"And she told you that." Hunter stood up and the chair went screeching across the floor. "Just like that? She says to kill him?"
"We were going to anyway." Randy sighed and leaned back. "Dave and I already have half the fucking mob out looking for this guy. We called in connections with every underworld piece of shit we've got connections to call in."
"Turns out," Dave put in, "this guy's taken out quite a few of theirs. Not a word's been leaked, and they didn't even admit it to us until we said Christian's name. But, they made it clear. When this is over, it's strictly business. Whoever takes out Edge, takes him out. There are no more favors, on either side. Money exchanges hands for the usual, but that's it."
"No fucking shit. This is their goddamned fault, anyway." Hunter growled and stormed across the floor. He went behind the bar and poured himself a large tumbler of bourbon. He took a long drink, then slammed the glass down on the mahogany, sloshing brown liquor onto his hand. "We didn't have a fucking thing to do with Christian! He overheard some shit and they did it. We told 'em not to fuck with the guy."
"Hunter..."
"You know this fucker calls my fucking house ten times or more a day?" He shook the bourbon from his hand then took another drink. "Calls up and plays a fucking tape recording of Ric screaming and shit. Just does it for Stacy. Changed the number three times and he still gets it. That fucker is dead and when he's gone, the mob can kiss my fuckin' ass." He downed the rest of his drink and made another one. "The only reason we're in business with them is because we have to be. And Stacy stays clean, got me? This shit doesn't touch Double E."
Randy just nodded and Dave stood up. He went over to the bar and fixed himself a Scotch on the rocks. After taking a few sips, he looked at Hunter. "We all know Christian didn't deserve to die." He turned to look at Randy. "You keep calling him a junkie because it makes you feel better when you know the truth, but even you have to admit, he didn't deserve that."
"So what if he didn't?" Randy looked down at the gin and tonic in front of him and pushed the glass away. He stood up and walked across the floor to Trish's cage. He ran his hands around the bottom circle, walking it all the way around, then went back to sit at the table. He finished off his gin and slammed the glass on the table. "It's done, and there wasn't a damn thing we could do about it, then and there's nothing we can do about it now. You think I'm gonna go up there and admit to Trish that I knew who killed Christian all along? Not a fuckin' chance. When we find Christian, I'll slit his fuckin' throat myself and then he and this whole shit disappears."
"Stacy, I'm sorry." She turned away from the glass and dropped her head. Trish took a few steps forward, then stopped. She had been told that Hunter had finally let Stacy in on what was happening, and she could barely believe that the girl didn't want to offer her up to Edge as a sacrifice. "I never meant for any of this to happen."
Stacy looked at her, unknowing of what to say. Part of her wanted to grab Trish and shake her. Because of Trish, her father was dead. Because of Trish, she still had the sounds of her father's torment ringing in her head. Yet, at the same time, she pitied her. Trish was as much a victim as anyone else. Someone had tried to kill her. The most Stacy got was emotional torment. Trish could have ended up six feet under.
Stacy walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. The shorter blonde looked up at her slowly and Stacy could easily see the tears in her eyes. "You didn't kill my dad, Trish."
"But, this..." She turned her head to the side. "... it's my fault. Because of Christian..."
"Don't." Stacy sighed. "I know Dad wasn't the most law-abiding guy in the world. He and the others... they did some really horrible things. I'll admit that now. Not that they deserved any of this, because they didn't. You don't either. But..." She sighed again. "Dad had his own part in whatever happened to him. He knew something or did something that made this Edge guy come after him. They all did. You can't take all of the blame yourself."
Trish let out a choking sob that turned into a bitter laugh. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she brushed them away. "How can you be so... calm about this? So logical? I know if I were in your shoes, I'd be screaming at the top of my lungs."
"This is the only way I can keep from breaking down." Stacy turned around and walked back to the desk. She sat on the curving laquer end and put her foot up in a chair. "I've broken down, you know. Hunter just hasn't seen it. I pull it together before he gets back. It's not anything like when I first saw..." She stopped and gulped hard. "When I first saw him, I had a complete meltdown, but Dad would've wanted me to be strong."
"But the phone calls..."
"The shock of hearing his voice..." She sighed. "That was rough, but he was so strong, Trish. To the end, he was cursing and screaming and threatening... Dad would be really pissed if he knew I turned into a ball of mush twice a day. And he'd be pissed if he saw you like this, too."
"Huh?" Trish rubbed her eyes and looked at Stacy again. "What?"
"Dad always told me... he said, Trish Stratus..." She cleared her throat and went into a rather bad impression. "That Trish Stratus is a tough girl. I'm Ric Flair, and I know tough girls. She's been through a lot, Stacy, and she's still standing. That's a strong girl, and nothing's gonna break her. Just like nothing's gonna break you." She coughed and came back with her regular voice. "Um... so, yeah, that's what he said."
"He... I never knew Ric thought about me like that."
"Dad always had things to say about everybody that worked for him. He may not have told you this, but he respected you. And now... if he saw either of us in the shape we've been in lately, he'd piss his shorts."
Trish opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She had never known that Ric thought so highly of her, and for a second, it made her stomach twist in knots. The guilt within her wanted to kill her because he had such respect for her and she had somehow caused his death, but the respect she had for Ric shoved it back down. Stacy said he would have wanted her to be strong, and nobody knew him better than his daughter. If that's what he wanted, then the least she could do was to honor that.
She started to say as much to Stacy, then stopped... because all of the lights had just gone out.
"What the fuck?" Hunter whirled around in the darkness. "We pay our goddamned light bill!"
"The light company doesn't just turn your shit off in the middle of the day," Randy growled, standing from his chair. He tripped over a chair and screamed, "Fuck!"
Dave looked around suspiciously, then with caution made his way towards the front door. He listened at the door, but couldn't hear anything because Hunter and Randy were screaming curses at the shitjob electricians did in this town. "Would you shut up! I'm trying to hear." He held his ear close to the door and waited. He didnt' hear anything. "Something's not right."
"No shit!" Hunter bottomed his glass, then cursed because he couldn't see enough to pour another drink without spilling it everywhere.
"Shut the fuck up, alright!" Dave growled and turned back to the door. He opened it slowly and was blinded by the light. There were no windows in the club and it was broad daylight outside. He stepped forward and something hit his foot. He looked down slowly, then screamed, "Shit!"
Chyna lay at his feet face up, a knife protruding from the left side of her chest. He dropped quickly to his knees and pulled her inside. He used his foot to keep the door open, but when he picked her up, his foot slipped and the door slammed shut, leaving them in darkness again.
"What the hell happened?" Randy had managed a glimpse when the door opened.
"Do I look like I fuckin' know?" Dave used one hand to throw chairs off the longest, closest table, then laid Chyna down on it. "Come on, baby," he said as he felt around her neck, checking for a pulse. "Come on..." He held his fingers steady, waiting while anger built up inside of him. He felt something thump against his fingers and his body nearly sagged to the floor. "I got a pulse! I think it's just shock."
"Dude..." Randy walked over, then stopped when he bumped into something. "She's got a knife in her fucking chest."
"What?" Stacy and Trish were working their way slowly down the spiraling staircase. "Who's got a knife where?" Stacy asked.
Trish looked around nervously, gripping the rail tightly. "He's here," she said, her voice shaking. "I know it. He's in here."
"Dave! You're closest to the door!" Stacy started over and tripped. She heard footsteps, then cursing that was obviously Hunter. He was trying to get to her and had tripped over something. "Go out the door, Dave! You've gotta go get help!"
Dave looked down and slowly his eyes started to adjust to the darkness. He could see Chyna's outline, then there was movement. Her chest rose and fell slowly. She made small mewling noises. He gripped the hilt of the knife, then stopped, unsure if that would just do more damage. "I think she'll be fine," he said, barely hearing what the others were telling him. "I think it just burst her implant. But she'll need a doctor. That shit'll get in her system and..."
"Dave!" Trish was slowly making her way towards Randy, feeling out blindly in front of her. "Go outside! Take her outside and go get help. Hold the door open long enough for us to see to get out."
Dave looked up confused. "The... door..." He shook his head and brought enough senses back to himself to understand. He turned and tripped towards the door. He grabbed the knob and pulled. "It won't open!"
"It pushes out, jackass!"
"Hunter? Go fuck yourself." Dave growled and pushed the door. "It still won't fucking open! He's got something blocking it!"
"Then he can't be in here!" Randy turned in the last direction Trish's voice had come from. "He's not in here!"
"Yes, he is!" she screamed at him. She bumped into a chair and let out a frustrated scream. "He's here! He stabbed Chyna and he's coming for the rest of us! Now, somebody pull out a fucking cellphone and call 911!"
"Who has a gun?" Everyone turned towards Stacy's voice. "A gun? Come on, I know you all carry. Somebody has a gun."
"We all carry," Hunter said, "and shut up because I'm trying to call the cops."
"Don't bother." The voice came out of the darkness and Hunter's phone slipped from his hands. A single light came on, above Trish's cage. Edge sat at the top, his feet sliding down the front. "You'll all be dead by the time they get here. Except for pretty little Stacy. She's gonna dance in my cage."
A knife went sailing through the air and caught Hunter in the shoulder. He fell to the floor and the women screamed. Another knife appeared, this one going up into the ceiling. It broke the light and left them in the darkness... with a predator... out for blood.
...go back