Fool Me Once | T. Drake ✔

[05] A Set-Up And A Reward

Her time with the Waynes passed much more pleasantly than she had expected. Tim was right in saying that they were nice to guests because not only was she treated to a delicious dinner, but they also provided lively company.

It was a stark contrast from how her days were like alone in her home.

Surprisingly, she enjoyed the time she had spent with them.

Bruce had been busy so he couldn't join them and it seemed no one else from the family knew about the whole contract situation. They genuinely treated her like Tim's girlfriend and she didn't know how to feel about that.

By the end of the night, as Tim had to drop her back home, she spoke up, "can we stop for coffee on the way back?"

"Sure."

Tim knew the only cafe that would be open at night as it was a place he frequented. So he took her there not knowing that it was all a set-up.

He parked his car and led her into the coffee shop, finding a secluded spot for her to sit in while he went to get coffee for them. She noticed that the late-night shift workers were quite friendly with him, indicating that he was a very frequent visitor.

A while later he was back with two coffee cups and took the seat across from her. Her bracelet was kept in her clutch so as she reached out to take the cup, his eyes trailed down to the mark on her wrist.

"You asked me if I was safe in my own home yesterday... How did you know?" She asked him before he could place forward a question himself.

"I didn't know," he admitted honestly, "I just thought since your brother is the one who will benefit most from you getting out of his way, perhaps..."

"So he's your prime suspect?"

"Seems so."

She took in a deep breath, waiting for the coffee to cool down, "in that case I'm lucky. He can't get rid of me."

"How can you be so sure? People often turn on their own flesh and blood for money."

"He won't. He can't," she emphasized, her hand gently stroking the bruised skin of her wrist, "you know Tim, you call your family a dysfunctional lot but I think you guys are pretty normal compared to us."

"Depends."

"I like your family," she smiled, "they are so sweet. All of them. I hope they liked me too."

He rose an eyebrow, "well, it's not like that would make a difference. We're not staying with each other forever."

She nodded, smile widening although there was a slightly melancholic hint in her eyes, "true. You do have a way of bringing me back to reality too soon."

They stayed in the coffee shop and by the time they were leaving, there was almost no traffic on the roads. As they stepped out, Tim led her to the car but paused, sensing something was wrong.

It was always a mistake to be out in Gotham so late and his hand reached for Roxanne's to keep her close. But a blinding yellow light hit his face and she was torn from his grasp, being held at knifepoint by a thug.

The headlights of a van were blaring in their direction. The workers in the coffee shop had quickly pulled down their shutters so that the thugs wouldn't come at them too.

He saw that she didn't look too scared and her foot was poised as well to dig the stiletto into the thug's foot. But of course, he had to do something, he was her bodyguard according to the contract he had signed.

So he dealt with the two thugs who had ganged up on him, snatching the bat out of the first one's hands as he landed a sharp kick to his legs. Tim flung the bat at the thug's head and then threw it in the direction of the third one who was dragging Roxanne to the van. 

Seeing the opportunity, Roxanne too slammed her foot into the man's shoe as she ducked, making him drop the knife and get hit by the bat too.

The fight took a turn from then onwards and she observed that Tim clearly had an upper hand at the two of them while the third had run away with her clutch.

Quickly getting done with them, he turned to face her to check if she was alright and she grabbed onto his hand, letting him pull her close.

"Where's your clutch?" He asked, noting that the item was missing.

"It doesn't matter," she replied, taking his phone from him just as he was about to call the GCPD to pick up the two concussed men from the alley.

He had suspected already that the thugs who had ganged up on them were a set-up but that act of hers confirmed it.

So he didn't retrieve his phone from her, leading her to the car as if nothing had happened. Once she had gotten in, he spoke, "I think I passed this test."

She raised an eyebrow, playing innocent as she handed his phone back, "what test?"

He didn't elaborate, getting into the car as well and starting the engine to leave before they could get attacked by actual thugs. He drove off to the Donnelley residence but on the way, he was hoping she would say something about it.

"You definitely passed the test," she remarked at last, bored of the silence around them, "even though I wasn't expecting that."

"Why? Just because I don't look scary enough made you think I wouldn't be able to fight?"

She shook her head, letting a smile play upon her lips, "no, it's just... I didn't want you to fail, you know. I want to keep you."

"Creepy but I'll let it slide this once."

"What if I say something like this the next time too?" She asked, her eyes sparking in mischief.

"I'll remind you of clause twenty-one then."

She laughed lightly, finding it impressive that he knew the contract by heart. It definitely showed he had spent a lot of time studying it for loopholes.

"Tim, since you've passed the test, you can have something as a reward," she told him, taking him by surprise.

"Reward?"

"Just as an act of goodwill," she elaborated, "it can be anything. Except the termination rights to be singularly assigned to you."

He thought about it, bringing the car to a halt at the gates of her house. "I have given up on that already, I didn't expect you to agree either way."

She raised an eyebrow, waiting for his reply.

He looked into her eyes, considering what to ask then said, "don't let your brother kill me then."

She inhaled sharply but nodded, "I won't. As long as you keep me safe, he won't lay a hand on you."

"Does that mean he knows about the threats?"

She shook her head, "no. If he does find out, he won't leave. And I need him out of here at any cost."

He was still conflicted about the nature of the relationship between the Donnelley siblings. But it surely wasn't his place to interfere.

However, if her brother left Gotham just like she wanted him to, Tim wouldn't be able to find out more about him and his ties to the underworld.

"I should go now," she told him, getting out of the car herself, "thank you for this lovely evening. Take care."

"You too," he breathed, watching her head inside her place.

Once he was sure that she had gone in and there was no ambush laid for him to deal with, he backed the car out and drove off as well.

***