________________________________________________
There was a definite tension in the air at In the Raw. Lita felt it thickly enough that one could probably slice through it with a knife. Everyone now seemed to walk on eggshells, especially around Dave.
She had heard all about the little meeting with the co-managers from Chris. He'd been so furious, and frankly, she couldn't blame him. The entire thing had been a mistake... Flair couldn't be blamed. She should have warned him and Stephanie.
"You couldn't have, though," Edge told her. "Ric wasn't even here when you first came."
Oh, that was right. He'd been on an excursion already, meeting Evolution, no less. So, it really hadn't been her fault.
She knew who was at fault for all the drama that had plagued the club, however - ever since her former band had arrived here... It was all Torrie Wilson's fault. That woman was nothing but trouble! She wondered if maybe she should have a little talk with Dave herself, just to set the record straight once and for all. But why would he listen to her? As far as Batista was concerned, Torrie could do no wrong.
Lita stood in front of the stage, her thumbs hooked loosely and casually in the pockets of her jeans. She was watching her former band do their soundcheck and realized that Sean was trying to get her attention with some subtle eye contact. She arched an eyebrow as he removed his bass and set it down on a stand on the stage. He stepped off and onto the club floor to meet her, his expression neutral as he grabbed hold of her elbow and steered her away.
"We need to talk," he whispered into her ear.
Lita's mood darkened even more as she caught the seriousness of her friend's voice. Furtively, she glance around the area, relieved Edge was occupied with something backstage. But how long would that last? She wasn't sure she wanted him to spot her with Sean, at least not when he had her by the arm like this.
They stopped in a dark corner of the basement, away from the managers' offices. She met O'Haire's eyes and frowned, question marks on her face.
"What is it?"
The large man sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair.
"We've got problems..." He cast a quick glance over by the stairs, checking to ensure that they weren't being overheard like they'd been that other time in the not-so-distant past. "... Torrie's blackmailing me!" he said in a loud whisper. "She's the one causing all this chaos with Dave. She's sick - she gets off on him being jealous."
Lita gave him an annoyed look and appeared seconds from blowing up. And the truth was, she did want to just march up those stairs, go find Torrie and beat her to a pulp.
"What?"
"She threatened to tell Dave and Edge, Amy," O'Haire whispered. "She's looming this shit over my head, and-"
"Oh, is that so?" the redhead asked in a loud whisper between clenched teeth. Her hands balled into fists as she felt her blood beginning to boil. What the hell was wrong with that chick? Apparently, a beatdown wasn't enough for her. Amy envisioned getting her hands on the blonde woman and smacking her in the face with her guitar. Oh, the pleasure she would get from that! At the same time, however, she certainly didn't want to get picked up for assault.
"We have to do something about her, Amy," the tall dark-haired man said. The expression on his face was surprisingly placid as he spoke. "The question is, what do we do?"
Lita narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed him. She kept her expression as serious as she could muster.
"Why don't we just kill her?"
O'Haire blinked and merely stared at the young woman.
"Sean, I'm kidding!" she exclaimed in a loud whisper, and she punched him playfully in the forearm. Jeez, she could never hurt another living soul - at least not in that way. And her friend had actually thought she was being serious for a moment there!
The man let out a breath, exhaling it all deeply. She'd really had him going for a few seconds! He smirked at her, appreciating her not for the first time in their friendship.
"Hey," he suggested, "why don't we give her a little taste of her own medicine?"
The redhead wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"I am not doing anything sexual with Dave... Not ever again - not in this lifetime!"
"No, I don't mean that," Sean said, shaking his head. "Well, not you, at least. I just thought of someone I know who lives around here... She's kinda..." He made a strange face and felt a bit badly about his thoughts, as the person he had in mind was a friend. "... Well, let's just say she gets around," he concluded.
"Who is this person?" Amy asked with a frown. She wasn't sure she liked this idea, even if it would pay back Torrie Wilson a few dividends.
"Just a girl I know," O'Haire said. "We don't even have to enlist her to actually do anything. As long as that bitch thinks she's done something, it might work out perfectly."
"Hmm," the redhead murmured. She nodded, beginning to warm up to the idea. "Okay... Give her a call, then."
"You bet your ass I will!"