Page 28 of False Comeback
And I was the only one who knew why he’d done it. Because of me. Because I’d made him feel powerless and out of control, and he’d been desperate to get some of it back. He’d been desperate enough to act so reckless that he’d jeopardised the match, our safety, maybe even his job.
I should’ve still been fucking furious about it, and a part of me hated that I wasn’t anymore.
“Well?” Holt snapped when neither of us spoke. He focused on Crossbody. “I know that wasn’t what you rehearsed. Hogbody knows it, Corey knows it. So what the fuck happened, Crossbody? You could have seriously hurt Vince.”
Crossbody’s throat bobbed as he lifted his chin. He knew he was in big trouble. “I—”
“We decided to change it last minute,” I heard myself say.
I had no fucking idea why.
Holt whipped his head around to stare at me. “What?”
Keeping my gaze averted from Crossbody, I nodded stiffly. “We made the decision to switch it up earlier today. After our last rehearsal.”
Everyone was quiet as their heads swivelled between me, Holt and Crossbody. The latter stayed silent. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, stiff with shock.
“Why?” Holt spluttered.
I was struggling to come up with an answer, still with no fucking idea why I was saying this. Why I was helping him, when I should’ve been glad that he was in trouble.
“I—We thought it would be more entertaining if I almost got my signature move in, but Crossbody dodged it at the last second. Make the crowd even more desperate to see it the next time we fight.” Then, because I wasn’t completely selfless, I added, “Crossbody was supposed to let you and the production guys know.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, daring him to argue with that. I’d just got him off the hook for the stupid and reckless thing he’d done. The least he could do was take the blame for a small part in it.
He delicately cleared his throat, voice husky when he said, “Yes, that’s right. I… apologise for dropping the ball.”
“So it was a mutual decision?” Corey asked slowly, still frowning as he looked between us. “It was planned? It didn’t look like it in the ring. Vince looked furious.”
Crossbody tensed again and looked at me, letting me answer. He knew he was in the wrong here. He knew I was doing him a huge fucking favour.
“Yeah, it was a mutual decision.” I managed a tiny smile as I shrugged. “I’m just a really good actor.”
Holt spluttered in disbelief and threw his hands up. “You can’t just go changing the outcomes of matches willy-nilly, you dicks! I have reasons for who wins.”
I snorted. “Sorry, boss. Just keeping you on your toes.”
“I’m sorry,” Crossbody said throatily. But when I glanced at him, I saw that he was looking at me. Not Holt.
My gut tightened with something as Holt huffed and said, “I guess it did get the crowd extra pumped before the main event.”
Then he stiffened and pointed a pink-nailed finger at all of us, trying to look threatening.
“That does not mean you all get to start deciding who wins and who loses. I pick the outcomes. Hogbody works hard to make them seamless. It fucks the whole production up if you all just start doing whatever the fuck you want. And if you do, I’ll…” He looked around for inspiration. “I’ll take the TV away.”
Kit gasped, swinging down from their usual perch on a pipe on the ceiling. “But I like to watch the TV!”
“That’s right.” Holt was nodding emphatically, trying to look stern. “I can be a scary, mean boss. Trust me.”
Someone snorted, because none of us believed him.
“I can!” he insisted. “I can take away all your perks. Mads’ tuna tartare. Kit’s disgusting moth dust candy that I have to buy in bulk.”
Kit gasped again, glaring at both me and Crossbody. “I’ll kick you both in the dicks if you get my candy taken away.”
“I’ll stop letting Gabe and Biff fuck like animals at work all the time,” Holt continued, which made Gabe gasp dramatically and clutch Biff’s arm, looking distraught.
“No one is going to do it again, Holt,” Corey said patiently, then cast us all a stern look, focusing specifically on me and Crossbody. “Are we, team?”
