Chapter 16 : Cat's Invitation
The Monarch Theatre had seen better decades.
I approached through the back alley, past dumpsters overflowing with debris and a fire escape that looked like it might collapse if you breathed on it wrong. The building loomed against the night sky, its art deco facade crumbling in slow motion.
Selina had given me directions: service entrance, third door from the left, knock twice then three times.
I knocked.
The door swung open to darkness. I stepped inside, hand resting on the Glock beneath my jacket.
"You came alone." Her voice echoed from somewhere above. "Good. I'd have been disappointed otherwise."
My eyes adjusted. The theatre's interior was a ruin of collapsed seats and rotting curtains. The stage remained mostly intact, and Selina stood on it like an actress awaiting her audience. Blueprints were spread across a folding table beside her.
"Your invitation was... intriguing," I said, approaching the stage.
"I'm an intriguing woman." She gestured at the empty seats. "Welcome to my office. One of them, anyway."
I climbed the side stairs onto the stage. Up close, I could see the blueprints clearly: a building schematic, multiple floors, security notations in her neat handwriting.
"Congratulations on the promotion, by the way." She circled the table, watching me. "Heard you handled Marco without burning the city down. That takes finesse."
"I prefer surgical strikes to firestorms."
"I noticed." She stopped circling. "That's why I called you. I have a job. Too big for me alone. Too delicate for the brutes I usually work with."
"Here it comes. The pitch."
"I'm listening."
She pulled a photograph from beneath the blueprints. A man's face: fifties, silver hair, the particular smug expression of someone who'd never been told no.
"Roland Daggett. CEO of Daggett Industries." Her voice hardened. "Pillar of the community. Philanthropist. Also the man responsible for illegal chemical dumping in the East End that's given three neighborhoods cancer clusters."
I studied the photograph. The name triggered something from my meta-knowledge—Daggett had tangled with Batman in some storylines, usually coming out on the wrong end.
"What's the job?"
"He keeps evidence in a private safe. Penthouse office, Daggett Industries building. Records of the deals, the bribes, the cover-ups." She tapped the blueprint. "I want to steal it. Partly for profit—there's easily fifty thousand in bearer bonds in that safe. Partly for leverage. And partly because men like Daggett shouldn't be able to sleep well at night."
"Revenge. She has personal stake in this."
"The East End," I said slowly. "Your territory. The people he's hurting—they're your people."
Something flickered across her face. Surprise, maybe. Or appreciation that I'd understood.
"My mother died of lung cancer when I was sixteen. The factory next to our building had been pumping poison into the air for years. Nobody did anything because the factory owner paid the right people." Her jaw tightened. "Daggett isn't the same man. But he's the same type. And I'm done watching types like him get away with it."
The theatre was silent except for the distant sound of traffic.
"This isn't just business for her. This is personal. She's trusting me with something real."
"What do you need from me?"
"Security handling." She pulled another blueprint forward. "The building has four guards on the night shift, plus electronic systems. I can bypass the alarms and crack the safe, but I can't do both while watching my back. I need someone to handle the guards—quietly—and keep the escape route clear."
"Fifty-fifty split on valuables?"
"Seventy-thirty. My job, my intel, my risk."
"Sixty-forty. And I get copies of anything that might be useful later."
Her eyes narrowed. "Already thinking about blackmail, Broker?"
"I'm thinking about options. Daggett has enemies. Enemies pay for information."
A pause. Then she laughed—genuine, surprised, transforming her face into something almost warm.
"I knew I liked you." She extended her hand. "Sixty-forty. Copies of everything. Partners."
I shook. Her grip was firm, her skin warm.
"When?"
"Three nights from now. We'll need time to plan, practice, make sure you can move without sounding like a herd of elephants."
"I don't sound like—"
"You walk like a Narrows street fighter. That's fine for intimidation." She circled closer, evaluating. "Not fine for infiltration. I'll teach you."
The proximity was doing things to my concentration. I stepped back, looked at the blueprints.
"Tell me about the building."
We spent the next two hours going over the plans. Twelve floors, private security, the safe on the penthouse level. Guard rotations, camera placements, alarm systems. Selina had done her homework—every detail was documented, every contingency considered.
Around midnight, she called a halt.
"Enough for tonight. Tomorrow, we practice." She walked me toward the exit. "Try to wear something darker than that suit."
"What's wrong with my suit?"
"Nothing, if you're attending a business meeting. Everything, if you're trying not to get shot."
I stopped at the door. She stopped beside me.
"Why me?" I asked. "You've worked alone for years. Why bring in a partner now?"
She was quiet for a moment. The moonlight through a cracked window caught her profile.
"Because you have a code. Because you helped that woman in the alley when you didn't have to. Because—" She paused, choosing words. "Because I watched you build something in the Narrows. Not just territory. Something with rules. Something that matters." She met my eyes. "Most men in this city are just different flavors of monster. You might be something else."
"Might be?"
"Jury's still out." The smile returned. "But I'm willing to find out."
She opened the door. The night air was cold against my face.
"Tomorrow. Seven PM. Bring soft shoes."
The door closed behind me.
I walked back to the Narrows with my head full of blueprints and the memory of her laugh.
Reviews and Power Stones keep the heat on!
Want to see what happens before the "heroes" do?
Secure your spot in the inner circle on Patreon. Skip the weekly wait and read ahead:
💵 Hustler [$7]: 15 Chapters ahead.
⚖️ Enforcer [$11]: 20 Chapters ahead.
👑 Kingpin [$16]: 25 Chapters ahead.
Periodic drops. Check on Patreon for the full release list.
👉 Join the Syndicate: patreon.com/Anti_hero_fanfic