#cigarette burn

The man starts talking but she realises it’s not to her. She notices the small metal earpiece in his ear.

“I’ve got her.” he says, sharp blue eyes glaring straight at her, “Tell Tiger. No, I don’t need it, I got it covered.”

Okay, so he was targeting her specifically and not trying to attack a random woman. She could respect that.

Then there was a laugh, “She’s just a girl, what’s she gonna do?”

She’d tell herself he let him attack her because she wanted the information and not the truth, that she just sort of wanted to feel something.

Her fist clenches around the wrist of the hand that was choking her. She drives a knee into his abdomen and he bowls over. She wrenches his arm back and up, twisting his shoulder. The man lets out a yell and she forces him onto his knees.

“Let go, bitch!” he shrieks. She doesn’t pay attention to his words, instead to the square shape in his pocket. She bends down and pulls out a pack of cigarettes with her free hand. She pulls one out with her teeth and throws the rest to the side. Then she digs into her own pocket for a lighter. Lighting the cigarette and exhaling with a sigh, she looks at the man who was staring up at her in fearful confusion.

“Who’s Tiger, what did he want with me?” she asks with a bored tone.

The man frowns, “You don’t know the biggest mobster in the city?”

Oh, that Tiger. Her brows furrow.

“What’s he want with me?” she asks incredulously.

“I’m not saying shit, bitch!”

She sighs and glances at the end of her lit cigarette, she decides against it, she’s not that mean.

The man catches her eyes and starts to crane away, his arm trying to pull itself out of her grip. “No, don’t.”

The way he bends away from her exposes his neck quite beautifully and well-

He lets out a scream as the thin, pale skin below his ear sizzles.

---

She’s back at the office the next day, she didn’t find a woman last night but she did get a free pack of smokes so she considers it a win.

She opens the door and the bell chimes. Claw’s eyes flicker up to her, he’s holding a picture and other random objects Talon assumes to be evidence. She’d ask if he’d been here all night but she picks up a faint scent of whiskey and how Claw rubs his eyes.

“Hungover?”

He’s about to answer before his eyes narrow at the pack of cigarettes she’s holding.

“That’s not your usual brand.”

“Maybe I wanted a change, this brand’s higher quality apparently.”

“I thought you said, people who buy expensive cigarettes are show-offs because and I quote, ‘it’s all the same shit.’”

She sighs and falls into her chair. He leans forward. “What happened?”

She could keep it a secret as revenge but she’s not petty. She can drag it out a bit, though.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

He sighs and leans back into his chair, “Okay, that’s fair. But is it something I need to know?”

She exhales softly, “A guy attacked me, said he worked for Tiger, you know, the mafia guy.”

Claw frowns, “Why would-”

“He wouldn’t say. But I'm guessing he wants you, maybe he thought he could use me as a chip or something, I don’t know.”

Claw lets out an exasperated sigh, “Let’s focus on the case for now. We can use Garrison if Tiger becomes too much of a problem.”

Talon raises a brow, “I’m fine, by the way.”

His lips quirk up, “If you wanted me to be worried about you, you could at least bump it up a few more men.”

Talon shrugs then pulls out a cigarette from the box and lights it, Claw frowns at it.

“You know I don’t like smoking indoors.”

She gets out of her chair and walks up to the window behind her to exhale out of it. The window isn’t a particularly nice view, just into a dirty alleyway. Claw says it's similar to how they don’t get a nice view of society when they do their job, but Talon’s pretty sure the view just keeps the rent down.

She turns back to him, “Are we going to Pewtree’s house today?”

“Yes. I’ve arranged transportation to his estate.”

She raises a brow, “You called a taxi.”

“I called a taxi.”

Talon shakes her head as she put out the lit smoke and throws it away, “If I steal something, will you make me put it back?”

Claw taps a finger against his chin, “Depends how helpful his wife is.” Then his phone lets out a beeping noise, like a car’s horn.

“Ready to go?” Claw stands and gestures for Talon to go ahead.

She heads out of the door and into the black cab. She sits in the driver’s seat as she watches Claw lock the door of the office. Once Claw gets into the passenger's side she presses a button and the car starts to drive, handbrake and steering moving autonomously.

She had thought the visit to Pewtree's home would be uneventful. But she'd be proven wrong soon enough.

---