Jessica Jones: Arrested by the Crooks (part 2)

(Sorry for the late post guys, parents needed my help yesterday and it killed my writing time. I plan on doing another short little bit to finish off Jessica Jones and I'll be posting a poll after I get back from work to hear which direction you guys want me to take it. Enjoy!)

About 15 minutes later, I was riding my apartment building’s rickety elevator with John and Charlie on either side while Patrick stood behind me. They’d decided to remove my gag, but kept my wrists restrained, draping one of their jackets over my shoulders to hide the cuffs. Alvin, the fourth man, waited in the van in case we needed to escape quickly.

I kept my head lowered, eyes downcast. A few people had glanced at me on our way in, but nobody seemed concerned. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad thing. I desperately hoped someone would notice something, but unless they had SHIELD or the Avengers on speed dial, I didn’t know what they could do. If anyone tried to stop them, they’d probably get burned to a crisp by Patrick before they even knew who they were messing with.

I sighed heavily. As much as I wanted to escape, Charlie was right. The best thing to do was get them out of here as quickly as possible.

The elevator rattled like it always did when we passed the 5th floor and all the men looked around warily except for Charlie. Nothing seemed to bother that prick.

“Remember,” he squeezed my arm, “If anyone asks, you’ll tell them we’re police, if you say anything at all. And they’d better believe you. If they don’t, I’ll know. And if you try to tell them something in secret, I’ll also know.”

I didn’t bother looking at him. I just slowly nodded.

“I remember,” I said.

“Good,” he stroked my shoulder with his thumb, “Let’s make this quick and simple.”

When we reached my floor, the elevator didn’t ding as much as clunk. The doors shuddered, then squeaked before opening, old metal parts scraping. My floor was one long hallway with several doors on either side leading to other apartments. My door faced us at the end of the hallway, a milk-glass window set in its center with a brass name plate proclaiming “Alias Investigations.”

The elevator hadn’t stopped flush with its opening, so we had to step over a slight lip before making our way down the gauntlet of doors to my apartment/office. I walked briskly, keeping my eyes on my doorway and the three criminals kept pace, Charlie keeping a grip on my arm.

We were about halfway down the hall when the door to the left of my apartment opened. A homely, freckled face beneath a mop of carrot hair peaked out and looked down the hallway. When she saw me, her face screwed up in a glare, making her appear even more pug-like.

My neighbor Robyn was one of the most petty people I’d ever met and she had a serious problem with me. She made it clear at every opportunity that she didn’t care for me or my lifestyle, was constantly complaining both at me and to the building super, and generally blamed me for everything bad that happened in the entire building. She’d even threatened me at one point and I’d pinned her against the wall to set her straight. Of course, that only made things worse.

“Shit…” I quickly lowered my eyes, slowing my pace.

It didn’t help. If anything, the uncomfortable response only made Robyn more eager, like waving red in front of a bull.

“Well,” she rolled her eyes, “Look who finally showed up!”

Robyn stormed into the hallway and advanced right toward us, her eyes sharp and fixed on me. She wore a frumpy sweater vest over an unfortunate orange dress, making her look like a furious carrot.

“Do you realize how often your phone has been ringing?!” she snapped, “I can hear it every time! It’s like a fire alarm!”

Charlie tugged me forward before I could slow down any further.

“Keep moving,” he ordered.

“I’ve told you a hundred times to get an answering service!” Robyn continued, “This a residential building, not downtown! We don’t want to hear your phone ringing off the hook literally all day!”

Robyn met us before we reached the door, hands on her shapeless hips.

“And who are you bringing in there now?” she gestured at Charlie and the others, blocking the way, “More boyfriends and drug dealers? Look at me when I’m talking to you, Jessica Jones!”

Our group drew to a stop and I lowered my head further, biting my lip. If there was ever a time I needed Robyn to not be so… Robyn, it was right now. I could feel John tensing beside me, the heat of Patrick’s flame hand as it lit up behind my back. She might have been one of the most small-minded, obnoxious, nasty, entitled people on the face of the earth, but I didn’t want her to die. I also didn’t want Patrick to burn down the building when one of the other neighbors called the cops.

“Robyn, listen,” I shook my head, “Just go back inside. There’s nothing—”

“Don’t tell me what to do! I said look at me!” she cut me off, “What’s wrong with you?! Who are these men?! Explain yourself!”

Goddamnit, Robyn.

I glanced to either side. Charlie’s lips were pursed and he was squinting hard at Robyn, like she was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. On my other side, John’s expression was empty and cold, a killer about to strike. I didn’t need to see Patrick’s expression; judging by the heat I felt through both my jacket and the jacket they’d draped over my shoulders, he was a couple of seconds away from turning my meddling neighbor into a human candle.

I looked back at Robyn, my expression tight with desperation.

“Robyn,” I said slowly, “They’re cops. Okay?”

She narrowed her eyes, her voice flat and disbelieving, “They’re cops.”

There was a faint woosh as Patrick’s hand ignited into a flame the size of a small campfire.

My eyes widened.

But before I could call out a warning, Charlie threw back his head and barked with laughter.

Time paused for a moment as everyone stopped to frown at him. John, who I was sure was just about to pounce, froze and narrowed his eyes in the Englishman’s direction. Patrick’s flame stayed ignited, but he held it where it was, restraining himself from attacking. Even Robyn blinked her eyes in surprise, though she quickly narrowed them, probably thinking he was mocking her.

Charlie shook his head in amusement.

“My word,” he said, his voice still bouncing with laughter, “Such a misunderstanding. Please, let’s all just calm down a moment.” He grinned at Patrick, “Gentlemen, please. I assure you, we are in the middle of the most comedic circumstance.”

The other two men stared at him.

“Please,” he narrowed his eyes, “Trust me. This will be amusing.”

John looked uncertain but he eased back in his stance, his shoulders relaxing. Patrick held onto his fire for another moment, then I felt the heat vanish with a tiny hiss.

Relief bled some of the tension out of my own shoulders, but I kept my eyes on Charlie. He had a crooked grin and a twinkle in his eye that made me suspicious. I knew he had been reading Robyn’s mind seconds ago and then he suddenly burst out laughing. What had he seen in my neighbor’s thoughts that had amused him so much?

When he saw his colleagues had eased down, Charlie turned back to Robyn.

“Please, madame, forgive us,” he placed an apologetic hand on his chest, “This misunderstanding is entirely our fault. It’s just now occurred to me who you are. You’re Robyn Stein, are you not?”

Robyn stared at him. She looked him over, eyes narrowing with suspicion, then crossed her arms under her breasts. Whatever she saw didn’t immediately draw her ire, so she looked at him askance, curiosity piqued just enough for her to reserve judgement. For the moment.

“Maybe…” she said slowly.

Charlie smiled and turned to his colleagues, “This is the one that sent the reports on our prisoner here. Robyn Stein, remember?”

John and Patrick stared blankly back at him. Whatever he was talking about meant as much to them as it did to me.

It meant something to Robyn, though. She gasped and brought a hand to her mouth, eyebrows rising towards her scalp.

“Uh… yeah,” John said after a moment, “The reports. I remember.”

Patrick continued to stare.

Robyn on the other hand was struck speechless for the first time since I’d met her. Her mouth hung open and she stood frozen, eyes wide with awe. It took several seconds for her to find her voice.

“Y-you… you mean…” she squeaked, “You’re… you’re with…”

Charlie looked around with theatric suspicion, then brought a finger to his lips.

Robyn swallowed, taking the hint.

“You’re with…” she whispered, “The Meta Human Control Agency?”

I squinted up at Charlie. The what?!

Charlie ignored me, his attention entirely on Robyn. He wore a mysterious grin, his voice lofty and conspirational.

“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to answer that, but… let’s just say my department found your reports interesting, to say the least.”

Robyn’s face lit up, “You read my letters?!”

“Of course!” Charlie grinned, “They were most impressive! Your reports on Miss Jones’ dangerous behavior were so thorough, it prompted us to start our own investigation. And as you can see,” he took me by the arm, “You were right on all counts.”

I winced as he turned me to the side and pulled my arms forward, enough so she could see the handcuffs connecting them.

If Robyn’s face had brightened before, now it practically glowed. She suddenly giggled hysterically and clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes lighting up with glee as she stared at my cuffed wrists. She looked at me, then at Charlie, then back at the cuffs, practically bouncing with giddy energy.

“This is a waste of time,” I heard Patrick mutter to Charlie.

“A minor detour that will make everything much easier,” Charlie whispered back, “Besides, what fun!”

I sighed, getting the sinking suspicion I wouldn’t be having as much fun as he would.

Getting over her initial hysterics, Robyn grinned at Charlie with vicious glee.

“I knew it!” she pointed at him, “I KNEW it! Reuben said you guys didn’t exist, but I KNEW it! I was right!”

She giggled again, then turned to me, her gaze narrowing. She looked right into my eyes and her lips drew together, her grin going from savagely vindicated to smugly, sweetly triumphant.

“And you know what?” she drew a step closer to me, “It’s about time! You’ve had this coming for a good long while!”

She cupped my chin and lifted my face to hers.

“You thought you could just do whatever you wanted cuz you have powers, didn’t you?” she sneered, “You didn’t know the MHCA was out there and it was only a matter of time before they came for you!”

My brow lowered as Robyn taunted me, my jaw working. I wanted to tell her she was an idiot, that there was no such thing as the MHCA. That it was some conspiracy theory she bought into because of her own intolerance and mediocrity. But I couldn’t. As long as she bought this story, she wasn’t going to raise an alarm or force one of the others to do something nasty. Since she thought this was some super secret government raid, she wouldn’t tell anyone at all and would probably even cover for us. It was completely humiliating, but was I supposed to just yell the truth at her?

I lowered my eyes, feeling tired. Charlie had himself a new ally now that would do everything she could to help them cover their tracks. It was almost perfect for him.

“Look at me, Jessica.” Robyn ordered.

I lifted sad eyes back to hers, expression weary and defeated.

Robyn delicately pinched a loose strand of my hair and guided it behind my ear.

“You’re going to prison now,” she cooed, “A secret black site prison at Area 52. You’re never going to see the light of day again. And it’s all thanks to me.”

This was definitely the worst day of my life. I don’t know what my expression was like right then, but it made Robyn grin broader, immensely pleased. She stared at me, enjoying it for a second, then looked past me to Charlie.

“You ARE taking her away, right?” she asked.

“Indeed,” he smiled, “She’s guilty of many crimes and we were in the process of confiscating the equipment from her office. We believe she’s been gathering… illicit information.”

Robyn almost jumped with excitement, “Oh! I can help! I have her key!”

Before Charlie could even comment, Robyn had whirled around and hurried to my door, digging I big key ring out of her sweater pocket.

“You do, hm?” Charlie grinned at Patrick, “That IS helpful!”

Patrick rolled his eyes but shrugged in concession.

Robyn flipped through the keys one by one, “I talked to the super and had him make a copy for me. I knew she was up to no good. I’m all for privacy, but some people just need to be watched. Besides, she’s not really like a normal person.”

“You’re very perceptive,” Charlie said, “Truly, have you ever considered getting into my line of work?”

She looked over her shoulder and giggled, blushing pink, then turned back to keep flipping through the keys. Finally getting to mine, she stuck it into my door, unlocked it, then threw it open.

She stepped to the side, waving them in, “After you, gentlemen!”

I let my head hang and stared at my feet. This had to be some kind of nightmare. My life hadn’t been easy before, but I’d never imagined it could become this degrading and miserable on so many levels. I wanted to just curl up in the floor and wait for the rats to get me.

But I didn’t even have that choice. Charlie led me forward and I shuffled along beside him, like a zombie.

Robyn flipped on the lights when we entered.

I didn’t exactly keep things clean. I had a cheap desk covered by an old office phone, a new laptop, several fast-food wrappers and empty bourbon bottles. There was a smaller desk to one side for my sometimes research assistant, a shelf stacked mostly with more bourbon bottles and some surveillance equipment, and a small safe tucked into the corner. As no one had been in the office but me for a while, there were also random articles of clothing and more wrappers on the floor.

After stepping inside, Patrick closed the door behind us. He locked it and immediately he and John made bee lines for the desk and safe respectively, already seeing things of value.

“Check the drawers of the desk for the paperwork,” Charlie said, leading me to a corner of the room, “Her equipment is on the shelves and some of it in the far room. She also has more… important evidence in her bedroom.”

He guided me by my arm and Robyn followed us with an eager grin. Once we were where Charlie wanted me, he set me against the wall and looked me in the eyes.

“Jessica,” he smiled, “The combination to the safe, please.”

I answered immediately, voice hollow, “42 left, 12 right, 23 left.”

Charlie turned to call out the numbers to John, who gave a thumbs up in return. Then he turned back to me.

“Now,” he took my shoulders and guided me to the floor, “Sit right here, don’t move, and stay quiet. We’ll be watching you.”

I slumped to the floor on my butt and nodded weakly to let him know I understood.

“Good girl,” Charlie smiled.

He turned to take part in the looting but stopped when he saw Robyn standing in his way. Her hands were clasped in front of her and she was bouncing with excitement, teeth showing in an almost cartoonishly eager grin.

“I can help!” she beamed, “What can I do?”

Charlie frowned for a moment, considering his response.

“Hmm…” he slowly grinned, “What you can do… is go into Jessica’s bedroom and pack her a little travel bag. Clothes, basic necessities. You understand?”

Robyn blinked, so Charlie rested a hand on her shoulder.

“The police aren’t aware of our activities, you see,” he leaned closer, confiding, “Secrecy is paramount. So, rather than her suddenly disappearing, it’s important that it appears like Jessica Jones packed a bag, took her valuables, and absconded.”

Robyn blinked again, but then her eyes lit up with recognition, “Ohhhh!”

“You see?” the telepathic crook winked, “You really are very intuitive! Now, go on. And take your time.”

She nodded rapidly, blushing again, then turned to scamper towards my living area.

Charlie watched her go and chuckled to himself. He glanced at me, but I didn’t look up at him. I was busy watching Patrick pull the drawers from my desk and dump their contents.

“See?” Charlie said to me, “Isn’t this fun?”

He chuckled again and strolled away, leaving me to sit there while my life was turned inside out.

John had the safe open in no time. He flipped open his satchel, grabbed my short stack of petty cash and stuffed it into the bag. He dug out the information discs SHIELD had given me then stuffed them in as well before feeling around the inside of the safe, checking for hidden panels.

Patrick had the group’s dossiers open and was scanning through them.

“Hey, John,” he held the yellow folder out for his partner to see, “Check out your mug shot.”

The other criminal looked up, “Whatever. All those pictures are bad.”

“You look like you’re about to throw up. Or cry.”

“Eat a dick.”

John moved to my shelves while Patrick chuckled to himself, flipping to the next page.

Charlie knew right where he was going. Hands clasped behind his back, he strolled to a particular spot in the floor then crouched down. Knocking on a floorboard, he found it to be loose and turned it over. Beneath was a small compartment where I’d hidden a vial of the Purple Man’s pheromones. Having read my mind he knew exactly where it was and what it was.

“Ah,” he picked out the vial, holding it up to the light.

It was in what almost looked like a chrome cigar case, but with a small window on the side to show the purple fluid it contained. Charlie jiggled it, watching the inky purple swirl inside the vial.

“I think this will sell very well to the right sort,” he tucked the vial into his pocket, “Very well indeed.”

Done reading, Patrick rolled the dossiers up and tucked them into the back of his pants, then moved to my bedroom.

“Let’s see what she’s got in here…” he grinned to himself.

Charlie continued to wander around, perusing, while John stuffed expensive camera and audio equipment into his bag. He picked up one of my only framed pictures, one of me and my late parents, looked it over, then tossed it aside. It broke on the floor, scattering little bits of glass.

Charlie frowned, “John, it’s meant to look like she simply picked up and left. If you keep throwing everything about, it’s going to appear that someone turned her apartment over.”

“Who cares?” John said without turning around.

The Englishman scowled at his partner’s back, then looked in the direction of the bedroom, where Robyn was packing my bag. He waited for a moment, checking to see if my neighbor had heard, then turned back to John.

“I care,” Charlie said in a lower tone, “Because SHIELD may come looking for her. And after that, they may come looking for us. I’d rather not give them cause to think we’re the reason she stopped answering their calls.”

“It’s SHIELD,” John replied, looking over a set of headphones, “They’ll figure it out anyway.”

“There are options for escaping their notice, Johnathon,” Charlie hissed, “But those options dwindle if it’s obvious to the dimmest police officer on earth that we kidnapped an agent of theirs!”

While the two of them argued, I found my gaze turning towards the door. It was only about fifteen feet away; it would only take a few seconds for me to reach it, even if I moved quietly.

I glanced back at Charlie. He had crossed the apartment to glare down at John, both of them with their backs to me.

“Why are we even keeping her, anyway?” John drawled, “I mean, besides the obvious reason. I don’t care either way, but if you’re so worried about covering our tracks, why don’t we just tie her up and dump her somewhere?”

“Besides the obvious, she has uses you haven’t considered yet,” Charlie replied, “Leverage. Intel. And other, more practical uses once she’s been properly tamed.”

If I was going to make a break for it, now was the best time. Patrick wasn’t even in the room and the other two were distracted, with an exit only a dozen steps away. My hands were still cuffed and it might take me a second to unlock and open the door, but if I was quiet I could get out before anyone even noticed.

Of course, if I got caught, Charlie might decide to let Patrick charbroil me rather than keeping me around.

I swallowed, then set my jaw. I had to take the chance. Charlie’s talk about taming me sent a chill down my spine because it was becoming a very real possibility. I’d already obeyed him like a frightened little girl so far, giving up trying to defy him because it would be pointless. How long could that go on before I gave up altogether? And if I didn’t, what would keep them from throwing my body in the river?

Keeping my eyes on Charlie, my heart pounding, I brought my knees to my chest then began pushing back up. My arms were no help so I simply had to press with my legs and shimmy up the wall. My coat lightly scraped on the old wallpaper, hopefully soft enough that only I could hear it. I moved slowly, inch by inch, praying that the crooks didn’t suddenly turn around.

About halfway up, the coat they’d laid across my shoulders slipped off and plopped to the floor. I froze, wincing.

Charlie and John were still in conversation, talking rather than arguing, the Brit explaining things while John slowly nodded, starting to come around. They didn’t seem to notice.

Releasing a relieved breath, I continued rising until I was upright, then arched my back to push myself off the wall. I stayed still for a moment, waiting to see if either of them would turn, then began taking careful steps towards the door.

Facing the men, I shuffled sideways, both to keep my eyes on them and to have my hands facing the door when I got there. My leather boots were better for kicking faces than sneaking, but I knew where to step to avoid creaking boards. I just had to get through the door and onto the street, then I could blend in, find someone to get this collar off of me.

After that, I could find these ass holes again, get the drop on THEM this time.

“And then what will you do?” Charlie piped up.

My heart stopped.

I froze, almost to the door, eyes as wide as saucers.

Charlie turned to face me, resting his elbow in his palm and stroking his chin thoughtfully. His dark eyes were glinting, boring into mine and for once he wasn’t wearing a sly grin. His expression was cold, angry, lips pinched in a tight line.

John had turned as well, but he looked more surprised, frowning first at his partner, then at me.

Shit. Goddamnit. Shit. He’d been in my head the whole time. He’d heard everything I’d thought about him and he’d just waited to see if I’d obey him or try to make a break for it. Then he’d let me get just a bit further, so he could catch me in the act.

My knees went weak and I almost fell. I’d just fucked up. I’d fucked up really bad.

Charlie shook his head in stern disapproval.

“Miss Stein?” he called out, “Could you come in here for a moment?”

Something in my bedroom thumped to the floor as Robyn dropped it in her rush to obey. She hurried in a moment later, wearing a big, hopeful grin.

“Yes?”

She stood in the entrance to my bedroom, beaming at Charlie, until she saw me out of the corner of her eye. When she turned towards me, her smile immediately fell away.

“Hey!” she snapped, pointing at the corner, “You’re supposed to stay over there! I heard him tell you!”

There’s no cool way to describe how I reacted. I panicked. If I didn’t get out of here right now, if I let them catch me, I knew I was in for something terrible.

I threw myself backwards to the door, banging clumsily into it and rattling the glass. I hit the door knob and pain lanced up my lower back, but I ignored it, fumbling desperately for the lock.

Robyn stormed towards me while Charlie and John watched with the beginnings of amused grins.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she glared righteously.

My handcuffs scraped and scratched at the door as I groped around but I found the lock. Trembling with adrenaline, my fingers didn’t work like they should, which only made the animal part of my brain scream louder.

Robyn reached me in seconds, long before I could get a good grip on the lock.

“Fuck OFF!” I shrieked, throwing a wild kick to drive her away.

If I’d had my powers, the kick would have knocked her flat on her back, maybe broken some ribs. Without them, the blow scraped off her hip, made her scowl with annoyance and pause for only a split second before swinging her fist into my jaw.

It wasn’t a great punch, but with me off balance and pinned to the door, it did the trick. There was a white flash and my head banged into the milk glass window. My panic was knocked away, that and every other thought in my head, leaving me staring stupidly, unable to focus on the red head in front of me. My legs buckled and I barely managed stay upright, which turned out to be a mistake when Robyn drove her fist into my stomach.

“WHOOLF!” I gaped like I’d seen a ghost and doubled over, the air in my lungs whooshing out of my open mouth.

“Ooh!” I heard John laughing in surprise.

That was all it took. Me, Jessica Jones, bad ass super powered crime fighter. I crumpled like a wet napkin, flopping onto my face, right at Robyn’s feet. I didn’t try to get up; I was too busy trying to breathe. I wheezed and coughed, just managing to turn my face so my cheek rested on the hardwood floor, but otherwise I didn’t move.

Robyn wasn’t done, though. She drew back and kicked me, mostly in the arm, but the toe of her shoe caught me in the ribs and forced out a rasp of pain.

“You,” she kicked me again, “Never get,” another kick, “To curse at me,” another kick, “ever,” harder kick, “EVER again!”

Each shot to my ribs drew another faint wheeze, my body tensing in agony.

When she was done, so was I. I went entirely slack, no longer wanting to get to the door, no longer even wanting to get up. In fact, I never wanted to get up ever again. I’d never had my ass kicked before. I didn’t realize how utterly exhausted and hollow it left you. Especially when you get your ass beaten so quickly and thoroughly by Robyn, of all people.

Behind me I heard John sniggering. Charlie clapped politely, like he was watching golf.

Robyn walked around to my front then bent down to take me under the shoulders.

“Don’t worry,” she beamed back at them, “I got her. She’s not going anywhere.”

Lifting my arms up just enough that she wouldn’t have to hunch over, she waddled backwards, dragging me across the floor.

“You are not going anywhere, missy,” she repeated for my benefit, “Nowhere except right back to where you started.”

Being the tough, no nonsense private investigator I am, I whimpered as my boots scraped along the floor, legs brushing past a few wrappers as she dragged me back to the corner. It wasn’t a comfortable ride, but fighting would only make it worse. When we arrived, she simply let go of me, letting me flop onto my breasts and face.

To add a cherry on top, she planted her foot on my head, grinding my cheek into the hardwood floor.

John went back to work while Charlie strolled towards us, still applauding.

Robyn beamed and leaned more of her weight onto my head. I groaned weakly.

“Very well done,” Charlie smiled, “It’s so fortunate you came in when you did!”

Apparently not remembering that he had called her, Robyn squirmed at the compliment.

“Oh, it was nothing,” she blushed, “Just lucky. She’s not a big deal without her powers.”

Charlie clucked his tongue, grinning down at me.

“She’ll learn soon enough.”

Robyn removed the foot from my head, setting it down next to my ear instead.

“Maybe I should watch her so she doesn’t try to get away again,” she said, “That way guys can focus on… on… the…”

She trailed off, like she forgot what she was about to say. But she didn’t say anything else. Charlie didn’t remark on it and said nothing to fill the silence either. It lingered, stretching for long, uncomfortable seconds, neither of them moving. They didn’t shuffle or shift their weight or even look away like someone might in an uncomfortable silence. It was like someone had simply hit the pause button on both of them.

After almost eight seconds of silence, even as beat up as I was, I started to notice something weird was happening. With my face mostly pressed to the floor I couldn’t see their faces, but I got the feeling they were staring right at each other with an intensity that usually only came from passion.

It ended when Charlie released a breath, his body relaxing again.

“… focus on the important stuff,” Robyn continued like the pause hadn’t happened, “Like, hmm… actually, has she been strip searched?”

That got my attention.

“Why… no!” Charlie sounded astonished, “I… suppose we should, but we didn’t bring any female agents! It’s against guidelines for someone of the opposite gender to perform that kind of search. It’s not really an option, unfortunately.”

What the hell?! Where had that come from?!

I blinked, starting to get another bad feeling.

“Hmm…” Robyn mused, “You know, I could do that.”

Charlie paused, as if startled by the genius of the idea.

“That… that’s in fact quite true!” he gasped, “You could! My word!”

“Sorry,” she said, “I don’t want to sound like I’m telling you how to do your job…”

“No, not at all! It’s a capital idea!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My head hurt and I still hadn’t quite caught my breath, but I squirmed, trying to turn myself onto my side so I could see them.

I didn’t get far before Robyn planted a foot on my shoulder and shoved me back to the floor.

“No one told you to move,” she snapped.

“My, you really know how to handle her!” Charlie gushed, “You’re so forceful! Very impressive!”

Eager to show how forceful she could be, Robyn moved the foot from my shoulder to drop down and replace it with a knee to my back. She leaned into it and I moaned, unable to keep one of my feet from kicking.

Not done, she tangled her fingers in my hair and yanked my head up, so she could give me a smirk of pure superiority.

“Now I’m going to strip you, Jessica,” she said sweetly, “Right down to your bra and panties. And you’re not going give me any trouble about it. Understand?”

I’d like to say I glared defiantly at her, that I refused to be intimidated, but I looked up at her with heavy, lidded eyes, already beat down and hopeless. I didn’t exactly give a good showing of myself and honestly her grin scared me a little bit. It wasn’t just that I was afraid of her, there was something else going on.

Robyn might have hated me with a passion, but this didn’t seem very much like her. I wouldn’t put it past her, but the idea of her ripping my clothes off had come too suddenly for it to have been genuine. Someone had put that thought in her head.

My gaze drifted to Charlie. He had his hands clasped over his chest and was innocently twiddling his thumbs. He stood a few steps back to give us plenty of room, but there was a sharp, eager glint in his eye. When his gaze met mine, a grin pulled at the corner of his mouth.

A chill went down my spine. I suddenly had no doubt where Robyn had suddenly gotten her brilliant idea.

When I didn’t answer fast enough, she gave my hair a jerk, making me gasp.

“Answer me when I speak to you!” she snapped.

I looked up at her, at how certain and righteous she was. My morale couldn’t have been any lower and it showed in the sullen look in my eyes, the weary hanging of my features. I wanted to look away, knew that I looked pathetic and beaten, but I knew I better not. There was no way out of this. I embraced the humiliation.

“Yes…” I said sadly, “Yes, ma’am. I got it. I won’t give you any trouble.”

At my concession, Robyn lifted her chin, grinning down her nose at me. I didn’t have to be a detective to tell that she’d fantasized about this before.

“Good! See that you don’t Jessica!” she said, “Now stay quiet and stay still until I say otherwise.”

I was about to say something back when she thumped my forehead to the floor, done with the conversation.

Charlie chuckled, giving her another round of polite applause.

“Masterful work. Truly masterful.”

He took a few steps back to lean against a wall, settling in to enjoy the show. With my nose to the floor I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel his stare. In reality, he was the one who was doing this to me, Robyn was just his very enthusiastic puppet. I didn’t know if that made it better or worse and at that moment I was depressed to care.

With her knee still digging into my back, Robyn looked me over, deciding where to start. Now that she was upright over her knee, most of her weight was pressing into me. When she turned the knee twisted, grinding into my kidney.

I groaned and squirmed, shifting my legs to try to find a more comfortable position.

She leaned back and gave me a hard smack across the ass.

“Hush up and stay still!” she snapped, “Now, let’s see… should probably start with your boots.”

To my relief, she removed the knee from my back and turned to plop down on my butt, sitting on me like I was a park bench. It wasn’t comfortable, her weight pressing my hips and crotch into the floor, but it was better than the knee stabbing into my kidney. She lifted my foot, bending my leg at the knee, then began working my boot loose.

“You always see people hiding things in their shoes,” my neighbor explained, “And you can never tell with shifty types like this one. Probably has drugs or needles or something in here.”

She yanked the boot free, let my bare foot flop to the floor, then turned the boot upside down, shaking it out. Nothing fell out so she tossed it aside and lifted my other leg, repeating the process.

“Maybe a fake ID or something,” she mused, “I know for sure she has those. Even if she wasn’t a dangerous, alcoholic meta, she’d be a criminal. Probably be in prison anyway.”

“Spot on, I’d say,” Charlie agreed, “She’s always mucking about, disobeying, getting herself into trouble. She should be grateful her punishment isn’t more severe. It was fairly inevitable.”

“Lock her up and throw away the key,” Robyn nodded, tossing aside my other boot, “That’s the only way to deal with types like her.”

I sighed and closed my eyes, wishing I was unconscious.

With my boots gone, Robyn paused to look me over, deciding what was next. When she made her decision, she finally got off me and bent down to dig underneath my hips. Grunting with the effort of bending over, she fiddled around until she managed to unsnap the button of my jeans, then yank the fly down. With that done, she grabbed the waist of my pants and tugged, pulling them down.

“And… nhh…” she grunted with effort, “She struts around… in these skin-tight jeans…” she worked them side to side, “showing off her… little tush to… everyone…”

My jeans were tight enough that they didn’t come down easy and Robyn wasn’t exactly dexterous. Her tugging actually slid me across the floor, my striped underwear worked down a few inches as my pants came down, giving me a plumber’s butt.

“Thinks if… she shows everyone her… butt,” Robyn continued, “They’ll let her… get away with things. But not me!”

“Shameless pandering,” Charlie nodded, “Truly shameless.”

My jeans were inside out by the time Robyn got them off my legs. She turned the pockets out, shook them, then flung the jeans aside.

“All right, Jessica,” she took me by the arm, “Get up.”

I really didn’t want to. At least face down on the floor I didn’t have to look at the pair of them, see their smug expressions. But there wasn’t much choice. Robyn pulled on my arm after I hesitated, torquing my shoulder joint. It made me clamber to my knees, then push to my feet to avoid the pain.

Once up, I let my head hang, staring at my toes. I could feel a draft and knew my panties were about quarter of the way down my ass. I let my knees knock together, standing pigeon-toed and miserable. If I’d known this was where my private eye career would end, I would have chosen the fast-food industry.

Robyn jerked my jacket off my shoulders more violently than she needed to, clearly enjoying it.

“Little miss bad ass in her leather jacket too,” she scoffed, “Thought she was so tough. Well…” she paused when the jacket got caught on my handcuffs, “Hm, wait, I need the—”

Charlie tossed the keys to her before she could finish.

“Oh,” she smiled, “Thanks!”

She lifted my wrists, not familiar with the cuffs or knowing where to put the key. It took her a few seconds of fiddling before she managed to unlock them. She paused before slipping them from my wrists.

“Don’t even think about moving.”

I slowly nodded. I hadn’t planned on moving anyway.

Apparently satisfied with my response, Robyn grunted then ratcheted the cuffs loosing, slipping them from my wrists. I let my arms fall to my sides. My hands were free, but I was no less trapped than before.

Robyn held the handcuffs up for a moment, looking around for where to put them. She decided to crouch down and set them on the floor, then stood back up to take my jacket. Once again, she jerked it loose, this time off entirely.

“Hmm…”

There was rustling as she dug inside the pockets, jerked a few zippers open. She tossed out a few wadded receipts, a pen, and a book of matches.

“Just junk in this thing,” Robyn continued rummaging, “Surprised I haven’t found any condoms or prescription bottles.”

I hung my head lower, closing my eyes, trying to ignore the sound. I wore ratty jeans, shirts that more often than not had holes in them, my bra and underwear never matched, but I liked my black leather jacket. It was tough and had seen me through some things. Hearing Robyn dig around inside it was like being having Harvey Weinstein check me for lumps.

Once the inspection was over, Robyn popped the jacket a couple of times to make sure everything was out, then held it up.

“She doesn’t get to take things to prison, right?” she asked, “Can I keep this?”

“Oh, by all means!” Charlie hurriedly agreed.

Robyn made a pleased sound and I heard her folding my jacket up, then bending down to set it carefully on the floor.

I stayed where I was, arms by my sides, left in my white tank top and panties. I didn’t even move to fix my underwear. They had talked about taming me in the van and I’d been worried by it, but now I was wondering if they would even need to do much. I had learned pretty quickly there was no point in resisting.

And then, of course, things got worse.

Footsteps approached from my bedroom.

“Huh.” Patrick grunted, “Having some fun?”

Charlie cleared his throat, “Miss Stein offered to help us strip search the prisoner. I thought since we didn’t have any female personnel, she would be a good stand-in until we can bring her to the, eh, facility.”

Patrick stopped in front of me and dropped a bag of loot on the floor.

“Yeah. Good stand-in. Right.”

It was impossible to miss the prick’s mocking tone, but Robyn did. She continued her work, ordering me to lift my arms over my head so she could take off my tank top. I reached towards the ceiling to let her do her thing, but couldn’t help lifting my head too, glancing up at the man in front of me.

Patrick was looking me up and down with his lip curled, eyes vacant like a cave man’s. It was the same kind of drunk, stupid, ogling expression that would have gotten him thrown across a room if it had happened the day before. Now Robyn yanked off my tank top, smacked my butt, ordered me to turn around, and I did, lowering my eyes again.

I didn’t exactly have a porn star body, but I was slim and I had good legs. I knew where his eyes were going.

“Not bad…” he grunted.

John strode up a moment later and all three men paused to stare, watching silently as Robyn felt around inside my bra. One of the straps fell off my shoulders and I didn’t bother to fix it.

“You’re much better behaved now, aren’t you, Jessica?” Robyn whispered, “All that attitude went right out the window now that you don’t have your freak strength.”

She pushed the other strap off my shoulder with a sneer, then took me by the shoulders and turned me around. I tottered back to face the men, underwear hanging in disarray, haired mussed and staring somberly at the floor. It was pathetic. I’m not going to lie, there’s been times in my life I’d sunk pretty low, but this was definitely the lowest.

“I didn’t find anything. I guess she has it all stashed somewhere else,” Robyn said, “Hands behind your back, Jessica. Time for the handcuffs to go back on.”

I crossed my hands behind my back and Robyn clumsily fitted the cuffs back into place, clicking and rattling as she figured them out.

“Got everything, then?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah…” Patrick still sounded slightly distracted, “Turned the place upside down. She didn’t have much, but we got it all.”

“Me too,” John said, “She’s actually got some pretty nice equipment…”

Once the cuffs were in place, Robyn gave my arms a shake to make sure they were secure, then ruffled my hair with a giggle, messing it up even more.

“Well, then,” Charlie sighed, “Thank you for your help, Miss Stein! Naturally, we would ask that you keep this whole encounter a secret…”

I felt Robyn straighten up at his attention.

“O-of course!” she cleared her throat, then said in a stage whisper, “If anyone asks, I’ll tell them she packed up and left. She’s always doing weird things; no one will ask too many questions.”

“Good, good,” Charlie chuckled, “It truly is a pleasure to work with such a true, ah… loyal citizen!”

“Thank—thank you!” Robyn actually did a curtsy, “And, um, if there’s anything else you need…”

“We won’t hesitate to call.”

There was a slight pause.

“So…” John grunted, “How do you want to get her out of here?”

* * *

I left my building for the last time handcuffed and in my underwear, under the same jacket they’d draped over my shoulders when they brought me in. They gagged me again because, why not, I guess, and marched me right out the front door to the waiting van.

Robyn watched from the window of my apartment, grinning wickedly as they loaded me up. I turned once to stare regretfully back at what had been my life and she gave me a jaunty wave, smug grin firmly in place. I knew I wasn’t coming back. Whatever these men had planned for me, I was going to go along with it.

Charlie and the others took me into the van and I sat where they told me, listening idly as they talked about nothing in particular, relaxed and jovial. It had been a good day’s haul for them and they had one less problem off their backs.

They left me alone, but the way Charlie kept glancing at me made it clear that it wouldn’t be for long. I had a feeling I was going to be entertainment for the foreseeable future.

And the sad thing was, it was really the best thing I could have hoped for in that moment.