Chapter 9

Hulk Hogan was not a calm man by any stretch of the imagination. "Eric you are an idiot," Hulk yelled. "Look Hulk I thought this was a good idea," Eric said. The two men were in Hulk's home office. "What I wanted?! Why the hell would I want one of the top guys in TNA gone?" Hulk yelled. Eric was quit the truth was the big man was already pretty run down after all the press he was doing for his book and the TNA deal. "Hulk we can always hire Reed back," Eric finally said. "Eric I told you to go over the roster and give you thoughts not get a guy fired and tell me why you went on a crusade against Reed?" Hulk demanded. "Leg that is about to give out for one. And Hulk the guy's drug problem is a bad one and I head he was using again," Eric says. That seemed to satisfy Hogan for the time being.

***

"No Reed, R E E D!" Traci said into her phone as she passed in her living room. "Look pal my... my husband is a drug addict who lost his job a few weeks ago and no one has head since I am worried... WELL THANKS FOR YOUR HELP ASS HOLE!" Traci screamed slammed down the phone. "Look if Jake shows up just let me know thank you Bill," AJ says into his cell. They both sat on the sofa. "You know I can't believe he would just leave with out telling anyone where he was going," Traci says. "I can look Traci, Jake is my best friend but sometimes he can be a real ass," AJ says as his phone starts to ring. "It's him!" AJ says as he puts his cell on speaker.

"Stop trying to find me!" Jake says. "Where the hell are you?" Traci yells. "On my boat," Jake says. "Yeah well pal your boat is not at the slip you rent so where are you?" AJ asks. "And don't say out to sea," Traci orders. "Look where I am doesn't matter and don't bother trying to find me I need a break and just so you know when I hang up the phone is gong in the drink," Jake says. "Look Jake we are worried about you," Traci says. He says nothing as the line goes dead. AJ redials the number but gets no answer.

***

I haven't done this since I was a teenager and I used to sneak out to meet up with my girlfriend at night. Getting out my house was the easy part getting back in oh boy that was tough. Now here I am climbing over a wall to a house in the middle of the day if anyone has seen me odds are the cops are coming. I make it ans start to sneak to the house. Now you maybe thinking "What the hell Jake? Why not just ring the bell?" It's simple if who I think is in this house is in there I really want tor "surprise" him.

I sneak along just under the windows of the home. I make it over under a window to a home office and I see him in there. If I'm right he should be alone and hopefully I can talk to him if' I'm wrong I'm definitely going to jail. I pull out the pre paid cell I bought yesterday and dial the number of the guy that's been texting me. I listen real close and hear a phone ringing inside the house. I look and see he is has a cell in his hands he press a button to ignore the call. I redial and the phone cell in his hand rings again. "Ok I'm going in!" I say outloud. Before I do though the window opens. "Well glade to see you finally figured it out," he says. So much for my career in the CIA folks. "Well can I come in? I just hate texting," I say.

He went to the back door and opened it to let me in. "So how you doing? No one's head from you since you were let go," he says. "I'm as fine as you can be after you get fired," I say. "Look I had not idea that was coming. I thought they would try to keep you down," he says. I pause for a moment wondering if I can believe him a few weeks I would have no doubt. But now my freaking world has changed for ever and what was with the phone tag game why not just call me.

"Well it doesn't matter. Not like we could have stopped it," I say. "Maybe I can talk to..." "No don't even if I got a calling telling me to come back now I wouldn't take it. I finally get what I should have known a long time ago I just am not supposed to be a wrestler anymore," I say. "I know your a former world champion but your not old enough to talk like that yet," he says. "I may only be thirty but I've had enough experiences for a sixty year old. And the simple truth is right now all I really want to do is wrap my lips around a bottle," I say. "TNA needs the Omaha Outlaw," he says. I just stand there and think. "Well the Omaha Outlaw is dead. I'm just Jake." I say as leave.

***

A few day later Traci finds a package at the door of her house. She opens it and pulls out Jake's leather jacket. She sees something in the pocket and reaches into it and pulls out a note. She reads it and than sit down on the porch. "Jake," she says softly.