspicious?"

"They're always suspicious," I retort. "All Nightwing had to say was threatening to reveal my identity to the GCPD, which I know he won't do."

"And what makes you so certain?"