Axel finished speaking and, without ceremony, shoved his hand into Sophia's collar.
Victor snorted irritably beside them, swaggered over, and dropped into the seat opposite Axel.
Sophia was Falcone's daughter — but Victor had been ordered countless times to kill the Boss's relatives. If she was truly the Boss's daughter, she didn't impress him. She was just another dramatic nuisance, and he genuinely didn't care.
Axel, still casually intrusive, asked, "By the way, show me the video you mentioned."
Victor barked, "Don't you have a phone? Your video is blowing up on TikTok with almost forty million likes already."
Despite his tone, Victor handed his phone to Axel.
Axel took it with one hand, glanced at the screen, then tossed it back playfully.
"Interesting. Less than two hours and already viral. Imagine how many geniuses are behind this clip. And how many assholes will be coming after me now."
"No need to guess," Victor said, putting his phone away with a smirk. "The number is massive."
"In the old days," Victor continued, warming to his rant, "kids only heard stories about the Justice Society of America. Legends told by their parents. But legends always stayed legends. Ordinary people had never seen anyone as freakishly gifted as you."
"Look at the comments on your video," he said, shaking his head. "Even though you're a hell of a scoundrel, people are calling you some kind of superhero. They even label the people you killed as remnants of Nazis. You might actually end up with a nickname."
Victor laughed, then went on.
"Screw superheroes. Even if they exist, no costumed idiot would show up in Gotham. Gotham has only two kinds of people: eternally rich and eternally desperate. And us? We're the ones smart enough to pick up a gun and change our own fate."
He let out a harsh laugh.
"And now these idiots online think you, Axel, are a good guy. American education has gone straight to hell. Sometimes I swear the people online are dumber than the idiots right here in Gotham."
Victor slapped the helicopter's cockpit wall and leaned back.
"By the way, Axel, where are you headed? If you've got nowhere to be, come with me to Caesar's Manor. My boss would host you for the night."
"Hell no," Axel said with a grin. "Do I need that old geezer to put me up? Isn't his daughter already doing that?"
"Caesar's Manor?" Victor echoed. "That's your answer?"
"I'm not going there tonight. Drop me off at the Iceberg Lounge."
"Fuck!" Victor swore. "Isn't that still our territory?"
"Exactly," Axel replied, leaning back and shifting Victor's seat with a shove. "Which is why his daughter's hosting me."
Victor tapped the cockpit unhappily.
"Heard that, Boss Victor. Iceberg Lounge then?"
The pilot answered casually and steered the helicopter toward the port.
Outside the Iceberg Lounge, Liv watched the helicopter approach, trembling with excitement.
Selina raised an eyebrow and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Getting this worked up? You can't forget every guy who breathes."
"Don't say that. That's Wraith — the first super-human to show himself publicly," Liv whispered eagerly. "Backed by Falcone. That gives him influence in Gotham. If I attach myself to Wraith, my power could stretch beyond the streets into the real extraordinary world."
Her voice shook. She squeezed Selina's arm and leaned in.
"Haven't you heard? The League of Assassins that takes out tyrants, the Court of Owls watching Gotham, Greek gods walking battlefields, even the Justice Society that took out Hitler. No matter if they're good or evil, their reach surpasses mayors, governors, presidents. Look at that helicopter. The extraordinary world is opening up. Just thinking about it — I'm already…"
"Damn it," Selina snapped, seeing Liv's flushed face. "You mean to tell me just thinking about that got you like this? After all the info I begged you to give me for half an hour?"
She shoved Liv aside.
Liv steadied herself, gave Selina a seductive wink, and looked back at the helicopter.
Bartel, standing nearby, watched both of them anxiously, completely out of his depth.
Yesterday he was just an ordinary thug. Today he was supposed to drive for big shots.
"Can you not talk about life-or-death stuff in front of me?" he panicked. "I haven't adjusted to this rich mad world yet! I do not want to die!"
The helicopter descended and landed by the pier.
As soon as it stopped, Axel dragged Sophia, whose riding pants were damp from the landing, out of the aircraft.
Seeing Liv — especially seeing Selina — Axel blinked briefly.
Holy shit, her sister? he thought before snapping his head back to Sophia. "Your sister?"
At Axel's words, Selina and Sophia's eyes locked.
The flirting smiles disappeared in an instant, replaced by glaring tension. Electricity seemed to crackle between them.
"What are you looking at?" Axel interrupted before anything violent could begin, then pulled Sophia toward Liv.
In front of Liv, Axel wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pointed to his chest.
"Set up a room where I can shower. I need a hot shower."
Liv's eyes went wide, her voice trembling.
"But before that, ten minutes ago you already had an eight-million Dollar bounty. You're wanted all over the world."
"Oh, only eight million Dollars? Am I not even as valuable as some mountain bandit king?" Axel grinned and slapped Liv's butt hard.
"Don't worry about that. Right now I just want my shower. After that, you rub my back. Lead the way."
He tugged Sophia along after Liv, and glanced back at Selina.
"You coming too, Anne Hathaway?"
"It's Selina Kyle," she corrected.
"Same thing. You coming too?" Axel asked with a wink, patting Sophia's ass again.
Sophia's face registered anger and embarrassment, but she didn't resist. Selina paused, then burst out laughing.
She reached out, ignoring Sophia's murderous glare, and pinched her chest.
"Axel, if it weren't for you, I'd want to see what she looks like in bed. Too bad I don't like men. Guess I disappointed you there."
____
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