Tony Gamble
He stands there in front of the door for what seems like an eternity, but it had been no more than a couple of seconds. He wasn’t sure if it was nerves or the seafood stuffed salmon he had on the flight earlier, but the murder royale occuring in his gut had yet to decide a victor. It had started not too long after Tony had called Ben Walsh to let him know he was going to be in town. Ben had a few ideas about Tony helping him promote the car dealership he managed.
He did not tell him that the reason he was in town, was to confront his wife, Vickie, about how her daughter came back positive of being his in a DNA test. Tony had never met this woman, and was only aware of the possibility of one child he could have fathered. The thoughts raced through his mind since he had received the results, the late great Dale behind the wheel of one in particular.
Had his child actually survived the accident, only to have a nurse with a desire to raise a child of her own rip it from the womb. Violet was only a few weeks away from giving birth, and babies have been born prematurely longer than that with no issues or defects before.
Anything was possible at this point.
He presses the button on the Ring doorbell, the familiar chime ringing in his ears for a moment before the sound of Ben’s voice can be heard. “Tony, you made it!” He sounds even more excited than he had at the restaurant. “I’ll be right there.”
“I’ll be here,” Tony replies, like it wasn’t obvious. As hard as he felt this was going to be, he needed answers.
It did not take long before the door swung open, and Ben Walsh stood before him with a smile the size of Texas reaching out to grab his ears.
“You’re really here,” Ben’s eyes twinkle like a schoolgirl meeting her first crush. “Violet told me you were probably just being nice, and that you probably wouldn’t even call. Oh shit…please come in.”
Ben steps aside as Tony walks past him, closing the door behind him, then motioning for Tony to follow him down the hall and into the living room.
“Is Violet here?”
“Yeah,” Ben answers, pointing up toward the ceiling. “Think she’s in her room on her tablet or something. Tons of homework coming due, but unless it’s the night before she just ignores it.”
“Kids,” Tony laughs awkwardly. “Am I right?”
“You have any?” Ben motions for Tony to have a seat.
“Pretty sure I have one out there,” Tony responds with a nervous chuckle.
“Drink?” Ben makes his way to a very nice bar, multiple bottles of liquor on the glass shelves behind it.
“I’m not much of a drinker, but I think I’m going to need one tonight.” Tony feels his heart pounding against his chest like an 808. “What do you recommend?”
“I have this bottle of Suntory that…”
“Not really fond of the Japanese,” he interrupts, pausing briefly to think of the right type of liquor. “Whiskey, right?”
“Yeah, it’s a whiskey made in Japan. Really high quali…”
“It’s too flowery for me,” Tony cuts him off once again. “I’m going to need something stronger than that.”
“I got a bottle of Johnnie Walker that’s crazy good.”
“Sounds good to me,” Tony gives him a wink as he does the double guns salute. Then quickly regrets doing it.
“Hey, babe,” Vickie Walsh walks into the room, a Metallica tee drapes loosely over a dark denim colored pair of jeans that makes Tony realize that she was definitely the type of woman he would have slept with back in the day. “I’m gonna go grab a coffee with Debbie. She thinks Jay’s cheating on her with his new sec…”
“Hey,” it was all Tony could muster, when she stops her sentence short upon seeing him sinking into the sofa – his feet dangling just over the carpeted floor.
“I’m sorry,” Ben chimes in. “I thought you heard the doorbell.”
“No,” she replies, looking over at Ben. “I was drying my hair.”
“You remember Tony,” he walks over with two glasses in his hand, handing one to Gamble. “The guy from Perry’s.”
“Oh, the wrestler,” she nods. “Don’t know how I forgot about.” Instead of saying the scar, she makes this weird circular motion with her finger to point out the left side of her cheek.
“It’s what most people remember about me,” Tony chuckles as he stands, taking a quick drink of the scotch. “You really haven’t met me before the other night though, have you?”
“No,” she shakes her head. “Can’t say that I have. I was in a really bad mood when I met you, so I’m sorry if I said anything rude or looked at you funny.”
“I don’t think you did,” Tony looks back and forth between the two of them, the words he is wanting to say struggling to part his lips to make their escape.
“Great, nice to see you again.” She walks over to Ben and gives him a kiss on the cheek. “But I have a friend that needs a shoulder to cry on, so I will leave you two to talk about whatever it is you’re here to talk about.”
“Have fun, hun.” Ben gives her a side hug before she starts to walk away.
“Wait,” Tony’s voice is choppy, the nerves squeezing his throat in an attempt to stop the words he’s been trying to say for the last few minutes.
She stops short, turning back to look at the man that has beads of sweat forming on his brow. “Yeah?”
“I, uh…I need uh…” he rubs at the back of his neck, his face nearly matching the drapes hanging in front of the windows. “I need to…show you something.”
“No,” she says it as soon as she sees Tony grab and pull up the bottom seam of his shirt.
Tony pauses, a confused look on his face as Ben interjects. “I mean, let’s hear him out.”
They both turn to Ben.
Tony still looks confused.
Vickie looks a little pissed.
“Oh, it’s nothing like that,” Tony realizes what they must have thought, and proceeds to pull a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket.
Vickie sighs in relief.
Ben frowns, clearly disappointed.
“I need you to explain this to me.”
Tony walks over, certain the couple can hear his heart using his chest like a trampoline, and hands the paper to Vickie.
She takes a bit to unfold it, but eventually opens it up and reads over it quickly.
“Looks like a paternity test.”
“It is,” Tony nods his head.
“Well if you know that,” she looks as confused as Tony did a moment ago. “Why are you asking me to explain it to you?”
“That’s not what I want explained,” Tony takes a breath, as the tears he had been keeping at bay start to gather at the corner of his eyes.
“Wait, is this about…” Ben looks up, Vickie’s eyes follow his gaze.
“You don’t think?” She turns back to see Tony staring daggers at her, as the suicidal tears begin to jump from the ledge one by one.
“Violet’s my daughter.”
= = = = =
“I get that she’s your daughter, but you’re just going to hop on a plane to San Antonio and what?”
“I don’t know what, Frank!” Tony’s voice is erratic and loud. “All I know is what I told you the other day, that I was going to deal with this after the Battle Royale.”
“Then maybe you should have asked Troy to give you some time off, because she scheduled you for a match.”
“I did,” Tony stuffs a few pairs of boxer briefs into a bag small enough to use as a carry on. “But she said no because I didn’t have a match on night one. Apparently the people that wrestled on both nights needed this Revival off.”
“I guess I can see the logic in that,” Frank sighs as he watches Tony ball up a few shirts, then stuff them into the bag as well.
“I’ll just be gone a few days,” Tony attempts to reassure Frank that this trip is not going to be a problem. “And when I get back, we can double up on the training.”
“That simple, huh?”
“I showed Morty what he needed to do to beat Zion,” Tony rolled up a pair of shorts, continuing to prepare for his trip by having them join the rest of his clothing. “Clearly I know what it’s going to take to win this match.”
“So you’re just going to ignore Sage?” Frank shakes his head, gently rubbing his temples with his thumbs.
“I mean, I’m not going to ignore him,” Tony starts, as he zips the bag closed. “But if Ria was able to beat him, he shouldn’t be that much of a threat.”
“I know you truly believe that,” Frank laughs softly under his breath. “But he’s more of a threat than you think, and it is just as easy for him to get the pin on Zion before you do.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s true, Tony,” Frank shakes his head in disbelief. “I know you don’t give a damn about the wins or losses, but maybe you should. Especially when you have guys like Eddie Cross calling you the Permascar Sortastar on Jabber.”
“Eddie’s a hot head that thinks he’s a lot better than he actually is,” Tony turns to look at Frank, a genuine smile on his face. “But even I have to admit that that was a good one.”
“Are you kidding me?” The frustration on Frank’s face is pretty evident now.
“No,” Tony replies. “I might even add it to the list on my bio.”
“Oh my God,” Frank walks over and places a hand on The Grin’s shoulder. “Tony, you’re so much better than this, and you know it. Hell, everybody in that locker room knows it.”
“Exactly,” Tony reaches up and places a hand on Frank’s shoulder. “I don’t have anything left to prove.”
“You’re wrong.”
= = = = =
“I’m not wrong,” Tony replies, pointing at the paper in Vickie’s hand. “And that proves it.”
“This is crazy,” Ben brings his hands to his head and makes an explosion motion with them.
“This doesn’t prove shit,” Vickie balls up the paper and tosses it across the room. “Besides, I know I made some bad decisions when I was younger, but I know who Violet’s father is.”
“I know you said that you gave birth to her, and have proven most of my theories wrong so far,” Tony squats down and picks up the paper from the floor. “But could it be possible that she was switched with another baby girl at the hospital?”
“No,” Vickie shakes her head. “They had a band around her ankle that the nurses checked before they would even let me hold her.”
“There has to be an explanation,” rubs his brow with the tips of his fingers.
“How did you even get her DNA to run the damn test?”
“I took her fork off the table.” Tony answers her quickly, his eyes shut as he contemplates any other possibilities
“You did what,” Vickie’s voice cracks. “Is that even legal?”
“It was just there on the table,” a shrug accompanies Tony’s response. “Wait, why are you trying to change the subject?”
“The only thing I’m trying to tell you,” Vickie gets in his face. “Is that it is impossible for you to be Violet’s father!”
“What’s going on down here?”
Everyone’s attention turns toward the source of the voice.
There, wearing a black tee with an image of Tanjiro from Demon Slayer preparing to unsheathe his sword, is Violet.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Vickie makes her way to her daughter, grabbing her by the arms and guiding her back toward the stairs. “Go on back up to your room and I’ll…”
“Shouldn’t she know the truth,” The Grin interrupts, waving the paper in the air.
“She knows the truth,” Vickie yells back. “I think it’s time for you to go Mr. Gamble.”
“Mom, what’s going on,” Violet asks, looking back over her shoulder. “I could hear you guys arguing with my headphones on.”
“It’s just a misunderstanding, dear.”
“Vickie’s right, Tony.” Ben steps between his wife and Tony. “It’s time for you to leave.”
“So you’re not going to let me speak to my daughter.”
“His what?” Violet pulls her arm away from her mother’s grip.
“Like I said,” Vickie closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “It’s just a misunderstanding. Now do as I say and go up to your room.”
“It’s not a mistake,” Tony says as Ben escorts him toward the front door, waving the paper in the air once more. “I have proof.”
Violet looks up at her mother, confusion in her eyes.
“Mr. Gamble ran a paternity test that says he’s your father,” Vickie explains. “I told him it was impossible, but he said he got it from your fork at Perry’s and won’t take no for an answer.”
“I had shrimp and fries,” Violet responds to her mother.
“What?”
“At Perry’s,” Violet looks past her mother, at The Grin and Ben who are staring back at her. “The waiter took my silverware when I ordered, since I didn’t need it.”
“But the fork was next to your plate,” Tony’s shoulders drop, the light in his eyes slowly dimming.
“I told you that there was no way that Violet was your daughter.”
“Olivia,” Violet whispers.
Vickie turns back to look at her daughter.
Ben looks up.
“What did you say,” Tony asks, making his way back toward Violet.
“I uh…” Violet stammers, suddenly nervous. “I picked Olivia’s fork up off the floor when she dropped it.”
“Where can I find her?”
“I don’t know,” Violet shrugs her shoulders slightly. “She’s gone.”
= = = = =
“What do you mean, she’s gone?”
“The house was empty,” Tony wraps tape around his wrist as he speaks, making sure to keep it tight.
“That’s insane, boss,” Domingo is sitting across from him, lacing up his boots.
“I thought I was going crazy,” Gamble rips the tape with his teeth, then makes sure the tape is secure around his wrist. “But I recognized her the moment Violet showed me the picture on her phone.”
“It doesn’t make any sense though,” Frank rubs at the back of his neck. “I thought she was dead?”
“So did I,” The Grin stands, then starts to stretch a bit. “But Victoria’s not dead, and neither is Arriana, and she knows that I know.”
“It’s gonna be hard to find her,” Cruz looks up from his boots, and over at Tony. “You think you can get your detective buddy to bend the rules for you again?”
“I haven’t been able to reach him,” Tony takes a quick look at his notifications, making sure he did not miss a call or text from Sargeant Dickson. Nothing from him, but apparently Eddie is at it again on Jabber. “This dude.”
“Not the reply you were expecting?”
“He still hasn’t replied, Frank,” Tony walks over and shows him the post from Cross.
“Eddie’s still giving you shit,” Frank chuckles softly.
“Dude wants the smoke,” Domingo laughs obnoxiously, pulling his shirt up and over his head to remove it. “But can’t even handle the second hand. That vato’s loco, is what it is.”
“He’s definitely got something wrong up in his head,” Frank looks over at Tony, a smile on his face. “That ain’t what we’re here for though.”
“No, we’re not.” The Grin’s head shakes from side to side, as he starts waving his arms a bit to stretch them out. His eyes focused on both men across from him. “We’re here because I need to figure out how I’m going to win this match.”
“A triple threat match is always tricky,” Frank motions for Cruz to circle Tony. “Last thing you want to do is end up like Ivan, in a position where there is nothing for you to do to stop someone else from stealing your victory.”
“You ready, boss?” Domingo starts to get a biot closer as he circles.
“No.”
= = = = =
“Why not?”
“Because we can’t just move you for no reason, Victoria.”
Victoria Henderson walks over and shoves her phone into a man’s face. “This is the reason, Pete!”
There is an image of Tony Gamble with his arm around Ben Walsh, Violet and Olivia in front of the two of them, and Vickie behind Ben on her phone’s screen. She pulls her phone away, clearly distraught about the whole situation.
“There’s no reason to believe that he even knows who she is,” Pete Moran stands up and makes his way over to Victoria. “You’re worried about nothing.”
“He got too close,” she pushes his arm away as he tries to comfort her. “I don’t care if he doesn’t recognize someone he has never met, I can’t take that chance.”
“Fine,” Pete throws his arms up in defeat. “I’ll file the paperwork, but he’s never been seen as an actual threat so I don’t know how the brass is going to react.”
“We faked my death and kept his daughter from him, Pete,” Victoria shakes his head. “You think he’s not going to be upset about that?”
“Well, Victoria, you were supposed to be finding a way to connect him to Monteverdi not sleeping with him. We had to pull you out.”
“I know,” tears streak down her face. “I should have told him the truth, though. He wasn’t connected to Monteverdi, and therefore not a threat.”
“We didn’t find a connection, but it never proved that there wasn’t one.”
“He can’t find out about her, Pete.”
“He won’t.”