Chapter 9 Deadly Deception
Six 'clock pm, Friday night, Mark and Paul London are in the ring rehearsing the moves they will use for the show later in the night. Mark slams Paul harder than is necessary. "Shit man" London complains.
"Work it out." Jeff watches them from the doorway shaking his head.. "He's not going to make it easy for you it's just how he is." Jeff says walking down the ramp.
London walks away from Mark and leans against the ropes Mark leaves the ring this kid had a lot to learn. "Yeah, I get that but I'm supposed to win."
"If I was you I'd step up to the plate. That's one man you don't come in half cocked and just walk all over."
"I know that and I appreciate him doing this it's bound to get my name out a lot faster than it's going."
Mark stopped at the entrance to the ground Section A seats "When not in the ring just stay out my way boy."
Mark is walking out of the building Sara pulls along side him in the parking garage. "Hey sweetie" she says as she passes by.
Mark keeps walking toward his bike. Sara parks right next to his bike. "Why the hell they let you out?"
Sara sighs "Because I have very good appeal attorneys." She shrugs. "So you ready to rumble side by side." Sara gets out of her Mustang Convertible and saunters over to Mark on his bike she rises her hand to his shoulder.
In mid air Mark grabs her wrist before making contact with his shoulder. "Don't" The one word though spoken softly was firm and threatening. His glare and clenched teeth just added to the mood that she knew he would be in until she was able to repossess his trust. With his trust one had his heart.
"You're hurting me partner" Sara says in the calmest voice she could muster while trying to pull away from Mark's vice like grip. Her face she controlled with the skill she'd learned from acting in the WWE before and on stages just off Broadway in her early twenties. He let her go pushing her hand away from his body. She rubs her wrist trying to get the blood flowing again.
Mark starts his bike kicks off the kick stand stomps down on the gas just as the motor is settling back down he puts on his sunglasses turns back to Sara and says through clenches teeth. "I wouldn't try that again." before Sara could respond Mark was gone.
Three miles away from her past location in the same marsh Cynthia awakens disoriented to the sound of a very deep voice. "Ma'am, ma'am, ju can't sleep here."
She tries to turn over as she yarns and groggily replies "Mark I'm tired I'll get to work soon I promise." Hands grab her just as her face hit water. Her grogginess is instantly replaced with sheer trepidation, when she opens her eyes and is met with a stranger. "Please don't hurt me?" Tears spring to her eyes.
"I just warning ju dat the police will pick ju up if ju stay here." The man smiles a lopsided smile and rises to his feet looking around. "I not gonna hurt ju." Police cars come down the road, the man looks up and back down at her. "It's too late I got to go. If ju don't want to be put in jail I jest ju follow me."
Before she could of think why she should go adrenaline and fear pushed her to follow her foreign newfound friend. The man takes a hold of her hand as they dash over the hill on the side of the Highway. Her legs feel like jelly." I'm gonna pass out" her head is spinning and the ground comes up to meet her as her world goes black.
"Just…A….Little further." He feels her going limp. He picks her up and keeps running with her in his arms. Her clothes are wet her blood was starting to ooze out of multiple bruises on her head, face and from somewhere in her clothes on her torso. If she was homeless it had not been long. By it being cold everyone on the street knew to stay out of the marsh lands. One could sink and drown in their sleep. She almost had drowned when he woke her up. If she had of turned over she would not be breathing anymore. Seeing his hiding place he ran with what was left of his energy into a dilapidated building. He lays her down and collapses down along side her, breathing heavily.
He wipes his hands off on his pants. The man brushes her matted hair out of her face. She follows his hand her eyes still closed. She sniffs and her way too expressive eyes pop open. She sits up trying to scoot away from him. "What do you want? I just want to go home please." She whispers as she draws her knees up to her chest with both arms wrapped around her knees.
"Where did ju live?" the man asks.
Cynthia was confused and then thought about how she must look. "I not homeless I was kidnapped and I escaped." She thought about how Edge chased her around and pinned her down taking as much of her as he wished. How HHH threw her into that hell they laughingly called her cell. She looks at her hands and starts crying. "It's gone my wedding ring is gone." She feels her ears, her diamond studs were still with her but Mark's ring wasn't. She became frantic and spoke unusually fast. "Please, if you have my ring please give it to me. You can have the earrings they're real I swear it."
"Ma'am…ma'am… I don't have jor ring" Homeless I am, a liar I am not.
"He'll never believe me I can't go back. He thinks I was cheating on him I could see it in his face. If I go back with no ring he'll hate me for sure." She explains the whole story to this perfect stranger.
"I must get ju back where ju belong."
"I'm afraid"
"of…me I saved jor life" Recognition had dawned on the man that this was his charge the woman he was sent here for.
"I 'm not afraid of you, I'm afraid that my husband will believe what he thinks he saw at that airport." She starts crying again. This time she puts her hands over her face. The man gets closer to her and rubs her back. She flinches at his touch. He quickly withdraws his hand. Suddenly the quiet is disturbed by voices. Cynthia peeks around a hole in the interior wall, on baited breath she spots Sara alone then sees a tall figure as tall as Mark with Mark's hair and shape follow her. As she is about to reveal herself. The man throws something in her direction upon impact the building explodes Cynthia is bounced off a rear wall pieces of fiery ceiling crumble around her. She crawls around in the burning shell of the building choking on the smoke. A piece of debris hits her from behind and that is where she lay unconsciously sprawled.
The homeless man walked between the falling chaos, picks up Cynthia, and carries her a safe distance away from the fire. Soon the police would be there even in a crappy neighborhood such as this they had to put out the fire. He raises his eyes upward. As if speaking to a higher power but said nothing.
Sara and her companion jumps back into her Mustang and speeds off leaving Cynthia to perish. "You got a good arm you know that Kevin."
"Oh yeah, now where's my money?" Kevin Nash says while taking off the wig, beard .green contacts and fingerless gloves. Sara takes the money she stole from Cynthia's purse. And without looking at him shoves it in his mouth.
Nash took the money out counted it and told her where to drop him off at. He had some serious drinking to do. He had just made eye contact with his friend's wife and killed her for money pretending to be her husband..
Sara stops the car at his location. Sara hits the locks. "Of course I chipped in to make it an even million but most of that money came form her I guess she had just cashed her check. In more ways than one she helped pay for her own execution." Sara grabs Kevin's chin making him look at her. "Make sure you keep quiet, or else, she won't be the only person paying for their own death." She smiles at him and releases her grip. "Get out I have a debut in less than 20 minutes." Nash gets out of the car and into the men's restroom before he is truly sick.
Minutes after Mark's loss to Paul London and Sara's début, Mark left. Mark rides towards home he circles the Hilton where the others are staying. He suddenly starts feeling like he's going to pass out his head pounds and he nearly creams himself by going to far over the line. He pulls over and is violently sick in the marsh where Cynthia was, just hours before. He knew it wasn't a head injury if it had not been for him stopping the force of London's flip with his hands London would have landed six inches away from him. When London went for the last pin he landed on Mark's shoulder instead of across him. London was not ready. Mark was not impressed. Wiping his face and trying to clear his foggy brain. He spots something shining in the muck of the deep marsh. Partial recognition dawns as he stoops down and picks up Cynthia's wedding ring. Mark closes his eyes trying to reach out to his wife. Angelique was able to feel her physical pain but he could not feel anything but his own growing despondency. Suddenly not feeling like going home and sleeping in his four poster super-king size empty bed, when his head cleared he took off in the direction he had come.
Mark parked his bike in front of a bar. Would it solve his problem no, but he needed an escape and drugs were just something he didn't do. He walked in and found a table in the back against the wall. He didn't feel famous and he didn't want to be surprised by some fan. Tonight was about Jack Daniels. He called Hudson and told him what he had found and where he was. He then turned off the cell phone.
Kevin came over to Mark's table and set down a bottle of JD. He slides it to Mark. Mark took the bottle to the head and emptied it. After getting visual confirmation from Mark Kevin set down. They both remain quiet. A waitress comes over and offers Mark a menu he waves it off and orders a few bottles of JD.
"What, you had a bad day working for Vince?" Nash says trying his level best to find out why Mark was in a dive like this. The word on his wife couldn't have gotten out that fast.
Mark explains what he knows and then produces the wedding ring. They drink and Kevin changes the subject frequently.
Two hours five bottles of JD later Mark was getting pissed all over again. "I mean I don't know what to make of this did she take it off or was she mugged? I can't get that image of her out my head kissing that bastered. It don't make…" Mark stands up Kevin follows his line of sight to Edge.
Kevin stands up trying to get Mark calm down. This time it was Kevin that deserved a punch not Edge. Hudson came into the bar and walked on the opposite side he had already loaded Mark's bike in his SUT. Mark wasn't going to be driving or free flying off no damn cliff tonight.
Mark pushes past Nash walks up to Edge, taps him on the shoulder. "You wanna fuck around with my wife?" Edge turns around to look down at an angry fan and is suddenly knocked clean off his feet with an uppercut from Mark. Mark started stomping on Edge. Kevin pushes Mark and receives and honest to goodness choke-slam. Guys start ganging up on Mark he grabs a bottle off a near by table busts the end of it and starts swinging. Hudson enters the fray when three of the guys start throwing full beer bottles at Mark's head. Sirens could be heard in the distance Hudson grabs Mark and Kevin and forcefully makes them leave the bar putting Mark in the passenger seat and Nash in the back.
Across town in a cheap hotel Cynthia shakes while lying on the bed. The smoke from the fire made her hoarse. The homeless man was no doctor but he thought the smoke and toxins may have damaged her vocal cords. She couldn't speak above a whisper. That much even looked painful.
"We have too hurried and get ju to jor home."
Cynthia writes on a paper napkin "My husband was the one that threw the bomb. We made eye contact he saw me and he tried to kill me." Cynthia starts violently shaking the homeless man leaves the room and comes back with a needle. Ju are having withdrawals stick this in jor veins it is the drug ju had in ju before. I can not detox ju here." Cynthia did as she was told. The shaking soon stopped and she fell into a drug fitful sleep. The homeless man took the needle casing away from her sleeping hand and it disappeared.
Hours later Cynthia awakens to hear her hero speaking with even less of an accent. He was talking to himself. "Hey homes thanks for the speech down grade but no thanks. Everyone said you had I sense of humor."
Cynthia was getting frightened she had heard about shell shocked homeless people but now she was in the presents of one.
The homeless man turns around and catches her looking at him. "I'm still not going to hurt you so you can relax. I can't tell you who I am yet you are not ready. The reason I am here, is you. That much I will tell you. Get some sleep little mama ok." The homeless man lies back on the pillow on his bed watching his charge sleep.
The next day at the Hilton Hotel in Dallas Sara dances around her room. Paul knocks and comes in without waiting for an answer. He grabs Sara and slings her against the door frame. "Tell me it's a lie. TELL ME DAMNIT" Sara gets to her feet. "Tell me you did not have contact with Kevin Nash."
"I thought who I saw was my business."
"Really well you have stepped in it this time and that threat I all ready took care of it we're done."
"You and Stephanie."
"NO, I'm done with you."
"You boys still fighting"
"There is only one thing that man wants now that he is out of the business. That's money to do whatever the buyer wants. You think I'm stupid or something? You +Cynthia + Cynthia missing + Kevin Nash chaos. I'm going to ask you one time and one time only how long have you known where Cynthia was and where is she now?"
Sara smiled up at an angry Paul. "You told your wife and risked your marriage to do what, come yell at me? Paul, I thought you wanted to be the ring general, we had a deal. To answer your question she's dead. I had Nash dress up like Mark and throw an explosive into the building I heard she was hiding in. I saw her face and the look of relief being replaced by total trepidation as she flew back against the back wall. Even if she managed to survive, which I seriously doubt with the cocktail running her into withdrawal she won't come anywhere near this place she would have thought that Mark tried to kill her."
Paul felt sick Sara was always the fun trouble cousin but he never thought she would ever kill or have someone killed. STOP SMILING IT"S NOT FUNNY IT"S SICK DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF? You killed a woman in cold blood."
"You helped me capture her, this gets out and we all go down together. That, I promise you, if you tell Mark I'll kill you. Goodbye cousin." Sara leaves the room. Paul had finally did it his family secrets would conceal a major crime.
Telling Stephanie was no cake walk but holding this in was gonna eat him alive. Too many people would feel the sting if he spoke.
Edge was coming out of his room when Paul saw him. "Hey Hunter"
"What happen to the side of your face, Lita bitchsmacked you again?"
"No, I walked into to a bar and was attacked by Taker."
"Is that it? I mean if he just gave you a black eye your lucky."
"I think he cracked one of my ribs. "
"Well all I can say is learn to stay from him."
"Oh no I want him in a match."
"No…you don't" Paul said as he walked away.
One o'clock in the afternoon at Callaway Ranch Kevin Nash snores on the sofa in the den. He opens one eye and is met with a familiar green gaze. It was Mark's oldest girl she looked just like him. "Problem little one."
"Who are you?"
"I'm…a friend of your father's. The name's Nash, goodnight." with that Kevin tried to turn over and landed on the floor. Getting up he saw that the girl kept staring at him. "It's not polite to stare at people. "
"I think you should leave." Angelique was very untrusting of this man he was hiding something.
"Just for that I think I'll stay. Nash sits down on the sofa.
"Suit yourself "Angelique left the room.
Upstairs in the master bedroom Mark rolls onto Cynthia's side of the bed and jumps up, reality slapping him back to the present. The WWE was heading to Huston next week. He had to find out what happened to Cynthia. After a shower and a shave he heads downstairs. Nash was sitting alone in the den on the sofa; he seemed to be in deep thought. Mark walked up behind his friend and slaps him on the back. "Hey what's on your mind?"
"Nothing"
"That, I can believe." Mark had known Nash for almost 20 years he wondered why Nash was in Texas. Nash hated not having his seasons. The phone rings Mark dashes for it. "Hello? Hello? Look damnit, I'm not in the mood to play games either say something or go fuck yourself. " ALL he heard was a whisper but he could not make out what the person said. The only clear words he heard were hurt the girls. Thinking it was a threat on his girl's lives he went off. "When I find you, I'm gonna rip out you fucking throat." He slams the phone down.
Cynthia holds the phone she had tried to speak to the girls but Mark had answered the phone. She tried to ask for the girls and he threatened her life. He was coming for her he was going to finish her off. She looked around for the homeless guy. Seconds later the doorknob to the cheap motel room turned. Cynthia crawled under the bed and shook. the drugs were wearing off.
The door opened and she tried to stay still all she could see were shoes. That was a relief Mark whore boots most of the time. The shoes came closer and the knee bent the homeless guy was now looking at her hiding under the bed. She tried to voice what happened each word hurting her already sore throat.
"You tried to speak to your children and your husband threatened your life." She nods her head. I think you scared him."
She looked doubtful. "You have to make a very critical decision. Will you stay or will you run?"
At the WWE headquarters Vince walks into Stephanie's office. "When were you going to tell me that you were going to push one of my biggest money makers out of this business?"
"Daddy I know what I'm doing no ones going anywhere."
"You damn right about that you are going to keep Sara away from Mark. What were you thinking? NO you weren't thinking. Who told you to do this?" Vince stood rigid against the inside of her door,\his massive arms crossed.
"Paul thought it would…"
"Paul dose not think either change it or send Sara to camp. I don't care how you fix it but fix it. His wife is missing. I told him that I would assist him in getting to the bottom of things. "
"Ok daddy, I will help you guys and I will change the storyline."
"Is this some kind of convoluted storyline where you bring his wife into the business? Because Mark told me that Edge was involved. If it is follow procedure and tell him before that father of his has armies swarming my arenas."
"Okay daddy calm yourself it's going to be fine." Stephanie smiles up at her father. As he leaves her office she picks up the telephone and calls Paul and got his message machine. "Paul call me soon as you can I mean it or there going to be hell to pay."
Nash sat by Mark's pool waiting for Mark he was going to leave today. Mark walked onto his raised patio. "Hey man I just wanted to say high and by before I left. I got to get home." Nash stood and shook Mark's hand and left.
