Gotham City
Euphoria Nightclub
9:59pm
A bartender placed a Margarita before his patron and winked at the short haired woman who received it.
"Thanks Benny,"
"You can count on me for anything." He smiled.
"So you gonna dance or what?" Samantha yelled over the sound of 'One Dance' by Drake to the eighteen year old wayward Robin then raised her second Margarita to her lips.
Jason gulped down his second shot of whiskey and was met with the burning sensation of the ethanol. He drank a couple of times (behind Bruce's back of course) but still hadn't gotten used to it. This was the first time he was glad he carried the marks left on him by the Joker. Although he was underage, his scars and waned expression allowed him to pass as an eligible adult.
"I'm not into dancing. "
"You're such a bore. You've dated?"
"Few times."
"Convince me, " Sam eyed the room once more as she sipped her alcoholic beverage. "I see a lotta girls here…try catchin one."
"And why would I do that?"
"C'mon. Look at you. All the girls are drooling all over your bad boy look."
He wore a black leather jacket, white shirt, and blue jeans. The branded J did serve as an asset as he realized it had fit him and his "I'm a badass" personality. And to be honest, he did realize multiple women eyeing him from the corner of his eye. He just acted like he didn't notice.
Truth was, his crippling PTSD was so severe, it caused him to distance himself from meaningful relationships. He couldn't feel the connection. He couldn't feel…love. He didn't want to feel love. Was it selfish? Yes. But justifiable? Yes.
"Look. Over there," Sam pointed to a woman standing across the room. "She's cute and she's been eyeing you for the past twenty minutes."
Todd turned to see a tall black girl in a skin-tight ebony mini dress with red heels and damn…did she have the figure. She was curvy and proportional. She had to have been eighteen. How else would she have been granted entry?
He wouldn't lie, she was beautiful. Her curly hair flowed to her shoulders, her lips were full…seductive. Her brown eyes met his and for a moment, the world between them froze.
Jason snapped back into reality and shifted his gaze.
"Go get her, Jay." Samantha whispered in his closest ear.
"She's not my type." Jason spoke nonchalantly while knowing he didn't mean a word he'd just said.
"The look on your face spoke otherwise."
He looked back to her. "What do you mean?"
"Come on, Jason." She nudged his shoulder. "Us women aren't stupid. We know that when men stare, that's basically a siren on them screaming for their attention. Admit it, she's sexy."
Jason let out a quick chuckle as he swirled his glass. "Alright. I'll admit it. She's hot."
"Then why don't you pursue?" She questioned. "You scared?"
"No."
"I thought Jason Todd wasn't afraid of anything." She mocked.
Todd snickered. "Alright," He rose from his seat. "But if I'm getting laid tonight, expect to be walking home alone. "
With that, he left her.
Okay, so he will admit he gave up easily. He held the notion that he should take the opportunity-or at least try; a night of 'fun' would help him get his mind off the past...to relieve stress. Probably this girl did have something to her. This was Gotham City after all. Getting women was never hard.
He quickly overlooked his surrounding, checking to see if he would see her again. The nightclub had been packed and she blended in easily with the crowd of people. He made his way to the dance floor, avoiding the cheering people once 'I Can't Feel My Face ' by The Weeknd bounced off the walls. Jason tried to avoid the hands and arms that were flung in his direction. What made it worse were those damn flashing lights that flickered every second.
Just then a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders from behind.
"Looking for me, huh?" A soothing, feminine Guyanese voice questioned in his ear.
Jason turned around.
It was her.
She was more gorgeous up close. Her brown eyes were welcoming, enticing.
And I know she'll be the death of me
At least we'll both be numb
And she'll always get the best of me
The worst is yet to come
He opened his mouth to catch his breath and to ask her just who the hell she was.
"Your friend over there told me you were single." She motioned her head to a grinning Samantha in the distance. She had been watching the two. "I was just wondering if you wanted to…" She drifted off.
"Hook-up?" He let out a grin.
The girl tilted her head back and laughed, revealing a perfect line of snow white teeth.
But at least we'll both be beautiful
And stay forever young
This I know
Yeah, this I know
"You really are that type of guy, Jason."
"She told you my name too?!"
He hoped that's all she knew.
The black girl stood there, a smile dancing at her lips. Obviously, that was a yes.
"Is that a crime?" She said.
"You tell me." Jason flashed the best smile he could. He leaned closer, his voice more baritone. "How would you like your punishment?"
"What if I show you?" She grabbed his hand and started walking backwards. "I know you men love surprises."
I can't feel my face when I'm with you
But I love it, but I love it
Oh
I can't feel my face when I'm with you
But I love it, but I love it
She led him out of the dance hall, past the club-goers that were simply enjoying the nightlife. Jason moved along with her, slightly amused yet knew this wasn't going to end in a hook up. There was something peculiar to her demeanor. She was more focused, more alert; it reminded him how he would look back in his days as Robin before he went on a high-risk mission.
A weird sense of suspense hit him, his hands were sweaty, his heart paced.
I can't feel my face when I'm with you
But I love it, but I love it…
The back door led to a broken-down alleyway. Cigarette buds and empty beer bottles littered the pavement. It reeked of piss and beer. They made their way past kissing couples who might as well had been fucking by the way they were making out.
Then she made her move.
She pushed the eighteen year old against the wall. Her strength caught him off guard. She moved closer to him, her eyes burned into his.
"Let's see what fun we can have, Jason." She purred in his ear.
Jason wanted to kiss her right then.
And he didn't even know her name.
Her hands made their way to his belt, her passionate eyes still on his. This was going to go the way he wanted after all...
A sudden cold hard feeling entered his pants. And it's not what he'd expected. Todd gazed down only to see a handgun placed where 'it' should've been.
"My name is Geneva," She spoke. "I need your help." She no longer was seductive. She seemed desperate, helpless.
"What do you expect me to do with this?" Todd pulled the weapon out and held it to her face to see.
"The men are already here," Geneva pointed to a suspicious black SUV that shifted to the curb. All four doors flew open. Men in dress suits jumped out from their seats.
"There's a major human trafficking ring between Black Mask and the Latino Gang." Geneva stated.
"Prostitution?"
Geneva nodded. "They're planning a deal tonight. Black Mask is selling thirty two women for five hundred thousand."
"How do you know this? "
Geneva rubbed her shoulders and heaved. "Because I'm one of them, I managed to escape. Then I found Sam…" She looked left and right. "She told me she would help, find a way out for me-for all of us."
Jason put the pieces together, "Samantha... She sent me to you…"
No wonder Sam was so enthusiastic in him meeting her. She didn't want him to meet her for a hook-up.
This was a setup.
"Black Mask's men," She began ignoring his statement. "They're here to get the girls from the basement…underneath the nightclub..." She bit her lip. "That's where they're kept. Locked up."
"Lemme guess," He gave the pistol another look. "you're sending me there to rescue them?"
"…yes."
"And why should you trust me?"
"Because, Jason," She started. "I can trust Robin."
