A new girl in town

Chapter 74

Kayla

"What? Now you're not gonna answer? Trying to psych me out or something? Well that's too damn bad cause you can't. I can sit here in silence," she said when he didn't respond to her question.

She may think she can. But it's already getting to her. Not knowing where I am in the room. Not knowing what I will do next. ? thought smiling.

When she still got no response, Kayla made herself breathe. Cassie was a master at mindfulness and though she didn't remember a lot from the few times her wife had led her in the practice, she did still remember the basics.

She closed her eyes, not that they were any use to her open right now, and began forcing herself to deepen her breaths. In for three; out for three. She could almost hear Cassie's calm, soothing voice in her head as she breathed. No matter what, he would never get her. He couldn't. Cassie was hers. Hers to love, hers to care for and hers to protect, no matter how much she objected to that last part. Thinking of him getting his hands on her was something she couldn't bear to contemplate.

He watched her breathing deepen.

She's trying to calm herself. We can't have that now can we? ? thought moving as silently as possible to behind her and grabbing her shoulders then moving his hands down her arms and holding her hands.

"Do you still think I can't do what I want to who I want?" He whispered through the synthesizer. "Surely I've proved myself by now."

She couldn't suppress instinctively flinching as he touched her again. When he held her hands in his, she wanted to cry, then turn around and kick his ass. How could something so comforting and intimate be just another tool to him?

As she felt him behind her, she mentally began to lock herself away. No matter what happened to her from here, he couldn't touch her. He could violate her physically and end her life, but he'd never touch what made her herself.

"Then do your fucking worst, asshole," she said. "Do your fucking worst."

"You have no idea what my worst is bitch." ? whispered still close to her ear.

"I know you don't care what I do to you. But there are so many things I could do to the ones you love. I could bring Cassie here to stay with you. I wouldn't even have to blindfold her. I'm sure her screams would make you hurt." ? said. "Or Vanessa."

"You don't need to do that. You said earlier that I was who you wanted, so why involve them? Why?" She said. Images of this faceless, sadistic stranger doing things to the women she loved flashed through her mind and she was powerless to stop them.

"Yes." He said suddenly in front of her. "But you're getting boring. I think it's time to spice things up a bit."

She heard him cross the floor then a door opening and closing.

Her entire body tensed as she heard him leave the room.

This is just physical. She reminded herself. It's your body reacting and nothing more. Think of Wade. Think of what he went through. He survived. Against all odds, he made it through.

She suddenly missed him desperately. She hadn't kept in touch like she'd said she would. Between J.J.'s accident, the hectic schedule, daily verbal duels with Hunter and her reluctance to be reminded of home, she hadn't been able to bring herself to call him again.

At least they'd had a nice conversation. If it had to be their last, at least it had been good. At least he knew that she still loved him.

"Did you miss me?" ? asked coming in a few minutes later. "I called them said there was an accident. They are on their way. I think I'll great them personally."

Then there was a sliding click. A noise that Kayla new well. It was a clip being locked into a gun.

Kane/Sammy

I wonder why Kayla hasn't called to check on Kane and J.J. today. She's called at least once a day since it happened. What could be happening?

Just then Kane walked out of the ICU and waved her over.

"Can you sit with her a bit. Doc says if I don't leave her side to at least stretch my legs and eat he's going to throw me out again." Kane told her.

"Sure." Sammy said. "I'll be happy to."

Kane smiled wanly and turned to walk down the hall.
"He's never going to be able to keep going like this." Sammy thought as he walked away.

Turning she went into the ICU and to J.J.

"Have you had any sleep?" The doctor asked as she took a seat.

"I slept a little on the bench." She said.

"You are both going to wind up in the hospital with her if you don't cut it out." The doctor said.

"He needs to be here." Sammy told him. "You have no idea what will happen if he loses her."

"I've seen grief before. I know how to handle someone who is hurting." The doctor said.

"You've never tried to handle him." Sammy said. "He had nothing till he met her. No one at all."

"He seems awful calm if that's the case." He said.

"He's only calm because his brother told him he had to be or you wouldn't let him stay. His brother told him he had to take care of her and make decisions for her. But if he loses her I don't think even his brother could stop him."

"Is he retarded or something." The doctor asked.

"Why do people always assume that about him. He's not!" she said raising her voice a little. "He's just.. Well he's Kane."

"I don't know what that means." The doctor replied.

"He's hard to explain. Let's just say he doesn't react well to overly emotional situations." Sammy said. "When he gets upset it usually ends up being anger and he's a very strong guy."

"Should I keep security close by." He asked.

"Only if you think he's going to lose her." Sammy said. "I hope that's not the case."

"So far she's remaining stable. So there is still a chance." He said.

"Good." Sammy said.

Ron/Cena/John/Police

"What's going on?" the police officer asked as he approached the desk.

John whorled around and faced him.

There were three officers.

"The manager said there was a problem." The officer said.

"Yes there definitely is." John said. "We have been watching out for a friend who was being stalked. Last night we ordered food and it was drugged. We woke up this morning and she was gone."

"Her name is Kayla Jacobs. She works with us. We're part of the WWE." Cena said.

"What makes you think you were drugged?" the lead officer asked.

"Mainly because we all woke up sitting at the table with no memory of anything other than that we were in the middle of a poker game." Ron said.

"How much did you have to drink?" the officer asked.

"I had a beer." Cena said eager to prove they weren't drunk.

"And you two?" he asked

"I had two and Ron had one. We were not drunk." John said. "WE would never have had more than a beer or two while we were working as her body guards."

"And no she didn't WANDER off." Cena said trying to head off the next question.

"Who do you think drugged you?" the sergeant asked.

"That's what we've been trying to find out. The kid who brought the food up has to know something about it." John said.

"And who brought the food up?" he asked.

"Room service." Ron said.

"That's pretty vague. Did you get the person's name?" he asked

"NO," John said. "He was young medium build and black hair."

"Well that's about half our room service delivery guys." Daniel Reese said. "And I highly doubt one of them would participate in something like that."

Kayla/?

"I thought you said you weren't gonna kill me. If I'm not about to die, what's that for?" She asked tensely.

"Oh it's just a little incentive for your friends to come along quietly." ? said. "I told you I wouldn't kill YOU. Doesn't mean I won't kill someone else."

"Don't! Jesus Christ, please. What's it gonna take, huh? What am I gonna have to do to make sure that you don't hurt them?" Kayla asked, the words escaping her in a rush.

? just laughed that hideous mechanical laugh of his.

This is going so well. She went from a meek little thing to this with just one threat. She's so easy to manipulate.

"Why would they even listen to you? You aren't anyone I hang with. ...you aren't, right?" She said.

"Who said I wasn't?" ? laughed. "How else do you think I know so much about you?"

"None of them would do this. They're not capable of it. They wouldn't do anything like this to me. You'd have to really hate me to want to do this," she insisted., though tendrils of doubt were slowly beginning to creep into her certainty.

That should get her thinking. She'll have trust issues the rest of her life. ? thought with a smile. By the time I'm done with her she'll be in a nut house for a very very long time.

"How do you think I knew your every move. How did I know where your bag was or that you were staying with that guy?" ? asked.

How can I know that for sure? She wondered, hating herself for doubting the people who had shown her nothing but loyalty.

The only person I can say wouldn't do this to me is Kane. He couldn't - not after everything he's been through.

But Jon, John and Ron are probably still together somewhere. Al isn't as big as this guy feels. Neither is RVD. Who else is there?

"You're fucking lying," she said.

"You're trying to fuck with me and you're fucking lying. I don't hang with that many people. You're trying to fuck with my head but you can't," she added.

Taker's with Kane so it couldn't be him either.

"AM I? How do you think I knew your every move? How did I know where your bag was or that you were staying with that guy?" ? asked.

"Of course it does. If you only knew the people who are helping me it would all fit." ? said.

"What? What are you talking about? You're doing this on your own. There isn't... Stop it! You're just trying to fuck with me," she said.

"I'm going to leave you for a little while." ? said. "To give you time to think about which one of your friends are helping me."

She heard him step behind her again.

"I'm attaching a small bomb to the back of your chair. If you move around too much it will go off." ? said from behind her.

Then she began to hear a soft beeping.

Kayla squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to lose herself to panic.

Oh god. Oh god, this can't be happening. It can't. I can't do this again. I just can't. I almost died in an explosion once. I can't go through that again. I can't! Oh god.

Then she realized the implications of the bomb.

Is it someone I was in the USMC with? She wondered in horror.

Someone from back then would definitely have the know-how to pull something like this off depending on their area of expertise. And while I didn't make any overt enemies when I served, there's no telling who could have taken my promotions personally.

If it's someone from then, oh god. I'm dead. I'm dead and the girls are dead and it's all fucking over. I never had a god damn chance. This was going to happen no matter what I did... No matter what anyone did. It could be anyone. Absolutely anyone...

She never heard him leave.

"You're an asshole and I hope you die in a god damn fire, mother fucker! Fuck letting someone else do it; I'll do it myself! A fucking bomb?! Really?! Seriously?! After everything, you'd hit me with a fucking bomb?!" She raged.

She expected him to laugh at her with that creepy mechanical voice he'd been using. She expected him to say something vague and meaningless, which was all she'd been able to get out of him thus far.

What she got was silence.

Ron/John/Cena/Police

"Well someone participated in it. The Food went from your kitchen to our room. Somewhere between the two places it was drugged." John said beginning to get aggravated.

"Calm down sir." The officer said.

"None of this really matters." Cena said suddenly. "It happened. Unless the guy confesses and tells us who put him up to it we have no way to find the asshole who took her."

"Do you have any idea who would want her harmed?" the officer asked.

"Only one person comes to mind." Cena said. "Hunter Hurst Helmsley."

"Well why don't we see if we can go find him and question him." The officer said.

"Fine," John said turning to the elevator.

"By we I mean the officers and I." The sergeant said. "You need to stay here."

"Damn it this is getting us nowhere." Cena said. "She's out there somewhere. She could be hurt or dying for all we know and you guys are playing games."

"I assure you we are taking this very seriously." The sergeant said speaking to one of the officers. "Why don't you stay down here and get their full statement and a description of her while we go up and question Mr. Helmsley."