Chapter 17
"Whoa...WHAT?" Martina demanded, eyes wide, later on that night, staring back at Randy blinking rapidly. "A-Are you out of your MIND? You're going to drag your boss into this now? What makes you think he could take Roger down, Randy?" She bit her bottom lip when he glared back at her, lowering her head, and rubbed her temples with a heavy sigh. "The truth will come out; everyone will know who I really am." She pointed out, but then again, this could gain her freedom, if this Vince McMahon was as powerful as Randy promised. "I'll do whatever you want, talk to whoever." She owed him that much, especially since the man had nearly gotten killed because of her.
"Good. Tomorrow we'll call Vince and arrange a meeting with him. Just wait; you've met Stephanie and Shane. Vince is a ruthless bastard and his wife can be the same way if she has to be." Roger wouldn't know what hit him and THAT made Randy's night. Hell, even Cody had gone to bed with a grin on his face, after they'd all discussed it, and enjoyed a good laugh or two.
Martina just nodded and stood up from the bed, bags having arrived earlier. "I'm going to take a bath." She whispered, when those hawk eyes landed on her, knowing Randy was afraid she'd run again.
Martina was seeking the help she needed and, soon, Roger Malcolm would be out of her life forever. Martina hoped anyway. Taking her bag, Martina closed the door behind her and started the bath water. Stripping down and sinking into the hot, soothing water, Martina drew her knees up and proceeded to cry all over again, wrapping her arms around them.
Randy sighed, settling himself back onto the bed, and leaned back against the headboard. God help him, he loved her. He had no idea why since she was a foolish woman, who was so afraid of this guy, that she wasn't seeing reason. God help HER if she tried running again because he had no idea what the hell he'd do.
Sighing heavily, Martina pulled herself together and ran the loofah sponge up her arms for a moment, just a moment, not thinking about what happened. She needed to relax, to think rationally because it wasn't just her life on the line anymore; it was Randy's, Cody's and Ted's. Three men who had come into her life unexpectedly and helped her in ways she never thought possible.
They were going to help her survive, to pull her through this no matter what, and Martina felt more blessed than anything. Roger Malcolm would never touch her again, would never control and manipulate her, would never force himself on her or hurt her in any way, shape or form. For a moment, Martina pictured him behind bars with the black and white striped outfit, all of his money and power gone, locked away where he belonged. That image in her mind caused a smile to cross Martina's face as she leaned back and went under water, rinsing the shampoo out of her hair, eyes closed.
She was taking an awfully long time in there. If not for the fact that Randy had inspected the bathroom himself and knew that vent was too small, even for her scrawny ass to climb out of, and the lack of windows and another door, he would have worried she had tried running again. He heard her still moving in the bath, the water cutting on and off, guessing that was her warming up the water and groaned. A shower sounded good, but he'd never managed that one without getting his arm wet; he was going to have to suck it up and take baths.
After an hour of warming the water repeatedly and just relaxing, Martina finally stepped out, looking like a prune. She didn't care though and walked over to stare in the mirror. Why didn't she have more faith in Randy? It wasn't about faith; it was about protecting him.
Sighing, Martina towel dried her hair and body before dressing, pulling on a black long sleeved shirt with matching pajama pants, brushing her hair and teeth. She finally walked out, flipping the light off, and set her bag down by the wall. Walking over, Martina sat on the bed, not knowing what to say to him. She just hoped this situation with Roger was put to rest soon so they could move on with their lives.
"Feel better?" Randy asked quietly, wishing he'd brought the rest of the jack into the bedroom with him.
Then decided he was probably better off without it. He was still a little pissed off and didn't need to drink himself into either going off on her or a stupor. All that mattered was they were safe; she was safe and, soon, this would all be just a mere memory.
"It wasn't that I didn't have faith in you to protect me. It was the fact that your life was in danger because of me." Her face slowly turned until their eyes met, the anguish and sorrow in her expression not missed. "I'm sorry I ran away from you, Randy, but I honestly thought I was doing the right thing at the time. I don't want to see any of you get hurt because of me." She slid from the bed and walked around to the other side of it, staring out the window, arms wrapped around herself. "I should've stayed put and let you handle it, but instead, I did a stupid thing, two stupid things, and now you're injured...because of me. I'm-" Martina closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the cool glass, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry." She finally whispered, hoping that was enough, shoulders slumping in defeat.
He sighed, point blank refusing to pull himself out of bed to go comfort her. She was sorry; great, that was good to know. "Don't do it again." He whispered, trying to mask the pain in his own tone; he hadn't missed hers, but at the same time... "Come on, we got a busy day tomorrow and you have to be exhausted." He patted the space next to him.
Nodding, Martina walked away from the window, after shutting the curtains and slid into bed beside him, knowing he was still angry at her and had every reason to be. "I won't." She promised in a whisper before turning on her side, back facing him, staring at the wall. She wasn't tired, as much running as she'd done, as much emotional turmoil as she'd been through. Martina was on high alert now; her body wouldn't shut down until they met with Vince to figure out how to stop Roger's destructive path.
Randy frowned, realizing they had a problem. "Hmm...Martina..." He liked holding her at night, even though this had been one hellacious day, and was still somewhat angry with her…no, not really at her anymore. He was just angry with the entire Roger situation, all of it. Her running seemed to have been the ultimate straw on the camel's back. "Can we switch sides? I want to hold you."
Slowly, Martina turned to face him and smiled softly before nodding, sliding from the bed and walked around to the other side, taking his place. She wasn't used to sleeping on this side, but Martina was always up for change. "You can't hold me like you usually do, not with your arm." She said softly, knowing he would be lying on his injured arm, and instead shoved him on his back gently before draping an arm over his midsection. Resting her hand on his chest, Martina laid her head on his shoulder, while his good arm snaked around her waist. "Go to sleep, I'm not going anywhere."
"No shit." He murmured with a smirk, trying and failing to stifle a yawn, arm tightening around her. "Get some sleep and tomorrow we'll see about getting this...problem sorted out." It was more than a problem, but he was too tired to think of the best way to word it. Sighing, he leaned over to kiss the side of her head. "On the bright side, we don't have to call you Jessica anymore."
"I didn't take the ring, Randy." She murmured quietly, looking up at him, seeing his eyes widen slightly. "It's in your coat pocket."
She went back to snuggling against him, knowing he paid a lot money for that ring and he could give it to the next woman he ended up rescuing. She shoved that thought aside, refusing to think about saying goodbye. Instead, Martina stared at the wall; the room darkened around them, and draped a leg over his to get more comfortable, hearing his breathing slowly beginning to even out. She wasn't running away, not until this whole ordeal was finished, hoping Vince could help her somehow.
Randy was quiet for several long, drawn out minutes, the tension building so thickly it could be felt like a physical presence. Finally, he pulled his arm out from under her and rolled onto his side, bad arm cradled against his chest now. "What the hell does that matter?" He demanded. "I didn't give a fuck about the ring, Martina. I care about you."
What the hell was the point in telling him that? That she hadn't wanted to wear it anymore? Being his wife, fake or not, was disgusting?
"I don't know...I just didn't want to take something that doesn't belong to me."
Martina didn't expect that reaction from him, truly thrown for a loop, tears building in her eyes as she reached out to touch him, only to pull back, knowing he wouldn't want her to do that. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but also feared rejection, no matter if they'd shared a few heated moments. He cared about her; that was fine, but that didn't mean he was in love with her and wanted to be with her. Martina wasn't wearing her heart on her sleeve anymore, especially with the disaster that happened with Roger.
"I bought it for you." Randy said softly, staring at her intently, blue eyes shining in the dark. "I picked it out for you especially, Martina." Which was sad considering, at the time, he hadn't known anything about her, besides the fact that she was in some serious trouble and obviously in need of help. Never the less, he had spent quite some time in selecting a wedding ring for her, trying to decide what she might like best.
Her breath was stolen when he said that, eyebrows furrowing together in confusion, so many emotions flowing through her at the moment. "But...you hardly know me..." She didn't know what else to say and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn around to face her, tears building in her eyes. "What does that mean?" She whispered, trying like hell and failing miserably to keep the shakiness out of her voice, swallowing past the lump that formed in her throat.
Why was he telling her this? Why had he picked a ring out especially for her that was supposed to represent nothing but a hoax? What the hell was going through his mind? Martina was going to die from sheer anxiety, eyes never leaving his.
"It means that I knew you were going to be uncomfortable enough posing as my wife. I was trying to pick out something that you would like, to show you I was going to do my best to make this as easy as possible on you." Randy said matter-of-factly, not understanding why THAT was such a big deal. Had he come across as a brute? "I care about you, Martina. Don't you know that?"
"No, no that's not what I meant. I just..." She sighed, reading too much into this, and waved him off dismissively. "I didn't think we'd see each other again after I ran, Randy." She admitted, staring down at her nails, closing her eyes momentarily and took in a shaky breath. He kept saying he cared about her, but how far did that stretch? "I know you care about me, Randy, and I care about you too." She actually loved him, but refused point blank to say those words, knowing he didn't -couldn't- feel the same way. She was a mess and had a lot of baggage; not to mention her body wasn't perfect and that's what he deserved, someone close to perfect. "You've made me more comfortable than I ever dreamt possible, Randy. You showed me that there is hope, that maybe there's possibility happiness can come into my life again. You've made me happy for the first time in over two years. Please believe that."
"You make it sound like...like I'm already out of your life." Randy said quietly, hearing the sadness in her tone. What he wouldn't give to know what was going through her mind. What was she thinking? "What's happening behind those green eyes of yours, Martina?" He asked softly. "Tell me what you're thinking."
"I-I just know that after this is over with, we'll part and..." She couldn't stand seeing the sadness in his eyes and lowered her head again, beginning to softly cry. "I just wanted you to know that you've brought me happiness, you've made me feel safe, and you've driven the nightmares away. You've done a lot for me, Randy, and I'll never be able to repay you for it." She felt his hand lift her chin, the strength in that one hand sending shockwaves throughout her body, more tears spilling down her cheeks, heart thundering powerfully.
"Why would we part, Martina?" Randy demanded softly. "Don't you want to- Oh..." He sighed, knowing damn well she probably wanted to build a life for herself. Lord knew she had lived under a man's thumb for three years, catering to the guy, fearing him. She probably would go somewhere remote and turn into a lesbian, face paling at the thought. What a waste. "What do you want to do when this is over?"
"The first thing I'm doing is going to see my mother, to explain to her all that's happened, and to get back in her good graces. After that, I have no idea. I just want to be happy and peaceful. I want to be able to go for a walk and not worry about someone grabbing or hurting me for doing so." Martina didn't miss that question he cut off, slowly pulling away from his touch, staring back into those blue eyes. "Do I want to what? You started asking something and then stopped. What's going on behind those blue eyes of yours, Randy?" She demanded, scooting closer to him, sitting on her knees while searching them. "Don't you want your life back?"
"Technically, I never lost it." Randy said softly. "All I do is travel from place to place, work, and spend my free time in hotel rooms. Exactly what we've been doing all this time, tonight being the exception of course. The only thing that's really changed for me is having someone to share it with." Granted, under false pretenses, not to mention deadly ones, but that didn't matter.
"What I mean is, don't you want this burden lifted from your shoulders? You're constantly protecting me and your job is suffering for it." She gestured to his arm, more tears burning those jade eyes and sighed heavily, before wrapping her arms around herself. "I've turned your life upside down, Randy, and gotten you in a horrible predicament. I'm no good for you, for anyone, and I don't know if I ever will be again." She slid from the bed, not able to stay sitting any longer, and chewed her thumbnail. "What do you want to happen when this is all said and done? You're speaking in riddles just as much as I am. Why can't we just be honest with each other?" Martina asked that last question more to herself than him, beginning to pace slowly back and forth.
Riddles? How much more plain could he get? Sighing, Randy slowly moved himself to a sitting position and got out of bed. He had never realized before just how much he relied on BOTH arms for balance, appreciating his left arm just a bit more.
"After this all said and done, what makes you think it'd be a burden? You won't need protected anymore; you'd be free to do whatever you want too, be who you are. And I'd like to be there with you."