Billion Dollar Vengeance

Chapter 23: The Cat and the Bat

I pace, and scroll through my phone, and attempt to eat, and pace, and worry my lip, and pace. There's nothing to do. For hours. All I can think about is Bruce's eyes filled with tears. I know he loves me. But there's nothing stopping him from lying to me again. There's nothing to keep us together other than our history and physical attraction. I'm done kidding myself though. I know that if I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn't try to find out who Vengeance is. I would keep lying to myself. I didn't truly want to know. I wish I didn't ruin what I had. It was good. It made me feel alive. Ever since that night of discovery, I've been trapped in an endless cycle of worry and heartache.

Over the last several months, I've come to terms with the fact that Bruce is Ven and Ven is Bruce. But some sick, twisted part of me still sees them as two separate people. It's especially hard to reconcile the sex habits of the guy.

Over the last several hours, I've examined Selina in my head. She's attractive, of course. It's been years since I've been with a woman, and none so confident as her. Being alone for so long in this tiny storage unit has my mind racing. There's no way Bruce was only mad at me. He started acting pissy as soon as Selina and I introduced ourselves to each other and didn't immediately hate each other.

It's six in the morning before they come back. I would have cowered in the corner of the storage unit when a car approached, but there's no mistaking the Batman's souped up sports car engine. The garage door lifts several feet, and they both stomp in out of the rain looking crestfallen. My feet leap into action. Without thinking, I wrap my arms around both of them and pull them to me, not caring that they're wet for a moment. My chest loosens. We made it one more day. A night of chaos and no one died.

Selina pats me on the back. "If you don't mind, sweetheart, I think I have a bruised rib."

I let go immediately, looking hesitantly at Bruce. He shakes his head and his eyes drop. Then he ignores me entirely as he approaches his equipment and computers. Selina takes me to the bathroom, and I sit on the edge of the counter as she starts stripping her padded leather clothes.

I try not to let my gaze wander, but she's got bruises up and down both sides of her stomach, and on her shoulders.

"What happened?" I watch her patch up minor wounds, wincing as she does so.

"Not much. At least, we didn't find a lead yet."

She sighs when she finishes, looking at me with tired eyes, her skin greenish under the fluorescent light. But her ab muscles are defined, her arm muscles bulging just enough to suggest she's not worth picking a fight with. I swallow, glancing away for the dozenth time. She sighs again, and grabs my hand to help me down from the countertop.

"I'm exhausted. I've pretty much been on my feet since October," she says.

"I'm sorry. I wish there was more I can do to help you two."

She gives me a side eye as we make our way through the cold rain back to the storage unit. "There might be something you can help with. He's got something shoved so far up his ass, I don't even think solving this crisis will fix it."

My eyes drop. "I think it's my fault. We've got kind of a... back and forth."

She laughs sweetly. "So, you'll help me get him relaxed? He almost got us killed twice out there."

I grimace. "I don't think... I don't know- I- I try not to think about, or..." Sighing, I let the freezing rain cool my hot face.

Selina wraps her strong, slender fingers around my arm, demanding my attention. "It would be simple. And so, so hot."