Chapter 2

• Isis couldn’t concentrate on the conversation on her TV screen while fixated on the big handsome Gage in his three-piece custom suit. Seeing him strutting around the ring like a lion on the prowl made her shiver with excitement. His long hair and scruffy beard made her swoon as much as the day she first noticed him. She had never met him in person but knew Wraith, Cyrus, and Gage had a friendship that had gone on for years.
• Isis’s start in the wrestling world began when the brothers trained her, following a botched move in the indie scene. Isis had a minor neck injury that could have been far worse than had been. She was lucky to have even survived because of the low-budget indie company that did nothing to protect its talent. After the accident, Wraith insisted on training her properly. In his words, he wanted to train her up right before a bunch of rookie backyard fools killed her. Once they trained Isis to her best abilities, she quickly got noticed by bigger companies, including their rival company, Wrestling Masters.
• Although she loved the brother’s help, Isis always wanted to get success on her own. In part, hoping to impress her secret crush. Wraith insisted he and his brother were a far safer training option than the low-end of the indie scene. Often, she bucked against them, not wanting to be the type of wrestler who got special attention because of her famous cousins. Isis soon learned that Wraith was hard to say no to. Because of his brooding demeanor, tattoos, and massive body build, few dared cross him. He could be very intimidating, but to Isis, he was just a big teddy bear of a man she looked up to.
• Finally, listening to the show that was now back from the commercial break, she did her best to focus on what was happening in the show segment.
• In the ring, Gage tried to convince Cyrus to join his faction, Justice. They wanted him as their bodyguard, going into the next big event. Justice was an ego-driven elite group of male wrestlers that Gage created with his mentor, Jacob Justice.
• Fans knew Jacob as a womanizer, even in his real life. They also knew him for his life of excess and opulence. The talk of fast cars and fast women made Isis’ stomach turn as the men worked to persuade her cousin into their web of lies. The four men full of egoistical misogynists, and Isis hated Gage had joined with them.
• “Jeez. Gage has become a total douchebag since he got a divorce. Being a heel for a storyline is one thing, but this is nuts. He’s sure not the guy I hear all these wonderful stories about from Cy. It’s hard to believe he’s the man who does charity work and would take a bullet for a friend. The one who helps new talent get their start and a leader for his peers. I can’t believe what I’m seeing right now,” Isis thought as she shook her head in disgust.
• Isis had become increasingly disappointed with Gage’s new elitist persona. Since the older wrestler, Jacob, made a comeback, Gage was taking on the man’s bad habits. She had loved Gage playing the heel character, but this was just an ego trip on turbo.
• On-screen, three women who were there for a showpiece were fawning over Gage as he strutted around the mat. Davis Preston, the owner of IWX, loved to take drama backstage, making it part of the show. It was why the storyline with Gage being a rich egomaniac was working so well. It was also part of what molded him into who he was becoming behind the scenes.
• Despite his ego-driven image; men wanted to be him; women wanted to be with him. But Isis saw it as nothing more than the egomaniacal self-sabotage of a man who once she admired.
• Isis turned up the television while clinging to Gage’s every word. Despite her disgust, she still couldn’t stop the butterflies that emerged every time she saw his face.
• “They don’t call us Justice for nothing. We are the judge, jury, and executioner of the IWX. Our crew will hold every major title in this company.” Gage flaunted around, taunting Cyrus.
• Cyrus chuckled. “Gage, the only way you are going to keep the IWX Heavyweight Title is getting through me or my brother.”
• Jacob stepped up, laughing at the scruffy man. “Cyrus, you couldn’t lace up Gage’s boots. You and your brother can’t hold a candle to any of us. Maybe having you as our bodyguard is the wrong choice. You don’t have what it takes.”
• “Old man, I don’t think you need to talk about my brother. He kicked your ass last week in this very ring. I think I even saw you cry when Wraith had you in that armbar.”
• Jacob tried to seem unfazed by Cyrus mentioning the beating he received while rubbing his arm. “I… I did not…”
• The rest of the Justice team fought to not laugh until Jacob looked around at them with a scowl. They instantly stopped smiling once Jacob glared at them. He might have been the oldest, but he was also their mentor, deserving of their respect.
• “The Doom brothers need to focus on being a tag team. Not worrying about the heavyweight title. There’s no way you are taking those titles from the Justice team. Drake and Nick will have the tag titles by the end of the night,” the handsome silver fox, Jacob, boasted.
• Music filled the arena, announcing the second and most fierce Doom brother taking the stage. As soon as his music hit, the fans were on their feet. As was Isis, who was cheering on her cousins.
• “Care to put a wager on it?” said a voice from behind the curtains.
• Wraith stepped out from behind the curtain to the stage with his cocky bad-boy way. No one compared to Wraith when making an entrance. He was the top of the pack since his introduction on the scene years before.
• Pacing the floor like a caged animal, he taunted his aggressors. The crowd erupted, seeing one of the biggest legends in IWX history enter the arena to take his stand. The Doom brothers were a fearsome duo and Wraith the leader. Separately, they are a force to be reckoned with. Wraith, the bodybuilding tattooed biker, and Cyrus the wiry, yet fit, backwoods hillbilly killer.
• Gage pointed to Wraith, provoking him. “Aren’t you supposed to stay away from me? I have a restraining order stating you can’t even enter the ring when I’m here.”
• Isis giggled at the comment. The fake restraining order paperwork was in her scrapbook, with pictures of baby ducks and emoji stickers decorating the paper. The whole paper had dirty jokes and one-liners written where legal jargon would have been. A joke from the writers on staff. Wraith had sent it to her a week ago as a cute gift. He was always doing little things to make her smile.
• The paper had Gage’s autograph written on the bottom with a special note to his number one fan. A special touch Wraith knew his younger family member would love.
• “I’m still one hundred feet away, Gage. It’s a long walk down that ramp.”
• Gage glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “All right, I’m up for a good bet. What’s the wager?”
• “If my brother and I win tonight, you get the lawyers off my ass, and we get a number one contender shot at the tag titles. I’ll even forgo kicking your ass and taking the heavyweight title — for now.”
• Gage smirked with a confident nod, clearly up to something devious. “If my Justice tag team wins, I get your motorcycle.”
• Wraith seemed furious at the idea. Isis knew the bike was his prized possession, and Gage was messing with him. There was no way Wraith would allow anyone to touch the bike, even for a television show segment. She knew Cyrus had mentioned the show was experimenting with cutting out pre-planned scripts, to add more real-life action to the show. Isis couldn’t fathom Wraith being okay with this, even if it was an act.
• “Hell no!” he yelled.
• The look on his face said it all. This was no scripted segment. Wraith was furious.
• “Scared, Wraith?”
• Wraith paced the floor, thinking of a way to remedy the situation he found himself in. He rubbed his dark full beard and ran his hands over his modern short, quaffed hair, saying, “Fine! I’ll do it.”
• Isis’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe it. How did Davis Preston talk Wraith into that as part of the storyline? She would have to call her cousin to get the scoop later. If Gage even so much as put a smudge on that bike, he would be a dead man.
• An hour later, Isis didn’t need to make the call. Her two scary cousins won the match in less than five minutes. After watching the show, she turned off the TV. Smiling to herself, she hoped to have the courage to be as amazing as her family was on that stage.
• Now she knew; she was ready to meet Gage Stone.