"I'd Kill 4 a Redhead"
By: The Angelic Temptress
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the Batman Universe, though I'd like to have either Bruce Wayne or Dick Grayson with a bow for my birthday. It's November 14th, in case you wanted to surprise me. ;)
The idea is my own. The characters that I've created belong to me, so don't take them. ;)
Rating: R for violence, language, sexual situations, and rape.
A/N: Thanks Missy.
(3/3)
RRR
Chapter 3:
Tanya tried to calm herself but couldn't.
She was ready to give up, but her body wouldn't let her. Though she was still being drugged regularly so she couldn't struggle, her willpower surprised her and helped in fighting her internal battle.
Her cheek laid flat on the mattress, and she could feel the fresh blood rolling along the sides of her throat. Tanya closed her eyes and tried not to envision what the man had carved into her neck.
She wasn't sure if she believed in God anymore but found herself praying to the Virgin whenever she could. Somehow, she felt praying to a woman was more appropriate.
St. Michael, though not exactly female, was regularly on her mind as well; she needed someone to help her keep herself stable. After all, he was the warrior angel who threw Satan to Hell.
Tanya prayed he'd do the same to the bastard jerking off at his desk.
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."
A sob escaped her dry throat but she continued softly.
"Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."
As the last syllable left her mouth, she found herself falling asleep. For the next couple of hours, she was at peace.
RRR
Barbara stepped out of the Gotham Police Station and opened her black umbrella. It was still raining, but she could tell it was finally lightening up.
The rain needed to stop. If it didn't, she'd probably end up building a "Bat Ark" that would even impress Noah.
She carefully started down the stairs and stopped on the sidewalk to get her car keys from her purse. Accidentally, Babs dropped her keys and grunted in frustration.
"Let me help you out," a dark-haired guy said and bent over to grab them before she could. After he gave them to her, he smiled. "Wow. I should pick up dropped items more often."
"Why's that?" she asked skeptically.
"I won't tell you because you'll just get bigheaded and turn down my dinner offer."
"Really?" Barbara sidestepped the chocolate eyed man and began for the parking garage. He followed close behind. This could be him, she told herself. Act cool, Babsy. Stay cool.
"Yes." He was behind her now. "Listen, Princess. I know I seem to be acting very strange, but I happen to believe in love at first sight."
"You seem real sweet," she told him and quickened her pace as she rounded the corner of the station. His pace mimicked hers. All Barbara could think of was the security guard in the parking garage and the alley she was walking in now. "Unfortunately for you, I have a boyfriend."
"Don't lie to me, Barbara."
She froze at the sound of her name and then promptly whirled around to face him. "What did you say?"
He didn't utter a word.
"How do you know my name?" You've been watching me, you sick creep. You know I don't date. You know where I work. "Answer me."
"Let's play detective, Miss Gordon." He removed his glasses and tucked them into his jacket pocket. Because he lacked an umbrella, he was completely soaked. "I know the security guard on the first floor takes his break when you leave work everyday, and I know where all the security cameras are. For instance, there are no cameras in this alleyway."
He really does do his homework.
Suddenly, he rushed at her, and they both tumbled to the ground. Her umbrella's strap was still around her wrist, and she couldn't free her hand. Her purse skidded away, sending her cell phone across the wet pavement.
He wrestled with Barbara, and she tried to squirm out from under him. Before she could bring herself into position to punch him or knee him, he stabbed something into her shoulder.
"That's a sedative that I created myself, so don't try to fight it. Give it a minute, and you'll be out like a light." The bastard stood and left her there to struggle with the drug.
Her vision blurred, but she sat up anyhow. She tried to crawl away, but the street was twisting before her eyes.
She wouldn't let herself die because of some asshole with a syringe.
She wouldn't let Tanya die either.
"Son of a bitch," she mumbled and managed to press the small button on her watch before she lost consciousness.
RRR
"Hey, Commish?" Bullock called just as Jim got to his daughter's empty desk.
"What is it?"
"We got another letter."
"Let me see it," he ordered and ripped it from the detective's hands. After unfolding the paper, he skimmed through the typed words and gasped when his old eyes fell upon his own daughter's name.
Jim reached for the phone and quickly dialed her cell phone. He looked at Bullock and demanded that he send officers to the parking garage and to Barbara's apartment.
"Hey, it's Barbara. I obviously can't get to my cell phone right now, so leave me a message. Thanks."
"What's wrong, Commish?"
Commissioner James Gordon collapsed into his daughter's seat and clutched the receiver to his chest. He couldn't breathe.
He was a target, and now she was.
"Commish?"
"He has my girl."
RRR
Tanya watched as her captor dropped another unmoving body onto the mattress. He quickly bound her hands over her head and her feet to the bed posts like he had done to Tanya only days earlier. One of the woman's legs overlapped Tanya's.
She couldn't cry for the woman and didn't even try to scream and wake her. It was hopeless. They were both doomed.
After "sensually" running a hand over the girl's wet hair and moving stray pieces away from her face, he left the room for his camera. He returned and began snapping photos.
Tanya turned her head to the side and felt the familiar tears sting her eyes once more.
"Isn't she beautiful, Princess?" he asked and took another photograph. After he placed the camera on the counter beside the developing Polaroids, he smiled and bent over the unconscious and unlucky redhead. "She smells good too."
RRR
"She's a work of art." Joker laughed in his ear. "Have fun with her."
T.J. couldn't help himself. His fingers wandered over her thighs and her boots and shirt. He traced the outline of her hips and watched as her eyes slowly opened. When they caught sight of his face, they widened.
"You're awake."
"You son of a bitch," Barbara slurred. She weakly tugged at the restraints and tried to move her body. "Get your hands off of me!"
"Princess, you need to behave so I don't have to hurt you."
"Like you didn't hurt the other four women before Tanya and me? The GCPD is onto you, and they will –"
"They won't catch on. The only one I have to worry about it is Batman, but even he's been off his game. He's sending his whores out to do his dirty work. Catwoman, Huntress, Batgirl, and Black Canary keep the city clean while he sits around all night long."
The girl continued to struggle with the ropes. "I hope he finds you. He's less humane than the police, and you'll get what you deserve."
"Will I? Do you know the Bat on a personal level? Does he confide in you?" T.J. laughed and slowly ran his fingers up her arm and to her neck. She shivered beneath his touch, and his stomach fluttered.
"If she did know Batsy on a personal level, this would all be more fun."
"Don't worry, silly little girl. Everything will be quite all right."
Her jaw suddenly dropped.
He didn't like the look at all.
"Why is she staring at you that way?"
She needed to learn her lesson, and he couldn't let it wait. T.J. started for his small desk in the other room to retrieve a fresh box of condoms but never made it. He was kicked from someone hiding in the stairwell and sent into the opposite wall.
RRR
Barbara heard a body collide with drywall and struggled to lift her head and see who had put the Red Skeleton in his place.
A form emerged from the dark hallway and slowly moved to the bed. Huntress stared down at Barbara, searching her face to see if she was okay. She discreetly motioned Huntress to help the other girl first.
Helena did as she was told to do.
"I'm going to get you two out of here," she stated with as much care as Helena could ever muster.
Tanya started to sob. "Thank God. I thought I was going to die…"
Barbara turned her head to look at the tired, shaking, and scarcely clad Tanya. She probably hadn't showered in days and looked as if she'd gone to Hell and back.
Poor girl.
A noise caught her attention, and Barbara whipped her head to look at the monster attempting to stand.
"Huntress!" she screamed.
A second later, something heavy crashed to the floor and blood gurgled out his throat and mouth.
A purple arrow now provided the man a permanent tracheotomy.
Huntress's right arm was still stretched straight in front of her with the other steadying it.
As he slid to the floor, the serial rapist/murderer muttered a few incoherent words Barbara could barely make out.
"She… made me…"
RRR
"Barbara!" Jim Gordon yelled and ran to his daughter. He brought her to his chest and squeezed her so tightly. "Thank God," he murmured into her wet hair and kissed her head.
"I'm okay, Dad. Really."
"I was so afraid."
She slightly pulled back from his hold to look at him. "Hey. I'm a tough cookie, remember? It's not like it's the first time I've been abducted by some nut-job." Barbara forced a smile to make him feel better, and it worked a little.
He mimicked her grin and kissed her again. "We need to take you back to the station for a statement."
"I know, Daddy."
Jim tightened the blanket around her shoulders and rubbed her arms quickly before moving to where Montoya and Bullock were standing.
The reporters had already circled the police and the house of Thomas James Macaw.
"How's the other girl?" he asked as he and the two detectives entered the house.
Renee answered, "He kidnapped her, raped her, carved that trademark of his into her neck, and photographed her. She's obviously terribly shaken. God only knows how many psychological problems she could get from this." Montoya led the men into the basement and handed Jim a plastic bag. Inside were the photographs of Barbara walking outside the station.
"This bastard is sick," Bullock grumbled and took the toothpick out of his mouth. When they stopped at the bottom of the stairs, he corrected himself. "Or was."
"Huntress?"
"That's what the girls said," Montoya said and covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Both Jim and Harvey followed suit. "It would have been better for us if she shot him in the arm or the hand. If he were alive –"
"The man had a gun," Gordon interrupted. "And he had two young women. Personally, I think Huntress did the right thing." He moved to stand over the body and refused cussing at it. "Get forensics in here."
"Commissioner?"
"Yes, Montoya?"
"Tanya and Barbara both stated that he spoke before he died. He said, 'She made me.'"
RRR
"Thank you." Barbara took the coffee from Officer Matthews, a young blonde with pretty green eyes. When she left Barbara to herself, she sipped the watered down coffee and cringed.
Because she hated the station's coffee and decided it would be best to simply dump it, Barbara stood from her chair and started for the water fountain.
"Miss Gordon?" Dr. Donovan called after her.
Barbara waited for the woman to join her in the hallway. "Can I help you, Doctor?"
"I wanted to see how you were."
"I'm fine, thanks."
There was little emotion in the doctor's eyes as she said, "It must have been horrendous."
"I'm more worried about Tanya, actually. She's the one who endured several days of torture. Now, if you'll excuse me, Doctor." Barbara turned away, but Dr. Donovan seized her wrist, knocking the cup from her hand and spilling its hot contents to the floor.
"I'm not finished, Barbara."
"Let me go."
"No. You listen. Because you exist, little brat, your father won't move on with his life. You remind him of all his past mistakes. Because of you, he won't let himself love me."
"Doctor, I am a grown woman. My father is free to do as he pleases." Barbara ripped from her hold and took a few steps away from her.
"You don't understand men the way I do. You don't know how intricate they are."
She narrowed her blue eyes. "Somehow, I highly doubt that."
"I have hated you for years because you dominate your father's love. Didn't it bother you that your father never thought about dating someone new?"
"He's free to date whoever he wants. I think you and I need to go and talk to a – Whoa!"
The doctor pulled a pistol from her purse and lifted it.
Barbara gasped and raised her hands. "We can talk about this. You love my father, right? I can fix this situation."
"No, you can't. You have no idea how much time and effort I put into this."
"I'm sure you really care about my –"
"You think Macaw, the asylum security guard, planned it all on his own? Of course not. Sure, he had problems, heard voices, had an Oedipus complex for his redheaded mother… but he needed guidance." The doctor chuckled. "And I was there to help, to feed him names and addresses… Your name and address, for instance."
Though she considered questioning the woman further, Barbara knew how unstable she was. With her right hand, Barbara grasped and pushed the gun hand away from her. The gun went off, lodging a bullet in the wall. Barbara then bent the doctor's wrist to rip the weapon from her hand and forced Donovan onto her knees after twisting the arm behind her back.
"Now, you need to repeat everything you just said to my father. We'll see how he reacts. I think it'll be therapeutic."
RRR
"Oh my Lord," Tony mumbled and raced through the station to get to her. Tanya smiled and wrapped her cold arms around his strong neck as he enfolded his arms around her waist. "Thank God. Thank God, you're safe." He pressed his warm lips to her temple and forehead before he found her mouth.
"That's what I said," Tanya whispered and tucked her face into the crook of his neck.
"I'm so sorry… This is my fault. I don't know what I'd do without you." Tony made her sit back down and sat down beside her. "That son of a bitch really hurt you, didn't he?"
She started to sob. "I don't know, Tony. I don't know."
"I'm here for you. Understand that." He intertwined his fingers with hers and pushed some of her hair away from her face. "Whoever we need to see or talk to or whatever we need to do or wherever we need to go…"
"I know."
"I love you. I'm so grateful you are alive, baby."
Tanya nodded and wondered if she felt the same.
RRR
It had only been a couple of days since T.J. Macaw and Dr. Lindsay Donovan's sick plot was uncovered, and Barbara was already sitting at her desk and doing her job. The GCPD had traced several of the doctor's calls to his home and cell phone, connecting the duo.
It was a good day. The sun had returned to Gotham City.
Barbara had already decided to contact Tanya and speak with her. She would need a friend after everything that had happened, and Barbara was the only person who could even remotely understand what she had gone through.
She checked her watch and lifted the receiver of her desk phone to dial a number she rarely called. It was almost four, so she figured a teacher could be done with her students by now.
"Hello?"
"Helena?"
"Barbara?" she said defensively. "What did I do now?"
"I just wanted to thank you for… the other night."
A pause.
Barbara waited.
"It's what I do. You told me to keep an eye out, and I did. Lucky you were wearing the tracker."
"You told me to, remember?"
"I'm actually getting into the car, and I'm meeting with my boy-toy in a few. I'll talk to you later." She cut the line.
"Boy-toy?" Barbara echoed with disgust and hung up as well.
"Excuse me, Miss?"
She turned her head to see a handsome man staring back at her. He had chocolate skin, big brown eyes, and a huge smile. His head was shaved, and he wore a gray suit with a striped tie.
"Yes?"
"I'm Sam Young. I have a meeting with Commissioner Gordon."
"I'm actually not his secretary. She's over there." Barbara pointed to the desk closest to her dad's office. "But is there something I can help you with, Mr. Young?"
Sam's smile widened, and he looked a little embarrassed. "Honestly, I knew you weren't his secretary. I just came over to make a fool of myself, Miss…" He read from the small sign on her desk, "Gordon."
"You make a great fool and read well too."
"Thank you. Are you and the commissioner…?"
"Father and daughter."
"Ah. I see." He laughed. "I'm actually from the D.A.'s office. I needed to go over a few things with your dad." His eyebrows furrowed together, and he added, "Come to think of it, I'll be talking to you as well. Weren't you one of the girls who were kidnapped? Are you all right?"
"Yeah. I was lucky."
"Thank the Heavens."
"So you're a lawyer?"
"I have my degree, but I'm more of an assistant right now." Sam Young handed Barbara his card. "I'd like to talk about the upcoming trial, if you don't mind."
"Not at all."
"Have a good day."
"Good luck in there."
"Thanks." He then left her.
Barbara set the business card on her desk beside her photograph of herself and her father. No one knew a folded photo hid behind that one.
She lifted the receiver again and dialed a number she hadn't thought of dialing in months. It rang a few times before she heard his familiar voice.
"Grayson."
Before she could cry, she grinned to herself. "Hey short-pants."
It felt like forever, but it was only seconds before he responded.
"Babs?"
"I was wondering if we could talk sometime between tonight and tomorrow night."
"Of course," he told softly. "I heard… I wanted to call…"
"We'll talk later, if you have the time."
"My shift ends at five."
"Good."
"I'll meet you at seven in that diner you like so much… pretty lady."
"Thanks."
RRR
It was nearly a quarter after two, and the streets outside the station were tranquil or appeared to be.
Jim Gordon was still at his desk. One hand covered his gaping mouth as the other filtered through the evidence piled atop his old desk.
Donovan's ex-boyfriends had placed several restraining orders against her over the past decade. She had violated a few but no one pressed charges.
She was currently taking anti-depressants on a regular basis. Her doctor had prescribed them over a year ago. Only months before we started working with her.
She also had a drawer full of Polaroid pictures of Jim, each with his name written neatly at the bottom. Paper clippings that even mentioned his name filled several folders, and Donovan was using them to make a scrapbook.
To put the blood-red frosting on the cake, the woman handed women – young women – over to a sociopath, had them tortured and brutally murdered because of him.
She said she wanted to spend more time with him, and that only happened when bodies were found.
So Lindsay had created the scenario, had Jim working by her side, had Jim depending on her…
Four girls… would have been five. Could have been six…
Could have been my Barbara…
He felt a cool breeze hit the back of his neck and knew he wasn't alone anymore. "You'll have to thank Huntress for me."
"I will."
Jim set his glasses on the desk, beside the mountains of evidence proving the connection between Macaw and Donovan, her obsession with men, and her readiness to do something so psychotic.
"It's not your fault, Jim."
He sighed. "I can't even check Gotham's problems at the door anymore. The nuts just follow me home now. It's like… the city's flaws are becoming my own or visa versa."
"You couldn't have known."
"Maybe if I had allowed myself to –"
"No," Batman interrupted. "Your daughter was already a target, as were the others. Donovan was going to stop at nothing."
The commissioner fought the upcoming sob and wiped his eyes. "We're getting too old for this. We can't even stop those who are in our eyesight, can't even protect those closest to us."
"No, we can't." If Jim didn't know any better, he would have thought there was sadness in his friend's voice. "But we try anyway."
"That we do."
After a minute of silence, Batman added, "Tell your daughter I'm relieved she's all right."
"I will."
END