Dangers in the Dark

A Promise of War 19.3

Holly POV
Alleyway

Picking up the pace, I kept myself pretty much plastered to Bruce's side as we walked through alley way after alley way; each one looked the same and each one offered the same help. The journey seemed never ending and the end point of our search was ... well, it wasn't easily found. After we'd looked at every shooting range on Bruce's list and still not found Reggie, we had to go to other means to find the guy. We needed someone who had eyes and ears everywhere, who somehow knew everything that was going on in the streets.

"You know, I kinda feel like we're wandering around in circles a bit," I admitted, nervously glancing behind us when I heard a bottle smash as an afternoon drinker, who had clearly already had beyond his limit, tripped into our alley way and started vomiting up the wall. "That is so gross."

"She's got to be around here somewhere," Bruce replied, also glancing back at the guy. "Hopefully not down here, though." Bruce ushered me forward a bit so that I was further from the man, probably forgetting that at the moment in a fight I could do more damage than he could. Wouldn't lie, I appreciated the sentiment though.

"Maybe we should try the roofs. You know how Selina spends half her time wandering around up there," I suggested.

"Yeah, maybe. We should look around on the ground for a bit longer. If in the next half an hour we haven't found her, we'll go up onto the roofs," Bruce agreed as we exited the alleyway, leaving the vomiting man emptying out his stomach.

We continued heading towards the centre of the city where Selina would most likely be hanging out. Someone else that would be in the centre was Ivy. If we could find Ivy, we could maybe find Selina. They could be together for all I knew.

As we made our way down yet another alley way, ignoring the creepy stares from an old homeless man who looked like a high Santa Clause, I suddenly got the feeling that we were being watched. Not by the homeless who were eyeing up Bruce's expensive jacket, but by something else. No, not something ... someone.

I glanced up at the roof just in time to see a familiar figure leaping down elegantly. Selina swung down by the fire escape ladders before landing on the ground in a cat-like position.

"Could've smashed your heads with a brick, you know?" Selina teased, brushing off her hands as she approached us.

"I'm glad you didn't," I replied, watching as High Santa limped away now that we were with Selina who had what looked a lot like a pocketknife hanging from her belt.

"Why would you do that?" Bruce asked curiously.

"Just thought you should know," Selina shrugged. "What's up? Why're you looking for me?"

"That obvious, huh? Couldn't we just be hanging out in these ... lovely alleys?" I said, gesturing around to the graffiti covered walls and the piles of trash that were stacked up against the damp brick wall. "The scenery is to die for."

"Real tourist location," Selina agreed, her lips quirking up in a small smirk. "The rich folk like Bruce love it. No, but seriously. Why'd you need me?"

"Reggie Payne, the man who stabbed Alfred, he's in Gotham," Bruce told Selina who immediately nodded in understanding.

"And you need my help to find him," Selina presumed to which both Bruce and I nodded. "Okay."

"Alfred said he'd be at a gun range for a few days, but we've checked every one in the city," Bruce said, handing Selina the list of gun ranges. "Nothing."

"Who stays at a gun range for a few days?" Selina pondered out loud. "Doesn't make any sense."

"That's what he said," Bruce confirmed.