Silence fell instantly.
The madam who had been shouting moments ago stared at Sarah in horror and clamped her mouth shut.
"What's your name?" Jack Kadere asked softly, slipping an arm around the woman's shoulder.
"Lilah." Her voice trembled.
"Now you belong to me." Jack Kadere turned a light smile toward the madam. "Any problems?"
The madam shook her head quickly.
"Still want money?"
She shook her head again.
Jack Kadere smiled and headed upstairs with Lilah.
Upstairs?
"Wait—we're not leaving?" Sara Lance asked, stunned.
"She doesn't want money anymore. Why would we leave?" Jack Kadere replied as though stating the obvious and continued up the stairs.
"Fuck!"
Sara Lance couldn't help cursing. What was this bastard trying to do? Snatching someone from a brothel and then staying instead of running? Was he treating her like his personal thug and bodyguard?
"If I ever get the chance," she muttered to Diana, "I'm not letting him off."
Diana nodded silently.
Unhappy as she was, Sara didn't dare leave him alone. Who knew what a man bold enough to enslave Paradise Island would do in this era if left unsupervised.
Second floor.
In a certain room.
Jack Kadere released Lilah and looked around casually. Lilah kept her head down, too nervous to move or speak.
Sara Lance and Diana followed them in.
"You found your body pillow. Why are we still here?" Sara Lance demanded, sizing up Lilah despite herself.
She had to admit: Lilah was stunning.
Even without careful grooming, she had long legs, a narrow waist, full breasts, and wheat-colored skin. Her features were delicate, carrying an unpolished sensuality. Her emerald eyes held fear and tension, the kind of look that made people feel protective. A genuine beauty. Sara found herself thinking that being snatched by Jack Kadere as a body pillow might not be the worst fate—at least it beat staying here and selling herself.
"What's the rush? You're fugitives anyway. Hide here for now." Jack Kadere turned around, then looked at Lilah. "Take off your clothes."
"Ah?" Lilah froze.
Diana, who had stayed quiet until now, spoke up. "You cannot humiliate a woman like this."
"Either she takes them off, or you do."
"Choose."
Jack Kadere smiled at Diana and produced the Lasso of Truth.
Diana frowned but said nothing.
"Take them off," Jack Kadere told Lilah again.
Lilah lowered her head and removed her clothes one piece at a time.
"Hmph." Diana snorted coldly and turned to leave. Sara Lance followed her out.
After all, the one causing time aberrations in this era wasn't just Jack Kadere—it was also Diana, the Amazon princess.
Second floor.
In a certain room.
Jack Kadere looked at Lilah with satisfaction, then walked to the wardrobe along the wall. Various styles of clothing hung inside. He sorted through them, selected a few pieces, and handed them to her. "Put these on."
Lilah took them and dressed.
When she finished, Jack Kadere's satisfaction deepened.
She now wore black boots, suspender stockings resembling silk on her legs, a white gauze dress cut in a tailcoat style, and a black corset that left a hint of her chest exposed. Black lace gloves covered her hands, and her dark hair fell loose over her shoulders.
Jack Kadere circled her slowly, then suddenly tore off the trailing fabric of the dress. Lilah flinched.
"Much better."
"What... what should I do?" Lilah asked tentatively, her voice still unsteady.
Jack Kadere walked to the bed and sat down. He looked at the timid woman before him. "Did you come here of your own will, or were you sold?"
"I was... sold."
"This is a chaotic era." Jack Kadere chuckled. "I like it." He waved her closer. When she approached, he ran his fingers lightly along her leg and smiled. "Do you want revenge? For example... burn this place down?"
"Ah?" Lilah blinked in confusion. But after a moment, her expression hardened. "I do."
"Then go ahead."
Determination in her eyes, Lilah walked toward the oil lamp on the side table, apparently ready to set the brothel ablaze.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the building.
Screams and panic erupted outside. The brothel's front entrance had been blasted apart, and flames spread with it.
In the corridor, terrified men and women poured out of their rooms. Sara Lance and Diana shoved the door open and shouted, "Something's wrong—they found us!"
"Who found us?" Jack Kadere asked casually.
"Chronos! The Time bounty hunter!" Sara Lance's voice was grim.
Rip Hunter's betrayal had infuriated the Time Masters, and they had sent a bounty hunter to track the Legends down. The team had planned to drop Jack Kadere off first precisely to avoid the relentless Chronos—but he had caught up faster than expected. And he was clearly here for Sara.
"It seems someone did the job for you." Jack Kadere smiled and steadied Lilah, who was barely keeping her footing.
Sara Lance and Diana noticed then that Lilah had changed clothes. The new outfit made her even more striking than before.
"Do you want to know who Chronos really is?" Jack Kadere asked Sara.
"Right now, I only want to know what happened to the Waverider."
Chronos should have gone after the ship first. If he was here instead, what did that mean for the Waverider?
"Let's find out." Jack Kadere pulled Lilah close and drove his fist through the wall beside the window. A gaping hole opened up, and he leaped through it with the startled woman in his arms.
He landed easily.
Jack Kadere lifted one foot and stomped.
Behind him, the brothel collapsed.
The roar was deafening. Dust billowed into the air.
Wonder Woman shielded Sara Lance as they climbed out of the rubble.
"We were still inside!" Sara shouted at Jack Kadere.
A laser beam screamed toward them the instant she finished.
Diana raised her arm and deflected it, then fixed her gaze on the armored figure standing nearby. Chronos. Masked, armed with a laser rifle.
In Greek mythology, Chronos was the god of time. This Chronos was merely a bounty hunter trained by the Time Masters. The name was the only thing they had in common.
And his true identity was far more interesting.
He was Heat Wave—Mick Rory.
The same Mick Rory who served on the Legends, except this version came from another timeline.
**********
Lilah
From Jonah Hex (2010)
Real name: Tallulah Black (in the film, she is primarily known as Lilah).
Portrayed by: Megan Fox.
Universe: Standalone DC film continuity.
Occupation: Gunfighter and performer at a saloon/brothel.
Setting: The American Old West, shortly after the Civil War.
Affiliation: Primarily associated with Jonah Hex.
Background and origin
Lilah is a woman living in the violent, lawless world of the post-Civil War American West. She works at a saloon that also operates as a brothel, a setting where women often have limited protection and must navigate dangerous men, criminals, and corrupt authorities.
Rather than being a conventional damsel in distress, Lilah is portrayed as tough, streetwise, and capable of looking after herself. She has a personal relationship with Jonah Hex, the scarred bounty hunter and former Confederate soldier who travels the frontier hunting dangerous criminals.