Disclaimer- I do not own Batman or Gotham City. However, this particular neighborhood in Gotham City and the other characters in this chapter are my creations.
Apologies to my wonderful reviewer gordios79, to whom I wrote I would be attempting to post this chapter on Sunday. I did, but after 10 p.m. where I was. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint gordios79.
Madge's eyes flicked to the side as she spied Jeannette slipping a fifty into her boot. As she spoke, Madge looked back to her feet as she slipped on her own shoes. "You know that's asking for trouble."
"Oh come one Madge." Jeannette grumbled. "He won't make me take off my boots. He likes me tall."
Deidra snorted. "He doesn't like anyone. No one likes him. And you won't catch me making him like me less by sneaking cash by him. I spend mine before I get back."
Both Jeannette and Madge rolled their eyes.
"So, what are you saving up for?" Francesca asked while brushing out her waist length, black hair. As the other girls were removing make up, wigs, tights, etcetera, she was freshening herself back up.
Jeannette shrugged. "A way out, enough to get out of this burg long enough to find other work."
Francesca smiled. "Getting out of this place. Want to drink to that?"
"With what?" Not only Jeannette, but Madge and Deidra turned toward the other woman. Francesca knelt before "her" dressing table, and pulled out a wine bottle. The jaws of all three girls dropped.
Francesca smirked at their expressions. "Gift from my best customer. Of course we have to borrow a few cups from the bar."
"No thanks," Deidra muttered. She turned and headed for the door. "I can get better than cheap wine." She slammed the door behind her and all three other women rolled their eyes again. Francesca chuckled.
"She left before I could tell her this was the good stuff."
The three women left the club. Francesca smiled when she saw a long, black car parked across the street.
"Tell Samson I'll be back tomorrow morning, but with more cash from staying out late."
She jogged over as fast as she could in heels. A back door opened for her and she hopped in. The car's engine roared to life and it pulled away from the curb. The other two women watched with their mouths set in grim lines.
"How long do you think it will last?"
"I give it anywhere from a week to a month."
"You'd think she'd know better by now."
"We all have our illusions."
Madge glanced at Jeannette's boot, and Jeannette pretended not to notice.
. . .
The women entered the apartment building a wad of bills in their fists to pay that night's rent. No tall, broad landlord appeared to collect.
"That's weird."
"Maybe he went out."
"He usually stays in."
"No skin off my nose," Jeannette replied before jogging up the stairs. Madge watched from below before slowly following. When she got up she saw Jeannette staring at the first door near the stairs. She came up behind her and whispered.
"He in there?"
"Doesn't sound like it."
They walked on and Madge reached her room. Before going in she turned to watch Jeannette putting her key into her own lock. "G'night Jeannette."
A corner of Jeannette's mouth turned up. "More like good morning."
Madge snorted before stepping into her room and closing the door behind her. Jeannette swung open her own door and froze. A man was sitting in the only chair in the room. His bulk made it look like a child's toy. As soon as his gaze met Jeannette's he rose from it. He held up a folded over stack of bills that smelled of alcohol, cigarette smoke, and the inside of a boot.
Jeannette was backing away from his approach step by step, even as he spoke. "Holding on to what was mine were ya?" Jeannette's back hit the wall of the hallway. The man stepped through her doorway as he continued to growl.
"You no good (censored)."
Jeannette turned and flew down the stairway. The heel of her shoe caught on a step and she fell. Before she'd caught her breath or raised herself to her hands or feet, she was yanked up by her hair. She was dragged off of and then back up the steps to her hallway. There she was thrown back onto the stained carpet. She turned and backed into the wall again. As the fist flew towards her face she had final thought before the pain drove out the ability to think.
"I was just as dumb as Francesca."
. . .
Batman was standing in his usual spot when a flash of light caught his eye. It was a tiny, red flame flashing from right to left, creating a trail of light. He swung over to the fire escape of an empty apartment.
Madge turned off her lighter and bent over the rail of her own fire escape to meet his gaze.
"Samson's beating Jeannette. I don't think he's going to stop until she'd dead."
Batman swung the side of his fist at the window beside him. Glass shattered. Grasping the inner frame of the window Batman yanked it upwards. Halfway up he used his other hand to shove it the rest of the way and slid inside. He strode to the door across from the window. Lifting his right leg he solidly kicked the part of the door even with the doorknob. It flew open with a crack. He strode into the hall, and turned to his right.
Jeanette tasted salt as she bit down a little harder on her bottom lip. He was squeezing both her wrists in his left hand. She pressed her back into the wall behind her as much as she could as he cocked his right arm again. Suddenly another hand grabbed Samson's wrist.
In one motion Samson turned, letting go of her wrists and making a fist with his right hand he swung at whoever had dared interfere. His fist was caught in midair. The hand that caught it squeezed and twisted at the same time.
Samson gave a yell that was cut off as a blow was delivered to his solar plexus. The Batman leaned down and whispered into the man's ear as he tried to catch his breath. "Be careful how you use the other one." He dropped the man's hand.
Samson shot to his feet and flung himself at the intruder. Batman stepped aside. Samson flew past and crashed into the floor. He didn't get up. Batman checked his pulse and diagnosed it as a mild concussion. The damage to the victim and to the perpetrator's hand, however, was not mild.
A blond woman had exited the first room by the stairs. She stared at the still form of the man. Tears shimmered in her blue eyes. Batman turned toward her. She took a step back from him.
"Call for two ambulances."
"Is he dead?"
"No, but they both need an ambulance, and not the same one."
"Just go call for the (censored) ambulances Alice!" Madge had opened the door of her apartment to survey the scene.
The blond woman turned and flew down the stairs with a soft cry.
Madge rolled her eyes and stepped up to Jeannette's side. Batman had already knelt down beside the woman. "I need to determine if you can wait for the ambulance. I'll have to examine you."
"Go ahead," Jeannette wheezed. "It can't be the worst part of my night."
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