Chapter 36
Sable… His green eyes were brooding as he regarded her, taking note of the bandage and the fear in those makeup enhanced eyes. He had no use for this woman, at all. She was realizing there was nowhere for her to go; she was surrounded and there was just no way she could slip the ropes and escape him. Taker was too fast and they all knew it.
"Vince…" He thundered in the microphone held up to him, never looking away from Sable. "Old man… you have something that belongs to me."
That was pure darkness in the Undertaker's tone and Vince swallowed hard, not daring to send anyone out. "Get it ready." He ordered, clearing his throat when his voice cracked.
"Well now, I," His hand reached out, grabbing hold of Sable's hair viciously and his lips spread in a savage grin when she shrieked in pain. "Have something of yours."
"Dad…"
SHUT UP!" Vince snapped, going through with his plan regardless of what his sniveling son thought. "Just keep your mouth SHUT!"
Suddenly, the arena darkened as the Titan tron lit up, showing Tahlia being trapped somewhere enclosed. Blood ran down the side of her face as a huge black leather gloved hand enclosed her throat, squeezing slightly. Tahlia didn't cry out or beg for her life as the camera came closer to where her eyes stared into it.
"Say it, whore!" Chyna ordered, smacking Tahlia upside the head and blinked when the woman began laughing.
"You're dead…" Blood was also seeping out of her nose as she continuously laughed through the pain she was currently in. "You're all dead." Her voice took on the soft haunting tone, amber eyes glazed over slightly from a possible concussion. "I'll never…give my title up to anyone. Destroy them all, my Lord. My sacrifice will be worth it."
Kane growled, squeezing her throat harder to where she began to wheeze.
Even if they killed her here and now, Tahlia wouldn't bow down and serve anyone except Undertaker.
The lights lit up the arena once again as the footage cut out. Paul did NOT like the look on Undertaker's face.
Shane was officially terrified when Sable was tombstoned in the center of the ring by Undertaker.
"You heard her." Taker growled, knowing wherever Tahlia was, chances were, the damage was done. He spared a look at Christian, who simply nodded. "String her up!" He roared, pulling Sable up.
Not that she was aware, she was unconscious, possibly paralyzed. Now, he was going to murder her on live television, pass it off as a storyline and then be exonerated because accidents happened. Edge pulled out a wire garrote from the lining of his vinyl duster, moving to wrap it around Sable's throat. Taker let her drop, her own weight choking her as he held the wire in one hand, the microphone back in his face.
"McMahon… where is she?" He demanded, knowing Vince was listening. "You don't have much time… Sable doesn't have much time." He handed the wire to Bradshaw, cracking his neck from side to side. "If they come out…"
"Like a tick, boss."
Paul glanced out of the corner of his eye. Christian was gone. Taker was about to vacate and go hunt her down as well.
Vince was MORTIFIED by the scene in front of him and he had no idea what to do, knowing Undertaker wouldn't hesitate to kill Sable. And it would be on him since this was HIS company and televised program! USA would annihilate him if someone was actually murdered on their station! What the hell was Undertaker thinking?!
"ENOUGH DAD! He's gonna kill her if you don't hand Tahlia back to him!" Shane was panicked, feeling sick at the sight of Sable gasping for air.
"T-There has to be…another way…"
"There isn't! This was a stupid idea in the first place! We're not gonna defeat the Ministry like this!" Shane took the walkie talkie from Vince and gave the order to Chyna and Kane to release Tahlia.
"Have you lost your MIND?! Where's Vince?!"
Kane growled, having released Tahlia on Chyna's order and currently she lay on the ground in a heap.
"DO IT NOW!"
"Goddamn it, no!"
Shane turned his father, handing the walkie talkie over. "She won't listen to me, only you. Make the call, Dad. Do the right thing before we're all fucked."
Tahlia simply lay there with a smile on her face, closing her eyes hoping Taker murdered the slut.
When Vince continued hesitating, Shane nearly ripped his own hair in frustration. "How many more people, Dad?! How many more people have to get hurt? Sable and Tahlia worth your company? Your family? Mom?" Because Vince was going to lose it all if the Undertaker let Sable die out there. There was no doubt in his mind that Taker would somehow manage to pin it all on Vince since he had already done it once. "Let her go!"
Taker had heard all that, everyone did, someone had wired those walkies onto the main frequency and he halted.
"Release her." Vince sighed finally.
Smart man. Didn't mean he wouldn't murder the entire McMahon family for this.
Bradshaw let Sable go.
Scowling, Chyna had Kane carry Tahlia out of the boiler room and up the stairs toward the ring. It took a couple minutes while Sable lay prone on the mat at Undertaker's feet. The crowd booed heavily as Kane and Chyna walked out and unceremoniously dumped Tahlia's body on the ramp with a thud.
"LET HER GO!" Chyna shouted, not bothering using a microphone and shoved Tahlia down the ramp, making her roll a few times.
Through sheer power and will, Tahlia slowly rolled to where she was on her knees, breathing heavily and smiled at the ring. There was dry blood from the gash in her head all down the side of her face as well as coming out of her nose. Rising shakily to her feet, Tahlia stumbled and shook her head at Christian, who had come to her aid, refusing any help. Looking back at a stunned Chyna, Tahlia began laughing again and it was bone-chilling as she held her side where the Amazon kicked her.
"Tell Shane…his time is running out…"
Scoffing, Chyna stalked behind the curtain with Kane in tow, shaking her head hoping Vince didn't just make a grave mistake.
When he was able to see Tahlia clearly, Taker really regretted letting Sable go. What he should've done was keep her and pop her head like the tick she was. He was out of the ring, quicker than a hiccup JR would have said, and ignored her protests, scooping her into his arms bridal style. She needed medical attention and he was already on his way backstage, his Ministry soon flanking them both.
"Paul?"
"On it." He took off between guardrail and the stage, disappearing backstage.
"I-I'm f-fine…" Tahlia mumbled, trying to stay awake, but her head was killing her.
"No you're not, you need medical attention, Tali." Bradshaw stated heatedly, not meaning to sound strict or rude, but this woman was out of her mind. How the hell was she still awake after what happened to her? "Boss, I think a hospital would be best."
"No! Oh fuck…" Tahlia immediately regretted shouting that, lulling her head against Taker's chest and shook her head. "No…hospital…Paul…Brother Paul…" He was the only one she trusted to treat her wounds.
Christian grabbed all of their gear and made somewhat of a palette on the floor of the Ministry locker room, running around like a chicken with its head cut off. "That should be comfortable enough…"
"Tahlia, I need you to stay awake for me. I need you to keep talking, sweetheart, alright?" Paul didn't care about calling her 'sister' right now, concern lacing his tone. He really wished they could take her to a hospital because that's where she needed to be right now. "You're gonna need staples."
"Figured as much." Tahlia didn't shed a single tear and squeezed Taker's hand, who hadn't left her side for a second. "I'm okay, Taker…"
Taker stared down at her for a long moment, finally meeting Paul's gaze. When Paul shook his head, he set his face, knowing Tahlia was going to be pissed at him. "Hospital. If I have to buy the goddamn thing, she'll get treated properly, by trustworthy people."
It wasn't like the Ministry's presence wouldn't, or couldn't, ensure that anyway. "I already know which one to go to." Not the one that the WWF usually sent their stars to either.
He just nodded, eyes back on Tahlia. There would be no more separate rooms anymore.
There was no changing Taker's mind once it was made up, especially with Paul suggesting the hospital. It took 3 hours for Tahlia to be cleaned up, stapled and had a CT scan to make sure there was no brain damage. The hospital gave her some pain killers, but she refused to take them. Being a wrestler, pain was part of the game and this wasn't the first time she had been beaten down. It was just after 2 AM when Tahlia was finally released from the hospital on strict orders not to get back in the ring until her head injury was completely healed. Taker had barely spoken a word to her and Tahlia knew why. He was upset she'd left his bed the previous night to go back to her own room. In a way, he had every right to be because of her attack. On the other hand, she needed to keep her distance from him and still planned on leaving the following day to go home for her days off.
"What do you mean?"
"You heard me." Taker and Paul were up front, Paul driving, the safety locks engaged so nobody could get in or out. They both assumed Tahlia was asleep in the backseat. "I want a tracer, anklet. Make it… pretty, or at least pleasing to look at."
"Why?"
"Because, I don't want her taking off again. Look at what happened to her. Also, if something like this were to happen again…" He'd be able to find her. She wasn't pulling the disappearing act again. "She needs to… remain with me. Where I can protect her, Paul."
"You poor fool." Paul sighed, sounding almost sad.
"You DO realize I can hear you both, right? I'm not sleeping back here." Tahlia waved her hand obnoxiously, both eyebrows raised and locked eyes with Taker through the rearview mirror. "And no, you will not be 'tagging' me. I'm not a dog. I'm part of your group and family, but you will not treat me differently than the others, SIR." Her head was killing her and the last thing Tahlia needed to worry about was being under Taker's thumb. "Did you suddenly forget I'm going home in a couple hours for my days off or did Boss Man's nightstick make you have temporary amnesia?"
Paul bit his tongue to keep from laughing.
Taker held up one finger. "First, you are different from the rest of the Ministry, therefore from here on out, you will be treated differently. You don't see any of the rest being targeted the way you are, do you?" Of course, none of them were stalking Shane McMahon. He could just imagine Viscera in that bridal wrestling gear setup and snorted. "Second," Another finger went up. "What makes you think you're going anywhere? They took you out of a hotel, so what's stopping them from visiting you in New York?"
"He also has a good point."
It was her turn to snort. "If I had my gun on the road, that wouldn't have happened. They caught me by surprise and it WON'T happen again." What did he mean she was different than the others? That didn't set well with her at all. "And the only reason I'm different from the others is because YOU made it that way, SIR."
"Gun? What gun?" Paul was confused, looking over at Taker and then back at the road.
"Didn't tell him about your visit to my place in New York, Judgy?" Apparently, Taker didn't tell his confidante everything he did. "By the way, I don't live there anymore. That's why I'm going back, so I can finalize everything with my new place." She thought about what Taker said regarding her old place looking like a prison and decided to upgrade…a lot. "They got me once and it was from behind. I dare them to try again because I won't hesitate to blow them away, not even your brother." Locking eyes with Taker when she said that, Tahlia then looked away to stare out the window and could feel the pounding in her head increase.
If she had to, she would sneak off again, but one way or another, Tahlia was going back to New York.
"You do realize, Taker…" Paul drawled after a very long, uncomfortable silence. "If she commits aggravated assault again, you'll have a hard time covering this one up. Especially if she uses a gun." Tahlia was a little on the crazy side, he could only imagine her bringing a gun on the road. She'd wind up fired. Or in prison.
"They come after her again and I'll pull the trigger myself."
Well that wasn't what he had expected.
"Tahlia, precious," Taker shifted in his seat so he could look back at her. "I did make it that way… make you special. You are unique and able to do things the others cannot." Like… sleep with Shane McMahon, for example. "With your… elevated position, unfortunately, comes more visibility to those who want to harm us." His eyes took in the staples, thinking maybe he should fire her.
Arguing with him wasn't getting her anywhere. "It would be self-defense, Brother Paul, if I were to shoot someone. I don't think the Corporation is stupid enough to come after me in New York, honestly. You scared Vince half to death with attacking Sable. I think he's gonna lay low for a little while, at the very least the rest of this week, and come up with another plan that will fail. You're being irrational about this. I'm going home, try to stop me." The locks disengaged as Tahlia slipped out before Taker could stop her and headed inside the hotel, gingerly touching the bandage wrapped around her head.
They would pay.
They would ALL pay for what happened to her.
"You know… I think you may have bit off more than you can chew when you decided to get involved with her."
Taker fixed Paul with a stare, a black eyebrow raising, practically daring him to finish that line of thinking.
Paul did. He wasn't afraid of the Phenom. Not usually. That came from years of being with him, of knowing him. "I meant personally, by the way. Even you can't handle that amount of crazy, no matter how pretty the package is."
"Watch me." Her crazy matched his, it was perfect. Taker slid out of the car after Tahlia.
Paul let his head drop onto the steering wheel.