Chapter 2

• Gunner adjusted the phone, smiling to himself over his friend’s enthusiasm. He was back where he belonged in the ring, and he was loving every minute of it. He stood, grabbed his bag, and threw his black wrestling boots inside. Taking a deep breath, he knew as soon as he left the quiet of the locker room, he would be bombarded by EWI photographers and media. Not that he minded being photographed. It could be a nuisance at times, but it was just part of the life he chose. After months in rehab, he was back at it and couldn’t have been happier.
• A dedicated bodybuilder and nutrition guru, Gunner knew all the right things to do to set his body back on track after his injury. Through his tough training routine over the past six months, his rock-hard physique was more chiseled and bulked up than it had ever been before. Every bit of his six-foot-four frame was gloriously muscled to perfection and his hard work showed. Not to mention a hint of a neatly shaped stubble beard that set off his strong jawline with a long length of dirty blonde hair that completed his bad-boy look.
• “You know it, Gunny! The Tribe is back in the saddle again!” Zane let out a wolf-like howl, seeming more excited than Gunner about their return. “The pack is back, baby!”
• Zane Mercer, aka Lightning Kid, was always the most over the top of them all. A huge star in his own right, he had been the leader of the group until Gunner came along. At first, they became an unstoppable tag team that soon brought their peers into the fold. Having more years of experience, Zane mentored his friend to be the megastar he became. In time, he stepped aside, letting his friend take the leadership role of the Tribe behind the scenes, as they had yet to be a faction on screen.
• Now, it was all paying off.
• The growing fandom of the backstage crew made the owner Mr. Hargrove take quick notice and decide to use it for additional storylines. Where fandom was thriving, that’s who he put his money on.
• Now after many long years, it was their time to bring together their friends and make wrestling history. Zane would be the first to join the official crew on stage. Gunner would soon follow his lead and blast the group of notorious friends into superstardom. Nothing could stop the momentum that was building around them in the wrestling community. Handsome, tough, and full of vivacious spark, they had it all.
• It had been the smartest decision of Zane’s life, and for his family, to allow Gunner to take over the Tribe. He was able to focus on his future and those he loved. It also set the ball rolling for all the friends to have their wrestling dreams right at their fingertips.
• The truth was, Gunner watched over him like no one else could. Had it not been for his friend, his whole career would have fallen to ruin, as well as his marriage to his lovely wife and the welfare of their two children. Drugs played a big part in the downswing of Zane’s life for a lot of years, a curse a lot of professional wrestlers often carried in the early years of his generation.
• What started with pills for an old knee injury, led to years of heavy drinking, drugs, and partying. Just like the other men in their group. But not Gunner. Gunner was always on the straight and narrow, focused on his future while leading his friends to a better life.
• “I can’t believe Mr. Hargrove wants me to turn on you and the Tribe on the show so soon out of the gate. It’s going to be a wild ride until I finally get to join the faction with you. All of us turning heel together will blow people’s minds.”
• Zane taunted in a cutesy voice, “First you have to play this baby face angle and finish this little TV romance storyline you’re in. I can’t believe you went along with that sappy stuff. Look, get that harpy out of the picture as fast as Hargrove will let you. I’m not interested in listening to Daddy’s little girl whining all the time. Blair Hargrove gets on my damn nerves.”
• “No doubt about that. If people only knew how much of an annoying couple Blair and her man, Axel, are in real life. Thank goodness the old man is smart enough to keep those two from running things behind the scenes or we’d all be miserable. I’m glad I don’t have to be in a kayfabe relationship with her anymore after it’s over.” He sighed knowing that work issues weren’t the only reason he wanted out of the TV romance. “It’s not like having real companionship, ya know. Blair is annoying, but she is a good person. She’s been fairly understanding that I have put my life on hold for the business these last few years. She got her spotlight, just like she wanted and…”
• “And you can move on.”
• “Exactly. She’s going to be with her boyfriend as his manager soon. Now, I can finally start finding a real woman of my own. Maybe start a family, too.”
• Zane shook his head in annoyance at the admission. “You mean a mate.”
• “Shut up, Zane.” Gunner got quiet, shaking his head in frustration with himself. “I can’t put my hopes into that anymore. I wish I could.”
• “You’re having those dreams again, aren’t you? I’ve been noticing you’ve been on edge for a while now.”
• “Yes. They’re more vivid now than ever. The thing is—and I don’t know why—but something’s wrong. I feel a sense of sadness looming over everything. I can’t seem to feel happy. At least not for very long. Ever since the storyline where Blair and I got married, things have been different. Maybe it’s just the feeling of being lonely in my real life. In the next few weeks, she and I are going to have this divorce story. Maybe it will be okay after that. I can move on with my life and be myself again.”
• Zane looked out the window at the half-moon shining bright in the late winter sky, a halo surrounding it from the cold and blistery night. It was nights like this that his soul felt a change coming.
• “Spring will be here soon. Maybe it will bring you the peace you’ve been searching for. You can start looking into your own happiness instead of working all the time. You’re the leader of the Tribe now, Gunner. Everyone looks up to you. Remember, it’s okay to think about yourself sometimes. I wasn’t smart enough to focus on my well-being and look where it got me. I almost ruined my whole damn life. I’m always going to be at your right hand, no matter what. If you need anything, let me know. It’s going to be all right. I’m sure of it.”
• “I hope so. Anyway, I am ready to head to the hotel to rest. See you in a few weeks, right?”
• “Yep. I’ll have my bags packed. It’s going to be great to see you. Congrats on the return. See you soon, my brother.