Chapter 22
The plane landed several hours later in St. Louis, Missouri as everyone exited, grabbing their luggage and going through security. The second Jecina stepped outside into the fresh air, she was stopped by a hand on her arm turning her around to lock eyes with her annoyed boyfriend. Lilianna went to say something to Jon, but Jecina put her hand up and urged her to go without her. She did have to talk to Jon privately about what Dean said, knowing he wouldn't let it go.
"If you need me…"
"I know, go on I'll meet you at the arena." Jecina murmured softly, assuring Lilianna she'd be fine and heaved a sigh, staying quiet.
Jon could tell she was timid and didn't blame her; he did have a volatile temper after all. He didn't say anything either, guiding her to his rental vehicle since he knew she didn't have one. They always drove to the hotels together from the airport and it wouldn't change now. The only way to hash problems out was talking. He took her luggage, shoved it in the backseat and then slid behind the wheel while she took the passenger side. A few seconds later, he lit a cigarette and rolled all the windows down since it was a crisp 60 degrees out.
"If you get cold, let me know." He rasped, taking a long drag and blew the smoke out the window, trying not to let it go in her face.
Jecina couldn't handle the tension between them and looked at him sadly. "I didn't mean to keep this from you. I just…it wasn't on my mind when I came back to you. I was focused on talking about more important things like moving in together." Not to mention getting married and having kids, which Jecina still wasn't sure if she wanted to do.
"Hanging out with Ambrose, who is still in love with you, is a big fucking deal to me, Jina." Jon clenched the steering wheel, staring straight ahead and tried to focus on driving instead of crashing. "And you KNOW he's still in love with you and you STILL called him before ME!"
Shutting her eyes at the roar in his voice, Jecina could feel tears erupt in her eyes. "You scared me with what you said! And then I found out my best friend, my sister, was in trouble! Dean knows Pensacola better than you…"
"OH BULLSHIT! I'm not gonna buy that bullshit for a second, Jina, so you might as well stop while you're ahead! You can ALWAYS call on me, no matter if we're on the outs or not! The fact you called him, of your own freewill, instead of me says one thing: You're not over Ambrose." Jon accused, flicking ash out the window and could see the befuddled expression on her face. "Tell me I'm wrong."
"EXCUSE ME?!" Jecina felt like grabbing the back of his head and bashing it against the steering wheel, her own temper rising drastically. "I chose YOU, dickhead, not him! I only called him because of that specific reason! He knows Pensacola like the back of his hand and you don't! I don't have feelings for him or else I would be with him!" She was physically shaking, looking down at her trembling hands and couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "Is that how you really feel?!"
Truthfully, Jon didn't know how to feel about this turn of events. "Fucking right I do." He blatantly lied, wanting to see what her reaction would be.
"Pull over." Jecina ordered, not caring if they were just a few blocks away from the arena. "I SAID PULL THIS CAR OVER NOW!" She snapped, grabbing the wheel and ignored the blaring cars aimed at them, Jon fighting her for control.
"JINA, WHAT THE FUCK?" Jon cussed furiously, shoving her away and managed to park the car to a screeching halt, both breathing heavily. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND, WOMAN?!"
Not answering him, Jecina opened the door and stepped out, slamming it shut behind her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this irate and suddenly, the memory crashed over her like a tsunami wave. The moment Jon came to her, after giving herself to him in the threesome, and told her he'd used her to get back at his brother. He used her for revenge and nothing more.
I used you against Ambrose and it worked like a charm. I only fucked you because I knew how my…twin brother felt about you and wanted to stick it to him since he's had everything in life I should've. Fucking the woman he's in love with was the ultimate revenge and I got what I wanted.
She shuttered at those words, wishing she could forget it ever happened and looked up at the sky, hearing footsteps behind her.
"Jina…"
"I chose you. Even after everything. I chose YOU, Moxley." Jecina couldn't look at him, keeping her voice even and low while tears poured down her cheeks. "I tried being with him after what you did to me…after you told me about screwing another woman before coming to my home and fucking me. I tried being with Dean and giving him a chance. It didn't work…because of you. Because of my feelings for you. Even though you ripped my heart out and told me you used me for revenge against him, I STILL loved you. And I still do. How could you sit there and scream at me I still have feelings for him?"
Her tears killed him as Jon stepped up to place his hands on her hips, pulling her back against his body. "Jina…"
"Do you love me?" She whipped around to face him, searching his bewildered electric blues and fisted his black t-shirt in her tiny hands. "Because if you don't, if you're just with me because you want to hurt Dean, then let me go. Put me out of my damn misery. I can't handle another heartbreak from you. I've given everything to you for the past 2 years – EVERYTHING. So, if I'm just a toy for you to play with in front of your brother, tell me right now. Because this isn't a game to me…"
Her rambling made Jon's eyes grow wider by the second as the harsh realization dawned on him. Had she felt this way the entire time they'd been together? Jon felt his mouth grow dry and he had to say something before she walked away from him – before he lost her. Actions always spoke louder than words when it came to him. Cupping her face in his strong hands, Jon's mouth plundered hers and her arms instantly encircled his neck, her feet leaving the ground moments later as he lifted her to wrap her legs around his waist. Her back pressed against the rental, their bodies hidden from the rest of the world.
"Say it." Jecina ordered breathlessly once the kiss broke, sliding her fingers through his unruly hair.
"I love you, Jina. This isn't a game to me and it never was. Even as I tried convincing myself, I couldn't stay away from you. I kept hunting your ass down, if you remember." He sure as hell did, especially having sex with her in Dean's locker room. The beating had been more than worth it. "I chose you just as much as you chose me, precious."
"Then why would you say that stupid bullshit about Ambrose? Do you think it was easy for me to pick my phone up and call him for help instead of you? You're the first person I wanted to call, but I ran away from you and my mind was frazzled. You frazzled me, Jon." Jecina rested her forehead against his, enjoying being in his arms and didn't care where they were. "Just because I ask your brother for help doesn't mean I automatically want to fuck his brains out. It doesn't mean I have feelings for him either. We're friends and that's IT. Do you understand me? Do you trust what I'm saying?"
Jon felt like an idiot for blowing up at her, blaming it on his jealous tendencies and nodded. "Always." He had no reason not to trust her. "I'm sorry." She was the only one he ever apologized to and it would stay that way until the end of time. "I didn't mean what I said, I was just pissed off and…"
"Next time, think before you speak. I know that's hard for you to do, but you really hurt me with what you said." He brought all the old feelings and heartache she'd felt 2 years ago to the surface. "I'm not perfect. I make mistakes just like everyone else. I didn't mean to keep this from you." Dean would be lucky if he had a mouth to run after she was through with him the next time they saw each other. "And for the record, I know he's still in love with me. There's nothing I can do about that and neither can you. He's gonna try driving a wedge between us and we have to stay strong." A storm was brewing with Ambrose; Jecina could feel it and that uneasiness flowed over her once again.
"He won't succeed. That bastard can try as many times as he wants." Jon snorted, the cockiness surfacing in his voice and tightened his hold on Jecina slightly. "I'll have a talk with him…"
Jecina shook her head emphatically at that idea. "No. Don't mention it to him. You two must get along and you know he'll try baiting you. Just ignore him and do your job, Moxley. Please." The last thing she wanted was the twins getting into another altercation and sending each other to the hospital, possibly out of the WWE as well. "Vince was pissed at both of you for what happened last time. For me, please don't say anything to him about this. We talked about it and that's good enough."
Groaning, Jon hated when she was the voice of reason and nodded with great reluctance. "Fine – fine, I won't say a fucking word to him except when it comes to work." The annoyance was clear in his tone, but the smile lighting up her face made it deteriorate. "We need to get to the arena…"
"Yeah we do."
Their moment was interrupted by the ringing of Jecina's cell phone. "It's probably Lili." She stepped away from Jon to check the caller ID and answered it. "Is everything alright, Lili? We'll be there in a few minutes and…wait – what?" Jecina looked back at Jon, worry filling her eyes. "We're on our way."
"What's wrong?" Jon demanded, closing the distance between them again and ran a finger down her cheek. "Is Lili okay?"
"There's a meeting tonight with all the Superstars. Vince is in the building. Apparently, he has news that will shake the foundation of the entire company…" Jecina couldn't imagine what it was and once again, that growing fear in the pit of her stomach formed. "Come on, we have no more time to waste."
A few minutes later, they were back on the road heading toward the arena, both having a million thoughts and scenarios running through their mind. What kind of earthshattering news did Vince McMahon have? What had the old man cooked up this time? What if he closed the business? Jon would be fine, he'd simply go back to the Indies, but Jecina…she gave up everything in Chicago to work for the WWE. She could start a new catering business, she supposed, and she had a lot of money stashed away for a rainy day. Jecina would be financially secure along with Jon – the man was frugal and didn't spend money on the finer things in life unlike Dean. Grabbing his hand, Jecina squeezed it firmly to let him know she was here for him, no matter what happened or what the announcement entailed.
Pulling into the arena parking lot, Jon cut the ignition and looked at the building, eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully. His cell began to ring, not surprised to see the name AJ Styles flashing back at him. "Yeah?" He answered gruffly, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Hey man, did you hear 'bout Vince's meetin' today? Where you at?"
"We just pulled in and yeah, Lilianna just called Jina about it. Do you know what's going down?" Jon asked, stepping out of the car and lit a cigarette, needing a nicotine fix to calm his nerves.
AJ shook his head, standing in the middle of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson – they were collectively known as The Club, which originate from Japan. "Nope, everyone's wonderin' what's goin' on." His Georgia accent seeped through his tone, slightly worried about this meeting. "Hunter, Stephanie and Shane are all here too. This is big, man."
"Yeah." Jon rubbed the back of his neck, taking a long drag of his cigarette and grabbed his luggage, leaving Jecina's in the car. They would head straight to the hotel after the show. "Whatever it is, be prepared for the worst. Such as going back to the Indies or Japan."
"You don't think…" AJ's eyes widened, cottoning onto what Moxley was saying. "Nah man, no way! The WWE is the biggest wrestling organization on the planet. There's no way they'd close the doors." Something was going on with the company, but closing an empire down completely didn't seem reasonable or realistic.
"Hell, you never know, man. When I worked for CZW, the owner bowed out and, if it wasn't for DJ Hyde, the company would've gone under. Just depends on the circumstances." This wasn't the first time Jon's job had been threatened and it wouldn't be the last. "We'll just have to see what's goin' down and take it from there. I'm on my way in with Jina. See you in a few."
The call ended as Jon slipped his cell in the back pocket of his blue jeans and grabbed Jecina's hand, lacing their fingers together. "Did AJ mention if he spotted Lilianna?" She asked softly, hating that she abandoned her best friend at the airport.
"No, but I'm sure she's fine. You gotta stop worrying about her so much. I get she's had a couple bad apples, but she's a lot stronger than you give her credit for, precious." Jon stated truthfully, kissing the top of her head and flicked his cigarette away after one last drag.
"I know, you're right. I can't help it though. Roman really did a number on her and so did Orton. I just…I want her to be happy. She deserves it. She's such a great person with a heart of gold and these fuck heads don't see that." Jecina leaned against his side, used to the smell of cigarettes by now and embraced it. His scent was a mixture of musk, gasoline and cigarettes – it was intoxicating and had been from the first night they met. "I just hope she's gonna be okay."
"She will be." Jon opened the door to the arena, following suit and mentally braced himself for what was about to happen.
Today, everything was about to change in the company and it would never be the same again.