❛ What we needed was the truth ❜ 

On a quiet afternoon that would have made the perfect weather for a walk in the garden, Anna had reluctantly greed to travel with Oliver to some old car shop to converse with some members of the Bratva. She had served her time with the Bratva before and wasn't interested in dealing with their crooked business again, but they had to, for this one time. And since no one could know how the two millionaire heirs were involved with a Russian mob, they sneaked in wearing simple casual clothes and ball caps. 

As they entered the shop, Oliver did the speaking for the both of them and used his Russian tongue to get what he wanted. The two employees were hesitant and unsure as soon as Oliver requested a person named Alexi Leonov and to defend himself and Anna, Oliver had broken the hand of a man who pulled a gun from his pocket. He passed the gun along to Annabelle who was standing cautiously to his side just in case the men were to try something on her, but as soon as Oliver pulled down the collar of his shirt to prove he was Bratva, the man relaxed, but only slightly. "I yeye?"  the bald man asked, saying 'And her?' as if he didn't want a civilian involved in the affairs.

Anna tensed but nonetheless gripped the collar of her shirt and pulled it past her collarbone to show her Bratva tattoo. The man was confused because the Bratva accepted males only, but since Anna had known Anatoly from the boat, he had made an exception based on her fighting skills. "I want to see Alexi Leonov," Oliver demanded in Russian, staring straight ahead at the men.

The bald man - the man in charge - stepped forward and bowed forward slightly to show his respect. "Pleased to meet you both."

•••

"I apologize," Alexi announced while Oliver and Anna followed him down the basement stairs and into a pit of filth and disorganization. "We meant no disrespect to two captains. Particularly American ones."

Oliver stepped off the last step and motioned Anna in front of him and they both stepped over to a table where Alexi was waiting to settle affairs. "So, how can I be of assistance?"

"I'm in the market for a hired gun," Oliver shortly responded. "Someone the organization's used before. His calling card is a 7.62 millimeter round laced with curare."

"I know no man who uses such tools," Alexi shrugged, not daring to make eye contact. Anna narrowed her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest, "But you can find out who does."

"First, we will drink to each other's health, then I will look into the identity of this man you seek."

Anna took the glass with a cringe on her face due to the fact that she wasn't much of an alcohol person, and Oliver recognized it. But she had to drink the shot to prove her respect for the two Bratva. So she tilted her head back and took one large sip of the clear vodka, letting it wash down her throat with a strong sensation.

"I will also confirm that you are really Bratva captains. Should this not be the case, I will send my mechanic here to find you and kill you and your families."

Oliver exchanged a glance with Anna who was staring up at the man holding his fractured hand, but still stood with a smug grin resting upon his mouth. The joke was on Alexi, because even if they were lying, he wouldn't be able to kill them, not when they both wore the hoods that the rich feared when they closed their eyes.

•••

Anna walked into her room and immediately peeled out of her sweater, leaving her in leggings and a tank top. Oliver closed the door and watched as the love of his life paced back and forth on the carpeted floor, her finger tapping her chin repeatedly. He could see the stress lines and dark circles under her eyes very clearly, but knew not to mention her sleeping troubles or else she would snap. "What have we done, Oliver? What have we gotten ourselves into?"

Oliver sighed and rubbed his forehead, "It's going to work itself out, Bella."

"No!" she shouted, spinning on her heel to face the man. "No, y-you don't understand! I was with the bratva for six months before you, when we lost each other, they found me! And I am not saying that they offered me a blanket and hot chocolate! We escaped it all! We survived that hell, and we waltzed back inside! So don't even try to tell me it will work out, because you and I both know that we just created a pit of darkness inside the Glades, not that they need anymore."

"We needed help," Oliver argued, his eyes trailing back and forth to follow the stressed girl. "No, Ollie. No, we didn't need help, we didn't need the Bratva. What we needed was the truth, and there are so many more ways to get it."

•••

In her best club dress and makeup coating her shoulders, arms, and legs to hide the dozens of scars, Annabelle walked beside Tommy and Oliver into the club named 'Poison' by Max Fuller. Clubs weren't her scene, and after the Bratva scene with Oliver, she only decided to go to please Tommy. She hadn't talked to Tommy since their argument in the afternoon, and she wasn't exactly too pleased to be exposed. If she danced too hard, the makeup covering her scars would drip down her arms and legs, and she would be left looking as if she was in a fight club. Anna had lied to Oliver that afternoon when she said she needed the truth. What she really needed was more of a who. She needed Sara. She needed Sara's optimism and fierce attitude. She needed her determination. When Sara died on the freighter, Anna came crashing down. She couldn't imagine her future off the island without the girl who was supposed to get through it with her. Sara and Anna were the only ones on the freighter after the crash, they thought they were the only ones left. So they vowed to make it off the island together. And every day after Sara's death that they were on the island, it was like a knife to the chest. When Anna walked where Sara and her trekked when she said words Sara had used, when she fought like Sara had, it was killing her. Tommy Merlyn was her best friend, Sara Lance was her sister. And her sister was dead. And Anna would do anything to see her sister again.

Someone shaking her shoulder had caused Anna to snap out of her trance of the lost memory of Sara, and she looked up to see that she had walked to the bar behind Tommy and Oliver without even realizing it. "I know you don't drink, but if you need one, it's right there," Tommy motioned, pointing to the shot of vodka in front of her hands on the countertop. She rolled her eyes and sighed, glaring at Tommy who only smirked. She never drank in the first place, and now she was having two in one day? Hard pass. "Where's Diggle?" Anna wondered, searching around for the bodyguard.

"He got caught behind the line, something about a list?" Tommy chuckled, swinging an arm around her shoulder. She huffed in annoyance but soon got over it when Tommy and Oliver starting walking to the other side of the bar after seeing a familiar face. "Doesn't you going out and having fun violate some kinda' law, you know, like the ones that are carved on a stone tablet?" Tommy joked while approaching Laurel, one of the last people Anna had any interest in seeing as it only brought back memories of Sara. 

"That's cute, Tommy," Laurel scoffed.

"Thanks," he grinned. "I can see that you two are up to your old hunting patterns," she added, tilting her head to the side at the two men and then noticing Anna leaning against the counter to the side. "Actually, I'm in a committed relationship of seven years, but we're just seeing what passes for fun in Starling City after five years," Oliver answered.

"Ah, well I'm sure you'll find that it just hasn't been the same without you," she continued, looking over at Anna with a smile. "Sorry about the other week," she began. "Just seeing you, it brought up things that were never really solved," Laurel apologized, lifting her hand to place on Anna's shoulder. Anna smiled lightly and gave Laurel a friendly hug that was gratefully returned, "I'm just glad to have the chance to apologize in person, you know, for her," Anna replied.

"You can say her name, Bella. It's not like Macbeth," Laurel laughed. Anna admired the strength Laurel had when speaking about Sara. The Carter daughter couldn't even hear her name, or think about her, without blaming herself for the suffering Sara endured. "No, I suppose not," she fakely laughed, her eyes glimmering under the flashing lights. "Well, isn't this a sappy club?" Tommy interjected. 

Anna rolled her eyes and turned around, her eyes widening once she saw Thea Queen scrambling through the crowd, "Big brother!" she shouted, her drunken words slurring as she wrapped her arms around Oliver's neck. "Oh! I am so wasted right now. There is-- there is two of you," she laughed. 

Anna, Tommy, and Laurel turned to face the bar while Oliver wondered why the hell Thea was out clubbing when she was grounded and reprimanded her for it. "Thea! You are hanging with the wrong people," he warned.

"You're one to talk," she scoffed. "Uh, how much do you know about your own so-called friends over here?"

"Oh, Thea, maybe you should--" Tommy interrupted. "Tommy, I think your BFF has a right to know," she said with her lips pursed.

"Thea, let's go," Oliver grumbled. 

"Well, I guess they never told you that they've been screwing while you were gone," she announced, looking over at Laurel who was looking down and Tommy who was glancing at Anna. "Thea, we're done here. You and me are going home," Anna intervened, stepping over to Thea and waiting for her to give up her crown of confidence. 

"Oh, no! I have a story for you!" Thea called out, tugging her hand away from Tommy who advised her not to say anything to Anna. "Yeah, see, they don't want me to tell you, they don't want you to know that your parents disowned you! Ha, yeah, talk about tough love! They denied you ever existed, and three days after you were gone they claned out your room and threw away all your things!" she snapped, looking Anna in the eye as she watched tears threaten to spill down her cheeks. 

"Thea," Oliver growled under his breath, his eyes darting to the rebellious teenager. "Don't touch me," she hissed, yanking her arm back. "You're not my father, and you're barely my brother," she muttered to him while stomping back into the crowd to mingle with her bad influences of friends. 

Anna stepped to the bar and grabbed the shot glass that Tommy had ordered for her earlier and dropped her head back to drink the substance. SHe didn't even cringe at the strong taste and instead pushed past Oliver, "I'm going to find Diggle," she told the group of three. Oliver called out to her and tried to grab her wrist but she had already moved away into the mob of people, disappearing from their sights.

Moments later, Max Fuller approached the group, and Anna had found Diggle, explaining all the aggression that had happened in the last three minutes. He understood and listened to every problem that she told him, but when Diggle excused himself to use the restroom, Anna let her eyes wander around the place and noticed Oliver and Tommy wandering behind a curtain with Max Fuller with two guards. 

She rolled her eyes and slammed her shoulder into people dancing, making them move out of her way so she could get to the curtain. When she entered the room, she noticed Laurel slamming Fuller out of the way, and Tommy and Oliver defending themselves, so she walked up to one guard that was about to charge Tommy and swung her fist around, nailing him in the cheek. He dropped back on the floor, struggling to get up, and Anna found peace knowing that she just broke his jaw. "Your vodka was watered down," she sassed, turning to face Fuller who was staring at the group of four. 

"You four considered yourselves banned for life. Get the hell out of my place!" he shouted, throwing back the curtains as he exited the room, his goons following close behind. The one Anna had punched was holding his cheek and glared at the brunette before disappearing, and it brought a small grin to her face. "Your club sucks anyways!" Tommy called after them.

Laurel and Anna approached the two guys and the lawyer was the first to start taking. "You guys okay?" 

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Oliver asked.

"Cop dad, remember? He made me take self-defense classes."

•••

The cold concrete floor made Annabelle shiver as she sat up, her hands coated with blood and her body aching for pain. Her tongue was dry and yearned for water, but she knew she wouldn't get it. She found herself wondering if Sara was tasked with removing a bullet as she was, and since she didn't hear any screaming of her own, she doubted the suggestion. Anthony Ivo had taken a special interest in Sara Lance, he planned more for her than just a guard like he did for Anna. He thought Sara could honestly help change the planet, and save it. He thought Anna could be the fighter behind Sara's face, and Anna knew it, too. He wouldn't let anyone hurt Sara. 

Anna cried out in pain while feeling the absolute pain from when the removed the bullet hours prior. She saw the tray sitting in front of her with the small lead ammo laying inside. Anna stood shakily to her feet and glanced down at the stained gauze on her stomach. Her hands grazed the material and she sucked in a breath, coming to the decision that she, in fact, did not want to see what the wound looked like. She wanted out and off of the freighter. But deep inside she knew her next test was yet to come. 

•••

"Why don't you guys, uh, take a seat and I will grab a couple burgers and some ice for those faces," Diggle suggested as the group wandered into 'Big Belly Burger.' Anna looked around and took in the little details of the quaint little shop. She had never been inside a fast food restaurant and was definitely out of her element. "That girl's pretty cute," Tommy swooned, looking over at the girl Dig had just waved to.

"That's my sister-in-law."

"-Who I will never speak to or look at... ever," Tommy added in, his eyebrows drawing closer when growing serious. "Gonna' grab a booth," he mumbled, taking Anna's hand in his own and dragging her down the aisle of tables while Oliver talked to Diggle about his sister-in-law.

"You cold?" Tommy wondered, letting Anna slide into the window. "Uh, maybe a little, but it's fine," she responded quietly. "No, here, I insist," he said, sliding out of his coat and resting it on her shoulders. She smiled and thanked him as he sat down across from her with Oliver sliding in next to her. 

"Look, man..." Tommy began, looking down at the table as Oliver stared straight ahead at him. "... about Laurel. I was gonna' tell you. I was just trying to figure out the right way."

Oliver chuckled and wrapped an arm around his girlfriend who snuggled into his shoulder for comfort. "Tommy, I've been in a relationship with this angel for seven years. We stayed together on the island and we're here now. Besides, I haven't dated Laurel since college, why does everyone think I'm leaving this gift for her?"

Anna raised an eyebrow and looked up at Oliver who was smiling down at her, "Did you call me an angel and a gift? Who have you been dating?" she retorted, earning laughs from Ollie and Tommy. "Isn't she a charm?" Tommy snickered. Oliver rolled his eyes, "Perfection."

Anna's phone disrupted the conversation between the three and she answered it, one hand plugging her other ear so she could hear better. The girl briefly closed her eyes and looked at Oliver, "I need to take this, maybe outside," she told him. He nodded and got out of the booth, letting her walk out, hugging Tommy's coat to her body. "I'll be right back," she told the boys, letting the door shut behind her and the cold air hit her body.

"So, we checked out?" she asked, resting against the brick exterior. "You did. HId name is Floyd Lawton. I have address, where he stayed last time he was in Starling City, but that is all."

"Let's hope he is a creature of habit. Go."

"1700 Broadway, Papp Motel, room 52. You'll leave us out of this, yes? Assuming Mr. Lawton doesn't kill you first."

"This won't involve you, Mr. Leonov. You'll get your return."

a / n

can I take a breath? nearly 3000 words? hell, that took a long time. this episode still isn't done, but i got to a point i wanted. sorry for not updating for a month, i'm busy working on a plot shop to clean out my drafts with.