Detective | ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴛᴍᴀɴ

𝒕 𝒘 𝒆 𝒏 𝒕 𝒚 - 𝒕 𝒉 𝒓 𝒆 𝒆

Meeting Gordon atop the signal tower, Bruce could tell Gordon was losing just as much sleep as he was. "We've entered the 24-hour mark," He started. "Once we hit 48 hours, her trail starts to run cold."

"It already has," Bruce mumbled. "Riddler must have been planning her kidnapping for a while. The last part of the plan was to get her alone."

"Jesus." Gordon sighed. "She doesn't deserve this... any of this."

"No..." Bruce looked at the skyline. "She doesn't...." He turned his head to meet Gordon's again. "Did he leave anything behind?"

Gordon dug his hand inside his trench coat, pulling out a black envelope with white writing. "Addressed to you." Bruce opened the envelope and pulled the card out. "Assuming that you two are close," Gordon started, stopping Bruce from reading the stock paper. "You're not gonna like what you read. I damn near ripped the thing to shreds."

Bruce continued pulling the card out. On the front of the card were two men, one with a broken heart and the other running off with a woman over his shoulder. The cartoon design was from the '40s and felt like a slap in the face.

Dear Batman,

One might say that my lovely detective has witnessed heartbreak before. I say she's been distracted by you long enough. I've given my heart and soul to cleaning this city for her because she is an angel. She saw me when no one else did, and I know she's done the same to you, too; only this time, I'll make her forget you. I'll fuck her, make love to her, and take her until the only thing she knows is me and our perpetual love that she does not know is there. If you truly want her, love her as I do, find the rat, and bring him to the light; only then shall you be able to have her. Remember her as she was Batman, for it will be the last time she shares her body.

Tick Tock.

By the end of the letter, Bruce squeezed his hand into a fist, crimpling the card. "I need you to be honest with me here," Jim clenched his jaw, thinking of how to word his question without driving Batman away. "Because I love this girl as if she were my own, and I'll be damned if she dies, and you weren't straightforward with me." Bruce flickered his eyes to Jim's before looking back down at the card, signaling he was listening.

The elevator gate was pushed open before he got the chance to, alerting the two men. Kyle stepped out, chocolate hair covering his eyes as he breathed heavily. "Kyle." Gordon jumped in. "Now's not the time."

"Where is she?" Kyle growled, stomping over to Bruce. He was wild, angry, not even the word to describe the emotion in his brown eyes. "Huh, you son of a bitch!"

"Kyle! Jim growled. Bruce only held his arm out to stop him from intervening.

"I'm on the same page as everyone else," Bruce spoke calmly.

Kyle scoffed. "Bullshit, she called me Tuesday night, practically distraught about you." He glared at him. "Why did he take her?" Silence radiated from Bruce, which only seemed to anger Kyle more. Bruce knew exactly why Riddler took her; he just didn't know if he was ready to admit it to Gordon and definitely not to Kyle. He was losing control over her when she decided to stay at Wayne Tower with him. He grabbed ahold of Bruce's collar. "Say something!"