“How long has he been working with the Nightwalkers?” Bruce asked her.
“A couple of months.”
A couple of months.At the benefit on the night of Bruce’s birthday, had Richard asked him for WayneTech access in an attempt to steal weapons for the Nightwalkers? Was working with the Nightwalkers the reason why Richard seemed better at fighting than Bruce remembered—why he knew moves that their coach hadn’t taught?
“And how would you know that?” Bruce pressed. “You’ve been at Arkham that whole time.”
Madeleine smiled a little. “You weren’t the only one who helped me escape from Arkham.”
Connections were flashing through Bruce’s mind now, sending his heart racing. The city’s government—and the mayor—had power over and access to everything in Arkham. And Richard had access to the mayor. Bruce thought of Madeleine’s folded creations, of his theory of her secret messages. She’d mentioned an insider giving tips to the Nightwalkers before. HadRichardbeen the one helping the Nightwalkers receive Madeleine’s signals via the security cams? Had he made sure the right workers gained access to her cell so that she could escape?
Richard wasn’t just a friend who wanted to exploit their relationship. He was a desperate son, eager for approval, enraged at being denied it, and so determined to get back at his father that he’d gotten himself involved too deeply with the Nightwalkers.
Bruce was shaking—from rage against his former friend or from grief for him, he wasn’t sure.You walked right into their trap, Richard,he thought bitterly. But Madeleine had tricked Bruce, too, hadn’t she?
“What did you promise him, for doing all that?” Bruce asked through gritted teeth.
“It’s more what we promised him wewouldn’tdo,” Madeleine replied with a shrug.
The rest of his family. His mother, his sister.Had the Nightwalkers threatened them, too?
“You’re a pack of animals,” Bruce snarled.
“And I told you to get out of Gotham City.”
“You sent your hit men to kill me and Alfred in my own home.” The rage leaked thick from Bruce’s words, and he made no effort to stop it. “Howgenerousof you.”
Madeleine made an annoyed sound in her throat. “You honestly think I made that decision from Arkham? Don’t be stupid. Besides, they weren’t there to kill you. We needed you for more than that.”
“So you were in on it after all. Don’t lie. You’ve done enough of that.”
“It’s not a lie,” Madeleine said with a shrug. “I only told you what I knew at the time. I didn’t have to help you—not that you seem to listen.”
“And what was it that you wanted? Access to my accounts? You wanted me to fund your terror campaigns, just like your past victims?”
“You already did.” She gave him a taunting nod. “Thanks for your generosity.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” Bruce snapped. “How did you get into my accounts?”
“The same hack I used to get into the minds of your corporate drones.” She winked. “Pretty advanced tech your people are developing there, Bruce. Not advanced enough, but it did take me quite a few tries.”
“And that’s why I’m not dead yet? You need me for access to everything else I own?”
Irritation flashed across her face. It was all Bruce needed to see to confirm that Madeleinehadtried—and failed—to hack into his new, secured accounts. She would need him to personally open them up for her.
Madeleine nodded at the door behind her. “I don’t want you dead for a variety of reasons. Boss thinks I can break into all of your funds. But it seems like you have some locks on your remaining ones that only you can crack open.” She leaned against her knees. “I told you to keep away. But now that you’re here, they’re going to want you to open up the rest. And they’re not going to be nearly as nice about it as me.”
The boss. Bruce remembered the man he’d seen in his house, confronting him moments before the police burst in through the doors. Had that been the voice on the loudspeakers, too, demanding ransom? At the look on Madeleine’s face, he narrowed his eyes. “You framed me,” he choked out. “You left a note that sent me to an interrogation room with the police—you put me behind bars. Realnice.Why should I believe anything you say?”
Madeleine gave him a wounded look. “You don’t think I meant what I said in my note?”
Bruce strained against his bonds. “Don’t insult me. And to think I actually believed you might’ve been more than a coldhearted killer. I guess I was wrong. What else don’t I know about you, Madeleine? Is that even your name? Do you lie just for fun? Does it make you happy, messing with my mind? Do you enjoy making up stories just to mock me?”
Madeline winced, momentarily cutting through Bruce’s anger. “You think you’ve figured me out, don’t you?” she said.
“Wouldn’t have to if you were an honest person.”
The two of them glared at each other in silence. The strange pull between them that Bruce had felt all throughout their visits in Arkham returned in full force, permeating the heavy air.
