Descent

Chapter 30

Johnny glanced around the visitor's room. The dank once white walls, were now smeared with what he assumed was blood and dirt. Probably leftover from when some of the inmates got rowdy. There was no telling how the guards handled the criminally insane they housed here.

He skin crawled at the thought. Johnny didn't understand how his boss could chose to stay here when they were willing and able to bust him out. All it would take was Mateo getting the key to the gun case. Then it would be blast a clear path outta there.

Never in all the years he had known the Joker did he willingly stay at Arkham. The longest had been three years ago when they had all gotten bust. Johnny was in Blackgate, and the Joker told Mateo to lay low because of his family.

That had been a six month stint and only because Mateo had gotten tired of seeing the boss in this shithole. He hadn't even thought of the consciences to his own freedom.

The Joker was pissed at first, arguing that there was no need to put himself in danger. But Mateo's answer that family never gets left behind had stunned their boss into silent gratitude.

"You got fifteen minutes, pretty boy." Briggs shoved the Joker into a chair opposite Johnny.

He wanted to punch this guy's teeth down his throat. No matter how fucked up the Joker was he was good to his men. Johnny knew that if it wasn't for the man before him his sister would have ended up in the system. And that was the worst place in Gotham for a young woman to be.

Waiting for the guard to leave Johnny said, "I'd like to remove his tongue and bitch slap him with it."

The Joker let out a deep rolling chuckle. "And you haven't even heard what he says to doll face."

Johnny had been glaring daggers in Briggs' direction, but now turned to face the Joker. He wasn't sure if he had heard him right, but from the murderous glare he was giving the guard Johnny realized he had.

"What did that fat bastard say to the doc?"

The Joker chuckled, even as he wondered if Frost was trying to move in on his woman. It would be a first between them. Johnny didn't go for woman like the doc. No, he fancied curvy redheads.

Maybe he sees how soft we're becoming. Thinks he can take what's ours.The Joker growled at the voice and it grew silent.

There was no way in hell he was going to believe Johnny would fuck him over in such a way. Not after all they had been through and definitely not for a skirt.

"He slapped her ass."

The Joker waved a dismissive hand, letting Johnny know that he planned on taking care of it and it was nothing for him to worry about. Oh, and did he ever plan on making sure Briggs paid for his behavior.

"Tell me Harleen didn't let him get away with that." Johnny said in shock.

"Excuse me Frost, what did ya call doll face?"

Johnny knew that tone of voice. Though it was never directed at him, he knew that the Joker was getting ready to take action.

Backpedaling, "The doc, she said I should call her Harleen, boss."

"Well I didn't." The Joker eyed him, letting Johnny know that his slip better never happen again.

"Sorry. Ok the doc, she ah, didn't let him get away with that did she?" Johnny's voice trembled.

The Joker shook his head, his green hair shifting with the movement. "My doll handed fat boy his ass."

They both laughed at that. That was all it took for the air to grow less tense. At least on the Joker's side of the table. Johnny was still nervous about the news he was about to deliver.

"Boss, I ah, spoke to the doc last night."

Glancing around the room the Joker took in the other inmates. Only giving Johnny half of his attention. But Frost knew better, he was paying full attention to what was being said.

The Joker didn't know if he should be pissed that Johnny was going above and beyond, or relived that there was someone on the outside that could keep an eye on her. Though in truth he was angry it wasn't him. There was no way around it the Joker was going to have to break out of Arkham soon.

"And..."

"Well, I skyped her. And she looked awfully umm....distracted. So I joked that she had better not have you know who there."

The Joker turned his full attention to Johnny. He watched as he swallowed a few times and ran his hand through his thick brown hair. There was something that he was worried about telling him. And if it had anything to do with Harleen and Bruce the Joker was going to bust out and kill that stuck up fuck.

Slamming his hands down on the table, "Spit it the fuck out, Frost."

"She said he was just getting out of the shower."

Johnny said it so fast it sounded like all one word. Though the Joker heard exactly what he had said.

He took a moment to think over what he heard. Of course Harleen could have lied to Johnny to see if he would snitch on her. Of course she was right. The Joker's men were loyal to a fault.

Though if she had been telling the truth and it could still be a possibility, then why didn't she smell like him. Or even have any kind of love bites. No, Bruce would have taken the chance to mark her knowing the Joker would be seeing her.

So that left the Joker to believe she was bluffing. Or...

"Oh doll, I guess you're going to need another lesson real soon."

"Boss?"

Johnny knew that if he let the Joker start talking to himself they would never get down to business and they had already wasted five minutes.

"Forget about Wayne, we got bigger fish to fry." Drawing in a breath he went on. "I need to know how my doll knows the Lupinacchis."

"The doc, is a fucking danger management." Johnny hissed.

The Joker ran his hands through his hair. "You have no idea. Jimmy branded her."

Johnny blanched at that. He had seen enough women that Jimmy had branded to know it wasn't pretty. That's why the Joker had finally wacked him.

There had been a number of street girls that had come to the boss. All complaining that their pimps couldn't keep them safe. It wasn't something that the Joker got involved in. But when he had seen one of the girls with half her face burnt and then the impression of Jimmy's ring on her other cheek, the Joker had flown into a killing rage.

"You think she was one of his, umm..."

The Joker leaned forward. "Whores?" Tisking he continued, "No. She keeps saying she won't be owned again. I think Jimmy was forcing himself on my little doll."

Johnny felt his own anger boil at the thought of anyone hurting Harleen. Especially, that sick bastard Jimmy. The things he did to women could make a sadist ill.

"I'll see what I can find."

"I'm counting on you."

Johnny knew that was his boss's way of saying get going. Standing he moved away from the table.

"What do you want me to do if it turns out he hurt her?"

"An eye for an eye." The Joker just swayed back and forth.

"Boss, Jimmy is gone."

He knew the Joker wasn't thinking straight. All he saw was someone he called his hurt. That he couldn't have known what had happened to her didn't even register. The Joker was out for blood. And only Lupinacchi blood would do.

"Make me proud, Johnny."

Briggs came ambling over and hauled the Joker to his feet. Johnny watched as he roughly handled his boss. And just like that he knew he would bring a bat when he broke the Joker out of here. Because this asshole needed to get the hell beat out if him.

"See ya around, boss."

"Soon, Johnny."