May 31
10 a.m.
On a flight from Chicago, IL to Las Vegas, NV
After taking care of some business across the country, Malachi now found himself flying cross-country for his first official match with SCW. Beside him on the plane sat Bella Madison, who was accompanying him.
“Still not entirely sure why you’re bringing me to Nevada with you,” Bella said, poking Malachi’s side playfully.
He grabbed her hand and gave her a mock glare before kissing the back of her hand as he laced his fingers with hers. “Because, I may be an arsehole but I’m not stupid. I know that you weren’t safe back in Chicago right now. Besides, when have you ever complained about spending time with me?” he winked at her.
She giggled a little, resting her head on his shoulder. It was quiet between them for a few moments, and Malachi thought she might have drifted off to sleep before she spoke up. “You know, we’ve never really discussed...us.”
He raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him. “What do you mean, love?”
“Well, we’ve been...I guess, hanging out for about a month now…”
“Oh, is that what we’re calling it now? Just ‘hanging out’?” he teased.
She gave him a little shove. “You know what I meant, smartass. But I mean...where do you see this going between us?”
Malachi thought it over a moment. “I guess I never really gave it much thought.” He looked down at her. “What about you?”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “Well, despite the fact that you have an uncanny ability to make everyone within a mile radius of you hate your guts, I seem to be immune.” She laughed. “You’ve stuck by me through all this bullshit with my family, even though you didn’t have to. I guess...I just want to know if we’re officially together.”
He smiled slightly, tilting her face up to place a kiss on her lips. “I’d love nothing more, mo grá.”
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Later that night
Las Vegas, Nevada
Illuminated by the hundreds of neon lights lining the famous Strip of Las Vegas, Malachi leaned up against the railing of his hotel room, smirking towards the camera.
“Well, it’s about time, isn’t it? Bet that’s what everyone’s saying, now that I have my first official match here in SCW. But it’s not just any ordinary match. No, my brother, with his incredible need to have everything about him at all times, decided that he should be the one to pick my opponent. Oh sure, he can say that Mark Ward and Christian Underwood came to him with the idea, but this whole scenario just reeks of his interference. Guess he figures that he’ll try to soften me up before he attempts to run me out of the company.”
Malachi’s grin turned slightly vicious at the mention of his older brother Lachlan. "You think throwing some faceless nobody at me is supposed to send me running for the hills?” He let out a bark of laughter that echoed through the Vegas night, nearly swallowed up by the sounds from the street below. “Wonder who you’ve got on deck for me Sunday, hmm? Some useless twat out of SCU? Or maybe your vindictive side picked one of the tools from that gamer stable that swept the tag titles right out of your hands. Maybe that’s it. Because you know, deep down, as much as you’re loathe to admit it - you know that anyone you put in front of me will be annihilated in the middle of that ring. So you’ll use me to get a slight measure of revenge.” Malachi pushed off the balcony ledge and paced a few steps. “No, after what I did to you all those weeks ago, you’re probably just itching to see me get my arse handed to me, aren’t you? Well, unfortunately for you big brother, you aren’t going to get your wish. Because it doesn’t matter who you put across from the ring from me this Sunday...they’ll end up in a bloody broken heap at my feet.”
Malachi smirked as he folded his arms across his chest, leaning back against the balcony railing. “That’s why you’re keeping it all hush-hush, right? Hoping that maybe the element of surprise will throw me off my game. That I’ll be so caught up in trying to figure out who you chose that I’ll just lose all my focus and end up on the losing end. Well, sorry to say, but I’ve got some bad news for you.” He laughed slightly. “So go ahead. Throw whoever you want at me. The end result will be the same, no matter what. And maybe, once I’m done with your little puppet, I’ll find you and finish what I started in Dublin. Only this time…”
He pushed off the railing, coming in close to the camera with an intense look of hatred painted across his face. “This time, I’ll make sure you don’t get back up.”
