UPTOWN GIRL, bruce wayne

busted

***

IVORY HAS been to the jail hundreds of times, considering her father's position, but it was one thing being on the outside of the bars, rather than sitting in one of the cells.

She isn't worried about getting out. She's sure anyone of her friends will be quick to bail her out. She is busy stuck on trying to piece everything together. If Falcone and The Riddler were working together, that was one thing, but the way Falcone knew backup would be arriving was the thing that confused her.

There was no one around. No one to call the cops. And Chris hadn't believed a word she said. Why?

It suddenly snaps into place. It is a crazy theory, definitely out there, but it makes perfect sense. Falcone must've had something on the officers—or, there was some inner circle type shit going on just like the Iceburg Lounge. Did they all listen to him? Is Falcone the one in control now? Her father was away, did that mean he'd been the leader at one point, too?

If what he told her had been true, then Ivory's father was responsible for the death of Bruce's parents. How would her best friend react to that news?

The cell door slides open. Another officer ushers her out, and Ivory rises to her feet, brows furrowed. It's not a shock that she sees Bruce standing there, dressed in mostly black, the top button of his shirt undone, but seeing him still sends a jolt of surprise through her entire body.

Ivory launches herself into his arms, and Bruce returns the gesture tightly. She breathes in his familiar scent, refusing to let him go. Having him so near after the last couple of hours is a comfort she didn't know she'd been missing. It is a relief to have him back.

"You alright?" Bruce asks, peering down at her. Ivory feels her heart skip a beat. She doesn't trust Falcone for obvious reasons, but there is another thing he said that struck a nerve.

"And what better way to lure him in than dangle the last thing he loves right where he can't reach?"

Loves. What did he mean by that? Ivory was a lot of things, but she wasn't oblivious. Being the daughter of a city famous detective taught her how to be perceptive. If Falcone was claiming Bruce loves her... she would've noticed it by now. Wouldn't she? There are plenty ways to love someone. A sisterly bond. Platonically. It didn't have to be romantic, right?

She pulls away to meet his gaze. "I have so much to tell you."

Bruce nods, but his gaze is past her head. "Let's get out of here first."

They wound up at her apartment. Bruce makes himself comfortable on the couch, and Ivory sits in one of the arm chairs. He quickly fills her in on the latest events—how he'd talked to Falcone (only a couple of hours before he had kidnapped Ivory, might she add) and the news on how his father had supposedly hired him to kill a reporter who was exposing secrets. Bruce goes on to explain how Alfred said it was false, and Ivory anxiously taps her foot against the floor.

Ivory, in return, hesitantly tells him about what Falcone had said about her own father potentially being responsible for the death of Bruce's parents. She leaves out how she received that information, the last thing she needed was him rushing after Falcone because of the kidnapping—though it would be awfully satisfying to watch, but he hardly reacts to the news.

Bruce shakes his head, bracing his arms on either one of his knees, and dropping his head into his hands. "There's too many stories," he finally says. "I don't know what to believe."

"But they all have a common denominator," Ivory sighs. "Falcone is in all of them."

"Gordon and I just got back from speaking with Selina," Bruce tells her. For some reason, hearing that he'd been with another woman sparks something up inside of her. "Her friend, the one she'd been looking for, called her the night she died. Falcone was there, too. Kenzie, you know Kenzie." Ivory nods. "He revealed that they all listen to Falcone. All of the cops."