Chapter 3
Hunter
Shit. Vince has the sledgehammer.
As I back myself into the corner of the ring, I feel the pain in my gut where the steel pipe had struck me hard. My flesh burned from the inside but that was the least of my worries because right at this minute a bloody Vince McMahon was threatening to bash my skull in. The sledgehammer was raised above his head and he had this maniacal look in his eyes; well a look that was crazier than usual and I realise I'm responsible for this. I'm the one that's tipped him over the edge and while normally I would take great satisfaction in knowing I had pushed Vince's buttons to this extreme, the fact I was on the receiving end made me regret my actions somewhat because this wasn't the plan. The old bastard never should have had the opportunity to attack me like this. Instead of playing with him and torturing him inside and outside the ring, I should have finished him off quickly and remorselessly and then I wouldn't be in this situation.
Holding my hands up I try my best to plead with him not to do it because for fuck sakes. That sledgehammer could fucking kill me. And where is Stephanie? She's the one that should be stopping this. She's the one who promised that if Vince got the chance to touch me, she would intervene somehow, someway. It seemed I should never have trusted the word of a McMahon and as a fear washes over me that this could be it, I wonder if this was Stephanie's plan all along. Had she strung me along all this time to leave me fucking high and dry, trapped and desperate because when it came down to it, my darling wife could be as twisted and evil as I was and while usually that turned me on about her, right now it was a little alarming when a metal hammer was staring me down the throat.
But just then out of the corner of my eye I see Stephanie enter the ring and my fear disappears. She immediately stops her father from striking the final blow and I let out a shaky breath, instantly relieved and grateful. And as Stephanie lifts the hammer in her hands, aiming it in my direction, her eyes connect with mine and I know exactly what I have to do.
I pretend to plead with my wife and her determined face falters as she turns to her father. That's when I take the opportunity to quickly rise to my feet and grab the hammer from her.
Within a matter of seconds it connects with Vince's gut. The satisfaction I get when he lands lifeless to the mat is indescribable because finally vengeance is mine. For too long now the guy has done nothing but screw with me denying me what is rightfully mine. The WWF title. Well not any more. That championship was my destiny and my path to fulfilling that destiny was almost over. Just like this match was over.
Smirking to myself, I place my boot on Vince's chest standing above him victorious as the referee counts to three and I take a tremendous amount of pleasure in the fact that I did it. I accomplished what I had promised I would do all along and that was take Vince McMahon out. And for all those people who thought I was blowing out of my ass, well they could kiss my ass. Hunter Hearst Helmsley never went back on a promise. I had been true to my word.
Rolling my lips together smugly, I push the referee out of my way and watching Stephanie tend to her father I take my position behind her and raise the sledgehammer. Although I was only carrying out what we had planned, my stomach twists oddly as I contemplate the fact that once upon a time I wouldn't have thought twice about bashing in the head of a McMahon. Now it was different. Now I was married to one and the thought of Stephanie being hurt or injured at my hands suddenly made me feel sick because the truth of the matter was I cared about her. Although this was a marriage of convenience, somehow it was beginning to turn into something more. Something that was definitely more than just sex. Something that confused and surprised me all at the same time because falling for Stephanie wasn't part of the bargain. I was supposed to toss her aside once I got my hands on the title but as that day drew nearer, the more I found I wanted her to be a part of it. And it wasn't just the allure of power that being with her would give me. I wanted Stephanie by my side running the show. For some reason it would feel bittersweet and empty without her and honestly, that freaked me out on so many levels because up until now I hadn't needed any one. Everyone in my life was expendable. Everyone from Shawn who I easily cast aside as soon as he got injured to Chyna who failed to deserve my loyalty the second she prioritised the Intercontinental title over me. And I wouldn't think twice about screwing them over or anyone else for that matter because I didn't care about anyone else. No one else really mattered in the scheme of things. Or least they hadn't until Stephanie came along.
As I admitted that truth to myself, I drop the hammer to the ground. Stephanie's mouth curves up into a delighted smile as she walks towards me and I take a moment to catch my breath as I pull her to me, hugging her close. I don't know what's happening between us but I know I'm powerless to stop it and the truth is I don't even want to. Stop it I mean. For some reason I want Stephanie as much as I want the title, the power, everything. Maybe even more and as scary as that is, it's absolutely true.