The truth shall set you free.
Johanna never really cared for coffee. It just wasn’t something she enjoyed. Occasionally having a cup to wake herself up in the morning. But never getting the appeal of using it as a conversation device. The term “go and get a coffee” never resonated with her as a reason to spend time with anyone. Yet here she was a few days after the false abduction and interrogation from the hands of her father. And a large mug of coffee steaming in front of her at a small cafe in the center of town. She had buried any anger she had deep downl, after he had tried to get information from her, after the questions and the attempt at intimidation Johanna had been furious.
As you would expect.
But as the last few days went on, remembering that after she had figured it out it all fell apart and she was swiftly taken back to her apartment without answers, the anger changed. Suddenly the main thing that came through her mind was curiosity. Why did her father get involved? He had told her to drop it, to walk away and now here he was butting his nose in her business. And what about Gustav? Why was he meeting with? She had not brought it up with him, she felt guilty, she should trust him. But there was something there, in the pit of her stomach that made no sense to her.
She reached out and took the mug drinking down some of the coffee, she made a face as she tasted the almond milk and hazelnut flavour before looking up at her father who was sitting across from her. His hands clasped together and looking her up and down.; He was looking at her differently than ever before. Not as a daughter but as an informant.
Johanna didn’t like it.
It made her feel dirty, distrustful. Even though her job over the last year had been to weed out and find corrupt cops and basically spy on her own, this was different. This was her father. ”I’m….sorry about the measures we took. But I had my reasons.” His voice was soft but also full of authority. It was one she knew quite well growing up. And in that moment she felt like she was ten years old again. Being told off for getting clay on the walls. ”You have to understand that operations like yours. They cannot go unchecked.”
Johanna took a deep breath trying to keep it all in, the questions as well as the anger. The hypocrisy of the situation was not lost on her. He stared at her and tilted his head sideways, he knew his daughter well and knew when she wanted to say something. Johanna leaned forward across the small table putting her arms down to balance. ”Now you care about things going unchecked? And you pick on us?” She scoffed and threw her hands up in the air before taking another drink of her overly sweet coffee. Her father shook his head and turned, pulling a file from his bag placing it in front of her. ”What is this?”
He stayed silent for a moment, his eyes moving from her to the file and back again trying to tell her that she should open it. Johanna just sat there staring being obstinate. ”Read it….” She stayed silent again unfolding her arms over her chest. ”Please”
She let out a deep sigh and picked it up, opening it. There was the same picture from the interrogation, Gustav with the unknown man. But then behind it were others, taken at different times at different meeting places, Gustav with the same man. Talking, sharing papers. This didn’t look good. Johanna put them down and cleared her throat. ”So, what do you want to know? Because I have no idea who that is.” She swallowed hard and tapped her fingers on the table. ”I can’t help you…” Johanna grabbed her things and shuffled out from the booth.
Her father reached forward grabbing her arm. ”Please, Johanna sit.” She took a deep breath and sat back down with a shake of her head. ”I understand how you feel, that you are angry…”
”You could say that…”
Her words spit in anger, her father sighed heavily and continued choosing to ignore it. ”I have been asked to look into your task force and specifically Gustav.” Her anger rose higher, her hands closing into fists. ”So, I would like you to keep an eye out an-”
That was it, Johanna had enough. ”Are you kidding me?” She snapped, her voice raised and people in the cafe looked over startled at her. She lowered her voice and leaned in. ”First I bring you evidence of corruption, I show it to you..you told me to drop it…” She pauses with a small growl under her breath. ”I found people who were already investigating, I was right...and now you want me to look into THEM?” She let out a scoff and a tut before turning her legs to the side and trying to leave again.
”He’s dirty Jo…” She stops, her father took a drink of his own coffee, black no sugar. He set the cup back down and looked up at his daughter with a shake of his head. ”Gustav, he’s been living well beyond his means. And information from your investigation has been leaked.” A chill went down Johannas spine. She had been tasked with finding the leak by Gustav, sent on a wild goose chase. She thought back to his office, everything he said.
Could it have been a lie?
She slowly sat back down, looking at her half drunk coffee before drinking the rest quickly. ”Tell me what you need…”
In defence of Sam
”You should never guarantee anything in this business…”
Johanna looks up through a veil of blonde hair, her mouth twisting into a black lipstick painted grin. Her teeth looked even more white with the contrast.
”Jesse Salco made them, so did Char Kwan. Both of them failed miserably in their promises to themselves and any fans they believe they had. And all I have done is tell the truth. I told you all that Jesse Salco got lucky, people rolled their eyes, called me a sore loser and even Jesse Salco herself, a woman who throws out challenges week in and week out and tries to earn shots by talking instead of winning, decided I “wasn’t worthy”. But, the powers that be in this company actually understand what is real in this world and I got my rematch. When the dust settled, Jesse Salco was laying there broken, beaten and championshipless.”
“A state that she should be used to being in really.”
“But the fact remains, she promised she’d beat me. Just like Char Kwan did. She made the same mistakes that Jesse did and I went into that match ready to destroy her. And that is what I did. It’s what I always do. You people don't seem to realise what SCW has in me. I’m not simply another name on the roster. I’m not a goddamn piece of eye candy, I’m not just a good ”Wrestler”. I am a pure force of destruction and mayhem. When I get in the ring I don’t just look to beat my opponent in an exciting match to send the fans home happy and to collect my paycheck. I don’t just do my job. No, no, no. I beat people down…”
“I make them question if they really want to do this or be here anymore.”
“I make them humble.”
“I did that to Roxi Johnson, I did that to Seleana Zdunich, I did it to Jesse and Char. This is what I do to people. And it’s about time SCW admitted to themselves that they have a monster in their midst. Not a monster in size, I’m no Tempest. But a monster in attitude and skill. See when I get in that ring and the roulette wheel spins, I smile at all the violence I can put on my opponent. And the saddest part is that I don’t need the variety of weapons and match types that are on there..”
She can’t help but shrug and fold her arms over her chest. Her face covered in her black warpaint.
”I can do it by simply being me. But, that being said this week on Climax control I defend MY roulette title against a woman whose name is perhaps the most closely related to it. See while Samantha Marlowe has held other titles in this company. Most specifically the world bombshells title. But, this one, this one is the championship that everyone else thinks of when they see Sams name, and likewise, when they see this championship, most people think...Samantha Marlowe..”
Johanna holds up the Sin city wrestling roulette championship, her fingers wrapping around the main faceplate, pointing right at her name on the nameplate at the bottom.
”It is a hell of a thing Sam, being able to be so closely linked with a championship. And, I know most people are wondering why I am not taking offense to you asking for a title shot. And this right here illustrates my point. See, Jesse Salco whined her way into one, you, you challenged me, and you have earned it not only through your recent successes but also because of that name. And if I want to be a champion that people can respect then I should face the woman who is the face of the Roulette title. The woman who is tied for most reigns, but who has over six hundred days as champion, the most defences in a single reign and also the most defences combined.”
“It’s a hell of a record and a great career and while I usually like to get in the mind of my opponents with you I really can’t say anything negative about it. I mean, my god Samantha I can’t even fault you for calling me out. That takes guts. It takes real bravery to call out a woman like me. As good as you are you also have to be smart and know that facing me isn’t like facing a lot of the other women that you have been in the ring with.”
“And part of me hoped that they would delay this match after what happened last week. Wait until after the holidays.”
“After what happened to you and Sierra at the hands of Tempest I thought, well I thought you might need a few weeks to recover. See a beating like that is bad, a beating like that can definitely stop you from being your best. And if you aren’t at your best against me Sam, well, you’re in trouble. Hell, you said it against Sierra, you wanted her best right? That’s what I want from you, I want you at your best because Samantha Marlowe, one hundred percent, well that’s dangerous.”
Johanna smirks and raises an eyebrow pacing back and forth seemingly excited about the match.
”And I want that Sam, I want to go into this match on my toes. I want to be known as a great champion, and to do that I need to beat someone like you. I have beaten the loudmouth dregs, I have beaten the former champions. But now, well now I need to beat the woman who made the Roulette title a prize to begin with. And yes, that is you Samantha.”
“You are the roulette division.”
“You are a future hall of famer”
“And I am going to take advantage of that. That’s why I went out of my way to accept this match Sam, to use you. And while it is putting my title at risk, cause clearly you know how to win it and are an expert at it, the real winners in life are those that follow the high risk high reward mindset. So I will put this championship on the line against the face of it, I win and I get to add your name proudly next to former Bombshells champions like Seleana and Roxi….I get to say I beat the most prolific Roulette champion of all time...while I then go on...to break every single one of your records…see you Sunday…”
