“Last Bullet In The Chamber”
April 9
Las Vegas, Nevada
11:30 p.m.
It was an odd thing to see the streets of Las Vegas so devoid of life. This was the thought that Lachlan Kane had running through his mind as he made his way back to the hotel after taking a good, long run around the city streets, keeping to his workout routine ahead of his title match at the upcoming Blaze of Glory event being held at the Golden Ring casino.
Slowing his pace, he stopped at a bench at the edge of the sidewalk, and he took a moment to rest and catch his breath. He guessed he had probably ran a good seven or eight miles tonight, and he knew he was going to feel it tomorrow when he worked on his strength training. But like he always did, he would fight through the aches and pains and push his body to its limits, much like he anticipated his match with Austin was going to do. There were no doubts in his mind that this was going to be one of the most grueling matches of his career, but he was looking forward to it in a way he hadn’t felt in a while now. The fact that he was getting a shot at the newly reinstated Internet title weighed heavy on his mind, however, and the familiar feelings of inadequacy started creeping into the edges of his mind. But with a brisk shake of his head, he cleared them away and felt his resolve strengthen. I’m ready for this, he thought to himself. More than ready. I’m walking out of that ring on Sunday night as a champion.
“Now that’s the spirit, my boy.”
A voice he had not heard in close to fifteen years spoke softly to his right, and he whipped his head around with his eyes wide in shock. There, seated on the bench beside him...was his father.
Lachlan blinked a few times, his mouth agape as he stared at his father, unsure of what to say. The older man chuckled. “You look like a hooked trout, Lachlan.”
Lachlan’s mouth snapped shut, but his eyes still stared unblinking at the image of his father on the bench beside him. He looked exactly as Lachlan remembered him - a mop of thick dark hair atop his head much like Lachlan’s own, kind blue eyes that held a sparkle of mischief, and the faintest hint of wrinkles beginning around his eyes and mouth. He was a tall, slightly lanky man, with hands roughened by years of hard labour working in the shipyards of Waterford. A sudden rush of emotion overtook Lachlan, and he struggled to keep it in check as he cleared his throat. “Da?”
The man gave a hearty laugh, one that Lachlan thought he would never get to hear again. “Who else would it be, my son?”
Lachlan shook his head slightly. “Sorry, it’s just...I mean...you’re -”
“I know, I know. But I think I need to be here, to help talk some sense into you.”
Lachlan raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Pat O’Connell gave a laugh. “You don’t think I’ve been watching over you, Mal and Lanah? How the three of you have been doing this wrestling thing and taking the whole world by storm since you started up? I know this is what you and Mal have wanted to do since you were wee lads, but I’m a little surprised that my baby girl got roped into it.”
“Hey, she’s been doing the best out of the three of us. Only a year into her career and she’s already got a title to her name.”
Pat laughed again, a fond look coming across his face. “Aye, that sounds like her. Anything she sets her mind to, she excels at. Couldn’t be prouder of her.” He gave a look to Lachlan. “Of all of you, as a matter of fact.”
Lachlan looked down at his feet, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Mal and Alanah have been doing amazing this past year. Me...not so much.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, Mal became a World champion, he’s had a bunch of incredible matches, and now he’s fighting for a contender’s spot for the SCW Mixed Tag titles. Alanah became the longest reigning United Champion over in PWS. All I’ve done is bugger up every golden opportunity I’ve been given in SCW. Two shots at the Roulette title, one at the World...and I’m empty-handed.”
“And now you’ve got another chance in front of you...and you’re scared.”
Lachlan nodded slowly. “I’m afraid that I’m going to disappoint everyone...again. When I failed to get the World title back in December, I got bitter and angry and I started lashing out at everyone. I’m afraid that if I lose on Sunday…” He trailed off, letting the thought go unfinished. “I don’t want to become that person again.”
Pat gave a warm smile towards Lachlan, resting a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. You’ve got a good group of people around you, you’ve got an incredible woman who loves you unconditionally, and you’ve got two beautiful little girls who think you hung the moon and stars. They’ll be proud of you no matter what happens on Sunday. But I think you’re being far too hard on yourself. You’ve got all the talent and skill in the world to pull this off. You just need to believe in yourself. I know all these losses have shaken your confidence. But every time you’ve fallen down, you’ve gotten straight back up and faced the next challenge that’s been thrown in your path. This time will be no different. And I truly believe that Sunday night will be your moment. You’re gonna go out, put on the best performance of your career...and you’re gonna be a champion.”
Lachlan looked at his father for a good long moment, trying to stem the swell of emotions building up inside his chest. “Thanks, Da.” He laughed a little shakily, wiping at the corners of his eyes. “There’s not a day that goes by where we don’t all think of you. We miss you.”
“And I miss you all more than you’ll ever know. But hey, I get the best seats in the house to all of my kid’s wrestling matches, so that’s a little bonus.”
Lachlan let out a genuine laugh that time, even as a stray tear slipped down his cheek. “I love you, Da.”
But the image faded away far too quickly, and Lachlan sat up with a start on the bench. Looking around wildly for a moment, he calmed down and laughed at himself for falling asleep on a bench in the middle of Las Vegas. He stood up, stretched out his legs and resumed his run.
--------
As he walked back into the hotel room about a half hour later, Sierra looked up at him from the couch with a smile. “Hey. Did you have a good run?”
“Yeah,” he said absently, dropping down onto the couch with a faraway look in his blue eyes.
Sierra noticed this, and put down the book she had been reading to take his hands in hers. “You OK, Lachy?”
He turned to look at her, giving his head a small shake. “Yeah, it’s just...on my way back here, I was stopped at a bench for a rest and I...I think I had a conversation with my father.”
Sierra’s eyes widened in shock. “Lachy, are you sure you’re OK?” She immediately put a hand to his forehead, checking to see if he was feverish. “You have been pushing yourself a little too hard this week…”
“Si, I’m fine,” he said, pulling her hand down and softly kissing her knuckles. “I think I just napped out on the bench for a moment or something and had a dream. Just kinda caught me off guard.” He chuckled. “I have been running myself ragged this past week, haven’t I?”
“You’ve been training harder than I’ve seen you do in a long time. Maybe ever.” She ran her fingers through his hair before cupping his cheek in her hands. “You’re really focused on this match, aren’t you?”
Lach leaned into her touch, bringing his hand up to cover hers. “Si, this may be the last chance I have at a title for a long time. I can’t let this get past me this time. If I don’t win on Sunday...I don’t know where I go from there. I’ve had a chance at every singles title this company has to offer, and so far I’ve failed at every attempt. If I can’t get the Internet title...what else is there for me to do? I’ll be the biggest joke in the company.”
Before he could continue his line of thought, Sierra gently pulled his face towards hers and gave him a long, lingering kiss. She pulled back and stared right into his eyes, her face showing resolve. “Listen to me, you are the furthest thing from a joke. You are one of the best and underappreciated talents in this whole damn company, and this Sunday is going to be your moment. You’re gonna walk in that ring like you own it and you’re going to dominate. And at the end of it all, you’re gonna stand tall with that title in your hands.”
Lachlan gave her a warm smile, leaning back in to give her a fierce kiss. “Da was right,” he murmured against her lips. “I really do have an incredible woman.”
Sierra grinned. “Your dad sounds like a very wise man, indeed.”
They laughed together as they kissed again.
------
Later that night
The room was darkened, lit only by the ambient light filtering in through the window from outside. Sierra had gone to bed a few hours ago, but Lachlan stayed awake. The thoughts rolling around in his mind were making him restless, and he felt that if he didn’t get them out he would not be able to sleep. He sat in an armchair by the window, staring out pensively with his chin resting on his fist. It was quiet for a moment or two, before he began to speak softly, but with a firm conviction in his Irish lilt.
“There’s something that’s been at the forefront of my mind for quite some time now. The thing is, you didn’t need this title, Austin. You’ve already been to the top of the mountain here. You’ve already been the SCW World Champion. Almost from the day you walked into this company, you’ve been a main-event player. And I don’t begrudge you that in the slightest. You’re everything anyone could ever want in a champion. Charismatic, talented as all hell, and - let's face it - you’re quite the handsome lad, aren’t you?” Lachlan let out a little chuckle as he turned to look towards the camera. Though half his face was shrouded in darkness, it was easy to make out his sparkling blue eyes as they stared down the lens. “Me, on the other hand? Well, I’ve never been the best talker. And, well, just look at my track record when it comes to singles titles. Two shots at the Roulette title, and I failed at both. My one shot at the World title, failed at that too. So it would stand to reason that I’m going to fail at this too, right?”
He uncrossed his leg from where it had been resting across his knee, and leaned forward with his hands clasped between his knees. “I know what everyone’s saying about me. I’ve never been more outmatched in my entire career than I am walking into Blaze of Glory against you. Not only because of the substantial size difference between us...but because of my own insecurities. Ever since Sierra and I dropped the Mixed Tag titles, my career has basically come to a screeching halt. Everyone had such high expectations of me as a singles competitor. They fast-tracked me straight to the top, said I would be a World champion in no time. And like the naive fool I am, I actually bought into the hype. I let myself believe everything that everyone was saying about me. And then, when I started to crash and burn…” He let out a mirthless chuckle, shaking his head. “Let’s just say I was not kind to myself. And then...I took it out on everyone else. I became something I didn’t like. No...I became something I hated. I started down a dark road, and I wasn’t sure that I could pull myself back from it.”
A small, fond smile made its way to his face. “But luckily, I have the best support system anyone could ever ask for surrounding me. So many amazing people who reminded me that they were always there for me, no matter what. They helped me recognize the darkness in myself, and got me to turn it around and find that passion for the business that I thought I had lost. So now, I find myself with a renewed sense of purpose in this business. A new reason to keep walking that ramp, and stepping into that ring. And it all starts on Sunday night.”
“Like I said before Austin, you didn’t really need that belt. Me, on the other hand? I need it more than anyone will ever know I need it to prove to everyone - especially to myself - that I still have what it takes to be in this company. That I am not the failure that my mind is telling me I am. I need it to silence all the doubters, all the critics - the real ones and the ones in my own mind. I know there’s so many people out there who may think me desperate and delusional for telling you all this - but I don’t care. The only thing I care about is getting my hands on that title. I’m backed into a corner here, Austin - and you know the saying about cornered animals. I’m a man with absolutely nothing to lose in this situation. There is absolutely nothing I will not do on Sunday night to ensure that my hand is the one held in the air when it’s all said and done. When I’m the one with that ten pounds of leather and gold held tightly in my hands. Don’t get me wrong, I have all the respect and admiration in the world for you and all that you’ve accomplished in this industry. But the respect ends once we’re across the ring from each other. I’m coming for that title...and time time, failure is not an option.”
