Hey guys, Im so sorry this chapter is late! I have a major case of writers block, so this is just a filler chapter until i get back on track :( And I will, promise! Anywhoozles, hope you guys enjoy!
"We should be looking for him" Roman mumbled, head in his hands. It was half nine in the morning and both he and Seth hadn't slept much. They were sitting at the kitchen table in Jakes house, both feeling the absence of their third and unable to sleep. Roman felt drained, like all the energy had been sucked out of him. He couldn't stop thinking of what they could be doing to him "Are they hurting him? Are his stitches bleeding again?! Have his lungs re-opened?" he thought, fighting not to break down again. Feelings of helplessness, grief, rage and bone deep fear that when he finally got to Dean, and he would, that they would be too late were filling him. An image of Dean, still and cold made him snap "We can't just sit here, man!" he yelled, kicking back the chair and jumping up. "We need to be out looking, not just sitting here!" he thought, anguished.
Images of Dean were flitting behind his eyes, of Dean in his arms as they escaped the hospital, him lying in a pool of his own blood, Dean playing with Kevin's ears, a peaceful smile on his face and a smirking Hunter standing over a broken Dean. "No! No! That won't happen! They need him to draw us in, right? They won't hurt him too bad!" he thought, not believing it. "They could be doing who knows what to him and we're just fucking sitting here!" he spat out, pacing and running hands through his hair. "We need to get out there and fucking do something!" Seth shifted and watched him carefully "Roman, I want to find him as much as you do, but going out there and getting caught won't solve anything! We don't even know where he is!" he said, tearfully. "Then we should fucking find out where he is! He wouldn't give up on us! He would do everything possible to find us if we were in his position!" he yelled, smashing a cup against the wall.
"We're fucking failing him, doing nothing here!" he thought, so frustrated he wanted to start screaming and never stop. "We're doing nothing, Seth! We're just sitting around!" he yelled, kicking a chair across the room. Neither of them saw Jake watching Roman carefully from the hallway, ready to intervene. Seth stood up "And what do you suggest we do, Roman? We move outside that door without a plan and a location on him, we'll disappear next! There are men in cars out there, hunting us Roman!" he yelled back, snapping, the stress, anger and helplessness getting to him. "I know there's men hunting us, Seth!" Roman snapped back, but Seth continued. "No, you fucking don't! It's not just those men in those cars, it's the Authority that's hunting us! They set a trap for us, man, and they want all three of us! You think they will be satisfied with just capturing us? They're fucking psychos, Roman! All they care about is power and control! And causing as much pain as they fucking can!" he yelled, incensed
"They will do their best to break us mentally and physically and crush us under their thumb! We get caught because we floundered into a place in hope of finding him there, and never mind Dean, we'll all be at their fucking mercy!" he yelled. Seth stopped, breathing heavy and biting his lip hard. The pain and urgency in his voice stopped Roman in his tracks and he stared at Seth "He's trying not to cry!" Roman thought, seeing the signs. What Seth said caught up to him and Romans eyes narrowed "He sounds like he knows what he's talking about" he thought, bad feeling forming in his gut. "Did they h-?" He opened his mouth, but Seth spoke before he could, avoiding his eyes "You don't know them like I do, Roman. You run around looking for him without a plan, you'll disappear next. And they'll do their best to break you" he said, softly. Tears filled his eyes "I just got the two of you back last night. They took Dean. I-I can't lose y-you too!" he suddenly sobbed out. Roman suddenly felt like shit "I was so worried for Dean, that I forgot Seth! Dean would kick my ass for that!" he thought, guilt and remorse flowing in him. Sweeping Seth into his arms "I'm so sorry, Seth. I was so worried for Dean, I forgot you're going through the same thing as me" he said, kissing the top of his head. "Forgive me?" Seth gave a sad laugh into his chest
"You don't need to apologise to me, Roman. If anything, I should be saying that to you" he sniffled. "Just promise me you won't go and try to find him on your own, ok? Call me, the twins or Jake if you think you know where he is" he muttered, sniffing into his chest. Roman nodded, smiling a little, the gaping hole in his chest a little smaller now. "Promise, Seth. And we need to sit down and talk. Make a Seth plan" he said, making Seth chuckle. "Might be good for him" he thought, wiping his face. When they were in The Shield, Seth had always been the one to make up the battle plans. He just always had a knack for predicting how someone would react and then planning for that reaction, as well as a Plan B, Plan C and even a Plan D. They could use that strategy planning now. Seth stood back, wiping his face and Roman observed him "Dean would be so happy to see Seth lose his cool like that!" he thought, secretly delighted to see the old fiery Seth again, if only for a minute.
Romans phone beeped on the table and he picked it up.
Unlocking it, he froze and looked up "Oh God! Do I want to see this?!" he thought, nervous dread filling him as he stared at the name on his phone. "Seth! Steph just sent me a picture!" he whispered, suddenly terrified. Jake appeared, face grim and Seth's eyes widened and he hobbled over to him and they looked over his arms. "Open it! It could tell us where he is!" Seth urged, voice shaking. Roman did and they both stared and cursed. Romans heart dropped to his boots. "Oh, god, Dean!" he thought, shaking. He was in a wooden chair, bound by his hands and feet and he was unconscious, head hanging down and obscuring his face. "I'm so sorry, Dean" he thought, heart aching. "They t-took off his b-brace and sling" Seth stuttered "But, t-they haven't hurt him" shaking and leaning on the wall behind him in relief. "Yet" Roman thought nervously, drinking in the image of Dean and so relieved he felt weak. "There's no blood I can see, he's just asleep. He's ok, for now!" he thought as Seth examined the picture closely.
"Wait, Roman!" Seth said, excitedly, looking closer "What? What did he see?!" he thought, hopeful "Look at his hands!" Roman did and broke out into a smile. "That's my baby!" he thought, so relieved and chuckling. Dean had sent them a message, his hands arranged in a familiar pattern to Roman. 'I'm ok. Trap' "He's ok, for now!" he breathed out, a weight off his shoulders. "He's ok! They still have him, but they didn't injure him worse when they took him!" he thought, a knot releasing in his chest. Seth smiled, relieved. "We already know it's a trap" he said, thinking. His phone buzzed again and Romans heart thumped. "What now?" he muttered, terrified again. Opening the message, he frowned "She sent me a video" he said, worried "Guys, why would she send a video?!" he said, voice shaking now. "A-are they doing s-something to him?" he thought, horrified "I-I cant watch that!" he thought, shaking harder.
His heart was hammering and he felt nauseous. Seth was pale "I d-don't know, Roman. We have to w-watch it, though" he said, swallowing hard and pushing back tears. "I-if they're h-hurting him, I c-cant watch that, Seth!" he whispered, shakily. He was already close to falling apart, he could feel it. "Seeing them hurt him will break me" he thought, shaking and sweating. "M-me either" Seth whispered, tears falling at the thought. Jake, who had been watching quietly "Here, let me watch it first. If they hurt him during it, I'll tell you and you can skip that part. Ok?" he said gently, seeing the two men nearly falling apart at the idea of what the video could contain. "I can't watch that! Jake can and he can warn us if there's something we don't want to see on it" he thought, leaning on the wall. Roman and Seth nodded, grateful. "Thanks, Jake" Seth said, grateful. They handed over the phone, Jake turned the sound off and watched the video.
Roman was watching his face and nearly sick with apprehension. "Are they actually hurting him?" he thought, sickened at the thought. Seth was trembling next to him. Pulling Seth with him, they sat at the table, legs shaking and weak. They sat close together, a small amount of comfort "What do we do if they are hurting him? Do we watch it?" he thought, eyes fixed on Jake. The thought of seeing them hurting the man he loved made his heart hurt and tears spring to his eyes. "I-I c-cant watch that!" he thought, fighting back bile. Jake looked up and sighed, tapping the phone off his thigh. He had a blank face and Roman couldn't tell if it was good or bad news. He didn't want to ask, but he had to know! "D-did t-they?" he asked, so scared he was gonna nod and confirm they were hurting him. Seth was watching him with wide, scared eyes and he leaned on Roman slightly. Jake shook his head "They didn't hurt him, he's ok" he said and Roman felt like he could breathe again.
"He's ok, he's ok! They didn't hurt him!" he thought, so relieved he nearly started sobbing. Seth had his head on the table, muttering in relief and sides shaking. Roman hugged him to his chest "He's ok, Seth! We'll get him back before they do anything to him!" he whispered and Seth nodded. "Here" Jake said, passing him the phone and sitting across from him. "Do I still want to see this?" he thought "No, I have to! He might have sent us another message!" He nudged Seth "Ready for this?" he said gently. Seth nodded, reluctantly. Sweating and near vomiting, Roman turned back on the sound, pushed the play button and they watched. It started off with Steph in front of the camera and Dean unconscious in the background. Romans heart hurt, seeing it "He shouldn't be fucking there!" he thought, tears in his eyes as they watched. "Reigns, Rollins! I wanted to thank you so much for the little present you sent to me! Haven't had the chance to play with him yet, he won't wake up!" she pouted.
Her face shifted, becoming more feral and not right, a look of savage anticipation on her face. "Once he does, its playtime!" she snickered. Seth sucked in a shaky breath "She doesn't sound right! When I left, they weren't this bad!" he said, worried "They're getting worse, Roman!" wringing his hands, he shifted restlessly. Roman was struck by how psychotic Steph was sounding. Her voice was a high pitched snarl and the normally cheerful face was twisted into a feral smirk. She looked psychotic! "Jesus! Seth was right! She's bat shit insane!" he thought, hating that Dean was stuck there with them, alone and injured. "You were right, man. She's insane!" he said shakily. Seth nodded "Told you. Hunters the same" he muttered, darkly. "And Deans stuck with them" he thought, hanging his head and trying to fight back the tears. One thing stuck in his mind "What the hell does she mean by playtime?" he thought
"What does she mean by playtime?" Roman asked quietly, afraid he knew the answer, fresh fear for Dean rising again. Seth looked up at him, brown eyes haunted. Roman was breathing fast, eyes wide, fresh panic appearing. "What are they gonna do to him, Seth?!" he demanded, fearfully. Seth slumped "I don't know, Roman! They've changed so much, I have no idea! When I was there, they would have never done something like this!" he cried. Roman felt sick, but returned to watching the video. As they watched, Roman saw movement from the corner of his eye and nudged Seth. Dean had peeped up, looked around and was now signing frantically on the arms of the chair. Seth and Roman ignored Steph's shrill voice as they watched him sign to them.
"- gonna tell you where we are, but I want to have a little chat with him, so maybe next time!" She paused and smirked "If there is a next time!" she purred, moving closer to Dean, who had slumped, unconscious again. "No, stay away from him!" Roman thought, tensing as she walked towards Dean. "Nononono! Roman!" Seth's fingers were digging into his arm, terrified. "She could hurt him and we could do nothing about it!" Roman thought, so scared she was going to hurt him, right in front of them. Roman and Seth growled as she dragged his head back and Roman snarled when she kissed him on the cheek. Roman could see Dean set his jaw, his nostrils flare and knew he was fighting hard to not head-butt the bitch. Dean hated being touched by anyone, except by people he considered family. "That bitch is gonna pay for that! No one does that to him, except for me!" he thought, furious at seeing Dean tied down and helpless, while she put her lips on him. He tried to shake it off "No! Forget that for now, there's better things we need to focus on!" he thought, pushing it away for later, when him and The Authority were face to face.
The video cut out and they sat back at the table, speechless. "If Dean is serious, this changes everything!" Roman muttered, thinking over the message again, checking for mistakes 'Don't come. Hide, I'll be ok. Authority want you and titles, have guys everywhere in WWE, security guards, like from the cars. If Ro insists, find Becky Lynch. She'll help' "What did he sign?" Jake asked, curious. "He said to not come for him, that they have men covering the WWE now. He also said to find Becky Lynch" Seth muttered, thinking hard. "We're not hiding while they have him!" Roman growled, pissed at the suggestion. "Hell no, we're not!" Seth spat "Those fuckers put their hands on him and they're gonna pay for it!" clenching his fists, he looked ready for a fight. "There he is" Roman thought, smiling slightly. He felt a relief wash over him. Dean was ok, still with the Authority, but he was ok! "Until they find out he's faking being asleep" Roman thought, a knot in his belly getting bigger. "What the hell is playtime?!"
"Becky Lynch?" he said, making himself focus on Deans message. "Why does he want us to contact Lynch? We don't even know her!" Roman said, confused now. "Maybe he heard something when he was pretending to be unconscious?" Jake said, thinking hard. "Deans never spoken to her before, why would he want us to contact her now?" he thought. "I know her! Shit I forgot!" Seth cried, apparently remembering. "I was supposed to call her back! Damn it!" looking around for a phone. Roman was confused "How does he know her? Was she his crush?" he thought, the spike of jealousy making him even more confused. Shaking it off "How do you know her, man?" Roman asked, curious. He was calmer, after seeing that Dean was ok, for now. Seth blushed and fidgeted and Jake started laughing. "Aw, shit, Seth! How long ago was it again?" he said, smirking. Seth glared at Jake "How long ago what?" Roman thought, looking between the two and placing his phone on the counter behind him.
"After that New year's party a couple of months ago" he muttered, avoiding everyone's eyes. It clicked in Romans brain "You had a one nighter with Lynch?!" he blurted out, smiling and ignoring the weight in his stomach. Seth huffed and rolled his eyes "Guys, it was months ago! I kinda freaked when I woke up and it didn't end well! I haven't spoken to her since then, well apart from when I called her for help" he said, crossing his arms, glaring at Jake. "If you call it not ending well being cussed out in Irish and your clothes being flung out the window, resulting in you having to retrieve them naked!" Jake snorted out. "Lynch flung his clothes out the window?" he thought, amused. Roman blinked and burst out laughing, leaning back. Seth glared at the two of them and sat back. Roman instantly felt guilty, laughing while Dean was missing. "He'd find that so funny! I gotta tell him that once he's back" he thought, instantly calming when he thought of him.
"I'll come back to this later!" he thought, knowing Dean would get a kick out of teasing Seth again. "Once we get him away from those assholes!" he thought, the image of Steph kissing Dean made him so angry he wanted to punch something. Closing his eyes, he calmed himself, knowing he'd be no use if he let his emotions take over. "Do you have her number?" he asked, once he was calm. Seth shook his head "I did, but my phone was crushed by the rock that came through the window" Roman frowned "We can't contact her so!" he said, frustrated. "Shit! If we had someone who was in the WWE, we could see what was going on. Dolph and Neville are off for a couple of days, they'll be no help!" he thought, thinking hard. There was silence for around ten minutes until Jake spoke up "Sounds like The Authority have locked down the WWE, all those extra security guards, probably ex-military. It'll be tough to get in there" he muttered, tapping his fingers on his coffee cup.
"Is that where they're keeping Dean?" he thought, hope rising in him. "Do you think Dean is there? At the arena right now?" Roman demanded, leaning forward. "Is that where they are keeping him?!" he thought, ready to go get him right now. He could feel Seth watching him too, hope in his eyes. "It makes sense! Where else would they keep him?!" he thought, giddy. Jake hesitated "I don't know, man. I mean, it would be difficult to keep him away from the wrestlers, never mind the crew! And they're on the road constantly, it would be hard to transport him without anyone noticing. But, that is where they operate out of" he said, thoughtfully. "They might, or they're just keeping him in a random hotel room, we don't know!" he said, annoyed. Romans heart sank, seeing the valid points Jake gave. "Either way, he's gonna be guarded well. It'll be difficult to get him out of there, especially if they have back up" Roman sighed and out his head in his hands. "Can we ever just get a fucking break?" he thought, suddenly so tired and drained.
"I have to sleep, if I want to be somewhat awake when we finally find out where they're keeping him" Rubbing his eyes, he jumped when his phone rang and he stared at it, nervous. "What if it's Steph again?" he thought, scared. It stopped just as he picked it up. "Who was it?" Seth asked, dread in his voice. Roman checked "Jey" he said, relieved. "I'd lose it if I heard that bitch's voice again!" he thought, the image of Dean in the chair haunting him. "Isn't he asleep?" Seth asked, relieved and yawning massively. Roman nodded "Probably wants water or something" he muttered, yawning. "Moron can get it himself" he said, tiredly. Jake chuckled. They all sat there as they thought. Twenty minutes later, each had a cup of coffee in front of them and were more awake. A thump from upstairs and a loud yelp "The twins are awake" Seth muttered. Roman watched as they entered the kitchen five minutes later, looking exhausted and none of their usual exuberance.
Roman remembered the phone call from his phone "Uce, did you call me? I got a missed call from you half an hour ago" he said to Jey, tiredly. Jey froze and then whipped around "Oh shit, I forgot! You got a call from my phone half an hour ago?! Did you answer it?!" he asked urgently, eyes wide. "Whys he freaking out?" he thought, watching him as he nearly ran to the table. "Roman! Did you answer it?!" he snapped. Jimmy stared at his brother, worried. Roman straightened, staring at him, feeling something was wrong "No, it stopped ringing before I could answer it. Why, what's wrong?" he said, worried now. Jey cursed, grabbed Romans phone and searched through it. Roman exchanged a worried glance with Jimmy. "What the hell is going on?" he thought, exhausted, head pounding. "I know I won't sleep until I at least know where he is! We know hes ok, for now. But how long will that last?" Roman thought, stomach clenching.
Jey spoke as he looked for his own number "When those assholes piled on me and Dean at the gas station, I knew they were going to take him, you guys were too far away and I ….. I couldn't stop them. Instead, I slipped my phone into his pocket without anyone noticing! That wasn't me ringing you man, that was Dean!" he said, upset. "Can't believe I fucking forgot!" Roman and Seth froze and then began talking loudly at the same time "You gave him your phone?!" Seth said, excited, hopping up and limping to his side "Dean tried to call me?!" Roman cried, scrambling up and tugging his phone out of Jey's hands, a sudden hope flaring in him. "We can maybe talk to him!" he thought, hands shaking as he dialled Jey's number. "Please, please answer!" he thought, gripping the phone and hitting the call button, putting it on loudspeaker and placing it on the table. "C'mon Dean, please answer, baby!" he thought, heart thudding, nervously excited.
Seth grasped his arm as they waited for the phone to connect. Seth's hand was shaking. They were all gathered around the phone, staring at it, an expectant air in the kitchen. A beep came from it and a "We're sorry. The number you have dialled cannot be reached at the moment. Hold the line to be directed to a messaging service. We're sorr-" Roman shut off the phone and stared down at it. The kitchen was silent. "Damn it!" he whispered, so disappointed he felt like crying. Seth leaned into him and Roman put his arm around him. He was so sure he was about to speak to Dean, to make sure he was ok and not fucking bleeding out in some hole somewhere. He felt crushed, like their last hope had been ripped away from him. Looking at Seth, he was crying quietly, wiping his face. Roman shook as a thought hit him "Why did the phone call only last for three rings? Did they find him with the phone?!" he thought, sudden fear making him stiffen.
"And the phone is off now!" Roman felt his legs give and he collapsed into the nearest seat. "They could be hurting him now! All because he tried to ring us!" he thought, feeling his chest tighten and breathing accelerate "Roman!" Seth said "ROMAN!" scared when he didn't answer. Roman looked up as his breathing calmed "How come the call was so short?" he whispered, horror rising as he spoke. Seth blinked and his face fell, blood drained from his face and he sat heavily into the chair. They all jumped as his phone rang again. "That could be Dean!" he thought, heart suddenly slamming. Roman snatched it up and checked the name on the screen, Seth leaning in. "It's not Dean" he said, disappointed, heart slowing a little. " I don't know this number!" he thought, wary. "Who is that?!" Seth said, nervous, not recognising the number. "Could be The Authority, telling us where Dean is! Answer it!" Seth urged, face pale. "It's not The Authority, I have both of their numbers saved on the phone. Whoever it is, I don't know them!" Roman replied, not wanting to answer it.
"What if it's Hunter or someone calling from a different phone? To rub it in?" he thought, eyeing it carefully. "Only one way to find out!" he thought, picking it up. Roman pressed the answer button and they listened, waiting. "Hello?" a slightly nervous female voice came through the phone. They exchanged glances "Who the hell is that?!" he thought, cautious. "Who is this?" he demanded, staring at the phone warily. A seconds silence "Becky Lynch" Roman looked up and met Seth's wide eyes. "Lynch called us!" he thought, hardly believing it. "Does she know anything about Dean?!" he thought, hopeful again. Seth was leaning in, his face tense and worried. "Please, please let her know something!" He opened his mouth to ask when "Is Seth with ya, Roman?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts. Roman flicked his eyes around the group, who all looked surprised.
"Why does she want Seth? Probably knows him better than us!" he thought, smiling slightly. "Yeah, I'm here Becky" Seth said quietly, looking nervous. "Why's he nervous?" he thought, looking at Jimmy, who shrugged. A sigh came over the phone "Thank god" she muttered. "Why tha hell didn' ya call me back?" she said, sounding pissed. Romans eyebrows went up, and he glanced at Seth, who fidgeted. "Hes scared of her!" he realised, suppressing a snicker. "You told me ya needed my help, an' they ya just up an' disappeared! Wha' tha hell, Rollins?!" she said, sounding pissed. "I've been tryin' ta call ya for ages!" Another voice came over the phone "Becky, cool it! We have more important things to talk about right now!" it whispered and they all stiffened. "Who the fuck is that?!" Roman growled out, instantly wary and ready to end the call in a second. "These guys could be working for The Authority!" he thought "But, then why would Dean tell us to contact her?" he was conflicted.
There was silence on the other end, a sigh and the voice spoke again "Sorry guys, thought you'd hang up if I rang you. I'm AJ Styles" he said calmly. "The new guy I was supposed to feud with?" Roman asked, cautious. "How the hell is he involved?" he thought, sharing a glance with Seth. Roman saw Jake pull out his phone and tap on it. "Didn't you just join the company? How the hell are you involved?" Jake asked, after a second, mirroring his thoughts. "No time for that, I'll explain later, ok?" he replied, sounding anxious. "Hell no! I never met Styles before, why is he involved now?" he thought, suspicious. Roman frowned "No, you'll explain now! Or we're hanging up!" he said, glaring at the phone. AJ growled "Fine! I walked in on Fox trying to kick Becky's ass, she dragged me back to where she was hiding and explained everything!" he said, in a rush. "Hold up, why was Fox tryin' to hurt Becky? And why is she hiding?" Jimmy said, from where he was leaning on the countertop.
"Who the hell are you?" AJ said, suspicious. Roman opened his mouth "Styles, tha's one of that Uso's! Tha other one is there as well, I suppose?" Becky said. "You know it, baby" Jey said, from his perch by his brother. "Don' call me baby, amadan, unless ya want my foot up your ass" she said, seriously. Jey blinked, looking surprised. Jimmy sniggered, earning him an elbow from his twin. Continuing like nothing happened "I'm hiding 'cos Steph sicced Fox an' two others ta attack me every chance they get! Can' even walk down tha hallway without bein' ambushed!" she muttered, annoyed. AJ sighed "Since you guys left, Steph has been doing her best to, what was it Becky? Oh yeah, 'teach her' her place. She's been attacked three times already today!" he said, sounding pissed. "Steph sent people to attack Lynch?" Roman thought, snapping out of the shock from Deans phonecall.
"Do they know anything about him?" he thought, leaning forward and opened his mouth. "Holy shit! Whys she doing that? That makes no sense!" Jimmy said, sounding like he was settling in for a long discussion. Roman opened his mouth again to ask again about Dean, but "Guys!" Jake said loudly, making everyone jump. "We can talk about this later, alright?" he said looking around. "Why are you calling us, Lynch?" he said, crossing his arms. "Is it about Dean?" Roman thought, nervousness rising again. Seth leaned forward, eyes fixed on the phone, waiting. There was a pause "We know where Dean is" Becky said, quietly. They stared at the phone, dumbstruck. "You … you know where he is?" Roman whispered, stunned.
Hope so big it was painful flared in Roman. He shot forward, leaning over the phone "Where? Where is he?!" he demanded, knowing he sounded desperate and he didn't fucking care! Elation was rising in him, fast "She knows where he is!" he thought, so relieved a couple of tears escaped. Seth was holding his arm, Roman could feel it shaking. "They found him, Roman!" he whispered, face wet again. "He's at the Allstate Arena here in Chicago. We saw him a couple of minutes ago" AJ replied, sounding shaken, but Roman didn't notice, they knew where he was! Jake frowned. Elation and bone deep relief filled him and he clutched Seth's arm. "We haven't got him back yet, but we know where he is!" he thought, standing up and getting ready to leave immediately, Seth and the twins right beside him as they headed for the door. "Guys, sit back down!" Jake snapped. They stopped and looked back.
"What the hell? We know where he is! Time to go get him!" Roman thought, annoyed they weren't leaving immediately. Speaking into the phone "Are you setting a trap for us? We show up for him and we're met with a small army of armed men?" he said in a hard voice. Roman froze "Fuck! She could be setting a trap!" he realised, clenching his fists, hope falling. Seth looked sick "If it is a trap, we nearly fell for it, Roman!" he whispered, shaken. "We were just about to run out the door, exactly where she told us to go!" he whispered back, getting pissed off. Silence from the phone and then "Wha' tha fuckin' hell, Shepard?! Ya think I'm workin' for tha' super bitch McMahon? She's been houndin' me, havin' me beat up every time I go to take a piss or to get somethin' to eat, threatenin' me an' ya ask if I'm workin' for her?" she yelled, incredulous.
"Are ya fuckin' serious?! I'm so gonna kick your ass when I see it, Shepard!" Jake smirked and replied calmly as Becky ranted in the background "Shit, no wonder Seth's scared of her!" Roman thought, slightly intimidated. "She sounds like we can trust her" Jake continued "And what about you, Styles? You're new to the WWE. Gonna sell us out for a title opportunity?" They waited, Roman getting more nervous as they did. "He could! He's relatively new to the company, he needs every opportunity he can get!" he thought, uneasy. "No, I won't. I don't want to be here, or be a champion here when they're running things. Wouldn't be right, wouldn't mean anything if I won a title here now! You guys haven't seen how … fucked up things have gotten here since you left. Most of the wrestlers and crew are running scared, those new security guards appearing and being posted everywhere an-" "They're not security guards, they're mercenaries!" Becky yelled in the background.
Jake's face shut down and his lip twitched. AJ sighed and continued "And watching everyone. Hunter and Steph are trotting around like they own the place and everyone in it! No, I'm not gonna sell you out. Something needs to be done! They'll destroy this company they way they're going on!" he said, sounding serious. "Can we trust him?" Roman thought, doubtfully. "He sounds sincere" Jake frowned "Call us back in a couple of minutes" he said and hung up when AJ agreed.
"Guys, come on, lets head for Chicago" Roman said, the minute the phone was hung up. "Why are we still waiting around?" he thought angrily, wanting to get on the road now! Jake looked up, worried. "Roman, did you hear what he said? They have the place locked down! And we don't even know if we can trust them!" he said, frowning again. Seth spoke up "We can trust Becky. She wouldn't help do this to Dean, or anyone!" he said, crossing his arms. "Seth knows her best, I've never met her!" he thought, deciding to trust his judgement. "Are you sure, Seth?" Roman asked, serious. Seth nodded.
"She mightn't like me, but she's a good person" he said, serious. "That's enough for me" Roman said and the twins nodded. "If Seth trusts her, so do I" he thought, uneasy at how much he trusted Seth again. Roman could see Jake open his mouth and spoke before he could "Look, man. Even if I'm going by myself, I'm going to get Dean, ok? I'm not leaving him there for another second, if I can help it! I don't care if its trap or they betray us, but I'm going to Chicago. Seth trusts her, she trusts Styles. That's good enough for me!" he said, determined. "Us too!" the twins butted in. Jake smiled at Seth and Roman looked around, hearing a sniffle. Seth was looking at him and smiling, wiping tears off his face. "Y-you trust me that m-much again?" he said quietly, eyes red, but shining in his face. Roman nodded, smiling back as the twins nodded behind him. "He's acting more and more like his old self!" he thought, elated to see him come out of his shell more and more. "Yeah, man, we do" he said simply and Seth blushed. "T-thanks, guys" he whispered, grateful.
"Anytime, Seth" Roman replied softly as the twins slapped him in the back gently, making him jump and squeak. Jimmy looked at Jake "You planned this, didn't you?" he said, suspicious. "No, he couldn't have!" Roman thought, looking at him. Jake shrugged, smiling. The phone rang again. Jake answered it and put it on loudspeaker. "So, have ya come up with a plan?" Becky asked, calmer now. "Becky, we just hung up less than three minutes ago!" Jake sighed out, making the twins snicker. "Well, excuse me, ya asshat, for wantin' ta get Dean out of there as soon as we can!" she replied testily. Roman watched as Jake frowned "What's he thinking?" he thought, somehow uneasy at the look on his face. "Why? You barely know him, either of you" Jake asked and there was a pause on the other line "No, we don't, but neither of us like The Authority much and anyone who can piss 'em off as much as you three do must be doing something right" AJ replied, making the twins snicker again. Jake just stared at the phone, tapping his fingers gently off the edge of the table, a weird look on his face.
"So, did ya come up with a plan?" Becky asked again. "Not yet" Roman replied, leaning forward. "Maybe if we ask Dolph and Neville to keep an eye out when they come back from their vacation?" he thought, giving Seth a quick signal. He signed back, Roman nodded and he whispered to the twins and Jake. Roman turned back to the phone "We do have some people we trust still there. We're not gonna tell you their names until they agree to it. If they do, they'll help you 'til we get there. If they get injured, disappear or are even threatened and we find out it was one of you two that caused it, you will regret it for the rest of your lives. Are we clear?" he said calmly, but with a hint of a snarl in it. "Um.. ok?" AJ said, sounding nervous. "Loud an' clear" Becky said, seriously. "Good, hopefully they won't risk them" he thought, satisfied. Roman was trying to ignore the pull in his chest, telling him to get to Dean as fast as he could. "Gotta make a plan first!" he thought, wanting to grab his bag and head out himself "No, I promised Seth I wouldn't!" he thought, shaking that idea off. "We're on our way there now" he said "It's about a five hour journey, right now it's nearly ten o clock. We should be there for about for about 2" he said.
Seth spoke up "We'll call our guys and let you know what they say, ok?" he said, pulling himself up "Call us when you're ten minutes out, we'll meet you somewhere. Ok, see you then, guys" AJ said.A click as they hung up. Pocketing his phone, he looked around, new life returning as they finally had a lead on Dean! "I never asked if he looked ok!" he realised and he frowned. "I'll ask 'em later, after I talk to Dolph and Neville" he thought. He felt giddy, they knew where they had taken Dean! "Guys, c'mon! Pack your shit! I'm leaving in ten minutes!" he barked and they hopped up and disappeared upstairs. Petting Kevin, who was asleep on Dean's jacket, he waited. Roman had his bag packed already, he just had to grab it. "We're coming, Dean! Don't give up, ok? If they've hurt you, they'll fucking regret it!" he thought, watching his skin whiten as it stretched over his knuckles.
*The Authority*
As Ambrose was dragged, yelping, from the room, Hunter watched, enjoying every second. Once the sounds of his stumbling footsteps faded, Steph turned to him. "Are you ok?" she asked, checking his face. He smiled at her "Yeah, Steph, I'm ok. I think the little shit broke my nose, though" he growled out, annoyed he had let his guard down, just because he was chained! "Once we get all three, we can't make mistakes like that again!" he thought, seriously. "He'll pay for that!" she hissed. She suddenly paused "Hunter, he came out because I threatened Ziggler!" she realised, eyes wide "He cares for him, enough not to want to see him hurt!" Hunter immediately saw the possibilities and smiled "Oh, this is gonna be useful!" he chuckled, delighted. "We can use him to get where the other two and the titles are, Steph!" he said, pulling out his phone.
Dialling a number "Grayson, watch for a Dolph Ziggler. When he comes in, bring him to us" he said, smirking and winking at his wife. "Yes, sir" he replied. "Make sure he's alone when you do, ok?" he said. "Of course, sir" he said. "Good. Ring one of us when you have him, we'll tell you where to bring him" he said and hung up the phone. "That's why I married you, baby! Beauty and brains!" he said, hugging her. She laughed "We have him now!" she said, relishing the thought. "I think we may have found a way to break him, Steph! Did you see his face when he saw the collar? He tried to run!" he said, delighted they had found his weakness. Hunter was trying to think of Dean Ambrose "He's a fighter, a good one. Unpredictable. A troublemaker. But, loyal to a fault, kind of like a rabid dog. Fiercely independent. Prides himself on being physically tough and able to take a beating. Is he emotionally tough as well? Prefers going the hard way, just to piss someone off. That collar shows he's weak, that he allowed us to do that to him. He'll be ashamed, not wanting anyone he knows to see him wearing it. Hmmm, we could use that" he thought
"If we capitalise on the collar, we can break him!" Hunter said, thinking hard. "He seemed to lose it when you said you were gonna put ones on Reigns and Rollins, as well" Steph said, leaning on a table. "We are doing that, once we get them!" he thought, glowering now. "That's the plan, baby" he chuckled out, wincing as his split lip tore a little. She frowned "C'mon, Hunter. We need to get that checked out. That cut looks nasty and your nose has to be set" she said, concerned. "Yeah, ok" he said, pain hitting him. Walking out the door "So, to break Ambrose, we use Ziggler, the collar and his brothers. Seems simple enough" Steph mused.
"Don't think it's gonna be that easy. Out of the three, I think he'll be the toughest. It'll be a battle, but worth it!" he thought, looking forward to showing Ambrose who was boss. "After him, it'll be Reigns and Rollins' turn! Once Ambrose breaks, they'll be easier to handle" he thought. "I was thinking. Since we have Ambrose now and will soon have the other two, can we risk Lynch running around? She's the only one in the Women's locker room who is actively resisting me. She could be trouble" she said, sounding a bit worried. "Pick her up, so and keep her until we have all of them. Or make her join us. Your call, baby" he said casually, holding her close. "What can one person do against us?" he thought, smiling as they walked. His smile grew as Steph pulled out her phone and arranged for Lynch to be collected.