"Who the hell is Bont?" Daredevil asked.
Melvin hadn't moved so much as a muscle. Betsy cleared her throat.
"Can I tell him?" She asked.
Melvin nodded slightly. Daredevil turned to Betsy and tilted his head.
"Alexander Bont. He was basically Fisk's predecessor, except way small time. Melvin did some work for him. The type of work he did for Fisk."
"Then I met Betsy." Melvin's voice was quiet. "She changed everything. I quit. I thought that was the end of it." He looked at his bloody hands with a frown.
Betsy stood up and went to put a hand on his arm.
"I didn't blow up that train. I swear." He looked at Daredevil with pleading eyes.
Daredevil paused before he took a few steps forward. "Yes, I know Melvin. I believe you."
Betsy cleared her throat again. "What are we going to do with him?" She pointed to the unconscious heap on the ground.
"Depends. Do you want to press charges?" Daredevil asked.
"Hell yes," Betsy said in a hard voice that surprised even her.
"Then you'll have to call the police and tell them you were attacked. I'll stay to make sure he doesn't wake up. Melvin, you probably shouldn't be here when they come."
Melvin nodded but didn't move. Betsy went to retrieve her phone from her purse.
"I'll keep her safe, Melvin." Daredevil said softly.
Melvin looked at him for a while before he nodded. Then he turned to Betsy and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "This is where I'm staying. You shouldn't go home tonight. You should come stay with me."
Betsy nodded and put the crumpled piece of paper in her purse. She was glad for the dark so he couldn't see her blush.
He moved to touch her face but stopped, looking at his bloody hands. He nodded at Daredevil and began to walk out of the alley.
"Wait, Melvin," Daredevil called.
Melvin stopped and turned around.
Daredevil pulled a business card out of his pocket. "These are good lawyers. They will help you. Tell them your story."
Melvin looked at the card. "Aren't these the guys that stopped Fisk?"
"Yes, they helped." He said. Betsy thought she saw a smirk.
"Thanks." Melvin nodded again and walked out of the alley.
Once he was out of sight, Betsy dialed 911 and told the operator that she was attacked but was saved by the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. She couldn't help but smile at this. She wondered how many times the operators at central dispatch had heard that story. She gave the operator her location and hung up.
She put the phone back in her purse and leaned against the wall. Daredevil stood a few feet away, quiet but alert.
"If you have…other people to save, I think I'm good here." Betsy said.
Daredevil laughed softly. "Yeah, no way am I leaving you here with this psychopath. Melvin would kill me."
"True. He would." Betsy couldn't help but laugh too. What an odd situation this was. She heard sirens in the distance. "What about Bont? What are we going to do?"
"I'll work on it. If Melvin goes to the lawyers, they'll help too."
"Sounds like you really trust these guys." Betsy eyed him curiously.
Daredevil didn't respond to that. The sirens were close now. Betsy could see the lights.
"Hey, thank you. For everything." She said.
Daredevil nodded and backed into the shadows just as the police pulled up.
The police were shocked at the state of the man who attacked Betsy. One of the officers commented, as the man was pushed away on a stretcher, that he was beaten to a goddamned bloody pulp. Betsy nodded curtly at these comments and crossed her arms.
After giving her statement and contact information, one of the uniformed officers drove her to the address that she gave him. It wasn't Melvin's exact address but close enough to it that she could walk. The officer tried to get her to talk about Daredevil during the ride but she kept her mouth firmly shut and just said that he was in the right place at the right time.
The police officer dropped her off and offered to walk with her. Betsy turned him down graciously. She watched the police cruiser until it was well out of sight before she proceeded.
She saw him sitting on the stoop as she rounded the corner. He was staring at the sidewalk with his hands stuffed in his pockets.
"Hey," she said softly as she approached.
Melvin looked up and tried to smile as best he could. "Thanks for coming."
"Of course, I don't want to be alone." Betsy tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and looked at her shoes.
Melvin stood up on the step and offered her his hand. "I have to warn you, it's kind of a shit hole."
Betsy laughed and took his hand. "I'm sure it's lovely."
Instead of going up the stairs, as Betsy expected, Melvin lead her down the stairs and to the side of the building. He stopped in front of a nondescript metal door and pried it open with a crowbar that was hidden behind a trashcan. He pulled the door shut behind them and led her in the darkness.
They took a few steps before Melvin grabbed a lighter off of a table and lit a candle. "No electricity," he mumbled. He looked apologetic as he lit more candles scattered around the room.
Betsy set her purse down on a table and rubbed her arms. "How did you find this place?"
"Old friend told me about it. Said they were remodeling the building but ran out of money." Melvin shrugged and lit a kerosene heater. "It warms up pretty fast in here with this thing." He tapped the heater with his boot.
Betsy nodded and looked around. They appeared to be in a long-forgotten maintenance room. "I don't suppose there's a shower?"
Melvin smiled, grabbed a candle and motioned for her to follow him. He led her up a flight of stairs and down a hall. "Right here." He motioned toward an open door.
Betsy peeked in. It was a bathroom, all right. It just looked like it hadn't been cleaned since the Prohibition era. Grime covered every square inch of the shower and toilet.
"There's soap, too." Melvin crossed the threshold and pointed at a small, pitiful bar of soap.
Betsy nodded and smiled. Melvin was so excited about the bathroom that she didn't want to hurt his feelings.
Betsy's curly hair was so tangled the next morning that she couldn't even run a finger through it. She cursed herself for washing it with a bar of soap the night before in what was quite possibly the worst shower of her life. Then she cursed the kerosene heater for smelling so bad. Then she cursed Melvin for leaving her alone in the basement of a creepy, semi-condemned building. She assumed he went to scrounge up some breakfast.
The night before had passed uneventfully. Betsy had taken a cold shower and promptly went to sleep on top of the mountain of blankets that Melvin had laid out on the floor. She was so exhausted she was barely able to thank him before falling asleep.
Betsy stood up stiffly from the makeshift bed near the heater and put on her clothes from the day before. It was all she had at the moment so it would have to do. She folded the t-shirt and sweatpants Melvin had given her to sleep in and set them on the table. Just as she was putting on her flats, Melvin came in with a paper bag.
"Got some protein bars." He set the bag on the table.
"Delicious," Betsy said before she ripped one open and took a bite. She noticed him staring at her head. "Yes?"
"I can braid that." He said matter-of-factly.
"Oh god, is it that bad?" She made a feeble attempt at flattening it with her hand. "Actually, don't answer that."
Melvin pulled a chair over and pointed to it. Betsy got a rubber band out of her purse and handed it to Melvin before she sat down. He worked with gentle fingers and Betsy was a little disappointed when he finished.
"Well, I don't have a mirror, but it feels decent enough."
"Practiced on my sister a lot," he said with a sad smile. "Does your phone have enough battery to call the lawyers?" He set the business card on the table.
Betsy nodded and dialed the number. A woman named Karen answered on the first ring. Betsy explained who she was and said that Melvin Potter wanted Nelson and Murdock to represent him. Karen said to stop by any time during the day.
Melvin was already busy putting things away and tidying up before Betsy hung up the phone.
"That was easy enough," Betsy said. "Can we stop by my apartment before we go?"
Melvin looked at her. "For what?"
"Melvin, I can't go meet a couple of lawyers looking like…this." She made a sweeping motion towards herself.
Melvin raised a brow. "Betsy, you look beautiful."
Betsy pressed her lips into a thin line. She could already tell this wouldn't be an argument she'd win. She threw her hands up and slung her purse on her arm. "Where is this place, then?"
The walk to the law office passed uneventfully. Melvin wore a baseball cap and kept his head down. Betsy had momentarily forgotten that Melvin was on the run. He told Betsy if they held hands during the walk, people wouldn't even look at them twice. Betsy didn't argue.
Once they got to the office, a tall blonde woman showed them in and introduced herself as Karen. The office was quaint but cozy. Not at all what Betsy had imagined.
"Not what you were picturing, is it?" A man said from the doorway of what Betsy assumed was his office. "I'm Foggy Nelson. My associate will join us shortly. Why don't we go into the meeting room?" He motioned to a room next to his office.
They walked into the room and sat down.
"Thank you so much for seeing us on such short notice." Betsy said.
Foggy sat in a chair from across the table and nodded. "I guess we just have a hard time staying away from high-profile cases."
"Would anyone like some coffee?" Karen asked from the doorway.
"Oh my god, yes, please." Betsy said.
Karen nodded and walked out.
"Make that two, please!" Foggy yelled after her.
"Foggy, you really need to lay off of the caffeine." Said a new voice from the doorway.
Betsy looked up and saw Foggy's associate enter the room with his arms raised, feeling for a chair. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark, circular glasses. He found the chair next to Foggy and sat down.
"Matt, just let me have one thing." Foggy moaned.
Matt held his hand out in the general direction of Melvin and Betsy. "Matt Murdock. The Murdock park of Nelson and Murdock."
Melvin shook his hand. "I'm Melvin Potter. This is Betsy Beatty."
"Very nice to meet you, Mr. Murdock." Said Betsy.
"Please, just call me Matt." He smiled and folded his hands on the table.
Betsy couldn't help but smile back. He was quite charming. "So, does the Devil of Hell's Kitchen have you both on retainer?"
Matt raised his brows. "Well, we don't—"
Foggy cleared his throat. "No, he just—"
"—asks us for helps sometimes." Matt finished and adjusted his tie.
"Exactly." Foggy nodded.
Karen came in with two cups of coffee and set them down in front of Foggy and Betsy. Foggy picked it up carefully and studied the mug.
Matt cleared his throat. "Well, should we start?" He asked Foggy.
"Absolutely." Foggy pulled out a pad of paper. "Mr. Potter, the floor is yours."
Melvin nodded and rubbed his head. He blew out a long breath before starting. "I used to work for a man named Alexander Bont. He dealt with drugs, mostly. Some weapons."
"What did you do, exactly?" Foggy asked.
Melvin fidgeted. "Bodyguard."
"Anything else?" Matt pressed.
Melvin sniffed. "I made his…body armor."
Foggy looked positively blank.
"It's a…hobby of mine. I use a certain type of material to make suits that deflect knives and other things. I quit working for Bont when I met Betsy, but Fisk found out what I did for Bont and told me he'd hurt Betsy if I didn't do it for him too. Then Daredevil found out about what I do and asked me to design him something. Said he'd keep Betsy safe."
Karen sat up. "Wait, you work with Daredevil?"
"He pops in sometimes."
"You designed his…ensemble?"
Melvin nodded casually.
Foggy crossed something out in his notes. "As that doesn't pertain to this case, I think we should leave that particular detail out."
Melvin shrugged.
Karen couldn't keep the grin off her face. "It's…interesting, though."
"So, explain the train explosion to us." Matt said pointedly, changing the subject.
"Asshole who attacked Betsy last night said Bont wants me dead. Doesn't like that I quit and doesn't like that I worked for Fisk. My guess is they planted a bomb. It was late so there weren't many people around. Easy to get by unnoticed."
Foggy raised his hands. "Wait, who attacked Betsy?"
"One of Bont's guys. They wanted to send me a message." Melvin crossed his arms. A dark look passed over his face.
"He didn't hurt me. Melvin was there. And…Daredevil." Betsy added sheepishly.
"Daredevil saved you too?" Karen smiled.
Betsy looked at her in surprise. "He saved you?"
"A while back. I was in some trouble. He has a knack for showing up at the right time, doesn't he?"
"You got that right," Betsy laughed.
"This man who attacked you, he's in custody now, correct?" Matt asked, in an attempt to steer the conversation back on topic.
"Yes," Betsy said.
"Good. We'll go to the police, tell them about Bont. Tell them the man who attacked you works for Bont."
Melvin sat up. "Police?" He shot an alarmed glance at Betsy.
Foggy put his palms up. "They just want to talk to you, see what you know. Once we give them Bont's name and Betsy explains her story, they'll let you walk right out."
"It will be fine, Melvin, I promise." Betsy said, looking at Foggy for reassurance.
He nodded enthusiastically. "There is not a warrant out for your arrest. Of that, I am sure."
Matt lifted his head and nodded. "If your afternoon is free, we could go and get this done today."
Melvin grunted and pushed his chair back.
"That's a yes," Betsy said.