[Mac]

The clock is ticking

“Facing it, always facing it, that’s the way to get through. Face it.”
― Conrad Joseph

Too many distractions and adversity can quickly turn a proven champion into a chump. I knew it in my heart. The distractions were real. I had just won the Sin City World title back from Knox. Life should be golden, right? Nope, not in my life. My wife has decided to quit to help protect people from Masque. I was spreading myself thin in an attempt to block out the noise. To distract me from the matter at hand. Now I was faced with an opponent who is world-class at everything he does.


{Hell’s Gate Dojo - Grand Junction, Colorado - “Closure”}

There was a feeling of guilt as I sat in whisper’s office and looked down at the title belt. Whisper and Kat had been watching me the whole time. “This victory seems anti-climactic to me for some reason. Like I didn’t get him at his best.” I hadn’t even realized I’d said it out loud. Whisper smiles pleasantly, “Does it matter?” Kat frowned a bit, as she is known to do. I looked up at them both, “Don’t get me wrong, justice was served, and I took back this.” I raised up the belt slightly from my lap. “More importantly, I hope that I shed enough of his blood to soothe your wounds, Kat.” She nodded but said nothing. There was definitely something going on there but I would not pry. Not right now anyway. A more genuine smile crossed the lips of Whisper as she had been listening into my headspace. “The Wisdom of a sage,” she mused, shooting me a wink. Of course, she was, it was her way and I didn’t mind. “Baby sister, I truly hope that brought you some closure. I hope you’ll be able to move on from that now.” She nodded, obviously still holding something back from me.

She’ll come around when she’s ready was the thought that entered my mind. I nodded, then grunted as I stood up. “Still in pain?”, Whisper asked. I nodded, “Not as much this week but occasionally I still get twinges here and there.” I shrugged it off, “I hope you ladies will forgive me, but I need to step outside and get some air and a cigarette.” Kat smiled and nodded. “Of course, we’ll be here when you come back in,” Whisper murmured to me. I pulled the door open and headed outside. Whisper came out shortly after that, she laid her hand on my shoulder. “You know, in this industry, we are all just living on borrowed time.” I nodded, “We all have a timer, that’s true. It’s just a matter of being smart enough to know when it’s time to hang it up.” She smiled at me, “For a violent man, you are at times very eloquent.” I laughed out loud at her comment, “Glad I don’t always appear to be a buffoon.” She laughed that silvery laugh that she is known for.

“I know you are not happy with that match, it was written all over your face,” she began. “You accomplished both of your goals for that though. It doesn’t make you less for it because of what you think about Knox.” I nodded, but she interrupted anything I might say. “There was a third goal was there not?” I sighed, “Yes, whether it will be enough for him is another question. I’ve given him the tools to correct his course, I don’t know how that will work out quite yet.” She nodded her head, “Well, we can only lead them to a path, we cannot make them walk it. He will have to choose his own way from here.” I accepted that as gospel because Whisper was rarely wrong about much of anything. She was also known to be a good judge of character. She patted me on the shoulder, “And that is why I chose to help you to begin with Mac, underneath all that gruff is a very good man. Never forget that.”

Fade


{The Bane Ranch - Port Arthur TX - “Change of hands”}

Amber and I stood on the porch of the “Crooked M” ranch. The sun beat down on us unmercifully as we stared out at the land, now that it was back in our possession. There was hot then there was, “Oh for fucks sakes, why am I out here?” Amber was healing, probably at a much faster rate than anyone suspected. We had been out here for a while and she showed no signs of fatigue. I looked over at her,  “There are few things in life that give me greater pleasure than reclaiming what is mine.” I knew that what I had to say next was a sore subject for her.

“I had taken a deal from the hated Delgado family, based on advice from a friend of mine. It had all been part of a huge sting operation they were doing on this east coast crime family. So many things could have gone wrong, but I was still standing and had reclaimed the SCW World title. That could have also gone horribly wrong, but I’m still here to tell the tale.”

I mused to myself as I told Amber the story of how we got the ranch back. She shook her head and laughed. “So, that’s what that was about? You allowed Jeff to put you in harm’s way. I’ll beat his ass once I’m done healing, you can tell him I said that.”

I chuckled softly as she made her opinion known to everyone in the tri-county area. “Yes ma’am, I will make sure to relay that to him at my earliest convenience,” I said in a tone dripping with sarcasm. She motioned me to move along with the story and so I began…

[sixty days ago]

I was in the Beaumont, Texas Airport for a connecting flight. Catching up on messages and phone calls when my phone rang. I know the number, but she was in protective custody. “Senor Bane.” I paused for a moment, “You know you’re not supposed to contact me, those were Jeff’s explicit instructions, were they not?” I short pause and a giggle could be heard in the background. “I’ll put you on speaker,” she said with a lightness to her voice that I had not heard before. “Mac, it’s Jeff. She had my permission and with good reason, she’s got a gift for you.” I cringed, this could be really good or really, really, bad. Before I responded, I made sure to smile, I didn’t want her to think that I was mad or anything. “Alright, I’m all ears,” I said in the most jovial way I could muster. The reason was simple, she had been through so much. She had been sold into the sex trade by her own husband.

“Senor Bane, are you still with us?” I responded immediately, “I sure am, Mrs. D”. I was then cut off by Jeff, “Miss Garza,” he corrected me. “Of course, my apologies Miss Garza.” She laughed, “That is quite alright, it takes some getting used to. The reason I am calling you is to let you know, that your former property is being resold, and I would like to give you the first opportunity to buy it back.” I smiled, wondering how much this was going to cost me? “Okay, and what is the asking price?” Again I hear Jeff laughing in the background. “My asking price is two hundred and fifty dollars.” If I’m honest, I almost swallowed my tongue. “Now, why would you ask for a penny on the dollar that was paid for it? I’m more than willing to pay you what I paid for it.” Again more laughter from my old friend. “Because if not for you, myself and my children would still be in harm's way.” It was Jeff’s turn to interject, “Mac, do you have any idea of the net worth of her former husband? She got everything he owned in the divorce proceedings.” I absently scratched my chin and allowed a slow whistle to escape me.

“Okay, where do I need to go to finalize this transaction,” I asked them. Jeff spoke first, “In thirty days' time, meet us at the ranch and we can finalize it there.”

[present day]



The deed had been transferred back to me with all rights, which these days was a rarity to be sure. We had spent the last forty-five days undoing the damage that had been done and we still had a long way to go. Progress was progress though, much like my broken friendship with Knox, it was better but still a long way to go. So this was when the real work started. There were various tunnels that had been used to smuggle people into the united states from an inlet about 3 miles from here. Filling them in was already going and surprisingly enough all of my cattle was still here. Maybe being known as “Cowboy”, wasn’t such a bad thing after all. More importantly than all that, I was able to bring all my ranch hands back to work. I still preferred the one that Whisper had given me. “The Harbinger of Violence” however was a story for another day.

They were all gathered around the ranch house, the sun had just come up and they were all looking at me. “Look boys, I wouldn’t blame any of ya for being pissed at me for selling the place, to begin with. I know you guys and gals were collecting unemployment, I’m sure that at least part of you had to pay into the IRS.” There was some low-key murmuring in the group, not really angry murmuring but some commiseration to be sure. “If you did, well, I’m sorry. More than that though, bring me your statements and I’ll make sure you get reimbursed one hundred percent.” I was caught off guard by the gasp of shock from the bunch and I smiled. “Surely you didn’t think I was that big of an asshole. It’s hard enough to make a buck right now, no way I’m going to make you pay twice for my decision-making.”

I smiled again as some of them had huge grins on their faces. “You folks ready to get to work?” They let out a roar of approval and we were all set to work. After they started to head out to carry out their tasks, my foreman, Joshua remained behind. “None of this bunch was ever mad at ya, you know?” I smiled at my oldest friend, a guy that I went through school with from first grade all the way to graduating high school together. “Well, Josh, I know I would have been if it had been me on the receiving end.” He chuckled a bit, “Son, you pay double what anyone else around here does. These folks would have to go work in the refineries to even get close to that kind of money.” He started to walk away, “I get it Josh, and if I can help it they won’t be put in that position again.” I turned around and was walking backward when he responded, “I know Mac, and we’re proud to work at the Crooked M.” With that, he tipped his hat to myself and Amber and got to work.

Looking over at her I said, “What a strange trip it’s been. Long before I started winning championships, my wife at the time, Melissa, and I lived in a studio apartment in Port Arthur. As a second-generation wrestler, I was working indy shows very early on. In between that and then serving my country….let’s just say we were what they would call dirt road poor. So, when I started making good money, that’s when all of this…this dream became possible. When I became a rancher, I didn’t know shit about it or the work involved. This was not a place that had been handed down through generations where I would have gotten all that knowledge from my father or grandfather. I bought this place not long after my first world title reign began. Right before buying this place, I talked to friends from high school who worked at other ranches. Most of these folks.”

I motion off in a vague direction.

“Had been involved with rodeo circuits and such, so they knew their way around cattle. That’s where we started learning together. I lost a lot of money in the beginning as we started figuring things out. It took almost five years of struggle to get this place worked into a productive, working ranch. I’m telling you this story, so you’ll understand that I have no quit in me. I don’t give up, and I have a very blue-collar, never say die attitude. My love, that being said, this is not a shot at you or your desire to quit so that Masque will go away.”

Fade


{The Bane Home - Las Vegas - NV - “The plan”}

I really preferred not to be cooked alive, but this was Vegas and it was summer. So, I tried to keep my bitching to a minimum as much as I could. I mean, I grew up bailing hay, I should be used to this but that was a long time ago. I had spent so much of my adult life in milder climates, in some ways that pussified me. I didn’t like that either. Regardless of that, Amber and I were talking about this plan of hers. She said it again, “If I don’t go back, she’ll leave.” I shook my head in dismay and disbelief. I sighed at first, “Red, I think you are misjudging her. I don’t believe for a moment that she will be satisfied with you quitting the business.” Her back stiffened as I challenged her theory. “To me,” I began, “She’s not that type of person.” She frowned at me, “How do you know this won’t work?” I smiled at her, “I don’t know that it won’t work, I’m not trying to be a pessimist here or anything like that, just don’t be surprised if this backfires.” I take a sip of coffee, it had become lukewarm and slightly bitter. We had been out here on the back porch for a while I realized. I don’t even make a face at the taste, I instead take out a cigarette and light it. I chose at that moment to cover up the bitterness with nicotine. I exhaled slowly as I thought of a way to smooth this over.

“Okay Red, we’ll try it your way,” I said finally to break the silence. She nodded, and I knew she was praying that she was right. I was as well, even though I know that people like Masque won’t simply go away until maximum damage was achieved. Mercedes was in for a long fucking night, and it wouldn’t matter whether she won or lost the match. She was simply going to lose, in our house, we had respect for her, too bad it was wasted on a corpse. She was like we all were, just playing a game we couldn’t win on borrowed time. Hers was simply shorter than most. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in Miss Vargas, it was just the cold brutality of being honest. She was outmatched in this match and everyone knew it but her. As for my own, well if I’m honest about that. I was also probably outmatched as far as most people were concerned. Then again, I was in a place that only a select few could say they had been. I wasn’t supposed to be here at all.

“I remember when I first started in the business, my own father told me that I sucked and I would never be what he was, “A Champion”. It got worse as I started to stretch my wings and visit different companies. I was told time and time again that the best I could hope for was to be a curtain jerker. “ I was just talking out loud and Amber smiled. “Fifteen world title reigns later…not too bad for a curtain jerker.” I smiled in return, “It’s alright I guess. They also said the same thing about me when you and I started seeing each other. That you were out of my league and I was grasping at straws.” She laughed softly, “They were half right,” she said in a sarcastic tone. It was my turn to laugh, “Yeah, you were definitely out of my league, no doubt about that, and you still are, my love.”

Fade.



[/center] The Test [/center]

Standing in front of the camera, still having red splotches on my face where the lacerations were healing, albeit slowly. With the world title slung over my shoulder and a grin on my face.

Ben Jordan.

I shake my head in disbelief, not only for this dream match but that I didn’t start that the way I had planned.

My apologies, I got a little excited there. I would be remiss if I didn’t start with the man I won this title from. Matt Knox. The Raven, I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it, that match had to happen, friend. I know we don’t see eye to eye on many things, but I think that was for the best. I don’t say that because I’ve got the title back. To be honest, I didn’t want it to be a title match. You and I shed damn near enough of each other's blood to float a battleship. Unfortunately, that’s the way it had to be. In order to move forward or close out that chapter, I think we should be on our way, maybe not the way things used to be, but to the point where I don’t want to kill you on site.

My smile remains as I continue.

One of the things that’s always impressed me about Ben Jordan is his honor. I’ll say it again, he’s got enough for four people. Think about it, do you know a lot of people who would turn down a title opportunity because they don’t believe they’ve earned one since coming back? Despite the fact that he’s done everything there is to do in Sin City, he’s a man that doesn’t depend on his past accomplishments to get over with the fans or with the people in the locker room. To put it more simply, he’s just a good human.

My smile broadens at the amount of respect I’m showing the man. I know the praise is justified, a thousand percent justified.

When Ben and I square off there’s a lot more at stake than many would think. If he beats me in a nontitle match, you have to consider him a contender. A win like that elevates him back into the main event.  Then there is more adversity that I become thrust into. I told Mark and Christian that Ken gets the next shot, I don’t care if it causes the entire roster to have apoplexy. That’s the way it’s going to be.

I bow my head for a moment, now with the smile gone.

What about the inverse of that, what if I completely dominate this match?  What if I completely destroy the Cockney King? Does that ruin his legacy? Does it make him less important to the landscape of Sin City? No, not at all. Ben is who he is, that’s a lot to hang your hat on by itself.

I’d forgotten how good it feels to heap praise on another competitor. My return to center feels really good right now and I hoped it showed.

If he beats me he will have beaten one of the most dominant champions that Sin City has had in a long time. I make no excuses for the mistakes I’ve made, I own them all. I’ve made plenty but in long run, I think I’m far better than most will ever give me credit for. That’s not really much, most of the roster gives me no credit at all. 

The smile returns with a hint of remorse.

Being a three-time world champion. It’s rare in most companies these days. I’ve done that in less than two years here. That also means I’ve lost this title twice. Some would like to shame me for that. Except when you consider who I lost to. Alex Jones and Matt Knox, i feel no shame at all for losing to either of them. It’s why I hand-picked both, I love testing myself against great talent.

The smile remains but with a twinkle in my eyes to reveal how much I’m enjoying this right now.

My friend Ken challenged me for this belt. Was it a mistake to accept his challenge so openly? Time will tell, but I don’t believe it is, not because I think I can beat him. He’s another on the roster that has been overlooked. He wants to step up and prove that he is every bit as good as advertised. I can’t fault him for his reasons, everyone wants to chase the gold that I hold. If they don’t then they don’t belong in this business.

I loosen the ponytail and allow my hair to flow loosely as I start getting close to the end of what I need to say.

It all leads back to Ben Jordan, and I mean this in the most complimentary way I can manage. It was me that called you out Ben, and it made you so mad that you went and resigned with Sin City. I know the words I used then were not complimentary, nor were they kind. At the end of the day, you came back and have been trying to reestablish yourself as a main event contender. You were never willing to rest on your laurels or past accomplishments. I’m glad you’re back, regardless of the reasons why.

I tip my black stetson to him and a wink follows.

This place has needed you for a long time, the locker room has few leaders and fewer that can carry this place's torch like you did. I know that you love this company and it’s the only place you’ve ever been. Your passion runs deep for this place and so does mine. It’s the only reason I’m still here. In a lot of ways, I’m the only reason it’s still standing. I gave this place star power, visibility, and most importantly credibility. I’m not ashamed of any of it. I regret nothing I did in the last two years. I regale in it, whether anyone likes it or not. I love the fact that you came out of isolation to shut me up. Thing is, I have a big fucking mouth son. I don’t get shut up or shut down that easy. Respect aside, I’m still YOUR world champion.

Fade.