"Fuck," Roman growled as the steel chair crashed down against his back, red-hot pain shooting up and down his spine. That little two-toned bastard was at the chair routine again. The Samoan glanced quickly around the ring to see where his tag partner was, hoping he could provide some help. Unfortunately Dean was halfway up the entrance ramp, busy fending off the so-called Devil's favorite demon. Right. More like the Authority's favorite bitch. Regardless of his name, however, Kane was effectively keeping Ambrose away from the ring, so Roman had to think fast, or else Seth was going to turn his back into ground beef.
Timing the beats of steel against his flesh, Roman managed to flip over quickly and catch the next strike with the bottom of his boots, pushing Seth off of him. As the backstabbing bastard regained his balance Roman struck out with his leg, knocking the chair out of Seth's hands. Now it was a fair fight. Roman saw the panic flair briefly in his former partner's face, and enjoyed it more than he would admit. He liked seeing his opponents frightened, liked seeing the fight or flight response flit through their eyes. Liked knowing that they knew what was coming next. With Seth backing away into a corner, Roman glanced down at his gloved first and got it ready. Oh, yeah. As he lined up his prey and prepared to pounce, the arena was suddenly ensconced in darkness. What. The. Fuck. Good things never happened in the dark, and Roman turned around in a frantic circle, trying to sense from which direction the threat would come.
Just as suddenly as they had gone off, the lights blazed back on. And Roman was alone. No Seth. No Dean. No Kane. Pushing his dark waves off of his forehead, Roman stood temporarily stunned in the center of the ring. At first he didn't understand where the voice calling his name was coming from.
"Roman," he heard. "Oh, Roman! Turn around, buddy. Up here. On the screen." Roman's cold eyes turned to the Titantron to see Hunter's gloating face.
"Roman, what happened," Triple H drawled. "Did you lose something?" He grinned darkly. "Or maybe, someone?" On cue, the camera panned to the left, showing Kane and Randy holding a struggling Dean, as Seth laughed in the background.
"If you want him," Hunter continued, "Come and get him."
With that the screen blinked off. Roman couldn't have seen it if he'd wanted to though, his anger tinging the world red. They had turned one brother against him. He'd be damned if they took another from him.
Rushing out of the ring and up the entrance ramp, Roman emerged backstage like a wild beast. Where the hell was that son-of-a-bitch? When he was through with Hunter, the COO would be drinking his meals through a straw.
Slamming through doors and hallways, Roman made his way around the backstage area. Everyone had the good sense to stay out of his way. Except Tamina, with Paige following close behind. Tamina had taken the newest Diva under her wing and was teaching her the ropes.
"Roman," his cousin yelled to grab his attention. He turned to her on a growl, his eyes piercing hers. "You need to slow your ass down before you get into a situation you can't control. You know I'm right."
Tamina continued to stare him down while she waited for a response. How could he make her understand though? In the end, all Roman managed to get out was, "He has my brother." God, his voice sounded so hurt, so vulnerable. So scared. He hated it. Hated himself right now. He hadn't been able protect Seth from them, and tonight he'd failed to protect Dean.
Tamina's face softened. "I know, Ro. We'll get him back. But you're not doing it alone."
Roman started to argue, but he'd learned a long time ago that Tamina was just as stubborn and hard headed as he was. Must run in their blood. Plus she could fight. And Paige? Well. He supposed he couldn't keep her from tagging along. He just hoped she wouldn't get in his way.
The three of them made their way deeper into the arena, flipping lights on as they went. As they turned a corner they heard a voice call out, "How's your back, Roman?"
Reigns felt his lip curl up at the sound of Seth's voice. He turned, ready to spear his cocky ass back to last week.
"You looking for Dean," Rollins continued with a smirk. "For your 'brother'? Don't you worry about him Roman. I'm sure my boys are taking real good care of him right now."
Without warning a streak of purple cloth and black hair flew by Roman. With a yell that sounded like a war cry, Paige crashed into Seth, knocking him off his feet. Not missing a beat, she began pummeling him. Seth held his hands up defensively, trying to block the blows. He might not be anybody's favorite person right now, but he still didn't believe in hitting a female. Quickly Paige managed to twist her body around and wrap a surprisingly strong arm around his neck, effectively cutting off the oxygen to Seth's brain. Within a minute he was out cold. Paige sat on top of his chest panting, a wild look in her eyes.
As Roman and Tamina stared in shock, Paige shooed them off. "Go find Dean. I'll make sure this asshole stays down."
In the sudden silence, a cry echoed down the hallway that led to the loading dock. Roman took off toward it at a dead sprint, Tamina tight on his heels, both of them emerging into the large concrete lot. Quickly finding the door the noise was coming from, Roman slammed it open, and recoiled at what he saw. Dean was handcuffed with Hunter's arm around his neck, while Randy threw punches at his midsection. From the look of Dean's bruised and bloody body, the blows had started at his face and Randy had methodically been working his way down. Roman's partner was barely conscious, but he still called out with every punch Orton landed.
Without thinking, Roman rammed into Randy, blowing him off his feet and several yards across the concrete. He would kill him. He would fucking kill him. Roman didn't see anything, didn't feel anything, only knew the sound of his fists connecting with Orton's face. Finally Tamina's yells made their way into his skull, bringing him back to the present. Orton was unconscious. Glancing up, Roman saw Tamina struggling with the handcuffs Dean was wearing. And Hunter standing in the corner, laughing. Laughing? Roman started to make his way toward the bastard, when Kane appeared from a dark corner. His fist closed against Roman's throat and choke slammed him into the hood of the nearest parked car.
"Get him in the backseat," Roman vaguely heard Hunter yell. The room swam in and out of focus as Kane slung him over his back. Reigns tried to fight him off, but his body just wouldn't work. Roughly he felt himself being thrown into the back of the car he'd just landed on top of. The engine started quickly, as Hunter climbed into the front seat and Kane took the wheel.
Still laughing, Hunter turned his gaze to Roman. "We knew you would find him, and you did not disappoint. Come on, Roman. Did you really think we just happened to forget to lock the door? Your loyalty is your weakness. It makes you blind. The way I see it though, it's a win-win. You get the knowledge that Dean is safe. We get you. It's what's best for business."
As consciousness began to fade around the edges, Roman's last coherent thought before he passed out, was at least his brother was safe.
