X: The Hard Knocks Complete Story (22 page)

A
buzzer goes off
, and the sound of the steel bars locking me inside a ten-by-ten concrete cell echoes around the room. I hang my head, my hair falling down, cloaking the sides of my face, as I close my eyes and wish I could rewind the last few hours of my life.

Anna was right. I shouldn’t have gone out there. I lost my fucking head, and now, there’s no going back.

“Cold,” the guard barks my name. “Let me know when you’re ready for that phone call.”

I scrub my hand down my face but don’t make a move to answer the guard. Who the fuck am I going to call? I have no family, and I sure as hell don’t want Anna to see me this way. It fucking guts me to know she had to witness my self-destruction in the ring and then the police carting me off in cuffs. I’d wanted to be a better man for her, but I failed fucking miserably.

I roll out the mattress assigned to me by the county jail and then busy myself with making my bed.

There’s a clang on the bars behind me, and I find the same pudgy guard who escorted me into the cell, standing there with a pair of handcuffs.

“Inmate Cold, roll up. Looks like you’re out of here. I need to cuff you and get you to discharge.” He motions me over.

My mind rushes with the possibility of who came here to get me.

I turn around and stick my hands through the rectangular space between the bars. The metal clicks around my wrists.

“Arms back through,” he orders after securing my arms together. Then he yells an order out to someone, “Open cell three two five.”

When I turn around, the door to my cell opens. The man grabs the upper part of my right arm and then escorts me through the corridor. Snores come from the other prisoners as we pass by their cells, and I’m thankful that I don’t have to spend even one night here. I’ll forever be in Anna’s debt for getting me out of here so quickly.

We head through a series of doors until we come to ones with the word
Discharge
clearly labeled across them. The guard leads me to a desk where a tall man with a Tom Selleck mustache is busy with filling out forms. He doesn’t even bother glancing up at me. “Are you Xavier Cold, number seven, one, five, two, seven, three, seven, one?”

I clear my throat. “Yes, sir.”

“Do you have any dress outs?” the attending officer asks while still working on the paperwork in front of him.

How the hell am I supposed to know if I have street clothes here or not?

“I’m not sure. I’ve only been here for a few hours,” I answer honestly, remembering I was wearing my wrestling gear when I was booked.

“We’ll check that,” he tells me. Then, he picks up the phone on his desk, and asks whoever is on the other line to check on my street clothes for release. He hangs up the phone and then makes eye contact with me. “Do you have a ride?”

I nod. “I assume my girlfriend who posted my bail is still here.”

He makes another note on his paperwork and a new officer comes into the room with a stack of neatly folded clothes that I immediately recognize from ones I packed in my suitcase. Relief floods me as it’s confirmation that Anna is the one here for me. No one else had access to get into my hotel room.

The guard that led me in from the cell unlocks the cuffs from around my wrists and then stuffs them back into a black pouch on his tool belt. “Good luck, Cold. I’m sure we’ll see you again soon. The hot-headed ones always come back.”

My fingers curl, and I resist the urge to knock that smirk off his face. Even I know better than to do that here.

“I need you to sign here and here, and then you can change into your street clothes.” I quickly scrawl my name where he indicated and then grab my clothes.

“There’s a restroom behind you. Go in there and change.”

I hate taking orders like this, but I’m willing to do anything to get the hell out of here.

After I change, I come back out and the officer pushes himself up from his seat. “I’ll escort you out.”

We go through a few more doors, and then once a large gray steel door opens, I spot Anna standing in a very sterile-looking waiting room. The expression on her face can only be described as anxious as she bites her lower lip and strains her neck to get a look at me through the opening door.

Relief floods her face as our eyes lock. “Xavier!”

The door no sooner opens than I rush through it and wrap my arms around Anna, pulling her against my chest. I inhale deeply and close my eyes. Her fruity shampoo and perfume comfort me as I hold her tight.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry,” I say over and over again.

I take in a shaky breath. “I fucked up. I know I did.”

“Shhh . . .” she says, trying to soothe me as she tangles her fingers into my hair. “We’ll get this figured out.”

The way she says
we
warms my heart. So many times in my life I’ve been tossed away, like I meant nothing. People don’t stick with me, which is what makes me cherish Anna even more.

When I pull back, I see tears glistening in her eyes. One drop slides down her cheek, and I swipe it away with my thumb. “Please don’t cry because of me. You know how it fucking kills me to see a frown on your face.”

She sniffs. “I thought I lost you.”

I cradle her face in my hands and whisper, “I’ll always find my way back to you.”

“Promise?”

I gaze into her eyes and answer with absolute certainty. “Yes.”

Nothing is ever going to stand between us again. I’ll do everything within my power to see to that.

I give her one more kiss. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s get out of here before they change their minds and try to make me stay in this shithole.”

“Okay.”

I throw my arm around her, thankful for having her by my side, and I lead her outside through the heavy glass doors. Anna clings to me as we walk in step toward the parking lot, and I welcome her warmth. For a while in there, I wondered how long it would be before I could feel her pressed up against me like this. Good thing I’d put all that money into her bank account.

“Thank you for bailing me out,” I say before kissing the top of her head. “I was fully prepared to spend the night there. I was surprised they let me out so fast.”

Anna stares up at me. “That’s the thing. I didn’t pay to get you out.”

I furrow my brow. “You didn’t?”

“No. I fully intended to, but by the time I went to the hotel room to pick up my checkbook and clothes for you, the bail was already paid when I arrived at the jail.”

My mind races with the possibilities of who could’ve paid my bail, but as soon as we step foot in the parking lot and I spot the black stretch limo, I no longer have to wonder.

Oh, fuck. This isn’t good.

The back window slides down, and Mr. Silverman leans forward, so he can make eye contact with me. “Get in.”

My heart races inside my chest. Going to jail for what I did to Rex was just the beginning of the punishment heading my way. My boss isn’t going to allow my actions to slide. For all of his staff at Tension, he has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to fighting outside the ring, so fighting on national television was a sure way to get my ass fired right here on the spot.

I lead Anna around to the other side of the car and swallow hard. This is the end of my fucking dream right here. Without wrestling, I have nothing, other than Anna. How long can I possibly expect to keep her in my life if I don’t have a way to support her? It’s not like there’s a shit-ton of great paying jobs for a man with my background. Felons aren’t likely any employer’s first choice.

Anna lays her hand on my stomach. “No matter what he says, I’m with you.”

I place my hand on top of hers and silently pray to God that she means it because there’s no way in hell I can give her up now.

I open the car door for Anna and then slide in after her. The inside of the limo has lights around the top of the interior, making it easy to see Mr. Silverman’s face as I sit across from him with Anna by my side. She takes my hand and gives it a small squeeze, reassuring me like she always does that she’s here for me.

The boss presses a small red button on the console next to him. “Back to the hotel to drop Xavier and Anna off, please.”

“Right away, sir,” the driver replies. The car begins to move.

He adjusts the gray tie he’s wearing and then locks eyes with me. “A couple of shows ago, I seem to recall having a discussion with you about following the script to a T and reminding you that I don’t like lawsuits. It appears, that discussion fell upon deaf ears, seeing as how I just came down to bail you out of jail because you’d beaten one of my other employees unconscious during a live show.”

There’s no denying what he’s saying.

I square my shoulders and lift my chin, ready to face the consequences of my actions head-on. “Yes, I did all those things, and while I’m sorry that it’s landed me in some deep shit, I’m not sorry that I did it. Rex had it coming. He got personal and took it to a level that it should never have gone to.”

“While I don’t doubt that Rex was a son of a bitch to you, the cold, hard truth here is that we have rules in place for a reason. No matter what he said or did, you should’ve kept your cool.”

“I know. I’ve been trying hard to work on my temper.”

“You’ve put me in a predicament here, X. Both you and Rex are the future of my company—you, in particular. You’ve been the topic of a lot of marketing strategies now that Brian wants to step back and spend more time with his wife and little girl. We need someone who can takeover his role, someone the crowd will really get behind. I’m struggling with going against my company policy and trying to make all of this go away for you. I need to work it so that the company can still benefit from you.”

My mouth drops open a bit. “Are you saying that I’m not fired?”

Anna bites her bottom lip, trying not to smile, like she doesn’t want to show any excitement until it’s confirmed that my dream hasn’t been crushed.

“I’m saying that you are too valuable to fire. Your popularity means money for Tension, and that’s good for business, which is why I bailed you out. I’ve got a meeting with some local connections tomorrow. I have to put a spin on this situation, saying that it was a match that got out of hand, that everything was actually a part of the show, and that the cops intervened when they weren’t needed.”

I roll my eyes. “Rex will never go along with that. He’ll press charges just to see me suffer. That motherfucker hates me.”

“I’ve already worked things out with Rex. He’ll agree to save your ass, if I make him the next champion.”

I should be grateful for this easy out, but I can’t stop myself from being pissed.

The muscle in my jaw flexes beneath my skin. Rex getting the belt this way is soul-crushing. That championship should’ve been mine, and had I not lost my fucking head, I would be on my way to wrapping that gold around my waist. Instead, I practically handed Rex the belt on a silver fucking platter.

I always fuck up everything good in my life, which is why I’m holding on to Anna with both hands and doing my best to do right by her. If that means allowing Rex this short-lived victory to keep me from being behind bars, then that’s the way it has to be. I need this job more than anything to support Anna and to prove to her that I can take care of her every need.

“The problem is”—He rubs his chin—“it doesn’t seem like the mandatory vacation I sent you on was enough distance between you and Rex, so I’m suspending you, X. I have to make an example out of you, so the other employees see that, no matter who you are, they cannot pull stunts like this and walk away from this matter scot-free.”

I hate the idea of not being able to work, but it’s a hell of a lot better than rotting in jail or spending all my time on probation. My boss will get no argument out of me on this one.

I sigh. “For how long?”

“Three months,” he answers matter-of-factly. “And during that time period, you will not be permitted in any arena where we hold shows. Hell, I don’t even want to hear about you being in the same city as Tension while you’re suspended.”

I nod. “Fine. Stay the hell away—I got it. Anna and I will head back to Detroit until this is finished.”

“No, only you. This suspension doesn’t apply to Anna. She’ll still be required to show up to every show as scheduled.”

The thought of Anna being alone where Rex and Deena can get to her while I’m not there to protect her is more than I can fucking handle. I can’t allow that to happen. I’m supposed to watch over her. How am I supposed to do that if I’m hundreds of miles away in another state?

“That’s not going to happen,” I retort. “If I’m not there, Anna isn’t going. You don’t need her.”

“Fine.” He shrugs. “That’s on you, but I will fire her if she doesn’t show up, and when your suspension is lifted, I will not allow her back into the building during any of our shows.”

I narrow my eyes. “You can’t do that. That’s blackmail.”

He releases a bitter laugh from the back of his throat. “Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? I own Tension. I can do whatever I please.”

I drag my fingers through my hair.

Fuck.

What in the hell am I supposed to do here? I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. There’s only one real option left.

My eyes lock with his. “Maybe I should quit then.”

“To do what? A man with a temper like yours needs this job, so don’t be ridiculous. Anna is imperative to the storylines. That’s it. Play along and do as I ask for the next three months, and all will be forgiven. Then, you can get back in the ring and go after that championship spot.”

I shake my head. I won’t sacrifice being with Anna for the sake of my job.

I open my mouth to tell my boss this very thing when Anna leans forward and quickly glances at me before turning her attention to our boss.

“That’s a generous offer, sir. We’ll figure out a way to make it work. I will be at the shows. I don’t want to jeopardize my privileges to be backstage with Xavier when his suspension is lifted. Being with him is all that matters to me.”

“Anna . . .” I say her name like a warning.

She stares at me. “I know what you’re thinking, but I’ll be fine. I can handle things while you’re gone. Besides, it won’t be forever. We’ll be apart for only a few days out of the month. We’ll get through it.”