Hello out there! I am posting this author's note a day after I posted the chapter so I hope you some of you guys that have already viewed the chapter will be able to see this!
I am beyond amazed with the response this story has gotten, I had no clue that anyone would even be remotely interested in my ramblings or the creation of Charlie and Gen. Gen is actually based off a close friend of mine who behaves similarly.
Anywho, thanks so much to everyone who had taken the time to read this story!
Sidenote:
I don't have a beta reader (in case you couldn't tell, oops) and work to reread my chapters to fix any spelling or grammar mistakes I made. If you see one, or if you have any constructive criticism at all, let me know! After all, I'm here to grow as a writer. I will take it all under consideration while I search for a beta reader.
Charlie slipped the black long sleeved shirt over an old pair of thermal underarmor she had acquired during her parkour years. The movement hurt her ribs like a bitch and she let out a small groan. Maybe this isn't such a good idea? She thought as she bent over to lace black boots. Then she remembered how Matt had outrightly denied her the right to defend herself like she was some kind child that was incapable of taking care of herself. The wave of frustration and anger that overtook her at the memory was enough for her to finish trying her shoes and stand up a little straighter than she did before. He had no right to act like he was in control of any aspect of her life regardless of if he was her lawyer or not. She had been taking care of herself for as long as she could remember, with the help of Gen of course. So, maybe she wasn't going out tonight for the right reasons, but deciding to seek Patch seemed like a tiny stab of defiance against a gloomy and controlling attorney. Serves him right for trying to boss me around.
She grabbed a black vest and scoured through her closet for the knife she knew she had brought with her from home. Eventually she found the box she had hid it in underneath an old scrapbook Gen had made for her in their high school years. The binding was beginning to strip off along the outer edges of the thick leather book and Charlie flipped it open to a random page in the middle. A crinkled photo of her and Gen in their senior year of high school looked up at her. They were both grinning, their arms wrapped around one another in an awkward side hug. Gen's ginger hair curled all the way down to her waist, this was before she had cut it off declaring herself a woman of the new age. Her familiar green eyes crinkled at the edges as she smiled one of her rare smiles at the camera. She was slightly shorter than she was now but still a good inch or so above Charlie. Charlie, on the other hand, looked almost the same compared to how she looked now. She was wearing too much eye makeup and had more of a baby face but her wild hair was still unmanageable and her clothes look sloppy-chic. They both looked so carefree and full of life in the photo, grinning like idiots. This was a time before debt and late night attacks from large, scary men that seemed to have become an everyday occurrence.
Charlie shut the book and returned it gently to the bottom of her closet. She made a silent promise to herself to look through it with Gen soon. Sliding her knife out of the box Charlie realized just how long it had been since she had last used it. Inspecting it closely resulted in her notice of the rust around its handle and the dullness of the blade. At best, I still risk the chance of walking away tonight with tetanus she thought miserably before sliding it back into its sheath and tying it to her belt loop. Having the knife with her offered a small amount of security and she pulled the vest down so it was concealed.
Although, whether she had the knife or not, Charlie still wouldn't stand a chance against her previous attackers.
Or Patch, for that matter. She still wasn't sure if he could be trusted. Despite this law firm that seemed to come highly recommended from him.
Stifling her cynical thoughts, Charlie opened her bedroom door to the sound of the television blaring from down the hall. As usual, Gen was curled on the couch with a very content Jabber, dozing contently. She snapped to attention as soon as Charlie passed her on her way to the front door.
"You can't be serious." There was a note of desperation in her voice as she took in Charlie's solid black night gear.
Charlie stopped at the door and sighed before turning to address Gen. "I have to do it, Gen. I have to find out what's happening to me. And he knows. Maybe not everything, but more than I do. Which may as well be everything."
"Why can't you just let the attorneys take care of it? They seem kinda qualified." Charlie remained by the door and when Gen realized that she wasn't backing down, she stood up. "I'm coming with you."
"To hell your not. This is my mess and I'm going to fix it."
"I beg to differ. It's not really your mess because as far as we know, you haven't done anything to start it! And, on top of that, you're hurt! What kind of friend would I be if I let you wander the streets of Hell's Kitchen alone at night dressed like a hooligan searching for one of your fellow hooligan accomplices? With your luck, you'd probably get arrested, and God knows I can't afford to bail you out of jail. And while all of this is happening you're still being hunted by a band of merry murderers who would like nothing more than to capture you and serve you to their creepy boss on a golden platter. You've been attacked twice already, Charlie!" Gen grabbed her jacket from a kitchen chair and buttoned it around herself. She was practically fuming from her outburst and Charlie knew she had to think fast. The last thing she needed was an accomplice on a night she could very well get murdered. Or arrested as Gen had so gently put it.
"No offense Gen, but you have no skills whatsoever that are going to be the least bit useful tonight. You literally just lay on the couch watching television and occasionally you draw stuff. And to top it off you're hair is basically a giant glowing beacon!" Charlie shouted gesturing to Gen's head. "Bringing you along is like bringing a small child, you wouldn't be able to follow me if I needed to get over any buildings and you can't defend yourself at all!" Noticing Gen's hurt look she lowered her voice, ashamed at her outburst. "Besides, he may not show up if he sees someone's with me. This is something I have to do alone. Anyway, I'm armed." She lifted up the vest slightly so that Gen could see the knife.
"Seriously? A rusty hunting knife? The most that will do for you is give you tetanus."
"That's crossed my mind."
Gen sighed, threw her hands in the air and collapsed onto a sofa chair. "How are you even going to find him Charlie? Hell's Kitchen is huge and there is also the possibility that maybe he decided to take the night off."
Charlie hadn't considered that but she shrugged. "I gotta try."
Gen walked over to their kitchen counter and grabbed Charlie's Canon Rebel and shoved it into her hands. "At least take this."
She turned the camera over in her hands. It was bulky and not something she wanted with her if she was going to be scaling any buildings. Especially with her injuries, it was better to travel light. "I don't know-"
"Take it. Take it and do what you do best, Charlie. Uncover the truth behind this mess you've gotten yourself into. And by you, I mean us." Gen interrupted. She flopped over to the couch and settled down, stroking Jabber's head. Jimmy Fallon's voice blasting from the television escorted Charlie out as she silently left the apartment and made her way down to the street.
Charlie had been walking for hours. She had meandered her way around Hell's Kitchen hoping to find some sign of Patch or her attackers. I should know better than to jump into something before I have a solid lead. Charlie punched the side of the building she was next to in frustration. Her hand vibrated and pain shot up her arm. Okay, I've made better decisions. She grimaced and turned around facing the empty street while shaking her hand out.
She didn't know what else to do. She had looked in every corner of Hell's Kitchen for anything suspicious or shady. Which, for Hell's Kitchen, shouldn't have been that hard. Practically everything was suspicious or shady. But of course tonight was the night that the Kitchen decided to clean up it's act and be all upstanding and respectable. Charlie had seen next to no one on the streets, let alone a band of criminals or everyone's favorite masked vigilante.
She sat on the curb and waited. For what, she wasn't sure but she could feel panic and frustration taking over. What if she couldn't find Patch? What if she was captured before the goofy attorneys could help? Why was this happening to her? She tilted her head back as she felt the tears fill her eyes.
That's when she heard the scream.
It rang through the alleyways, shrill and bloodcurdling before it was cut short abruptly. Which of course, is never a good sign. Charlie jumped to her feet and swirled around trying to place exactly where it had come from. Not a soul resided on the street she was on and she quickly picked a direction she hoped was right and jogged down the road. She kept her ears perked for anymore sound, anything that would tell her she was going the right way. She had no clue what she would do when she found the source of the scream but she would figure it out as she went along. Pretty much her life motto.
She slowed her pace, frantically searching the alleys before she heard the voices. They were coming from a tiny alley about a block up and she quickly ran over before crouching down and twisting to look into it.
Three men had surrounded a young girl, maybe 15 or 16 and were angrily discussing what to do with her. A fourth man had her arms twisted around her back and a hand clamped over her mouth. Charlie could see the fear radiating from her eyes all the way from the street and felt a pang in her heart. She knew what it was like to be in this girls shoes. While the men argued Charlie flipped back around so that her back was against the wall and she was facing the street. Think, Charlie, think! She ran through multiple scenarios in her head all of which ended in either her or the girl getting brutally murdered and left in the alley.
Charlie nearly lost it when the hand was clamped over her mouth and she was pulled up from her squatting position and her back pressed against a man's form.
"Shh, don't scream. I'm taking my hand off your mouth now." Charlie stirred at the voice, it was familiar. Very, familiar.
The man released his hold and she whipped around to face him.
"Patch?! What the hell?" She shouted. His hand quickly covered her mouth again as he shoved her against the wall of the building.
"Really? Could you be any louder?" He whispered harshly. Charlie slapped him and he dropped his hand from her mouth and brought it up to his cheek. "Umm, ow!" He said melodramatically.
"Don't you dare cover my mouth again!" Charlie spat pointing a finger at his face. She didn't stop to think that he could take her down with the flick of his hand but he just smirked like a pit bull that had just gotten swatted on the nose by a kitten.
"Well, try not to yell and give away our position!" Patch retorted, clearly having none of her shit. "Which brings me to the question of what the hell are you doing here?" He had lowered his masked face until it was directly in front of Charlie's and she could feel the heat radiating off his body.
"I could ask you the same thing." Charlie whispered trying to put his close proximity out of her mind. He both scared and intrigued her and she wasn't about to let him know it.
"Are you serious? I kind of do this for a living."
"For all you know, I could too."
"I know for a fact that you don't."
Charlie raised a hand. "Oh, really? How can you be so sur-"
"Look," Patch interrupted. "We don't have time for this right now. But we will be discussing this later."
Charlie scoffed. "Yeah, whatever Dad."
Patch shot her a glare and moved to the edge of the building, looking over at the scene. Charlie, trying to be as professional as possible hunched over beside him and looked over as well. The men were still arguing but the girl was now tied and gagged against the wall of the alley. Her head was down and Charlie couldn't tell if she was conscious or not.
"Oh my God, is she okay?" Charlie whispered.
"She's fine. Terrified, but fine."
"How can you be so certain?" She looked up at him as he turned back around to face the street.
"Not important right now."
Charlie threw her hands in the air. "Of course not. God forbid I was actually on the same page as you about something!"
Patch's jaw twitched and he quickly changed the subject. "Okay, so four guys. Not too bad. I can take them out easily and get the girl to safety in a few minutes, tops."
Charlie nodded. "Great. And what do you want me to do?"
Patch turned to her. "Excuse me?"
Charlie motioned to the alley. "You know. What do you want me to do? Tackle 'em? Stab in the leg with the tetanus knife? Pick your poison."
Patch titled his head at her and was silent for a few minutes. Charlie imagined that if he wasn't wearing the mask then he would probably be giving her one of those death glares Gen had mastered years ago.
"You are not going to do anything. With or without said tetanus knife. You are going to stay here because last time I checked you were hurt pretty bad and am in no condition to fight. In fact, even if you were not injured, I would not be setting you lose to take down four adult men on your own."
"Well, it's a good thing I'm not on my own then, is it?" Charlie rebuked crossing her arms over her chest. "You're here."
"You are not-"
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do. You have no control over me whatsoever. So either give me a way to help or I'll just charge in there without you." Charlie had been at a loss the first two times she was attacked and there was nothing worse than knowing you weren't in control of what was happening in your life. This was a way for her to regain some control in her life and she wasn't about to take orders from a masked vigilante. Or from anyone, for that matter.
Seeing that she wasn't going to back down Patch sighed.
"Fine. I'll take out the men, you get the girl. Get her out of the alley. She's not hurt so get her to the street and call the police. The officers that are on the clock currently are clean, she'll be fine."
Charlie didn't ask how he knew that because she figured he wouldn't answer and nodded. Proud to at least have a job she waited at the curb as Patch scaled the building planning on dropping on the men from above. She waited until she heard the fight breakout before she darted into the alley, staying close to the wall so as not to draw attention to herself.
Patch moved at lightening speed. By the time Charlie made it into the alley one man was already down, presumably the one Patch had dropped on from the fire escape. He was engaged with the others, three against one, but they were no match for him. Charlie heard the sickening thud as a man was hit with a garbage can lid by Patch and let out a groan. Everything that was happening reminded Charlie of her attacks and she struggled to remain calm. She had a mission to finish.
She ran up to the girl and began untying her knots, starting with the gag around her mouth. The girl struggled against her at first and Charlie worked to pacify her.
"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay, I'm a friend of his. I'm here to help you."
"He has friends?"
Charlie grinned at her while she worked on the bonds on her hand. "I know right? He has such an awful attitude."
The girl looked at Charlie like she was insane and Charlie assumed it probably looked that way. Here she was criticizing the attitude of a man who only a few feet behind her was bashing another man's head in. But hey, weirder things had happened.
As soon as the girl was free Charlie tugged her to her feet and ran to the street pulling the girl behind her.
"Do you have a cellphone?" Charlie asked, looking over her shoulder to see that Patch was still finishing one man. The sound of their punches could still be heard from the street and Charlie wondered why no one had come outside to see what the ruckus was. Probably used to hearing it around here, she thought.
"Y-yeah." The girl stuttered while she nodded. Her adrenaline was wearing off and shock was setting in. She needed to get away from here, quick.
"Call 911, I'll stay with you until they come, okay?"
The teenager nodded and quickly dialed 911. The sound of sirens filled the air shortly after and Charlie looked back at the alley to see Patch walking up to her. Despite being outnumbered he had come out of the fight fairly unharmed. There were more rips in his black garb and he was bleeding in some places but not too heavily. The wounds all appeared to be superficial. Charlie found herself releasing a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She'd made it out of yet another street fight with the masked vigilante by her side.
Patch stopped at the edge of the alley, not stepping out into the streetlights and Charlie knew that was her cue. She looked at the girl who had gone pale in the face and was beginning to shiver. The lights from the cars could be seen rapidly approaching.
Charlie placed one hand on the girls arm and another on her cheek. "Hey, you're gonna be fine. Look, they're almost here." The teenage turned to look at the approaching cars.
"I have to go now, but you're in good hands. Stay outta trouble from now on, okay?" The girl nodded at her as Charlie turned and jogged towards Patch who was still lurking in the alleyway.
The moment she reached him he turned and made his way down the alley and past the unconscious men. Charlie made sure to not look too closely at any of them. She couldn't decide if they were alive or not and she really didn't want to know. Patch stopped at the fire escape he had jumped off of earlier and leaped up to grab the lowest rung and pull himself up. He reached down to extend a hand to Charlie but she shook her head.
"I got this." It had been at least a year since she had really practiced her parkour and perhaps trying to do this with some bruised ribs wasn't the smartest idea but she was going to do it anyway. Patch seemed amused enough to sit back and watch her try with a familiar smirk on his face.
"Okay, but don't blame me when your ribs hurt even more in the morning."
"Y'know, I've had enough of your attitude tonight, mister."
"Okay, Mom." He teased making fun of her retort from earlier. Charlie rolled her eyes and backed up, preparing for a running start. She took a deep breath when she felt she was far enough back and ran, leaping at the last minute and reaching for the lowest rung. She knew she had aimed to low a second too late and felt herself falling down when a strong hand grabbed her wrist and another one grabbed under her other arm, hoisting her up onto the platform. Charlie let out a small moan as the pain in her chest became next to unbearable for a few moments and she doubled over on the platform and took a couple deep breaths. When she felt it passing she pointed at Patch.
"Don't. You. Dare. Say I told you so. Because I will punch you."
He put his arms up in a surrendering gesture. "I wouldn't dream of it. Come on, let's get to the roof."
She followed him to the roof and took in the city around her. They weren't on the tallest building by any means, just a small apartment complex but the view was still enough to take her breath away. The city lights blocked her from seeing any of the stars she would normally see at home but they kind of worked like stars themselves, all bright and twinkling. Once she had had enough of the view she turned to Patch who seemed to be oblivious to the view and was, instead, focused on her.
"So, is there any particular reason you're out tonight when you should be resting or do you just like to make things difficult for me?" He got right to the point.
"I'm mostly just out because my lawyer tried to tell me I couldn't be."
"What are you, fourteen?" Patch sighed. "Maybe your lawyer is trying to keep you safe. I say I have to agree with him. Let's not have the inexperienced, injured girl who just so happens to be being hunted by killers loose in the streets of Hell's Kitchen at night!"
"Please." Charlie rolled her eyes. "I've been taking care of myself and discovering secrets since I was thirteen. If anyone can figure this shit out, it's me. I can't just sit around and rely on them to figure it out when I know I could help."
Patch stared at her for a minute as if he was debating on arguing with her or not. He seemed to decide better of it and agree with her which was fine by Charlie since she had no plans of backing down. This was what she came out here to do.
"Okay, fair enough. But that still doesn't change the fact that you're injured right now. So. . ."
"Alright," Charlie began. "Your point may be valid. But I had to find you as soon as possible to-"
"Wait," Patch interrupted. "You had to find me?"
Charlie groaned. "I was getting to that part."
"Sorry. Continue."
"As I was saying, I needed to find you because I think you're my best bet at finding out who sent those men. You know what goes on in the underbelly of this city more than anyone else. "
"And why would you think that?"
"Seriously? That night I was in your apartment and you were all like 'Good things come with time, grasshopper' and now you're wondering why I seeked you out at night to ask for help? You literally fight these people every night. It's your job."
Patch tilted his head to the side. Charlie was quickly discovering what an annoying habit this was because it usually led to conversations she didn't want to have.
"To be honest, I don't know all that much. I briefed your attorneys on mo-"
"Well, brief me." Charlie crossed her arms over her chest. She was surprised that he wasn't fighting her more on this but she knew just how annoying she could be. Gen reminded her almost every day. Patch turned his head in her direction. If she could see the upper part of his face she was sure he would be glaring at her.
"Maybe another-"
"Now." Charlie snapped and Patch began to walk towards her and she quickly added feebly, "Please?"
He didn't stop until he was face to mask with her and Charlie became aware of just how isolated she was and how little she knew about the man in front of her. He was intimidating when he wanted to be. Although in his line of work that was probably a necessity.
"I really don't know much. But I think I may," He raised his finger. "Key word 'may', have a lead on who's organizing the operation. This is probably not the person who's signing the paychecks, but it's a start. I was actually planning on paying a visit to him tonight before I ran into you trying to organize a rescue mission by yourself."
Charlie didn't want to know what 'paying a visit' entailed but she felt hope for the first time in the last couple days. If Patch had a lead, then maybe this wasn't a lost cause. Maybe she could be saved.
"I wanna come," She blurted.
"No. You're hurt. Besides, even if you were fin-"
"Don't treat me like a child. I can do this. I don't have to fight, just let me snoop around a bit, I have a great eye. I bet I can get us another lead. Something for us to go off of after we're finished with this man. I wanna help, this is my fight."
Patch seemed to consider this for a moment. Charlie held her breath. This would all be a hell of a lot easier if Patch would agree to work with her. Together they would make a great team, what with his criminal fighting and her keen eye of observation. With Patch at her side she wouldn't have to worry about getting attacked anymore and could focus on discovering who's doing this. She shifted her camera from one shoulder to another, a nervous habit she had adopted in college.
"Okay, say I let you tag along. We would need to establish a few ground rules." He backed away from and began to pace the building.
"Anything."
He held up his fingers as he counted off his demands.
"One. We don't investigate this man until you are fully healed, or at least close to it."
Charlie groaned. "That could take weeks. I don't have that kind of time!"
"I'll keep an eye on you and make sure they can't hurt you. You'll be fine. Besides, you're healing quickly. If you would just take it easy a bit, you'll be a hundred percent better in a week."
Again, Charlie found herself wondering at his uncanny ability to know things he shouldn't but she figured she would discover the answers with time.
"Fine. Next?"
"I need to brief your attorneys on our agreement."
"And why exactly do you need to do that? I'd rather keep them out of it. What if they get caught in the crossfire? Or worse, what if they want to come along?" She pictured Matt attempting to follow into an ambush and getting destroyed by opponents he couldn't even see. She would not be responsible for that.
"They won't come along, but they need to know what you're doing and where we get any information so that they can help us in any way they can. In order to properly utilize them, we need to keep them updated."
"Whatever. What's the last demand?"
"You can't tell Gen any of this. At all. The less she knows the better."
Charlie was totally on board with keeping this among as few people as possible but she told Gen everything. The thought of lying to her face about where she was going and any new evidence relating to the case made her sick to her stomach. She knew why Patch was asking her to do it, Gen would be a hell of a lot safer if she was as far from this mess as possible, but not telling her made Charlie feel more isolated. Perhaps it was selfish to want to keep her informed, but Gen was her last link to home and lying to her severed that connection. Gen was someone she could vent to without worrying about her judging her decisions or cutting her off. She would always tell Charlie the truth regardless of feelings. And that honesty was what had kept them together for so long. Charlie was about to break their number one rule. She took a deep breath before nodding to Patch. He had stopped pacing and was staring at her expectantly.
"Okay. What now?"
