Lass Ride: Crossroads

Chapter 12

The words had felt like barbs and tasted like bile, but she said them anyway. Cesaro's hand had felt like a burning brand, but she had taken it anyway. It seemed to take forever to get back to the end of the corridor and around the corner, and the instant she was out of sight, Becky braced her back against the wall and slid down to the floor, pressing her face to her knees. The past few months had been hard without her friends, but seeing them again—and having to shut them out, send them away—was unfathomably worse.

"Becky? Are you okay? What can I do?" Cesaro crouched down beside her, keeping a respectful distance as he watched her.

Becky held a hand to her chest as if it would calm down her heart. "I need to get out of here."

"Your match is next. It's supposed to be quick. Once you're done, we'll go find Hunter and—" Cesaro rose suddenly. "Natalya, can you come here, please?"

"Sure." Becky heard quick footfalls before someone else knelt beside her. "Becks, what is it?" Natalya gently cradled Becky's face and tilted it up so she could see her. "Are you okay? If you're sick, we can go tell Creative and see if there's something else. . . ."

But Becky shook her head. Wrestling was always good for clearing her mind and corralling her thoughts, and there were few people she trusted in the ring more than Natalya. "Just got a message about my dad," she fibbed. She wouldn't be able to claim an injury, so at least this way if she burst into tears, the rest of the roster would understand. "I'm good. I want to wrestle. You just might have to give me some prompts if I zone out, that's all."

Natalya gave her a warm smile and helped her to her feet. "I got you, girl." Once Becky was standing, the two women hugged. "Come on. Let's get to Gorilla and get you out of here."

Cesaro nodded as they headed to the staging area. "I'll go talk to Hunter."

The match was so blurry Becky was surprised she wasn't booed out of the arena, but Natalya was a deft guide, nudging her when necessary and improvising well when Becky was out of step. If the crowd noticed, they didn't seem to mind; at one point there was even a This! Is! Awesome! chant. Once the final bell had rung and Becky was declared the winner, she staggered back up the ramp and headed straight for Hunter's office. At the start of the night, she had been bummed to learn she didn't have any promos to cut—talking was one of her favourite things about the business—but now she was grateful. Even when she just opened her mouth to breathe, she felt like she was about to either sob or vomit. She pushed open the office door just seconds after she knocked, and she didn't even have the wherewithal to freeze when she saw Randy sitting beside Cesaro in front of Hunter's desk. "I need to leave," she rasped.

Hunter nodded as he stood. "I know that must have been rough. You're good for the night, Lynch. Cesaro will go back to the hotel with you."

Becky's head started to pound with the pressure of unshed tears and muted agony. "I can go on my own. I can handle my bike, and I know the way—"

"I'm sure you can. And now I know that you've been communicating with Dean as recently as today." Hunter let out a long breath. "So you'll understand why I'd feel better if you didn't just rush off on your own."

The implication made Becky lean back against the door as she forced herself to calm down. "So he's a chaperon, then. There's the lock on the door of the golden cage, huh?" She rubbed at her face and tried to think of something to say that wasn't snarky or whiny. "My contract doesn't say anything about who I can contact. It's not like Dean and I talked every day. Not even every week. It's brief and I never tell him anything important. I can go get my phone and show you—"

"I'm fine with you going back to the hotel," Hunter said, continuing on as if Becky hadn't even spoken. "But someone will be going with you. Your options are Orton or Cesaro. I figured you would prefer Cesaro, but if you want to keep pushing. . . ."