Banking on Violence (Closed)

Participants: Gemini & Jason Todd
Open/Closed: Closed
Location(s): Williams Asset Management, Bludhaven
Time of Day: 4.45pm
Weather: Sunny
Summary: Gemini visits Bludhaven to make a withdrawal, Jason visits a crooked banker to interrogate him, unfortunately these both happen at the same time...

The taxi had come directly from the airport, speeding along the rebuilt freeway through districts still shattered from the Chemo attack, heading toward the newly rebuilt business district. Looking out over the ruins of the shattered city the occupant didn't feel any particular remorse for being a party to its destruction. Bludhaven had always been a cesspit and cesspits needed to be cleaned. Really the Brotherhood had done the city a favour, not that she expected to be thanked unless she took the shape of the city's Mayor and did it herself.

The taxi's occupant was Mindy Williams, an Instagram model,sufficiently well known to be considered a celebrity, but not enough to be truly famous. As such her identity was a perfect cover to use when paying a visit to the blandly named Williams Asset Management, a wealth fund that had taken advantage of the government's 'Rebuild Bludhaven' tax break to relocate to the city. A boring name, a seemingly everyday purpose, but in fact Williams dealt in much riskier ventures than derivatives and collateralised debt obligations, his seemingly perfectly respectable company little more than a front for the mob's money. But Williams was a pro, he knew who to buy off, how to conceal the identities of criminal clients and obscure where their stolen money had come from. Gemini had been using him for several years as one of her bankers and today she had come to make a withdrawal; $30 million needed to grease the wheels of her latest plan.

The taxi pulled to a stop in front of a non-descript office block and the driver got out to eagerly open a door for his passenger. Mindy emerged, looking stunning as always in a beige sweater and thin black overcoat, everything from her Gucci boots to her Cartier sunglasses screaming style. She handed the driver a crisp $100 bill and told him to "keep the change", smirking as he pocketed it and failed to notice as it oozed back out a moment later, taking the shape of a small insect to fly over unnoticed and re-merge with its creator. The sun was just starting to go down as Mindy strutted over to the building, looking every inch the entitled celebrity client. Ordinarily Williams did not allow his clients to visit, but Gemini was an exception to that rule, given the fact that she could make herself entirely respectable with ease and because she never took no for an answer.

"I have an appointment with Mr Williams, he's expecting me." He also knew better than to keep Gemini de Mille waiting and rather than go to the small waiting area she breezed right past the reception desk, heading straight for the elevator that led up to the CEO's office. Get her money, remind Williams of how dangerous she was so he wouldn't be tempted to dip his grubby fingers into what was hers and then fly out by the same private jet that had brought her in. If there was one thing anyone could agree on it was the less time spent in Bludhaven the better. 

Jason Todd

Tracking down mob money was never an easy task. The mobs that actually knew what they were doing—the ones most worth Jason’s time—were experts at covering up their financial trails. So, when Jason had managed to pick one up, he didn’t let go. It was a big one, too. Connected to the Rossi family mob who were trying to claim Blüdhaven as their own, driving out or extorting all the small businesses trying to make a living in the damned city.

It helped that Jason himself—and therefore his team—was starting to run a little too low on funds for comfort. Since he was too much of a damn coward to ask Talia for more, he needed to find other means. And wouldn’t it be so kind of the Rossi family to make a donation to the cause of justice?

That was how Jason found himself here, in the office of Carter Williams. Carter’s hands were bound in front of him, his chair leaning so far back that Jason’s foot on the front was the only thing keeping him up, and the muzzle of Jason’s gun pressed threateningly against his forehead. Word might have been starting to get around about his change in ammo, but a rubber bullet at point blank could still kill.

“So, Carter, the way I see it: you can either oblige my polite request or your company can pay for your assistant’s therapy after she walks in to find your brains splattered across your fancy desk.” He knew it was only a matter of time before his reputation took the full hit of his recent lack of killing, but he was gonna milk it for as long as he could.

Carter’s lip trembled, a bead of sweat rolled down his temple, he opened his mouth, and was promptly interrupted by a voice on the telecom: “Mr. Williams, your three o’clock is approaching.”

That was just as the elevator dinged and s**t. What was the point of a waiting room if no one waited? Whatever. Crap. Jason used the split second he had before the doors opened to roughly right Carter’s chair, position the man between himself and whoever was in that elevator, and shift his gun to the man’s temple.

The elevator music was as banal as a department store, causing Gemini to roll her eyes and make a mental note to tell Carter to change it, maybe in the most intimidating manner she could, which doubtless would make him soil himself as he had the last time she'd pulled a similar trick. Smirking at the thought, Gemini stepped out of the elevator and stopped dead.

What the f***? She had been expecting to see her banker cowering behind his desk and indeed he was doing that, but not because of her but because a damn masked vigilante was holding a gun to his head. It only took her a moment to recognise him even though they had never met before, red mask, black outfit, this could only be the Red Hood. How on earth had Williams been stupid enough to draw his attention? Feeling a flash of anger at the intrusion into her business, Gemini forced it down, rapidly grasping for a plan. Instead of lashing out she did what any young woman who had just walked in on somebody holding a gun to someone else’s head would do; she screamed.

“Daddy!?”

Ok, Mindy was not Carter Williams’s daughter, but they shared a surname and Gemini figured that killing a father in front of his illegitimate love child might make Red Hood hesitate? Gemini had no idea, she was improvising as she went along. Mindy's back hit the wall, plastering herself against it in fear and hyperventilating as she stared at the masked vigilante, eyes wide with terror. All Gemini needed was for him to take that damn gun away from her banker’s head and that would be her opening.

Daddy? That threw Jason for a loop. He’d done some digging into Carter Williams. He usually liked to know who he was threatening. Also, blackmail was always a good go to if someone didn’t find the gun and threat of violence intimidating enough. There’d been no trace of a daughter anywhere. Only kid connected to Carter was the fourteen-year-old son he had with his wife—kid really needed to work on his grades. Sure, there were plenty of payments to mistresses and paid entertainment, but nothing that stood out to Jason as under the table child support. Maybe this was one of those women being paid and Jason had incorrectly assumed it was a mistress? Damn.

Didn’t matter now. He’ll backtrack his steps later to see where he screwed up. Right now, he needed to think on his feet. He didn’t want to scare an innocent woman. A moot point, probably, if her petrified face and shrill scream was anything to go by. He did want the money he came for. Besides, if he ditched now, word would spread that the Red Hood couldn’t handle a simple complication.

This all took about a second, maybe less, for him to think over and he was taking the safety off his gun with an audible click.

“One more scream and his brains hit the floor.” He had to raise his own voice to be heard above her. It didn’t sit right in his gut: being such an asshole to a young woman who was scared, especially because she probably didn’t deserve this. No one gets a choice in their fathers, after all. It was necessary, though, and, hell, maybe word will get around and the rumors of him going soft will be less credible.

“Take a seat” he ordered, voice ticking down in severity by a degree. He jerked his head toward a plus chair in the corner of the room. It was still in his eyesight and far enough away from any trouble objects, should she get an adrenaline rush or some s**t and decide to throw something at him. “Your dad’s just helping me with a simple business transaction, then I’ll be on my way.”