doubled over in pain. Holt then grabbed him by the shirt, swung him around and connected his first punch against the side of Bryan’s head.
“What the fuck is going on out here,” Gene yelled from his door. “Holt? Bryan?”
“He jumped me for no reason,” Holt answered before taking another shot at Brya n. Security and other wrestler s began to move in and a flurry of hands and arms came between Holt and Bryan, prying them apart.
“Holt stop,” Garrett growled in his ear.
“Admit it,” Bryan yelled, blood dripping from his mouth.
Confused Holt glanced from Garrett to Bryan. “Admit what?”
“Admit you hurt Emma.”
“What?” Holt pushed his hair back and cocked his head to the side. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the cut and bruise on Emma’s forehead. I’m talking about the fact that she’s taken your side and abandoned her family. You did that. You beat her into taking your side.”
In a flash, anger sliced through Holt and he ripped out of Garrett’s grip. He launched himself at Bryan, shoving him against the wall a second time. “You motherfucker. How dare you accuse me of doing something so vile?”
“It’s true,” Bryan spat. “She told me herself that she’s taking your side. Why else would she do that when just last night she promised to stand by me?”
“I love Emma. I would never lay a hand on her.” Holt growled. “But I have no problem knocking your lying ass into next week.”
Garrett grabbed Holt a second time and pulled him free of Bryan. “Enough!” Gene stepped between the two men. He turned to face Bryan. “Holt never laid a hand on Emma except to help.”
“Then why-”
Gene shook his head. “He has witnesses. Jill and Garrett were in the room when she fell and Doctor Andrews confirmed it was an accident. So knock off the accusations.”
Eyes wild, Bryan looked from Holt to Gene and then on to the others. “You’re all in on this together. It’s a conspiracy. You screw me out of the title shot and then alienate my family. Fuck you!” he spat at Gene. “Fuck all of you.”
“That’s it!” Gene yelled as he wiped his face. “I’ve tried to be patient with you, Bryan, but enough is enough. I don’t know what in the hell has gotten into you, but I’m not going to put up with it. Get your shit packed up. You’re suspended until further notice and you are not allowed to come back until you’ve completed an anger management class and seen the company therapist.”
Bryan’s eyes widened then he immediately calmed. “Fine. If that’s how you want it, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.” He wrenched his arm away from the security guard and pointed a finger at Holt. “This isn’t over, pretty boy.”
Sometime later, Emma was still reeling from her earlier confrontation with Bryan when the phone rang. “Hello?”
“Hey bug, it’s me. I heard you’re down real sick again. How you feeling?”
“Who told you I was sick?”
“Holt. He called and said he didn’t figure you’d call me because you wouldn’t want me to worry, but he knew I’d want to know.”
“Holt called you?”
“Yeah, Holt called. How come you didn’t tell Bryan what was going on?”
Emma’s heart sank with the realization that her older brother knew nothing of their sibling’s devious plan. “Bryan knows, Derek. He hasn’t called you, has he?”
“No and I was watching the show last night. What in the hell happened?”
“It’s a very long, very complicated and very ugly story that I’m afraid is about to get uglier before it gets better.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
Emma spend the next twenty minute filling Derek in on everything that had been taking place, including Bryan’s threat to Gene, his false climb toward the championship and the ultimatum Gene gave Holt. She told him about being ill and Bryan’s
“What the fuck is going on out here,” Gene yelled from his door. “Holt? Bryan?”
“He jumped me for no reason,” Holt answered before taking another shot at Brya n. Security and other wrestler s began to move in and a flurry of hands and arms came between Holt and Bryan, prying them apart.
“Holt stop,” Garrett growled in his ear.
“Admit it,” Bryan yelled, blood dripping from his mouth.
Confused Holt glanced from Garrett to Bryan. “Admit what?”
“Admit you hurt Emma.”
“What?” Holt pushed his hair back and cocked his head to the side. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the cut and bruise on Emma’s forehead. I’m talking about the fact that she’s taken your side and abandoned her family. You did that. You beat her into taking your side.”
In a flash, anger sliced through Holt and he ripped out of Garrett’s grip. He launched himself at Bryan, shoving him against the wall a second time. “You motherfucker. How dare you accuse me of doing something so vile?”
“It’s true,” Bryan spat. “She told me herself that she’s taking your side. Why else would she do that when just last night she promised to stand by me?”
“I love Emma. I would never lay a hand on her.” Holt growled. “But I have no problem knocking your lying ass into next week.”
Garrett grabbed Holt a second time and pulled him free of Bryan. “Enough!” Gene stepped between the two men. He turned to face Bryan. “Holt never laid a hand on Emma except to help.”
“Then why-”
Gene shook his head. “He has witnesses. Jill and Garrett were in the room when she fell and Doctor Andrews confirmed it was an accident. So knock off the accusations.”
Eyes wild, Bryan looked from Holt to Gene and then on to the others. “You’re all in on this together. It’s a conspiracy. You screw me out of the title shot and then alienate my family. Fuck you!” he spat at Gene. “Fuck all of you.”
“That’s it!” Gene yelled as he wiped his face. “I’ve tried to be patient with you, Bryan, but enough is enough. I don’t know what in the hell has gotten into you, but I’m not going to put up with it. Get your shit packed up. You’re suspended until further notice and you are not allowed to come back until you’ve completed an anger management class and seen the company therapist.”
Bryan’s eyes widened then he immediately calmed. “Fine. If that’s how you want it, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.” He wrenched his arm away from the security guard and pointed a finger at Holt. “This isn’t over, pretty boy.”
Sometime later, Emma was still reeling from her earlier confrontation with Bryan when the phone rang. “Hello?”
“Hey bug, it’s me. I heard you’re down real sick again. How you feeling?”
“Who told you I was sick?”
“Holt. He called and said he didn’t figure you’d call me because you wouldn’t want me to worry, but he knew I’d want to know.”
“Holt called you?”
“Yeah, Holt called. How come you didn’t tell Bryan what was going on?”
Emma’s heart sank with the realization that her older brother knew nothing of their sibling’s devious plan. “Bryan knows, Derek. He hasn’t called you, has he?”
“No and I was watching the show last night. What in the hell happened?”
“It’s a very long, very complicated and very ugly story that I’m afraid is about to get uglier before it gets better.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
Emma spend the next twenty minute filling Derek in on everything that had been taking place, including Bryan’s threat to Gene, his false climb toward the championship and the ultimatum Gene gave Holt. She told him about being ill and Bryan’s
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