Were you lying to me all along?

Ririko stared at the fresh smear of blood on the ground, a chill creeping through her.

If that redheaded bastard found out all the hostages had escaped, he could take his anger out on her at any moment.

She had to get out of here as soon as possible, too.

"How about... you go deal with Mr. E first, and I'll bring all the hostages over. Then you can play games with whichever one you want."

Jerome tilted his head at her, thinking Ririko could probably count as being on his side now.

Reluctant to leave just like that, he leaned forward, clumsily trying to kiss her...

But Ririko had already turned toward the Castle.

Jerome stood there with his lips still slightly puckered. Watching Ririko's retreating back, he followed her.

Ririko hurried around the Castle's side wall. As she rounded the corner, a black sedan pulled up outside the side entrance.

The car door opened, and a man in a sharp suit stepped out.

Ririko stopped and hid in the shadows along the wall, peeking halfway around the corner.

She had seen that face on television. It was William Earn, that bastard CEO of Wayne Enterprises.

Ririko narrowed her eyes slightly.

So Mr. E was Earn.

If Bruce was gone and he forced Thomas out, he would be the one controlling the company.

That bastard CEO really was a piece of shit.

To seize the position of successor to Wayne Enterprises, he had conspired with Jerome to kidnap Bruce. Now he couldn't wait to kill Bruce himself.

The man entered the Castle, and the heavy wooden door shut away the sound of his dress shoes.

Ririko stepped out of the shadows and headed toward the other end of the Castle.

She reached the basement kitchen. A pot on the stove had been overturned, and broth dripped from the edge of the table.

Two members of the Clown Army who had previously guarded her door lay on the floor, along with one unlucky cook.

She crossed the kitchen and reached the hidden door Selina had discovered.

She pushed it open. Beyond it was a secret passage wide enough for two people, with rough stone walls and a low-wattage bulb overhead every few steps.

She slipped inside without hesitation.

Up ahead, Selina was dragging Bruce along.

Bruce was still wearing the maid outfit. Selina gripped his apron, urging him on:

"Could you move any faster, young master?"

Sofia followed them, her maid skirt knotted at her waist to make moving easier.

Butch brought up the rear, draped in a blue bedsheet and still wearing colorful socks.

They heard footsteps coming from behind.

Butch spun around and spread his arms, shielding Bruce and Sofia behind him.

"Don't worry, it's me." Ririko's voice drifted out of the darkness.

The moment Bruce saw her, his shoulders slumped, and he said hoarsely:

"You saved us."

Ririko had no time to catch up with him. "Save it. The man who wants to kill you will be here soon."

At that, Selina grabbed Bruce's apron and dragged him onward.

They rushed out of the secret passage into an abandoned parking lot.

The Amusement Park had closed long ago, and no cars had parked in this lot for ages.

An Old Ford covered in graffiti sat alone in the middle of the lot. One headlight was broken, three of its four tires were low on air, and the body leaned slightly to the right.

Butch walked over and pulled at the door.

The handle snapped off in his hand. He froze, then dug his fingers into the gap along the edge of the door-and pulled the entire door off.

Selina clicked her tongue in disgust.

She climbed into the passenger seat, felt around beneath the steering wheel, pulled out two wires, and twisted their copper cores together.

The engine made several ominous sputters before finally, reluctantly starting with a cloud of black smoke and violent shuddering.

Ririko, Bruce, and Sofia squeezed into the back seat.

Butch floored the accelerator. The Old Ford lurched forward and hurtled toward the parking lot exit.

They hadn't driven far before the roar of engines sounded behind them.

Ririko looked back. A row of headlights lit up the darkness, a long line of cars racing after them.

"Drive faster!" Ririko shouted from the back seat.

"The pedal's already on the floor," Butch said in a low voice.

"We'd better call for backup."

Panicking, Selina rummaged through her black handbag and pulled out a champagne-gold phone.

Ririko recognized it. It was the Banana Phone with the tracker that Bird Man had given her.

"Where did you find that?"

"Took it off one of the Clown Army guys."

Selina pressed the power button, and a red battery icon appeared.

"It's dead."

Ririko took the phone from her. A crack ran across its screen.

Maybe Jerome had taken it when he searched her and intended to dispose of it, only for some greedy member of the Clown Army to keep it.

"Charge it, quick." Ririko handed the phone back to Selina. "Then call the Falcone Family."

Bruce turned to her. "Why not call my family?"

Ririko swept her gaze over Bruce.

"The man who wants you dead is your company's bastard CEO. Who knows how many people in your household he's bought off?"

Butch glanced at the phone.

"As soon as that phone has power, Oswald will come."

Ririko narrowed her eyes slightly. "Hah. So you knew there was a tracker in it, too."

Butch didn't answer. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his eyes fixed on the strip of road illuminated by the headlights.

Selina plugged the phone into the car's charging port.

Of course Ririko knew Bird Man would come after her. Right now, she had to stick close to Sofia, her powerful backer.

Once the Falcone Family's people arrived, she could collect the million Sofia had promised her without any trouble-

And with the added favor of saving Bruce's life, she could rightfully take her place as his girlfriend.

The headlights lit up an empty stretch of road ahead as the roar of engines closed in from behind.

Several SUVs sped toward them from the rear, their headlights like the wide eyes of a pack of enraged beasts in the darkness.

The lead black SUV cut across from the side, its nose almost brushing the Old Ford's door, forcing Butch to stop.

The others followed close behind and lined up, all their headlights trained on the battered Old Ford.

Members of the Clown Army poured out of the SUVs, vicious smiles twisting their painted mouths, every gun aimed at the Old Ford with its missing door.

Jerome walked through the glare of the headlights, both hands tucked into the pockets of his purple suit trousers. The red smile at the corners of his mouth looked more sinister than ever.

"Where do you all think you're going?" Jerome's voice was cold as a blade. "We haven't finished our game."

Selina pressed the phone's button, but it still didn't have enough charge to turn on.

Ririko cursed inwardly. They needed another two minutes.

Bruce sat up straight in his seat. "I'm the one he wants. I'll buy us some time."

He looked at Ririko. "Run as soon as you get the chance."

Ririko watched him reach out and push open the car door, then walk toward Jerome in his maid outfit, stumbling over the gravel.

She could only watch as the Wayne family's young master, whom she had finally managed to hook, headed off to get himself killed by Jerome...

She hadn't even seen what his exclusive credit card looked like yet...

She gritted her teeth, cursing inwardly, Who asked you to play the hero, Fruit Bat Man? In the end, she pushed open the door and got out.

She walked over to Bruce and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

Seeing Ririko willingly stand beside Bruce, Jerome's eyes darkened.

"Were you lying to me all along? You wanted to save this daddy's boy from the start."

Jerome breathed heavily, as though unwilling to accept what was right in front of him.

Ririko faced the glare of the headlights.

"You're wrong. William Earn is the one lying to you. Once he kills Bruce and takes control of Wayne Enterprises, what use will he have for you? He'll throw you back into Arkham to be used as lab material."

The smile vanished from Jerome's face.

He knew Ririko had been in Arkham, just like him.

Arkham wasn't a place ordinary people could enter or leave whenever they pleased.

Maybe she was telling the truth?

"Tell me more," Jerome said, his tone bitter at the thought of being deceived. "If you make a good case, I'll consider not killing you."