When The Laughter Stops

Ch 25

J's Club

"Where is she?" Natasha asks Regina as soon as she gets to her at the bar counter.

"Excuse me?" She raises an eyebrow as she's making a drink for a customer.

"J. where is she?" Natasha repeats.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She shakes her head brushing Natasha off as she hands the drink to the customer.

"Oh no? So you didn't know she escaped from Arkham? She didn't come to you for refuge? She's not here hiding in the back?" Natasha questions.

"Look, I heard she escaped through the news. She hasn't reached out to me." She responds and Natasha takes a second before believing her.

"Okay, where is Jonny and Bruno?" Natasha then asks looking around the club.

"They have the night off, because you know, workers do have some nights off." She answers in an obvious tone.

"Mmm well isn't that a coincidence." Natasha hums.

"Coincidence of what?" She says confused.

"Well J is in the city. She robbed a bank truck and killed the driver like an hour and a half ago." Natasha explains and Regina is surprised at this information.

"Well I have no information for you. She hasn't came here." She sighs shaking her head.

"Okay, well, thank you for your time." Natasha tries to seem professional as she turns to leave.

She hesitates and turns back around to face Regina.

"If she, you know, comes around. Tell her I want to see her, talk to her." Natasha says softly.

Regina looks down briefly at the counter with a sigh in thought before looking up at the officer.

"I'll tell her. Won't promise anything." She replies with a shrug.

Natasha nods and leaves the club.

~

We're in an abandoned warehouse counting the money we got from the truck. A measly 200 thousand. I'm sitting on a crate cleaning my precious gun when we hear some rustling outside the warehouse. The big warehouse doors open and we're on alert, weapons at the ready. When we see it's Regina with a duffle bag we all lower our weapons apologizing to her. I stand up to meet her half way, she comes over to me quickly dropping the bag embracing me in a hug.

"Hey." I say softly.

"Hey." She rasps her hand going through my now, slightly longer green wavy hair.

She steps back looking at my features, she runs the pad of her thumb over my left eyebrow where I now have a scar.

"Stabby Steve got one good hit- well stab." I mumble and she sighs sympathetically.

"Here." She says handing me the duffle bag that contained clothes.

"Thank you Regina." I nod gratefully taking off my leather coat and throwing a white button up on.

"She came to the club earlier, looking for you." She comments.

"What'd you tell her?" I ask carelessly as I leave the top few button open.

"The truth. I didn't know where you were. Frost called me an hour ago to come to this location with clothes. I mean, I put two and two together." She says crossing her arms and I nod.

"Where are you going to go? I mean you can't go to a hotel or motel. You could stay with me-

"Or I can just go back to my mansion." I shrug.

"J, that's the first place they're going to go look for you." She says.

"Well as of today I have a barbed wire electric fence surrounding my property so I don't think that'll be a problem." I say looking through the duffle bag.

"Thank you." She says softly.

"For wha-

"You know what J. You basically had a will ready if you were found guilty. You left me and all the other workers hella money so we weren't left with nothing after you were taken." She says and I shake my head.

"I did what I did. You don't have to thank me." I say carelessly making her sigh and it's quiet as I finish changing.

"She says she wants to see you and tal-

"*laughs* She's out of her god damned mind if she thinks I'll fall for that. She's most likely told her brother and father and started the man hunt for me." I scoff amused.

"You know, maybe you should settle down, maybe retire. Lay low for a while." Regina offers and I stop.

"Maybe pick up golf, that's a retirey thing to do." She adds.

"I'll rest, after I-" I grit.

"Boss!" I then hear and look up to see Jonny coming to me like his life depended on it, Bruno behind him not running.

"Hey kid." I say as he tackles me in a hug patting his back.

"Bruno." I greet dapping him.

"Why didn't you call us? We could've helped with your escape and the bank truck robbery." Bruno husks.

"Because I knew that Stark would go to you guys first for information. But don't worry. The fun is just beginning." I smirk looking between the two and they turn to eachother with smirks of their own.