Chapter One
Brad isn't much paying attention to his surroundings, too absorbed in messing around on his tablet since he doesn't do anything during the shows anyway. Now that he's not the GM anymore—smooth, Hunter, picking such a respectable way to fire him after cheating blew up in that motherfucker's face—and they don't let him wrestle, he doesn't do anything.
Except make those stupid cave videos. But it doesn't really give him license to not pay attention.
He decides that half a minute after an oddly sugary sweet feminine voice gives him a heart attack.
"There you are!" someone crows in his ear, and he screeches and throws himself forward.
Which means he hits the hard concrete floor, jarring the bones in his arms something awful.
He twists around to see who his would-be attacker is and blinks when he sees the petite Lila Wyatt standing beside the couch he'd been occupying. The last time he'd seen her—prior to her joining the Wyatt Family, that was—she'd been decked out in frilly ring gear looking like some kind of sexy Southern Belle, but the simpler black and white get-up works for her. Then he realizes he just threw himself off of a couch thinking that she was going to kill him or something and he feels like an idiot. Not that she's still mentally stable, there's no way to ever prove something like that again, not after she hooked up with Bray of all people, but still. Still. Actually, she's probably the perfect murdered based on her appearance because he can't see that many people looking at her and honest believing she's going to commit a crime.
"Honestly, you didn't have to jump off of the couch. I wasn't going to hurt you." She tilts her head, a teasing light glinting in her eyes. "If I'd wanted to do that, I wouldn't announce myself."
Yep, definitely future serial killer material right here. "Look, if you're here to beat me up, too, just get it over with so I can go back to playing stupid games on my phone."
"I'm not going to hurt you, Brad. I just said that. Weren't you listening?" She takes his abandoned spot and pats the seat next to her with a warm and welcoming smile.
"I must've missed it." Slowly, he takes the seat beside her. "Wait, why did you track me down?"
Lila chuckles softly and turns to face him. "I just wanted to talk to you about something. It wasn't fun being hurt, was it? Being degraded in front of the entire world on live television?"
"No." Brad scowls at her, not liking where this is going. Honestly, who even is this crazy chick to fucking come back here and throw his firing in his face? It isn't his fault it even happened.
"I didn't think so." She smiles broadly at him. "Would you like to get back at them for it?"
He sighs and scrubs a hand over his face. "You can't get back at the Authority, Lila."
"Silly boy. Haven't you heard what Bo says? You can do anything if you just Bolieve." He really has to admire her for saying that ridiculous line with a perfectly straight face.
Or maybe she just believes it as much as he does; he is her demented boyfriend's demented little brother. "I've heard what Bo says. I just know you can't gain the upper hand over them."
"It's entirely true that I alone cannot get the upper hand on them, but then, I'm not alone, am I?" She glances up over his shoulder and he feels a cold chill travel down his back. "None of us are ever alone. Sister Abigail is always watching over us, ready to be there when we need her."
Brad whips around, fully expecting to see someone standing behind him, but there's no one and he scolds himself for thinking there would be. He's not even convinced there is a Sister Abigail. She's probably just some made-up thing that Bray came up with one night to make himself sound more mystical than he really is. After all, whether he thinks himself a god or not, Brad knows better. He's a human. A man. Just like anyone else if a little crazier and a lot more violent, but he's not even the most violent person Brad has met and never will be. Hello, he did get choke slammed by Kane of all fucking people. The fact Lila is buying into it is almost sad because he really thought she was smart enough to know the Wyatts are likely full of shit. All people in cults say stupid things that don't make sense, and sane people are smart enough to realize that they're better off just not bothering to listen to them. Maybe Lila's not as sane as he once believed.
When he turns back around, he feels the blood drain from his face. Just how the fuck did Luke Harper get into the room and come to stand behind Lila without him hearing the big man? "Look, I don't know what the fuck is going on here, but I don't want to have any part of it. I swear."
"Luke's not the one to be afraid of. He's not going to attack you without Bray's command or mine, and he's not got either one of them," Lila says, her tone low and reassuring.
"You serious about that?" When she nods, he actually believes her. The Wyatts aren't liars, just crazy people, and honesty seems to mean a lot to them. "Okay. Then why is he here?"
Lila glances up at him at the same moment he looks down at her; the in stereo quality of it is amazing and creepy all at once. "Bray sent him to make sure I'd found you and was safe."
"I don't hit girls, so you don't have to worry about not being safe around here or whatever." Yeah, he might be a dick, but he really doesn't hit women. That's just so fucking low.
"It's Bray. He is very concerned about precaution. Not many people around here like us." Lila laughs and shrugs it off, like she doesn't care. And maybe she really doesn't. "Now, then. As I said, we aren't alone. We have purpose and drive. We have a mission to accomplish."
Mission. Right. "Yeah, about evening out the world and necessary evils and such. I know."
"Exactly. And while our generous television time has afforded us much chance to spread our message, we're always looking to… Expand our reach." Lila grins at him again.
What does that have to do with the Authority? He can guess, though. They're power-hungry sons of bitches, but up until now the Wyatt Family has worked pretty much in tandem with them like pit bulls willing to tear up any victims thrown into their pen. It's not necessarily an alliance, more of a symbiotic relationship that benefits both sides; the Authority doesn't have to do their own dirty work and the Wyatt Family can tear up any and every person it should so desire.
Sure, they don't always come out on top. John Cena took Bray down and Harper and Rowan haven't been able to capture the titles yet, but they just seem to take it all in stride whereas most loss eats away at the others and drives them insane. It's turned everyone from Triple H to Randy Orton into raving lunatics, but the Wyatts just seem to pick themselves back up, dust themselves off, and carry on as though nothing is in their ways. The fact Bray has been assaulting Jericho and taking so much pleasure in it lately is slightly alarming as far as Brad is concerned, and more proof that the guy's head is not screwed on just right. Brad's not even sure why Bray hates the guy so much or wants to destroy him, but hey, it's certainly provided some decent matches. And he'll be interested in what goes down when SummerSlam rolls around and they have a rematch.
"You guys have picked a really weird time to take down the Authority, if that's what you're planning on doing," Brad finally says, and he almost wants to point out that it didn't end up working for the Shield because they were a three-man team… But the Wyatts aren't anymore.
Lila clicks her tongue at him. "I think we picked a good time. They're too focused on Seth and Randy to seem to want to pay attention to anything else. Which is unfortunate for them."
"Take them on while their defenses are down?" He thinks it over, then has to smile at her. "That's not a bad idea. Kane's not with them anymore and Brie's back, so they're stretched."
"Exactly. See, I told Bray you'd understand. Of all people, you would understand why this is the perfect time to strike and you have. It makes things so much easier from here on out." Lila glances up at Luke, and even he nods as if he's impressed Brad understood the concept.
Wait, from here on out? "I'm still not following why you're coming to me about this."
She sighs and reaches up for her hair, which she's been wearing in a knot as opposed to around her face like she did before. With a quick tug, she frees the elastic band from her hair, then combs her fingers through it in quick, rapid motions to settle it around her shoulders. For whatever reason, the action makes him mentally take a step back and look at her. Prior to joining up with Bray, she seemed like any other Diva; she dressed nice, she wrestled short matches that at times seemed pointless and never went anywhere, and she hung out with a couple of girls backstage before heading out for the night. Now, though, something about her feels different.
"You need to seek retribution for what they did to you," she says. "And that's something we can offer you if you help us. And they won't be able to lay a hand on you for it."
"Why do you want me to help you? I'm not really that much help." Really, he's not.
Lila smiles a beatific smile at him. "Because you're the right choice. She told me so."
Great. Sister Abigail is apparently now talking to Lila like she talks to Bray, and Sister Abigail has decided Brad is the right choice to help them take down the Authority. Well, in that case, she must be as insane as the rest of them because he hasn't wrestled in forever. He doesn't have connections anymore because he isn't a general manager, and unless they give him something worthwhile to do, there's nothing much he has to offer the Wyatts. Truly, he doesn't. He probably has a fucking awful case of ring rust at this point, and God only knows what kind of matches he'd be forced into if he tried to stand against the Authority. Kane was bad enough.
"You offer far more than you think you can," Lila says, and Brad just stares at her.
"Did you just read my mind?" Before she can answer—he doesn't even want to know what her answer might be—he throws his hands up. "No, wait, never mind. Look, I really don't have anything to give you. No connections, I've not wrestled in a while, and I'm honestly just really tired of being here and not doing anything. I can't help you take down the bosses of this place."
She shakes her head at him. "You believe in yourself so little. That's really sad to see."
"Don't really have a reason to believe in myself, in case you missed that? But yeah. I just want to fly under the radar and maybe walk out when my contract is up." Which he's not even entirely sure when that is, he just knows it'll be sooner than later and then he can just walk out.
"You're going to run away from the fight." Lila clicks her tongue. "That's kind of pathetic."
He just stares at her. "I'm a really good definition of that these days. In case you didn't notice."
"I noticed you not doing so well through no fault of your own. You did what you were asked. And you were punished. Wouldn't you like a chance to turn that punishment on those who dealt it out?" Great, now she's back to talking like Bray. She used to be normal, damn it.
"Why are you suddenly so interested in me?" She starts to answer and he cuts her off again. "No, don't just say because of Sister Abigail. I want to know why you think this will work."
She blinks at him, then clicks her tongue at him again. "Because you want to get back at them for what they did. You just haven't had the opportunity to do so up until this point in time."
"And your, ah, boys are okay with this, too?" He cocks a thumb at Harper, who just stares placidly at him. But he knows better. He knows this man can be quite the monster.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Lila fires back. "He can talk. In case you missed that?"
Burn. Good burn, too. "Okay. Um… Harper, do you have a problem with me joining you?"
"Is there a reason I should have a problem with you joining the family?" Harper asks back.
Well, good to know this is the family where all questions are answered with questions. "Uh…"
He was sort of banking on Harper having a problem with it so he could de-rail this conversation and go back to minding his own business so he doesn't get further shit on by this fucking company. Evidently, that is not going to happen tonight. Which leaves him to wonder if he's supposed to actually say yes just to avoid what he's convinced is an inevitable confrontation or not. It's not like he has anything better to do with his time and at least he might be protected from getting pointlessly smacked around by the Authority should he decide to show his face again, but what would be the point? It's a noble gesture, trying to take down the Authority, but the Wyatts need to learn from the Shield. Taking them down just doesn't work.
"Uh, what, Brad?" Lila asks when he doesn't say anything, raising a brow at him.
Well fuck, he doesn't know. "It's just a lot to take in. Can I have time to think about it?"
"You could have time to think about it." She sighs softly. "How much time will you need?"
"Do I need to pick a set time limit to make this decision?" he asks, slightly perturbed.
She nods once. "You do. I need to know exactly when we'll get a solid yes or no from you."
Well, shit, that's polite to just rush him into this. He chews on his lower lip, not sure how much time he needs to make this decision but he doesn't want to pick a ridiculously long time when he knows that's just going to piss her off. If he picks too short of a time and doesn't have an answer ready for her when she shows up to get his answer, then she'll probably be mad at him and God only knows what'll happen to him then. But at the same time, he needs at least some time to think this over, monumental step that it can be for him. And probably a bad one if he decides to do it because the Wyatts are far from nice, neighborly folk who would never hurt anyone.
"Well, uh." He's stalling for time and she has to know it, but at least she's letting him have it. "How much time would you say is too much time? Like, you'll just get mad if it takes long?"
"I'd like the answer within a week. Beyond seven days is too long," she says after a moment.
Seven days doesn't seem like hardly enough time to make this choice, but Brad should've known she wouldn't give him as much time as he really wanted anyway. "Okay, uh… Four days? Is four days enough? I think I can come to a solid yes or no if you give me four days to think."
"Four days is acceptable. Don't worry about finding us when it's time for you to give us the answer. We'll find you." She leans forward and he shouldn't, but he still stares down her shirt for half a second anyway because, hey, tits, right? "You need to put serious thought into this."
"I planned on thinking about such an offer very seriously." And he does intend to, at that.
Lila nods, then taps him on the nose. "Take care of yourself until you give us an answer."
"I always take care of myself." He gestures at his body vaguely. "Have you seen me shirtless? I'm hot. I give Tyler Breeze a run for his money. I take my health more seriously than most."
"You fuck ring rats on a nightly basis. How is that the least bit healthy?" Lila asks.
Goddamn, does she know everything or is she really just psychic? "It doesn't mean anything. I always use protection. How do you know what I do with people on my personal time anyway?"
"Half the damn roster fucks the skanks that hang around hoping to get laid." She wrinkles her nose at him. "A condom won't protect against everything. Remember that for the future."
"It's protected me well enough up until this point, so I'm pretty confident I'm going to be just fine," he reassures her, stretching out a hand to pat her on the shoulder.
Harper grabs his wrist before the touch can connect. "Bray will want us to be back by now."
"True that. All right." Once Harper lets go of Brad's hand, Lila stands and heads for the door, Harper following close behind her. "Do remember I'll be seeing you in four days, pretty boy."
He doesn't feel better after they've left. Justifiably, he should feel better because now the two creepy people who snuck into this room without him knowing are gone, but still. They're the kind of people who might pop up without a moment's notice if he turns his back, and now he can't be sure he's safe. What do they really want with him? Retribution or not, he can't help them take down the Authority. That's pretty much impossible at this point, anyway.
It's moments like these Brad wishes he hadn't alienated the few friends he had because he doesn't have anyone left to talk to about anything. On his own, without his power as the general manager or even a decent rapport with anyone backstage, he has to brood over this choice on his own without anyone to bounce ideas off of. It pisses him off he managed to drive everyone away in such a short amount of time—and it really was a short amount of time—but it also just makes him feel tired because he knows he's done it for a purpose. Much as he loves friends and wants friends, he just doesn't have the time, the effort, or the energy to put into a friendship with someone who will likely drop him soon after anyway. Not that he's down on himself; he's Brad fucking Maddox and he's awesome. He's good-looking and charming and who wouldn't want a friend like him to lean on? He just doesn't have the best track record with making people stay.
Maybe he should just cut his losses and join up with the Wyatt Family. What's the worst that can come from it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He's already at the bottom of the food chain.
Sighing, he rakes his fingers through his hair and shuts off his phone, grabbing his bag from where he dropped it beside the couch. Maybe he'll just go back to his hotel room and try not to think very hard about anything so he can just finish out his night on a decent note and go to bed. Or maybe he can find a ring rat to play around with for a few hours… But will Lila know he did?
He steps out of the room, intent on just going back to the hotel to cool off, and makes the mistake of bumping into Eva Marie. "Shit, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."
Eva smiles and shakes her head. "It's fine. Where are you off to in such a hurry, Brad?"
"Uh, the hotel. I'm not needed tonight and it seems kind of pointless to hang around here when I don't really serve a purpose." It sounds harsh even to him, but what can he do about it?
"I know the feeling." Eva runs a hand through her hair. "Did Lila find you okay?"
Great, I can't even get from Point A to Point B without someone bringing the freaky Wyatt Family up. Jesus, please just make this stop. "She did, yeah. Wait a minute, did she tell you she was looking for me or something? Because no one told me about it if she was looking for me."
"Yeah, she was. Asked around a bit backstage but no one ever seems to really know where you are, so." Eva shrugs and Brad bites the inside of his cheek. It's not his fault no one knows where he is. No one ever asks. "Actually, you're really hard to find. Not many friends backstage."
Brad bites down on his cheek again, a little harder, and tries to laugh it off as something that doesn't bother him when it bothers him massively. As social as he's tried to be, it hasn't really worked out for him so he keeps to himself now. It's just easier than trying to be friendly with people who have made it clear via one avenue or another that they are not interested in him.
He settles for shrugging it off. "Eh, well. I like the quiet and just getting some me time."
Eva looks like she doesn't believe him, and he doesn't blame her. "I know things are kind of rough after what happened with Kane and all, but look… Just don't give up yet, you know? There's always a chance you'll get another shot, and the Wyatts aren't a bad avenue of choice."
"What do you know about me and the Wyatts?" Brad asks, slightly annoyed someone knew Lila was going to ask him to join before he knew. Granted, she and Eva are good friends and they likely just had that conversation long before she came looking for him, but still. He's a little unnerved to know people are talking about him and he's just now finding out about it.
"Just that Lila said she and Bray were going to ask more people to join and when she asked me if I'd seen you, I figured you must be one of those people." Eva shrugs, then chuckles softly. "I mean, they're not bad guys at all. Not once you get to know them. Rowan is still creepily quiet all the time and Luke's kind of strange and Bo is an idiot—a lovable one—but they're great."
They're great? He shakes his head, reminding himself that Eva is one of Lila's friends and maybe she's just getting to know the Wyatts who aren't up on the stage because Brad sure as hell never thought of them as anything but vaguely terrifying. But yet, she probably does know them if she's allowed to spend time with them, and he's sure she is because of Lila, but still. He's not going to just take her word for it when he's seen what they do to people in the ring.
She's staring at him, so he clears his throat and nods at her. "Well, I'll keep that in mind when I make my choice. Uh, thanks for the talk, I guess. It was kinda nice. See you, Eva."
He hurries past her before she has a chance to speak, hoping he can just get the hell out of dodge, but he doesn't get that reprieve. Before he clears her, she takes him gently by the arm and draws him back into her line of sight. She's gorgeous and he'd love to stand her looking at her, but he really does need to get back to the hotel so he can hide from all of this for a little while. There's no way he can make this choice while still in an arena with all of these freaky people.
She cups his cheek. "Brad, I know. I do. I understand what you're going through, but you just need to not over think things. I mean that. Over thinking is your enemy right now, okay?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about and I really need to get back to the hotel. I need to get some sleep." Not really, because he hasn't been doing anything, but just the same.
"Sure." Eva clicks her tongue at him. "I know how it looks from the outside. I get that part."
He sighs and leans his shoulder against the wall, escaping her touch. "Then you understand my reservations, right? Because there's no way I'm just going through with saying yes."
"And you shouldn't. You should sit down and think about it before making a concrete decision. That's what a smart person would do," Eva says, and Brad sighs softly because she's right.
"I know. I plan on that. I just can't do that here." He bites down on his lower lip, weighing his words before speaking them. "I can't help them no matter what they think, you know. I can't."
She laughs softly and pats his cheek. "Don't worry about that part. The important part of the Wyatt Family is the family aspect to it, and I think you'll be okay if you can get that far."
This time, she leaves before he can reply and he stares after her as she walks away—not even necessarily because she has a nice ass, which is just a bonus as far as he is concerned, but because he's never talked to someone like this before. Sure, he's wanted to and he's striven to try to find someone who he can talk to, but ultimately he feels alone in this very big company and aren't Lila and Bray offering him an in to not being alone anymore? There's a cost, though, and he isn't sure if he's comfortable paying it or not considering he isn't entirely sure what it is. Lila asking more people to join the family isn't unusual, not when the Wyatts are convinced they must rule the world or some bullshit like that, but she came looking for him and she's offering him the one thing he's really wanted lately. Friendship, companionship, a sense of belonging. He just doesn't know if he can really take that from her or not.
Well, at least he has four days to think about it.
A/N: If you haven't read the prequel, Blood And Water, you will be lost because Lila debuts there. That being said, this is Luke's story. And look who his love interest is. Thus far, exactly one person has guessed a correct partner in this, and by that I mean someone guessed Bo Dallas's partner correctly. You've all yet to get Erick Rowan's, but I have faith in you. I do. So, we have Bray and Lila, Luke and Brad, and Bo and Eva (eventually). Who is Rowan with?