Evy heaved a sigh as she turned one way in front of her mirror and then the other. She puckered her lips, repeated the turn. The black dress hugged her curves a little more than she liked, but she had to give herself points on keeping her weight down. She was healthy, that was all that mattered. "Showin' bitches up wouldn't hurt either," she muttered aloud. She gave herself one last glance over and donned her mask. She sighed softly. "Let's do it." She shoved a tube of lipstick into the clutch she carried and was out the door. She was meeting Blake at the venue and was content to drive herself, she assumed she would be his ride back since his partner had brought him to work that morning in preparation for the nights activities. Evy plugged in her iPhone and selected her music, humming along to Adele's 'Set Fire to the Rain'.
0-0-0
Blake tapped his foot anxiously, brown eyes forever moving behind the black domino mask. Gotham's rich mingled all around him, jewels glittering like new fallen snow and carrying an air of arrogance. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He could pick his fellow cops out. To the rich they looked liked tarnished pennies against shiny new ones. Owen stood beside him, nursing his one beer he was allowed that evening. "This sucks," the man groused. "I mean honestly, what the fuck are we doing here?"
"Mingling." Blake said dryly. "Looking hot."
"Only one of us looks hot, guy," Owen said with a quick grin, which turned wolfish as a woman in black entered. "Fifty bucks says she goes home with me." He pointed the top of his bottle toward Evy.
Blake shifted his gaze and felt his tongue shrivel up. She was a peacock, he thought with a smirk, the woman who thought so little of herself, who had no sense of cockiness about her looks wore a peacock mask. "One hundred says she goes home with me." Blake offered. Owen's brows winged up. "What d'ya say?"
"Why not? Batter up." Owen extended his arm out to indicate Blake going first. With a smirk the detective approached Evy. He brushed through the crowd as if they weren't there and finally reached his mark. "A peacock." He said, she turned and smiled warmly at him. "Of all God's creatures, you chose a peacock."
"I wanted a self-esteem boost." She replied shaking the loose curls of brown hair back. Her gray eyes shone playfully beneath thick lashes. "What do you think?" She turned in a quick circle. He nodded his approval, smiling. "Pretty hot, right?"
"Evy," Blake shook his head and brought her manicured hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on her knuckles. "Dance with me?"
"If I must."
0-0-0
They spent the night dancing, but beneath the laughter, and soft whispers they knew that something wasn't right. The clock chimed 11 o'clock and the doors burst open. Screams echoed from woman, shouts from men. Undercover officers drew weapons, and shielded the rich. "I only wish to make an announcement!" A gruff voice announced. Evy inched away from the crowd to peek at the man. She held back her gasp. He was a short, round man with barely any fingers to think of. They were connected like a flipper. His nose reminded her of a beak and his eyes, black and beady in his face. "You didn't invite me to this party, so I crashed it." He rose up onto the podium and surveyed the people he loathed. Gotham's rich and fabulous, just like his parents. "While all of you are here drinking and dancing, my men are making sure that your family lines end tonight."
There was a gasp around the room; women began to head for the doors only to be sent back by a number of men dressed as clowns. Evy glanced at Blake and knew he was thinking of the orphanage. Just because they were orphans didn't mean the true parents weren't in the room. She inched her way back toward a spare exit. Blake caught Owen's eye and jerked his head toward the window. Bennett nodded. He saw the train of Evy's dress slip out the door. "How many of you will mourn the loss of your children?"
"Who are you?" A woman sobbed hysterically.
His gaze dropped to the woman in royal purple, curled his lip over blackened teeth. "You may call me Penguin."
0-0-0
Evy ditched her heels and ran barefoot to the car. "I called in reinforcements." Blake announced as he ran over to her. She nodded as they got into the car. "Bennett's handling how to get in there." No answer came from Evy as she slammed her stocking covered foot down on the accelerator. He reached over and squeezed her knee. "They're fine." He said gently. She slid a glance his way for only a second before pushing the car for all it was worth. They rounded the last curve and she leaned over, eyes fixed on the road, and opened the glove compartment and pulled out a Ruger SR9. "Jesus Evy!" Blake shifted away from her. She let a small smile flit over her lips as she drove with one knee and cocked the gun. "Ready?" She asked as she slammed the car into park.
Blake drew his service weapon and led the way into the orphanage. The manor was dark, but he knew his way. Evy walked softly beside him, ditched her mask on the front table before they took to the stairs. They checked on the older boys first, then the middles and finally the youngest. "Blake," Evy gripped John's hand in the darkness. "Ryder's gone." She stared at the bed on the end where the window stood open, the drapes flapping around it. They heard the scream from outside.
"Evy!" John shouted after the running woman. He cursed her and followed, stopped briefly to wake the Father and try to explain at a run.
She was running as fast as she could outside of the house, her skirt flying up near her waist, hands on the gun. The stones outside bit into her feet, but she couldn't feel them. "Hey!" She caught sight of the man and the five year old. He glanced back, swore and kept running. "Stop!" She dug into herself and hauled her skirt up higher, the lawn was a welcome relief and she was able to run all the faster. She heard Blake calling her from behind. Telling her to wait. "Sorry dear." She muttered, and skidded to a halt. She aimed and on the exhale fired. The man stumbled and turned. He held Ryder against his torso, a human shield.
"One more step and he dies," A gun came out. Evy paused where she was, and debated her options. Should she shoot there was the chance that the gun the perp was holding would be fired out of reflex. If she didn't fire he would get away with Ryder in tow. "Why are you doing this?" She asked softly.
"Because this is my life," The goon motioned with his gun hand spread wide away from Ryder. She brought the ruger up and fired. He toppled to the side and Ryder now free ran toward her. "Go to Blake!" She ordered the boy as she jogged by.
"John!" Ryder sobbed collapsing into the panting detectives arms. "He-he-he," the boys body racked even as Blake watched Evy haul the injured man up his shirt.
"Explain," Evy ordered as he groaned, clutching his bleeding shoulder. She scowled darkly at his moans. "Look you can either talk to me or I'll make this a hell of a lot worse."
"You shot me!"
"You took my boy!" Evy kicked him back, and placed one foot firmly on his wound. His cries filled the night and left Father Reilly crossing himself, with Ryder hugged to his side. Blake kept his distance from Evy, but inched in. "Being shot in the leg is the least of your worries right now."
"He's not the only one you need to worry about," the man said with a laugh. "Penguin's got us all over Gotham."
"Your plans not exactly working sweetheart," drawled Evy as sirens whipped by the manor. "That's what happens when Penguin crashes a party with cops in the room." She stepped harder on his leg. "Now why is he doing this?"
"Ask him yourself."
"We can do this two ways," Evy crouched in front of the man, gray eyes locked on green. "The easy way," she wrapped her hand around his wound and squeezed. "Or." She pressed the gun into his thigh. "The hard way. If this bullet severs your femoral artery you're gonna bleed out in less than thirty seconds." Blake opened his mouth to intervene, but one look from Evy had him waiting, impatiently. The social worker squeezed again and whimpers filled the air. "Choose."
"I don't know anything!"
"Then you're not worth my time," Evy rose and brought the run to his forehead. "We have a preacher, do you want last rights?"
"All I know is that he was abandoned!" The man sobbed. "Don't kill me, please! I swear to God that's all I know!"
Evy stepped back, and looked to Blake for his take. "John?"
"We'll take him in." Blake decided and pulled his phone out to call a rookie, but there was already a cruiser heading up the driveway. He glanced behind him to where Father Reilly was slipping his phone into his pocket. Blake grinned. He briefed the officer as they walked to a blood covered perpetrator and a woman who had blood on her hands, dress, face and feet. "Did he do that to you, ma'am?" Beckett asked darkly.
"Other way around, pal," the perp said as the cuffs went on. "That's my blood."
"Sure it is." Beckett tossed him in the back of the cruiser. "Word is that we're getting most of the kids." He told Blake and Evy.
"Not all?" Evy moved closer, slid the safety on.
"We're working on it."
"Keep me updated." Blake ordered and watched the cruiser fade into the distance. He turned toward the woman. "We need to talk."
"Can I at least get this blood off me?"
"That's part of the talk," Blake gripped her arm and led her into the manor. Evy let herself be manhandled into the shower, and sighed as Blake took a seat on the toilet. There was a gap of silence that she filled only with the shampoo bottle clicking open and shut. "Father Reilly is with Ryder, at least until you're cleaned up. Kid wants to see you." Blake broke the silence as he fiddled with his watch.
"He will," Evy said softly as she watched the crimson water run down the drain. Her feet stung from small cuts. "Can you test the guy have HIV/AIDS while he's in there."
"Taking care of it." Blake replied angrily. "Shoulda thought that one through. Along with running after an armed man, who had a child with him, along with threatening to make him bleed out. You should've left all of that to me." The water shut of abruptly.
"Because you're the one with a dick hanging between your legs?" Evy asked as she ripped the curtain open. Blake let his gaze drop down her body and back up.
"Because I'm the one trained for this stuff."
"I like to think I did a halfway decent job out there." She snatched the towel he held out and quickly dried off. Comfortable in her nakedness she strode by him, willing herself to distract him for ripping her a new one. He followed, words disappearing as she bent down to pull on a pair of Gotham PD sweatpants and tee shirt. "I'm sorry if I don't have the badge or the ball sack to prove myself—" She broke off as Blake crushed his mouth against hers, his broad fingers tangled into her wet hair and hauled her head back as he plundered.
There was no call for it, no reason, if there had been, Blake decided, it was because he needed the reassurance that they were alive. She pressed into him, her arms tight as she took from him. He was being reckless; his hand cupped the soft skin at the nape of her neck, so reckless. He brought her back against the chest of drawers. He pressed closer to her, his strong thigh braced in between her legs. His lips left hers to trace a line of fire to her neck. "John…" Her soft whisper was hardly heard in the rushing inside his ears. Her hands tightened in his hair as he nipped gently on the side of her neck. He could feel her pulse racing; smell the scent that was hers and hers alone. Her lips searched for his and found their mark as she drove him to the brink of insanity. There were times were you took and let yourself be taken.
She dragged at his shirt and tossed it to one side; he maneuvered them to the bed and lowered her down. She shoved and then straddled him, hauled the shirt she wore over her head. He reared up and clamped his arms around her, his mouth found her breast. So she held on and let him plunder. He used teeth and tongue, gorging himself as her fingers dug into his shoulders, his back and his sides. Then she was under him once more, her hips grinding into his as their mouths clashed in battle. He pulled the loose pants she wore down her hips and there was nothing beneath them but woman, hot and wet. Hotter and wetter when his hand found her. Her harsh, throaty moan seared across his lips. When the orgasm ripped through her she could only think, oh thank God. Greed whipped through her, she shoved the pants all the way off and brought his down to his knees. She held on as he plunged into her. And drove her like a mad thing, thrust upon urgent thrust until they were both burned out.
They lay together after, Blake still on top, not sure if he could form words, or even move. And Evy lay beneath him, eyes shut. She had never let herself be taken in the heat of a temper. She enjoyed her temper, relished it, it was hers, yet here she had shared it. Not that she was complaining, she reminded herself, her body felt used and delightfully relieved. "Father Reilly is probably looking for us." Evy said softly and began to scoot away.
"Don't." Blake grabbed her arm and pulled her back. It was an effort to lift up on an elbow, but he managed, all the while gazing at her face. "Where did you go?" He asked softly. "You have so many little hiding places." He stroked a finger down her face.
"I don't hide," she jerked her head back as she hunted down her clothes.
"You do," Blake joined her in getting dressed. "Someone gets too close and you go sliding off into one of your shadows." He buttoned his jeans and dragged on a black tee shirt.
"Don't piss me off, Blake," Evy sighed heavily as she dragged her fingers through her hair. "Just don't." She shook her head as she walked out of the room.
Blake stood in front of the rumpled bed and sighed softly. "If me loving you pisses you off than we're in for a hell of a ride." He said to the empty bedroom. "One hell of a ride."