Issue #13

Interlude: The Mystery on Selina Kyle

Stonegate Prison, Gotham

01/31/2007

10:40

The glass separated them, a good thing too. Selina gritted her teeth so hard they'd crack, gripping the phone a little too tightly as she glared at Bruce.

He was dressed impeccably in a suit which was pricey enough to pay off most of Gothamites mortgages. His blue eyes sharp, and his usual carefree expression was stern with a hint of steel.

"Are you honestly going to sit there and say that's it?" she snarled.

Bruce sighed quietly, making her want to punch him. "I can get you out in two to three years if you show good behaviour, but that's it, Selina."

That was too long. She discreetly touched her stomach in dread. "You said you'd help." Her eyes narrowed at him accusingly.

His lips thinned, closing his eyes, as he breathed in deeply for a second. "You committed a crime," he said, levelly, narrowing his eyes at her almost darkly. "I'm sorry, but you need to serve time."

Her insides grew cold. She stared at him for a long while, feeling her lingering affections turn to ash. "And, here I thought you cared," she replied, softly.

Naïve, that's what she was. Gullible enough to allow herself to think Bruce Wayne was more than just a pretentious playboy who actually cared about her. That he'd be the type of man who'd actually, just maybe, be happy that he was going to be a father.

His face softened into something strangely real and… raw? "I do care about you, Selina," his voice was tender, almost sad. "But…" A hard look found its way back into his gaze. "You committed a crime…the law is the law."

Selina grew silent, hand still on her stomach. If she stayed in prison like a good girl (she almost sneered) her baby would be taken away. Worst case, Bruce rejected the baby and it got tossed in the foster system while she rotted in jail. The less worst case, Bruce took the child in and raised it while she rotted in jail.

Either way, she still rots in jail.

And, if she did get out before her child started school, she'd probably only get to see the kid on weekends… who's to say her child wouldn't hate her? Maybe Bruce would turn their kid against her so he had the child all to himself.

She swallowed a lump in her throat as she glared at him. "You're a son of a bitch," she whispered hatefully.

Bruce's expression tightened but remained infuriatingly passive. "I'm sorry."

Liar

Or maybe he's not? A small voice broke through her anger. Tell him about the baby.

Selina bit down on her tongue, afraid it'd speak without her consent. Despite what she may think, Bruce was still her baby's father, he'd helped create it, so didn't he deserve the right to know?

But, what if he takes the baby away?

Her thoughts from earlier resurfaced, causing her to ball her hands into fists and look away. "…I don't want you to visit me anymore," she said, coldly.

If she was going to get out of here it sure as hell wouldn't be because of him.

Bruce gripped the phone tightly. "I understand you're angry—"

Her expression darkened. "No, you never understood, that's the problem," she interrupted, softly, placing the phone back on the hook as she stood up.

She looked at him, really looked at him this time, wanting to take in every detail like this was the last time she'd ever see him. His perfect chin, that always caught her attention, was clenched tight and his blue eyes were sharp like shards of ice.

He started saying her name from behind the glass, but it was a muffled hum. Selina narrowed her eyes at him one last time before she turned away towards the prison officer who stood at the ready.

Selina hesitated for a second, partly turning her head sideways, tempted to look back at him again, second guessing herself. She stopped herself, pausing for a couple of seconds before she sighed and turned her head fully away from him so he wasn't even in the rear-view of her sight.

South Dakota

09/20/2023

20:05

Selina had to admit, she was proud Holly had made something of herself in the last sixteen years; she ran her own mechanic shop in the nearest town. The younger woman's home was nice and the type of size Selina liked, with the living room wallpaper decorated a pale blue and full of complimenting furniture.

Terry squirmed in his sleep as Selina settled him down in the car seat, sitting on the sofa next to him. There was a full bag of groceries on the floor by her feet, the food would tie her over for the next three days until she reached Gotham.

"He still asleep?" Holly came into the room, wearing a pale pink dressing gown, with her blond hair tied up into a ponytail. She was smoking a cigarette leisurely.

Selina narrowed her eyes, conscious of the second-hand smoke affecting Terry. "Isn't smoking illegal?" she said, wryly.

Holly smirked. "Not in South Dakota."

"Yeah, well, I don't want that stuff near my baby. So put it out," Selina reprimanded, sternly.

The younger woman rolled her eyes, irking Selina a little, and then stubbed the cigarette out in some dirt. Holly crossed her arms and stepped further into the room and stared at Terry thoughtfully. "So, was it another broken condom this time?"

Selina glared at her while she fumbled with the car seat buckle. "No," she hissed, looking away for a second to click the buckle into place. "I…" She sighed deeply, grimacing. "I got married."

Holly's eyes bulged. "Are you serious?" She rushed forward, looking at Selina's hands. "Where's the ring?"

Selina sighed, reaching for the chain around her neck to show the gold ring attached to the end. She gripped the chain tightly, feeling her stomach twist when she stared at it. "His name was Warren…" she told her quietly, a dead weight settled in her stomach.

Holly winced back, realising what had happened. "Oh, crap. When did he…you know?" she murmured, twisting her hands uncomfortably.

Selina tucked the chain back under her jumper, leaning forward when she rested her elbows on her knees. She didn't really want to go into too many details considering the circumstances but…well it'd be nice to talk to someone about it.

"A month ago. Car crash." Her teeth gritted towards the end, trying to keep her anger at bay. "Look, Holly, the less you know the better, okay…"

Holly placed a hand on her hip and frowned. "What kind of shit did you get involved in this time, Selina?"

The former thief sighed, running a hand over her face from exhaustion. "Like I said, the less you know the better," she repeated, looking up at her sternly.

Holly's eyes narrowed, looking like she was trying very hard to bite down on her tongue. She folded her arms again, fidgeting, and looked over at the sleeping infant. "So, what's his name?" she asked, straining a smile.

In spite of herself, Selina found her face softening into a smile, glancing over at Terry. "Terry McGinnis," she answered, stroking her son's soft hair. "Warren picked it out." Her smile dimmed, leaning against the car seat as she stared at the baby, readjusting the small yellow stuffed puppy that was nestled on his chest

"He's cute," Holly said, faintly. Selina just hummed slowly, kissing her son's forehead; his skin had that fresh smell to it, and she found it soothing. "You shouldn't go back to Gotham."

Selina grew still, sighing quietly. "I have to."

Holly's expression became tight. "Selina-"

"Holly, please." Selina got off the sofa and stood up, matching the younger woman's height, which was still jarring considering the woman had been extremely short as a teen. "There's someone…no, people, there that I need to see, okay so, I have to go."

The blonde gave her a long hard stare. "Just because Black Mask is dead, doesn't mean you're safe, and neither is your daughter." Holly hunched her shoulders. "You've already had two chances for a normal life, don't ruin your third."

Selina dug her long nails into her palms, a tight, bitter smile crept onto her face. "I used up all my chances, Holly."

Derek Powers had destroyed any hope of a normal life for her, so it was only fair she returned the favour, right?

She looked back at her baby and closed her eyes for a moment. With Terry she did have options, adoption was the last resort, but if it came to it, he'd be safer away from her like Helena was. But, still… it would be a lot to shove on Helena and maybe even outlandish some might say, but Bruce was another option.

Selina sat back down on the sofa and contemplated. "I want Terry to be safe," she said, mostly to herself. "He should be with his sister…"

Bruce wasn't the same man he was sixteen years ago, that much she'd seen in the News and on Television. Richard Grayson was definitely a surprise when she'd heard about him but what was more surprising were the two other boys that followed.

More importantly, despite her fears, Bruce had taken responsibility for his daughter when she'd been flung on him seven years too late.

So, yeah, maybe Bruce was a self-righteous prick, but he'd proved her wrong on what counted most, and that was taking responsibility as a father.

"So, what?" Holly interrupted her train of thought. "You're just gonna dump him on Wayne's doorstep or someth'n?"

"No," Selina replied, dryly, shaking her head. "Besides, I'm only leaving him if I have too." She bit the inside of her mouth, looking back at Terry. She didn't want to abandon him but… both of her children needed to stay safe, and she'd failed yet again to provide a normal life for her child.

Terry's brow furrowed, squirming in his seat as he started to wake. Selina frowned and caressed his forehead when he let out a low whine, as his eyes blinked open.

She unbuckled his car seat when she sensed the impending tears. "Ssh, baby," Selina murmured, picking him up. That's when the crying really started, he let out a high pitched scream, clumsily kicking his legs.

Selina rocked him in her arms, feeling his diaper, which turned out to be soggy. "Shh, baby, it's okay," she soothed, gently, settling him down on the sofa for a moment so she could change him. "Mama's here."

Holly sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I'll go get the keys," she mumbled groggily, walking towards the kitchen.

"Thanks," Selina called after her, smiling a little as she took out the small changing mat from his diaper bag and placed it underneath his bottom.

Holly may be rougher around the edges now, but Selina could understand why since it was a sticky situation and Holly didn't like not being in the know. It was necessary, though, the last thing she wanted was for the woman to end up dead.

Her gaze shifted towards the time on her burner phone; she'd need to get Terry back in the car and set off if she wanted to cover more ground before morning. She squeezed her left breast to check how full it was, her feeding schedule with Terry was a mess since she had to sleep in the day and keep moving. It probably wasn't good for his development, but they didn't have much choice right now.

Her baby's cries started to fade once his mess had been attended to, and he settled to lightly kicking the air, making her smile a little. She wiped Terry's bottom clean and changed the diaper, tieing the old one in a small plastic bag.

Holly came back into the room with a few cans in her arm. "I thought you could use these as well," she said, placing the drinks in the food bag. "I still think you should stay the night."

Selina sighed and buttoned up Terry's blue footsie pyjamas. "There's less traffic at night," she replied. "And, besides, you know me, I'm nocturnal." She gave the younger woman a slanted smile, picking up her baby when he started to settle.

"I have a storage unit you can dump the car at." Holly chewed her bottom lip and handed over a set of keys and a slip of paper with a name and phone number on it. "Alexia will give you a place to stay, Gotham's usual standards," she said, dryly, sighing. "So nothing too fancy, but it'll be safe for the kid."

Selina slipped the keys and paper into her jean's pocket. "She know who I am?"

"No, all she knows is that you're a friend, and that's all that matters," Holly answered, rubbing her arms like there was a chill. "So listen, try and call, you know, so I don't think you've dropped off the face of the earth again."

Selina balanced Terry in her arms. "I'll call when I'm settled in, promise," she told her, leaning in for a hug.

Holly embraced her, careful not to crush the baby. She rested her chin on Selina's shoulder and rubbed her back. "You're crazy, you know that right?"

"I used to dress up like a cat, Holly." Selina cracked a smile, resting Terry's head on her shoulder when he started to drift off again. "I caught on pretty early that I wasn't normal."

The Walkers Bar, Boston

02/05/2014

15:35

It was raining outside and you could hear the drops of water splash against the window irritatingly. The bar was barely full, while Selina hastily tried to scrub the counter clean.

Helena finished gymnastics at 16:15, which meant she had to finish up here in the next twenty minutes she could grab the bus to the school to pick her up on time.

Selina sprayed the bar again to try and get rid of the massive sticky stain in the corner. She still had to finish unloading the new delivery since Monica was off sick again with who-the-hell knew what. She barely noticed the door open when someone knew came in, and kept her head down while she tried to scrub the counter clean.

Her face scrunched up into a frown while someone came to sit at the bar. "Be with you in a minute, bud," she drawled, dragging her nail across the thin layer of stick.

"Take your time, Selina."

Her whole body felt like it's been sprayed by Mr Freeze's gun, cold, and partly terrified. Selina, slowly, looked up to look at the guy sitting in front of her, as the protective walls she'd spent the last seven years building up started to crumble and shake.

Silky Cernak stared right back at her, smiling like the snake in the grass he was. "Or is it Irene now?" he asked, quietly, staring at her coldly. He looked the same as he did when she'd last seen him. Still balled, heavily built with muscle, and a sharp chin that you could cut yourself on. "Ya know, for a fugitive you've done pretty okay."

"How'd you find me?" she managed to keep her voice steady because there was no way in hell she'd give him the satisfaction of letting her fear show. Her eyes flickered around the bar, looking for any other unfamiliar faces.

Silky's smile faded and his expression grew darker. "I didn't, someone else did." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card which had a few drops of blood stained on it. "Wanna guess who?"

The card was a crisp white with a name and number printed on it in black letters, Roman Sionis. Fuck.

She pulled her shoulders back and swallowed a bad taste in her mouth, refusing to show weakness. "He give you that himself?" she asked, levelly.

"Found it in my house, all the way in Florida." His eyes were hard like stone. "Guess whose blood that is."

The inside of her mouth was dry and her throat hurt. There was only one other person who had helped her steal that money. "Johnson's," she answered, evenly.

"Yeah, the idiot visited his Ma back in Gotham." Silky smiled scornfully. "Didn't take long for them to grab him, who knows how long they had him for.

"I'm surprised he didn't kill you," she said, coldly. "Or maybe it's just a question of when."

He snarled. "Or a question of bargaining who takes the blame?"

Her hands twitched to strangle him, but she restrained herself. "And, you're honestly stupid enough to think he won't kill you afterwards, dumbass?"

Silky grabbed her wrist, making her eyes narrow warningly because he was one move away from getting a glass smashed over his head.

"He wants his money back, all fifty-five grand," he hissed, digging his nails into her wrist.

Her gaze grew sharper. "Get your hand off me, Silky," she whispered dangerously low.

Silky squeezed her wrist, almost defiantly, for a second longer before releasing her and then shifted back in his seat. "He wants you and me to get him double the amount back." He glanced over his shoulder at the door. "Then he says we're square. He leaves you and me alone for good."

Selina swore under her breath, looking around the bar self-consciously, but it was even emptier than before. "How do I know he won't kill me regardless?" she argued, crossing her arms.

"Well, you see, honey." He leant closer in on the bar. "You seem to be under the delusion you have a choice, Irene." Then his eyes flashed to the clock behind the bar, grimacing. "And, you better hurry, Helena needs picking up, remember?"

Her chest tightened, as a shiver ran down her spine. How long had they been watching her?

Despite how vulnerable she may have looked, Selina rushed out of the bar and into the back room, slamming the door behind her. She grabbed her jacket, her arms shaking when she tried to put it on, while her heart raced and her stomach churned like she was going to vomit.

Selina grabbed her bag and rushed out of the back door, not bothering to lock it behind her.

Helena kicked her trainers against the pavement while she waited for her mama underneath the bus stop. Her leotard was folded away in her backpack so she was dressed in a warm red hooded jacket and thick jeans.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a large burly man came to sit next to her, like right next to her with no in-between seat or gap. Helena frowned a little and craned her neck to look up at him; he looked a bit like a pit-bull. He didn't look at her and just faced forward, dressed up in a dark suit with no tie, and he had a lot of rings on his fingers—her frown deepened—his knuckles were scratched and bruised looking.

Her attention was diverted when a similarly dressed, and even bulkier looking man, came to stand near her while he looked at his phone.

Helena looked at them warily, feeling uneasy for some reason, like how she felt when she and Kelly had secretly watched that horror movie of the scary girl in the well.

She looked back at the school which was at the end of the street on the corner, the gymnastics' teacher would still be there and technically Helena was supposed to be waiting with her if Mama was ever late, but her mama would have phoned the school beforehand.

Her ears pricked up when she heard the bus approach, feeling her anxiety melt away. The bus came to a stop and four people got off, the usual four; the lady with red hair, the old man with a walking stick, the young man who always wore headphones, and the fourth person was, Helena tensed, the fourth person wasn't her mama, instead it was a lady in a purple woollen hat.

The two men didn't get on the bus when all the people had got off.

Helena twisted her hands uneasily, feeling cold. Would the gymnastics' teacher even still be in the school? She bit her lip. The woman at the office would still be there, though, and a few teachers as well. It was safe, and Mama had warned her about strange men and women kidnapping kids.

She pulled up her hood and slid off the bench, stiffening when she felt the men's eyes bore into her, but otherwise didn't react, even though her legs felt shaky. Helena gripped the straps of her backpack and looked both ways before she crossed the road, keeping her head down.

She could hear two other sets of footsteps from behind her, making her stomach drop. Her neck was stiff and she started to walk faster, only shy of breaking out into a run. The footsteps behind her grew fainter. Were they going away?

Swallowing a big lump in her throat, Helena looked behind her and slowed down. The two men were both on their phones.

"…Okay," the one who looked like a pit-bull said, glaring at her from the corner of his eye.

Helena hunched her shoulders up and bit down on her tongue, ready to make a bolt for it.

Then, the two men turned their backs to her and walked away.

She frowned and came to a stop, watching their retreating forms. Her fear faded a little bit but the bad sensation in her stomach stayed put.

A bus drove passed her, making her blink quickly and shake her head. She started to walk to the school entrance when she heard someone running towards her who sounded very out of breath. Helena squinted, to see who it was, balling her hands into fists just in case it was someone like those two men.

The tension left her shoulders and the bad feeling went away as soon as she saw it was her mama running, drenched from the rain.

Helena grinned and hurried towards her when her mom stopped to lean against the school wall, coughing badly.

"Mama!" Helena practically tackled the woman, wrapping her hands around her mama's waist, protectively.

Mama's chest was heaving. "I had to get, get a-another bus," she wheezed, bending down to Helena's level to cup her face. "Everything okay, Kitten?"

Helena frowned, seeing how worried she looked. The girl looked over her shoulder warily and then back at her mama, hesitating before she spoke. "There were these weird men at the bus stop," she said, quietly, shifting on the spot, her feet felt squishy from the rain.

Her mama's face drained of colour, looking ill, as she rested her hands on Helena's shoulders. "What did they do?"

"Nothing," Helena answered, shrugging, feeling like she was making a big deal out of nothing. "They just didn't seem nice…"

"Oh, God," Mama whispered, voice almost trembling, which isn't something that happens a lot because her mama is as tough as nails and the boldest person Helena's ever known.

Something isn't right.

"Mama?" Helena gripped her mom's hand tightly, while her brow creased. "Are you okay?"

A small hesitant smile crawled onto Mama's face, looking painful to produce, as the woman stood up and wrapped an arm around Helena. "I was just worried, there's a lot of bad people in this city, remember?" she replied, as the two of them started to walk down the street. Home was only a couple of blocks away, but the rain always made the walk seem longer.

"I didn't talk to them," Helena told her, knowing the Stranger Danger rule.

Her mama didn't look at her. "Good, baby, that's good," she murmured, acting more than a little strange, but that's what most moms did when stuff like this happened…

The living room window was open, with Selina sitting on the smoking. It was dark outside and cloudy, already past nine at night, so her daughter was safely tucked in bed.

There was a black car parked outside across the street, which had been there since she brought Helena home. She let the tobacco fill her lungs before she released it, as the smoke escaped through the window and spread out.

Then, the phone started ringing.

Selina tossed the cigarette out of the window and got to her feet, feeling stiff. The ringing was loud and would wake up Helena if she didn't answer it, but she still found herself hesitating. It wasn't until the phone rang for a fifth time did Selina go over and answer it, pressing the cordless phone to her ear.

"Are you in or not?" It was Silky, and he sounded pissed off.

She narrowed her eyes at the wall. "I'm not promising anything until I know my daughter's gonna be safe at the end of this," she more or less hissed, running a hand through her short hair.

There was a bad static noise in the background like he was on a street; payphone? "Sionis wants to make an example outta you, so you play nice and you might make it home with only half a beating," he answered.

She gritted her teeth. "Will my daughter be safe?"

There was silence, and then hushed whispers from the other line, more than two people. "…Okay," Silky was speaking to someone else. "…You cooperate and they'll ignore the kid, she's nothing, as long as she stays out of the way, she's fine," he told her.

Selina scratched her arm, agitated. She looked over at the window where the car was still parked outside, and then at the bedroom door, a cold feeling wash over her.

How far would she get before they hunted her down again and killed Helena as retribution?

The room she was in felt small like there wasn't enough air to breathe. She'd burned her bridges when she'd escaped prison and left Gotham, the only ally she had left was Holly but she didn't want to drag the girl into this mess…

"…Okay, I'm in," she said, quietly, pressing her back against the corner of the room. "What do I have to do?"

Silky let out a quite satisfied/relieved hum. "He made it clear that he wants his money back, didn't care how, so I suggested a Jewellery heist, just like the old days," he sounded bitter. "You heard of the Touch of Gold Jewellers?"

She had to rack her brains for a second before nodding. "Yes." It was on the edge of Boston.

"I've organised it for the tenth. We go in, get the stuff and leave, simple," he said.

"And, then I get a bullet popped in my skull, right?" she replied, dryly, wanting to smash the phone against the wall like it was Silky's head. "Meanwhile you get off scot-free."

"Better than the alternative, though," he snarled. "One word from Sionis and they come in there and kill you and the kid right now."

A spark of anger lit up inside of her. "With you dead too," her voice rose. "Sionis can go die in a hole for all I care."

There was a harsh growl from the other end of the line. "You want me to tell him that? Huh?" he snapped. "Get off your fucking high horse, Selina, or your little girl will pay for it," his tone became darker.

Selina's insides shrivelled up as she pushed herself off the wall and walked back over to the window. "Don't fuck me around, Silky," she hissed, digging her long nails into her palm.

"Then don't start playing games, because it ain't just you who's gonna lose, Selina," he shot back coldly. "Now, I need to be sure you're not gonna mess this shit up, okay," his voice lowered. "Because if you step a toe—"

"I already told you I was in," she interrupted, sick of being talked down to. Silky used to be her henchman and now he thought he had the balls to talk to her like she was a tramp on the street? Fuck him, and fuck Sionis. Her anger coiled around her like a fire. "Go near my daughter again and I'll cut your nuts off," was the last thing she said before she slammed the phone back on the hook.

South Dakota

09/20/2023

21:00

Terry had fallen back to sleep in his car seat in the back while Selina drove through the state with the radio on. She sighed, leaning back in her seat. It'd be another couple of hours until she reached the state border.

The radio was playing another latest pop song with catchy lyrics but it all sort of buzzed together. Her thoughts drifted back to Powers and the information Warren had left her. There wasn't much to go on, just mainly biology info and more interestingly, a list of twenty-two names.

The only thing she understood was that Powers was involved in her husband's murder, even if she still couldn't prove it, and that the project Warren was involved in linked back to his colleagues at STAR labs.

Her gaze flickered to the glove compartment for a second before facing the road again. The car behind her was too close to her bumper and it's lights were too bright, making her squint. Selina's brow furrowed, feeling uneasy as she sped up more to give herself some more distance, glancing at Terry in the wing-mirror.

She gripped the steering wheel tighter, feeling the lights of the car behind her burn her neck. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, opening the glove compartment with her free hand; a gun inside.

A white cleaning van overtook the car behind her and went in front, blocking most of her view since it was so close. She was wedged in between them. Selina's throat was dry, while she tried to think quickly, taking the gun to put it on her lap.

She tried to overtake but there was a line of cars on the left side blocking her chance, which is when the car behind hit her bumper and the van in front slowed down.

Fuck. How did they even find her so fast?

Selina looked to her left, there was a small gap between the next car coming. She swerved and slammed her foot on the exhaust, making the wheels screech at the sudden speed. The car in front honked loudly as she hastily overtook the van, narrowly avoiding a collision.

She raced ahead, trying to leave the car and van behind, but they zoomed after her. "Shit, shit, shit," she hissed to herself, squeezing the steering wheel as she drove along the road, trying to find a side road she could slip through or maybe a neighbourhood or somewhere to hide.

The van was getting closer, but unfortunately for her so was the small silver car in front of which was driving within the speed limit.

She honked the horn loudly, edging to overtake before the lorry up ahead zeroed in. "God damn it," she muttered furiously when the silver car maintained the same speed.

She changed gear and overtook, skimming passed the lorry before it hit, feeling her heart race. That old mix of fear and thrill resurfacing. She started to feel sick when she recognised it. Was…was she actually getting a buzz out of this?

The van behind her hit her bumper, harder this time. Violently jerking Terry's seat forward, giving the baby a harsh awakening.

Terry started crying, terrified. Selina felt like she'd vomit, but that fear was soon replaced with a boiling rage.

Those bastards had hurt her baby.

She clicked the safety off and wound down the car window, licking her lips in anticipation, she did a U-turn onto the other side of the road, aiming her gun out of the window she shot out the van's side window. The windows smashed, but the second time she shot she killed the driver.

The van swerved but she was already racing ahead down the road when the black car crashed into the van.

Terry was balling his eyes out, and Selina's heart was still thundering against her chest. The gun was dropped back on her lap, trembling hands gripping onto the steering wheel too tightly.

She looked through her wing-mirror, but no cars were following her, the crash had most likely blocked the entire road. She could see a mass of lights from more cars getting caught in the mix.

Swallowing, she sighed shakily, turning onto one of the lesser used roads. "S-shhh, baby," she tried to soothe him. "Shhh, it's okay, mama's here," she reassured, wanting to check him over, but scared to pull over.

Terry continued to cry, growing red, worrying her more. Selina pulled up behind a tree and turned all her lights off. She clicked the safety back on and slipped the gun into her pocket before she undid her seatbelt.

"I know, baby, I know," she cooed, leaning over the gap in the two front seats to unbuckle her baby. She took him out of his seat and cradled him. He wasn't injured from what she could see, just frightened. "Shh, honey, shhh." She kissed his head and closed her eyes. "Mama's here, don't worry…" Her eyes stung. "I'm sorry, baby…"

Roxbury, Boston

02/10/2014

19:50

Selina scrambled with her keys as she ran out of the elevator.

Rachel hadn't answered any of her texts, not even a damn phone call.

Selina mentally swore at herself, she should have called in sick or told Dave to go fuck himself when he'd made her work late because Monica was in the hospital.

When she reached the door the keys scraped against the keyhole a couple of times before inserting right. Selina unlocked the door and burst into her apartment, expecting blood all over the walls.

There wasn't any blood but there were seven heavy muscled guys in the living room and kitchen. Two were cooking something in the microwave while the others were crowded at the table near the TV.

Her gaze zeroed in on Helena and felt a white hot rage overtake her. Her daughter was asleep on Silky's lap while the man stroked the little girl's hair like he was petting a dog.

"Get away from her!" She lunged forward before the others could grab her, wanting to sink her nails into Silky's eyes.

Silky froze as a flash of fear washed over his face, but the lucky son of a bitch was saved from a royal beating when two of the men nearest him intercepted her and punched her in the stomach.

Selina let out a growl and grabbed the man by the balls—his face twisted painfully and he curved in on himself-crushing them in her grip before the second guy restrained her.

Silky pushed Helena off his lap—the bastard must have drugged her with something because she was out cold. "I didn't hurt her, Selina," he said, quickly, while Helena slumped against the arm of the couch like dead weight. "Boys, come on, let her go. We need her."

Selina elbowed the one behind her in the face, breaking free, shoving the other one away. "Don't touch me," she warned.

The guy gritted his teeth and cracked his knuckles in restrained anger, but stepped back to give her more room while the other nursed a broken nose.

She walked over to her daughter and scooped her up in her arms, cradling her protectively while she glared at Silky. "What. Did. You. Do?" her voice was like ice.

Silky got to his feet meeting her glare head on. "It's just to keep her out of the way, she'll be fine, won't even remember it happening."

Selina snarled, looking around the apartment when suddenly her stomach curdled. "What did you do to Rachel?" Her eyes narrowed at him.

Silky's expression became grim, closed off. "We tried to drug her but…she was making too much noise." He sighed, running a hand over his face. Selina felt cold, numb, when she realised what they'd done, looking around her apartment for any evidence. "We're on a schedule, okay. The boys took care of it. Just leave it at that," he warned her, harshly.

Selina held her tongue, holding Helena more tightly while she glowered at her former partner. "If you wanted to avoid making a mess you shouldn't have come here."

He shot her scornful smile. "Had to make sure you wouldn't get cold feet, Selina."

She felt the men edge closer, like an ambush. Selina jutted her chin out defiantly, cradling Helena's head against her shoulder. "I never do. Now, are we gonna do this or not?" she asked, levelly.

He stared at her for a moment, the corner of his lip twitching upwards for a second before his mouth set into a thin line. "The place closes in an hour, we leave in twenty minutes." He moved away from her towards the kitchen. "Leave the kid and get dressed."

Selina's gaze flickered to the goons before back at her daughter. She felt like a trapped canary before the mine gave way, no way out. Silently, she walked passed them towards the bedroom, feeling their eyes linger on her.

She shut the door behind her, allowing herself to sigh and slump against the door when she was safely in the room. Selina gently placed Helena on the bed, taking off her My Little Pony trainers, tossing them on the floor while she stared at her daughter's peaceful expression in the dim light.

Selina quickly changed Helena out of her clothes and into the yellow baggy t-shirt she wore like a nightdress. She tucked her under the thick covers and made sure the stuffed toy kitty with the big eyes was nestled under her arm.

Helena didn't even stir awake, which both relieved and worried Selina. At least Helena wouldn't be scared by any of this, but at the same time she was drugged and who the hell knew what else those sick fucks had done to her. It was the gaps in unaccounted time which made her angriest.

Selina stroked some hair out of Helena's face, kissing her forehead. "I'm so sorry, baby," she whispered softly, caressing her dark hair. "I'll find us a way out of this…"

She still could rely on Holly, but the woman had gone underground and it would take weeks to track her down again. She felt like an ant underneath a magnifying glass, every move she tried to make was scrutinised by Black Mask's men and Silky himself.

Double-crossing them was at the forefront of her mind but she couldn't endanger Helena. It was the first time in years Selina felt genuinely isolated.

There was a loud banging at the door. "We ain't got all day!" It was one of Black Mask's men.

Selina rubbed her eyes and started to steel herself, looking at Helena one last time before she kissed her cheek. "I'll find a way out of this, Kitten, promise," she murmured gently.

She slipped off the bed and walked over to her closet, kneeling down on the floor, underneath the bottom of the wardrobe was a fake layer of wood. Selina lifted up the wood slate to reveal her old costume.

South Dakota

09/20/2023

22:15

The bus station was mostly empty (minus a family of four and an underfed looking backpacker) when Selina paid at the ticket machine with the money Holly had given her.

Terry was still asleep in his car seat, finally having settled. The bag of food and diaper bag was next to him on the floor. She picked him and the bags up after she took her printed ticket from the holder.

The speakers chimed. "The 702 to Minneapolis is now boarding at gate six."

Selina made her way over to gate six with the car seat in one hand and the tickets, food, and the diaper bag in the other.

She wandered towards the back of the bus and picked a secluded set of seats on the left side, placing the car seat near the window while she sat down on the aisle seat. Her back ached so it was a relief when she was finally able to sit down again, and the bus's seats were actually pretty comfy.

Once she got into Minneapolis she'd need to change onto a bus to Chicago, and then steal a car from there to get to New Jersey. It'd be a long trip. Selina stuffed the bags underneath the seat while she kept her handbag on her lap. She closed her eyes and leant against the car seat while Terry softly snored.

The bus started moving, the vibrations from the engine were almost soothing as she started to drift off to sleep.