Chapter 18

They stepped inside their dressing room and Lexi stopped short at the sight of Hunter. "What the hell, Lexi?"

"Me?" She angled a finger against her chest then stormed toward Hunter. "I should be asking you what the hell? What was that shit out there? You sent Chris and Randy out after me?"

"And going with them would have ended this so-called ruse you've been complaining about."

Her eyes widened in shock and she shook her head. "Have you lost your mind? The only thing that would have accomplished would be to solidify the shield's evil nature."

"Exactly." Hunter replied. "The crowd loves their bad guy personas."

"But the superstars don't," she argued. "All I wanted was for you to tell the stars on the roster the truth. Instead, your answer was to extend this charade by sending my two best friends out to kidnap me back." She shook her head. "I couldn't let that happen."

"As much as I agree with you about direction this is going, let me remind you, Lexi. Vince owns this company and you signed a contract with him which means Vince owns you. So as much as you don't like what's happening, you will do as told and follow this storyline to the letter."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Or what?"

Sadness slowly replaced Hunter's angry expression. "Lexi, please..."

"Or what, Hunter?"

"Or you'll be fired," he finally replied. He stared at her a moment then pushed past her and the guys only to stop at the door. "You know, we've all be stuck in lousy stories, but we do what's expected of us. You've worked hard to get where you are, Lexi. Please just think about this before you do anything that's going jeopardize your career."

An hour later she paced the hotel room, trying to work off some of the anger she felt. Instead, the more she thought about what happened tonight, the angrier she became. Nothing worked out the way she'd wanted and in the end, she'd only made things worse.

"Now what?" Dean asked from where he sat on the couch.

Lexi shook her head. "I don't know. Let me think."

Roman snagged her by the arm and pulled her to him. "Relax, sweetheart. We'll figure this out."

"How? Nobody believed me when I tried to set the record straight." God she was tired and her head was starting to hurt again. She leaned against Roman and rested her head on his chest.

"I just want things how they used to be. Don't get me wrong. I like being with you guys, but I want to be able to go to the bar after the show, hang out with my friends and have my boyfriend by my side." She flicked her gaze up at him. "Is that so much to ask?"

"No, baby. It's not."

"God, I'm so tired."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You need to go to bed and get some rest. I'm sure with a fresh perspective in the morning the situation will be much clearer.

The next morning Lexi sat in silence at the small table eating breakfast and ruminating over the previous night's events. What could she do to convince everyone that this wasn't how it seemed; especially when management wasn't willing to lift a finger to make the situation right?

Maybe she should try calling Kaitlyn or Natalya? If she could make them listen then maybe... Maybe what? What would calling either of them really accomplish? The advice she needed should come from someone with years of experience and who knows how the company worked.

"Well," Dean began as he walked from his bedroom, his hair still wet from the shower. "I was just checking social media and it appears our little stunt last night only helped boost ratings even more."

Roman looked up from where he sat on the couch reading the morning paper. "That's just great. You know, I don't mind being hated by the fans. After all, that's part of our job, but this nonsense backstage is really working my last nerve."

Dean slid into the empty seat across from Lexi and snagged a piece of her bacon. "Well, management won't want to screw up ratings like this by being honest. Since Hunter pretty much threatened Lexi's career if she continues pushing for the truth, I guess we'll all just need to get used to how things are."

Like hell! Lexi dropped her fork on her plate. Leaving her breakfast sit, she hurried into the bedroom and pulled her cell phone from her bag. She knew who would have the answer to this problem. Ignoring the myriad of unread text messages, voicemails and missed calls she scrolled through her contacts, then hit send.

After two rings, he picked up. "Hey sweetie. To what do owe the pleasure of this call?"

She glanced at the door leading into the common area and thought about Roman, Dean and Seth. They needed her help. "I need your advice, Dad."

"Would this have anything to do with that ridiculous storyline they're pushing about you being kidnapped?"

"It has everything to do with it. This situation has gotten completely out of control and I don't know how to stop it." Her voice cracked as emotion welled from deep inside. She'd grown close to these men over the past two weeks and watching them be treated so poorly by management made her spitting mad.

"Okay, sweetie, calm down and tell me what's going on. We'll figure something out."

Ten minutes later she'd brought him up to speed on the situation. "And that's why I'm calling you. These guys are going to end up getting seriously hurt if things stay status quo."

"We'll you've definitely gotten yourself into a quandary," Bret replied. "Though, it doesn't surprise me that management has pulled such a stunt. They'll do anything for ratings, including destroying their own talent."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of, dad." She swallowed hard. "This guys have bright futures ahead of them; especially Roman. He has the makings to be a mega-star like you. I don't want to see him lose that chance."

"And you've tried talking to Hunter?"

"Yes. His answer was to ignore me and send Randy and Chris out to further the plot. When that didn't work he threatened to fire me if I didn't play nice."

"You could have let them take you and it would have been over."

"I would have if this stupid story had just been for the fan's benefit, but everyone on the roster would have permanently branded them because of this and I couldn't let that happen."

"What about enlisting Natalya's help?"

Lexi picked at the nonexistent fuzz on the comforter cover the bed. "She's busy fawning all over Khali and making a fool of herself. Besides, what would involving her really accomplish? I carry more weight with management than she does. If they won't listen to me, there's no way they'd listen to her."

"Point taken," Bret replied. Silence filled the line for several moments before he spoke again. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"How much does Roman really mean to you, Alexandra?"

"Why?"

"Just answer the question."

She looked over at the door and her heart softened at the memory of her and Roman spending hours making love two nights ago. He'd been so gentle with her, yet demanding in his needs. She'd fulfilled those needed just as he'd fulfilled hers. "He means a lot to me."

"Do you love him?"

His question resonated through her body and her heart responded with a resounding yes. "With all my heart. Why?"

"Because what I'm about to suggest is dramatic, and could severely damage your career. I just wanted to be sure that it would be worth the risk for you."

"What is it?"

"If you want management to take you seriously you're going to have to quit, Alexandra."

Her body jerked at the shock of his statement. "But if I quit..." She let her sentence trail off as the thought of leaving Roman left her speechless.

"I know, sweetheart, but sometimes when you love someone you have to do what's best for them, even when it hurts you in the process. You're nearing the end of your contract, right?"

"Y-yes." She swallowed hard, "I only have three more weeks. My agent is negotiating with talent relations for a new one."

"Then you need to take the opportunity while you have it, Lexi. They know you have feelings for Roman and think you're afraid of being fired. Take the power out of their hands. Quit and I promise you management will have no choice but to set them free from this storyline."