chapter six

March 29, 2012

The sun was barely punching through the cloud cover when the scowling and tattooed grappler known to the wrestling world as Jackson stepped out into the alley that ran alongside his New York nightclub. He looked exhausted and ragged, which gave the girl in the hooded sweatshirt that lingered beside the dumpster pause. Maybe this was a mistake. She could hear him growling at someone, not sure what was going on until he turned towards her and she saw the Bluetooth headset in his ear. "Listen up, you fucking cunt, the count's off by more than $600 compared to the drink tally. So either you're giving out free shit, or someone is skimming the tills." He paused, rocking back and forth from one foot to the other, "no, just shut up! I'm sick to death of your goddamned incompetence, Shirl. You're fired, effective immediately. And if you think I'm gonna give you severance; you're out of your fuckin' mind." He ended the call with a guttural groan, kicking the door for good measure.

The morning was almost warming up, spring's hold on New York finally manifesting itself. He placed a cigarette between his lips, pulling out the ring of keys and locking the door with absent motions. He turned around, cupped his hand around the end of the smoke, and flicked the cheap lighter.

A muffled sound caught his attention, and he turned around, only to find a huddled figure trying to disappear between the dumpsters. Judging by the build, it was a girl, although he couldn't really tell as her face was in the shadows thrown by the hood she was wearing and the fire escape above her. He rolled his eyes, moving towards her. "Hey... something wrong?"

The figure flinched, turning and bolting towards the parking lot.

"Fuckin' hell," he growled, going after her. He caught her arm as she stepped into the sunshine, jerking her around. The hood fell from her head as she tried to wrest herself away from him. As he saw her face, his eyes widened in recognition. "Kasey?"

She smiled sheepishly as she pulled away from his grasp. "Hi," she murmured, looking at his car where it rested by itself in the lot. The club wouldn't be open for another eight hours— she had no reason to be here now unless she'd been following him or looking for him specifically.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned her, "shouldn't you be in Milwaukee getting ready to win a championship or something?"

She sniffled, shivering in her thin hoodie as the breeze kicked up. "Well, I…"

He suddenly realized that she'd been hanging out for a while, waiting for him to come out— her lips actually looked blue. She must have actually followed him here from the Starbucks on the corner, which was almost two hours ago. "C'mon, you wanna go inside for a coffee or somethin'… warm up a little?"

She nodded, pushing the wind-blown hair out of her face, "yeah, that'd be nice."

Moving back towards the alley, he took one last drag off the cigarette, and flicked it away. Looking over his shoulder, he made sure she was following before he spoke. "Why are you here, Kasey? Stalking me or something?"

She laughed self-consciously, "not like it was outta my way. I live a few blocks from here, actually. I read online that you owned this club and, well... Iwonderedifmaybewecouldtalkorsomething?" The last nine words came out in a breathless rush, making him stop short.

Jackson turned around, looking at her. "What the hell did you just say?"

"I..." she paused, flushing bright red, "I was wondering if you could help me with something. I mean, if you're busy or whatever, you don't have to..."

He shrugged, "honestly, I'm trying to lock down the business shit here so I can be on a plane tonight for the UK."

Jackson turned his back on her and unlocked the side door, holding it open for her. She stepped inside the club and waited for her eyes to adjust to the gloom as he locked the door behind them. It was way warmer in here, and she unzipped her hoodie, almost basking in the heat as she followed him through another door into the interior of the empty bar. He pointed at one of the stools and then moved behind the bar. "Take a seat, kiddo. You drink regular or decaf?"

She shrugged, "whichever you're making. I don't want to be a bother. You don't have to make coffee," she babbled, "just a glass of juice would be alright or some water or…" she fell silent, blushing again.

Shaking his head, he leaned up against the bar as she sighed. "Right, so what's the deal? I'm betting that you either need advice or help that you are to damned stubborn to ask for. So, because I'm convenient and your boyfriend isn't around to annoy, I'm the lucky one who made the top of your pestering list? Is that about the long and short of it?" His words held a hint of annoyance, but he wasn't scowling or anything. In fact he actually had a bemused smile on his face.

"I… guess you could say that, but I'm really not trying to annoy you, Jax. I just didn't really have anyone else I can talk to about this. I mean, if I told Carson that I was totally freakin' out about this, he'd probably want to drop me as a client. And flyin' home to Phoenix wasn't really an option so... yeah..." she trailed off awkwardly, looking up at him as she fidgeted.

"What?" He stared at her as though she was insane, "you held the World Title in Rocky-" he didn't get to finish as she leaned forward and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Don't ever say that place! I don't want that tainted jinxed juju coming down on me right now..." she actually shuddered as she lowered her hand.

"Fine, whatever. So what's this about? A pep talk?"

She sighed, picking at a thread on her sweatshirt, "I just… you know, I'm just kind of scared. I think you're the only person I know who's held a whole bunch of title belts. I mean, I couldn't really go to Aly because she's got that Ultraviolence Title to worry about and..."

"Kase," his voice was a bit less harsh now that they were in private, "I don't know what you think I can do for you here. I'm not Yoda or a shrink or some motivation speaker. I'm just a guy who gets lucky more often than most. That's all. There's no magic secret how to pull this off and you've probably got the hardest job at that show next to Scarlett Kincaid. Sophie's got a death grip on that belt." He rolled his eyes, "shouldn't you be somewhere making out with that sleaze-bag who does the news for SVW and not worrying about something so stupid?"

She blushed, shaking her head. "You don't get it, do you? This place is the one place I can't screw up. RMP was a joke, Jax. Everyone there was a reject… they were terrible. I mean, anyone at Wild Ones would have beaten them on their FIRST day! FFW is the pinnacle… and Sophie's… she's… the queen of the mountain right now. She's had that belt for so long nobody even remembers who else held it."

"Yeah, and?" He shrugged, "she's human. She has the potential to fuck up, Kasey. Everyone does, myself included." He shook his head, bitterness creeping into his voice, "hell, I lost focus and let Kitty damn near kick my face off."

"So how do I beat her when her track record is so good and mine… well, you know I lost to Lumina Ferrari so-"

"Who gives a shit? You came in and dazzled on your debut. You beat Alysson Gardner. You beat a former champ in Desirae Kain. You beat that Welsh Dragon guy in RMP. You've beaten some of the best, Kase. You've come this far, and this isn't going to be the only title shot you ever get. You fuck up, and guess what? Those fans who cheer for you, who paid for the show just to see you… they'll forgive you as long as you give it your all."

"Yeah?" She sighed, "sounds so good when you say it like that, but it's so hard to swallow. What if he ditches me because I'm-"

"Oh, no. DO NOT tell me this is about that fucking website guy. Are you blind? He hits on girls more than that Kane asshole does." He frowned at her, smacking his palm against the bar for emphasis.

"I think I love him."

"Why don't you fucking tell him that then?"

She shook her head, "I… can't. He said he wasn't ready for something official and we're taking it slow. I have to respect that and I just… oh crap. Was it a line? Oh God. Did he lie to me just to get into my pants?"

At the look on her face, he rounded the bar and came up beside her, giving her a hug like he would his own daughter. "Kasey, don't get your head all fucked up over that. Not now. You want me to find out some dirt on the kid, I can… but until then, focus on doing what you do best. Go out there and shine like the brightest star on that roster."

She could feel his breath on the top of her head, riffling her hair as she rested her palms against his chest, sniffling.

"Kase," he ground out, seizing her roughly and pushing her back. "What the fuck are you trying to do?" He was paranoid. She was an attractive woman, and he was a guy known for his wandering eye. This would have been the perfect moment for his wife to come strolling in to surprise him. Thankfully nobody did.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she avoided his gaze. "Nothin'," she mumbled.

He sighed and stretched his neck. "She's got more to worry about than you, kiddo." He stepped back from her; as if putting distance between them would make that moment of awkwardness vanish. "Push her until she cracks. We both know that's the best way to get inside her head. A girl like that will only respond to force. Most people tend to avoid pain, even at the lower level. Maybe that's not how to put it. You know what I'm tryin' to say? Go out there and make her pay. Make the bitch work to hold that title. Don't pull off the cheap shit. Leave that to guys like me. People tend to try and avoid those circumstances that cause pain, be it physical or emotional." He was thinking out loud, "and this girl's no different. Stretch her, Kase. Put her through the paces like Billy showed you. Get inside her head and let her know that you know how she moves… how she works. I'm not a psychoanalyst, kiddo… I'm just an old grappler." He tapped his finger against his temple, "but I know how the mindfuck works. The mental game is where you need to get a foothold."

She shook her head. "I'll be fine. But would you really look into Kyle for me? I mean… if you could and like… make it discreet?"

"Of course," he told her quietly, reaching out and taking her hand. "Least I can do for the niece of an old friend."

"Thanks, Jax." She blinked away tears, looking up at him. "I think. I mean... you said some stuff that was pretty okay. I think I can use it probably so-"

"No worries." He brushed off the backhanded thanks, shaking his head, "c'mon then. I'll drop you at your place on my way home."