Chapter 75: Interrogation

Randy's POV

"Good, the country club is just up ahead . . ." I say with a sigh of relief as I spot the gates just up ahead, the building poking out from just behind the trees. I pass through the security checkpoint with ease and park right in front of the main staircase. Nate was waiting right at the top of the stairs, so I quickly pocket my keys and climb the stairs three at a time to join him. "Good morning Nate."

"Morning Ran . . ." he tells me with his usual smirk. "You didn't have any trouble on the way here did ya?"

"Not a problem to report . . ." I say as I shake my head. "So, is the suspect still not talking to you guys?"

"He's still not answering any of the guards' questions," he tells me glumly as we walk inside. "All he's said is that he will only speak to you and you alone. Besides that, he's been silent as a library on a good day."

"Well here I am . . ." I say as we turn left and walk down an empty hallway. "The guy doesn't have to hold his tongue any longer. I'll make sure he spills the beans."

"Knowing you, of course you will," Nate tells me with a grin as we reach an open doorway that leads to a staircase that went down into the building's lower level. "Did you tell 'Manda you're here, or did you sneak out while she was sleeping, because we both know that the girl loves her sleep?"

"She knows I'm here. She was awake when you called," I tell him as we walk down the stairs two at a time. We exit the staircase and turn left into a hallway that was basically blinding white in color and plain in design. The whole floor was the Club's security wing. The doors to the guards' mess hall and main office were on the right while the interrogation rooms and holding cells were on the left. "Okay, which room are the others in?"

"Interrogation Room 2" Nate tells me as he gestures to the room directly on our left. I shoot him a look, but he doesn't even notice it as he opens the door and lets me enter first. Dad was already in the room, along with the head of security and another guard. They were all staring into the one way window in silence, standing so still that they appeared to be living breathing statues. "Hey guys! I am here with the man of the hour!"

"Nate?" Dad mumbles as he turns to face us. As soon as his eyes land on me, relief overtook his face as he walked over to greet us. "Oh good, you're finally here Ran, and sorry about waking you up in the middle of the night in order to do this."

"That's alright. I can sleep later," I say with a smirk as we do a quick hug. "So, who exactly is this guy that only wants to talk to me for some reason?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Dad tells me as he points to the window. I shoot him a curious look before walking toward the window to get a closer look. As soon as I see the guy for myself, I had to take a step back. It was a blast from the past that I wasn't really expecting. "Randy?"

". . . Yeah?" I ask, finally finding my voice as I keep my eyes glued on the guy in the other room. "What is it dad?"

"Do . . . Do you know the guy in there Ran?" I hear Dad ask as I feel his presence on my left. "Have you seen this man before?"

"Yeah . . . I've seen this guy before," I tell him as I shake my head. "I just haven't seen him in years."

"Where do you know this guy from?" Dad decides to ask as I feel his hand come upon my shoulder. Just by looking at the faces around me, I knew I couldn't talk my way out of answering the question. If only I had brought Amanda along. She could have easily used her powers to get me out of this situation. Unfortunately, I had a growing feeling that I eventually had to face the music, and if that meant I have to admit the truth about my military days to my dad, then so be it.

"He was a member of my unit back when I was still with the military."

Normal POV

"He was a member of your unit back in your military days . . ." said Bob as he looked at his eldest son with an eyebrow raised. "Well, this just hits close to home for you now, doesn't it?"

"And you have never had any contact with the man since your time in the military?" asked the head of security, a tall, heavy set man who looked to be in his mid-forties, as he took a step forward.

"I haven't spoken to him since our days as Marine cadets," said Randy as he shook his head. "And even then, we didn't hang out in the same social circles in our free time. We never talked much."

"But why would he want to talk to you now?" asked Nate as he crossed his arms. ". . . I seriously don't like this one bit."

"Me neither, but if we're going to get any answers, we need to get that man to talk," said Bob as he exchanged glances with his sons. "And Randy, you are the only one that he's willing to speak to."

"Well then, let's get this thing over with . . ." said Randy as he walked over to the door that opened into the other room. He opened the door and went inside, closing the door behind him as he kept his eyes on the guy sitting at the table. The man's pale blonde hair shone in the light with the tips curling upward at the base of his neck. His green eyes were staring absentmindedly at the table before him. The man finally looked up when Randy sat down in the chair on the other side of the table, a sad smile barely appearing on his face as the Viper looked at him with a serious gaze. "Hello Xavier . . ."

"Randy, it's been a while . . ." said the man as he shook his head once. "I haven't seen you in 16 years, ever since you went AWOL from the Marines . . . or should I say ''supposedly' went AWOL."

"I don't want to talk about the past," Randy told him bluntly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm only here because you wouldn't talk to anyone else. Now, why do you want to talk to me after all these years?"

"You were always the impatient cadet back at base camp . . ." said Xavier as he let out a small chuckle. "And I see your impatience hasn't gotten better in the 16 years since our Marine days."

"And I see you still haven't stopped that annoying habit of avoiding the topic at hand in these last 16 years, but that's just my observation," said Randy as he held back a low growl. "Why the hell do you want to talk to me Xavier?"

"Huh, I figured your first question would be whether or not I was the one that indeed shot the needle that hit your mother . . ." said Xavier as he weaved his fingers together. "Aren't you at least curious as to know if I did it or not?"

"The thought has crossed my mind . . ." Randy grumbled as he narrowed his eyes at him. "Did you?"

"Did I shoot that needle? Yes, yes I did . . ." Xavier calmly replied, his eyes watching Randy intently in order to gauge his reaction. "But it wasn't meant for your mother. It was meant for your father. If only he stayed still just a few minutes longer . . ."

"Why?" Randy growled out as he clenched his hands into fists. "Why would you want to target my dad? Were you hired by someone to do it?"

"Yes . . . I was hired by someone," said Xavier as he looked around the room. "The person that hired me actually doesn't have any ill will to your father. Rather, the person's ill will is directed . . . at you. My boss figured that targeting a family member of yours was one of the best ways to grab your attention, and well, here you are."

"Resentment towards me?" asked Randy as he raised an eyebrow. "Why would your boss have any resentment toward me? What have I ever done to your boss to warrant the attack?"

"You're a smart man Randy . . . well, kinda," said Xavier as he let out a small chuckle at his remark. Randy only responded with a small growl, his eyes alone showing how much he disliked Xavier's dig on his intelligence. "I bet you could figure out why my boss ordered the hit on your dad on your own . . . I've seen you on WWE programming throughout the years Ran. It's not that hard to figure it out."

"Most of that is scripted Xavier."

"Most of it may be scripted, but I saw how you acted during our time in the military. Compared to those days, you didn't act that much different in the ring. You were always the cocky, stubborn one in camp. You could never stay out of trouble with authority," said Xavier as he shook his head. "Do you still have that problem now?"

"It's not as bad as you may think . . ." grumbled the Viper as he uncrossed his arms. "Why exactly did you want to speak with me? Why only me?"

"My boss has a message for you," said Xavier as he did a small shrug. "The boss told me that I couldn't say it until I was in the same room with you, and well, here you are."

"Yeah, here I am . . . Now spill it!" said Randy as he leaned forward in his seat. "What's the message your boss wanted you to tell me?"

"My boss wanted me to tell you that she's done trying to reason with you Randy," said Xavier as he shrugged again. "She's given you many opportunities to join her, but you've turned them down every time she asked. Now she's only going to accept you into the fold if you decide to join willingly."

"She?" Randy questioned as he raised an eyebrow. He quickly realized who Xavier was talking about when he started to really think about who had given him many opportunities to join her in the past few weeks. "Your boss is Rochelle?"

"See? I knew you could figure it out if you just put your mind to it," said Xavier as a grin came across his face. "It wasn't that hard was it?"

"I'm just shocked that she managed to rope you into her posse," said Randy as he looked at the other man in disbelief. "You weren't one for following the crowd. How did she manage to get you to join her side?"

"Let's just say she helped me see reason . . ." said Xavier as thoughtful look came across his face. "Now let me ask you this: How come you've been refusing Rochelle every time she's asked you to join her side hmm?"

"I have a lot going for me right now, and I'm not willing to turn my back on any of it," Randy told him simply as he shook his head. "I wasn't willing to throw my life away just to help Rochelle accomplish one of her crazy plans, and I'm not willing to do it now."

"A lot going for you huh?" asked Xavier as he raised an eyebrow. "I have a feeling you're not just talking about your career. . ."

"That's right, but I'm not going to go further than that," Randy told him with a glare. "I'm not going to talk to you about my private life Xavier."

"You don't need to. Social media does enough of the talking for you. You got to love your fans . . ."

"Yeah . . . The fans tend to get a little nosy when they shouldn't . . ." Randy grumbled in a low voice. "How much do you know?"

"I know enough . . ." said Xavier. "I know you're a father for starters. Got a seven year old and twins that are at least a half year old right, and all of them are girls. I also know that you're engaged to the mom of those twins. Ms. K.O. is her stage name. Amanda is her actual name . . ."

"Okay, I get it. You know details on my private life," Randy told him as he held up his hands, agitation showing on his features as he stared at the other man. ". . . Let's get back to the actual situation at hand. So, Rochelle is done with trying to reason with me . . ."

"That's right, but she's not truly done with you yet," said Xavier as he shook his head. "And we both know that Rochelle isn't one for hearing the word no. She has her ways of getting back at people that deny her the things she wants."

"Isn't sending a hitman to target my father, but hitting my mother good enough for her?" Randy asked as he could feel his blood boiling at the idea.

"Uh . . . no," said Xavier as he shook his head. "Rochelle's going to have her payback. She's going to have her revenge sooner or later, and she will hurt you, one way or another. I'm warning you now Randy. If she can't get you, she'll go after the people you care about. Your family . . . your friends . . . even your daughters and fiancée if she has to."

"I won't let that happen," Randy said as he suddenly stood up to his full height. "I won't let her get near any of them!"

"Then joining her side is the way to go man . . ." said Xavier as he rolled his head back. "The best way to protect the people you love is to join her side, and join her side willingly. She's not going to ask you again. She wants you to come to her on your own free will. She won't expect anything less."

"And if I don't join her on my own free will?" Randy asked as he began to pace back and forth. "She'll just send hitmen to attack my friends and family or something of the like?"

"Something like that . . . However, I have a feeling she'll use much more creative means in order to get you on her side willingly," said Xavier as he shook his head. "You don't plan to change your mind, even after hearing all this aren't you?"

"Why would I join the person who basically made my stay in the Marines a living hell?!" Randy exclaimed as he glared at the other man, not even bothering to hide his anger this time around. "She's the one that got me discharged from the service for crying out loud! She basically turned everyone against me at camp!"

"I know that . . . I was there remember?" Xavier exclaimed back as he glared back at the Viper with equal intensity. "You know what Rochelle is capable of just from that experience alone Randy. Don't you want to spare your loved ones that kind of fate?"

"I do want to spare them from that kind of fate," said Randy as he leaned against the wall. "But I'm not going to spare them from that fate by joining a crazy redheaded madwoman in one of her stupid schemes. I'm not joining Rochelle's side, and that's that."

"Suit yourself Randy . . ." said Xavier as he let out a small whistle. "I just hope you are prepared for the consequences once they come along. I just wonder how long you can take it before joining her side . . . Well, I guess I better go tell Rochelle about our little talk now."

"You're planning to leave now?" Randy asked with a scoff. "You know you're not going to get out of here right? Your feet are handcuffed to the ground dammit!"

The two man glanced down at Xavier's feet to see that what Randy said was true. Steel shackles were clasped around his ankles and two legs of his chair. They were connected tightly to the floor, which gave Xavier a miniscule chance for even standing up properly.

"You're right . . . I am completely shackled to the ground. These enchanted cuffs weaken my power and don't even let me stand up right," said Xavier as he scowled at his shackles. "They are quite the nuisance if you ask me."

"They're just a precaution . . ." Randy told him with a sarcastic edge to his tone. "I'm just shocked that the guards didn't bother to restrain your hands too."

"I'm dangerous, but I am completely harmless now that I have one set of power-suppressing shackles bound around my ankles," said Xavier as a knowing smirk came across his face. ". . . Or am I?"

Randy could barely react as the sound of steel breaking hit his eardrums. He barely lifted his arms up in defense to protect himself as Xavier jumped over the table and tackled him to the ground, broken shackles and all. Before Randy could fully process anything, he felt a sharp, painful sting in the right side of his neck. He let out a sharp yell as the pain slowly began to spread throughout his body, making it go numb as his eyesight started to dark. The last thing Randy saw was his brother and father coming into view with frantic expressions on their faces, both of them trying to pull Xavier off him before everything we went black.

Randy's POV

"Ugh . . ." I slowly grumble out as I finally crack my eyes open. I quickly glance around my surroundings to see that I was in a typical hospital room, lying on a hospital bed dressed in one of those ugly hospital gowns that couldn't help but have a gap in the back that showed your ass. As soon as I move my hand, I come into contact with something hairy, so I look down to see my mate with her head down. Her face was turned to me, but she was sound asleep, her folded arms serving as her makeshift pillow as a bedsheet stayed draped across her back. I knew 'Manda was my best shot to get some answers straight away, so I slowly moved my hand until it rested on her cheek, hoping that this one small movement was enough to arouse her from her slumber. ". . . 'Manda . . ."

"Hmm . . ." she mumbles as she moves her right hand so that it touched the one that was resting on her cheek. ". . . Randy?"

"Yeah . . . it's me baby," I say with a reassuring smirk on my face, albeit a small one. "I'm awake."

"Finally . . ." she says as relief spreads across her face. She picks her head up and rests her chin on the palm of her right hand, her sleepy eyes now squarely on me. "It took you long enough to wake up Mr. You had me and your family absolutely worried sick!"

"Sorry . . ." I say as I take her free hand in mine. "And speaking of family, where are the twins?"

"My parents are watching them. They've been watching them for the past few days now . . ." she tells me as she lets out a small yawn. "As soon as your brother called me and told me about what happened after you left to go to the country club, I dropped the girls off at my parents' place and came here. My parents have occasionally brought the girls here to visit these past few days, but you've been unconscious the entire time."

"Have my family been visiting too?" I ask, my question sounding a bit redundant since I already had a feeling that Amanda was going to answer yes.

"They have. Your parents, grandparents and siblings have all been visiting you whenever they're free," she tells me as she pulls her chair a little closer to my bedside. "Sam and Josh have been visiting as well, but yesterday was the first time they brought Alanna with them."

"Ah shit . . ." I say with a groan as I bring my other hand to my forehead. "How did she react?"

"She . . . she was a bit . . . teary-eyed, but she did not cry. She really held those tears in," 'Manda tells me as she shakes her head. "She pretty much stayed quiet the entire time she was here. The only time she spoke was when she asked me if you were going to be okay."

"And what did you tell her?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow.

"I told her that you were okay and that you were going to eventually wake up and that you weren't one for letting something like this keep you down," she tells me with a small smirk on her face. "And look at you now. You're awake at least . . ."

"Yeah . . . at least," I say as I rub my thumb against her knuckles. "So, you've been here with me this entire time?"

"I've been here with you the entire time. All five days of it . . ." she tells me with a sheepish look on her face, and I couldn't blame her. I would have a sheepish look on my face if I was in her shoes right now.

"I've been unconscious for five days? You've got to be kidding me . . ." I say as I try to sit up, but the searing pain in my neck brings me back down to my pillow, as well as the weird numbing sensation that makes my body go limp in an instant. "What the hell is this?"

"It must be the poison that's still in your system . . ." she tells me as she shakes her head. "Let me ask you this Ran. The Xavier guy that attacked you . . . Did you ever know that he was a poison demon?"

"That's news to me," I tell her as some feeling starts to return to my body. "Since you've talked to Nate already, you probably already know that Xavier and I were both cadets at the same camp. We didn't really talk to each other or hang out much, so I had no idea what kind of supernatural species he is exactly. . . I had no idea that he was a poison demon."

"Yeah well, he is . . ." she tells me as her hand grazes my cheek. "And the problem with the fact that he's a poison demon is that each and every poison demon has their very own poison that is unique to each individual demon and each individual demon alone. In other words, it makes it hard to come up with an antidote for the poisons they have."

"So basically, I still have Xavier's poison running through my veins?" I ask with a small scowl on my face.

"Basically," she answers back with a shrug. "The doctors managed to figure out that Xavier's particular poison has slowed down your regenerative and healing abilities so that it won't be able to pass the poison out of your body, or heal the bite marks that are still on your neck."

"I always wondered why I felt a bandage on my neck . . ." I say sarcastically as I touch the right side of my neck to feel the wrapping there. "So, how long will it be before I'm released?"

"The doctor has to check you over to figure that out first, and since your body apparently went a little numb as soon as you tried to abruptly move, who knows how long until you will be discharged from this place," she tells me with a thoughtful look on her face. "Five days may have passed, but I have a good feeling that most of Xavier's poison is still in your system."

"That's just great . . ." I say with a groan. "At this rate, I won't be able to wrestle when we get back to work in little over a week."

"Maybe Nate will do you a favor and wrestle in your place. He's done it before. Just give him a shapeshifting potion and he's good to go." 'Manda tells me with a smirk.

"Maybe . . ." I say as a sudden thought dawns on me. "Whatever happened to Xavier anyway?"

"Well, after he attacked you, Xavier was taken to a holding cell, but he broke out a couple of days later," she tells me glumly as she looks at the floor. "The guards eventually lost his trail in the woods east of the club. He hasn't been seen since."

"Well that's just great . . ." I say with a scowl on my face. "And just when I was planning to pay him back for biting my neck and poisoning me . . . I freaking owe him one for that."

"I know you do Ran, but you're going to have to push your revenge plans aside for now," she tells me with a small pout on her face. "You have a bit of explaining to do. Your parents are curious to know the actual truth as to what happened during your time in the military. Your talk with Xavier definitely raised some questions with your father."

"I should have figured this was going to happen eventually . . . I'm gonna have to face the music," I say as I shoot my bride-to-be a small smirk. "And I hope you're going to be at my side when I do have to face."

"I will . . ." Amanda tells me with a grin on her face. "If I can stay at your bedside for a good five days straight, then I can definitely stay by your side when you tell your parents the truth about your military past. I'm going to be here every step of the way."

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