If every moment of his life was given a one through ten score based upon how proud he was at the time, getting arrested in the boardroom of the office building owned by Nathan Eacott definitely wouldn’t be reaching the higher end of the range for David Helms, and being realistic, a negative score may have been necessary based on the shame he felt as police escorted him from the building in handcuffs to a waiting squad car out in front of the building.
He was at least thankful for the fact that one of the cops, presumably someone who recognised him, had shown the foresight to throw David’s jacket over his head to cover him up, but if the news didn’t break that David had gone psycho in a high rise office of one of the most influential men in California by the evening then David would be ready to question whether Elias had lost his touch. He had played right into the hands of Nathan Eacott with his lashing out, and even David had to admit that if the tables were turned and it was Eacott who had made such a gross error of judgement, then he would find it hard to resist tossing Eacott to the journalistic wolves, for want of a better phrase.
How could he be so stupid? How could he have been such a fucking idiot to think this was going to end in any way other than him in cuffs, heading to the nearest holding cell? What a dumbass…
The red mist had descended, and now he had to deal with the consequences. Elias had gone out of his way to warn him against doing something like this, he’d explicitly told him to be careful and not to do anything that was going to come back to bite him on the ass and David being David, had clearly paid no attention to that warning whatsoever because David Helms always knows best, doesn’t he? What an idiot.
And now he was being processed at the LAPD headquarters, sat in a holding cell only a few blocks north of where he was arrested in the first place, his wrists sore and surrounded by people that had made decisions just as dumb as his own that day. He sat on the bench that ran along the wall, rubbing at his wrists and doing his best to ignore those around him as he contemplated just how much he’d fucked up with this one. He’d done his best to hide everything with Eacott from Regan, trying to avoid adding more shit onto her already-overloaded plate, but that wasn’t going to work now, was it? Even if he could hide the fact that he’d been arrested, there was no way that he was going to get away with doing what he’d done. And Eacott was the kind of asshole to make sure the whole world was aware of what happened, even if he could hide the arrest from his wife!
And yet as he sat there, waiting his turn with processing, David was still debating whether he should use his one phone call to contact Regan or not.
This wasn’t the first time he had found himself inside of a police building over the course of his life, and he was no stranger to the call of shame, asking to be bailed out or needing help after an arrest. It was the first in a good few years that was true, but this wasn’t his first rodeo… and while he knew he should tell Regan what had happened, a big part of him was still hesitant to do so. Did she need to be dragged down to the LAPD Headquarters to drag his ass out of jail? Wouldn’t it be better if he told her what had happened once he was home, under his own terms?
“David Helms!” The yelling of his own name pulled David out of his thoughts and at first he thought he’d been recognised by one of the people he was sharing the bullpen with, but after quickly scanning around, he heard the clicking of fingers that drew his attention to the corridor outside of the cage and he spotted one of the cops that had been there for his arrest, standing with a second uniformed cop that he didn’t recognise. “On your feet buddy, we don’t have all day.” His voice wasn’t exactly hostile, but it was obvious to David that this guy didn’t have a great deal of patience either.
David pushed up from the bench and walked towards the door of the holding cell, his hands held out in front of him. “I haven’t had my phone call yet.” The cop shrugged as he unlocked the door and pulled it open for David to step through and David continued to hold his hands out, expecting to be cuffed.
“Plenty of time for that.” Helms expected his wrists to be cuffed again as he stepped into the corridor but the cop shut and locked the cell door again before shaking his head. “Just follow me. Dietrich, keep an eye on him.” So he wasn’t being cuffed. That was promising at least. “We’ll get you processed first, and your attorney already called. He’s on his way here as we speak.”
Wait, what? How the hell did Heath know that he’d been arrested?! He couldn’t know! Unless… Elias, maybe? Eacott sure as hell wasn’t going to do him any favours by making calls on his behalf, that was obvious… unless the worst had already happened and the media were aware of his arrest?! “How the hell did my attorney find out I’d been arrested?” The cop simply shrugged.
“I just week here, brother…” And that was all David got by way of explanation; the cop clearly didn’t care enough, beyond doing his job. And it was fair; David had done something that resulted in him being arrested, he didn’t deserve special treatment and he couldn’t expect a regular blue shirt to know the details of every arrest in the station either. “This way.”
David followed the big guy along another hallway that opened into an open room, with a desk on one wall next to another doorway. Rows of chairs sat in one half of the room, evidently this wasn’t just a processing area but also a waiting room. “Can I make my phone call now?” He’d already made his mind up about who he was going to call before he’d even left the holding cell; despite knowing that he should call Regan, get her to bail him out and then take her to explain everything, he wasn’t going to do that.
The cop shook his head though. “Soon as we get you processed, we can arrange that but not until we’ve got you booked.”
“This Helms?” the desk sergeant at the booking desk asked as Helms approached, flanked by the two cops and got a nod from the arresting officer. “Okay buddy, need you to confirm the usual; full name, date of birth, address.”
“David Patrick Helms, november nineteenth, nineteen eighty.” It was almost comforting to see that the booking procedure hadn’t exactly changed a great deal over the years. “Seven one four oh Mulholland Drive.”
“In the hills, huh? Don’t get many people from that zip code in here on assault and battery charges, among other things...” The cop didn’t even look at him as he tapped the details into his computer. “We have your prints on file, mug shot checks out but what you say we update these anyway, huh?” The desk sergeant finally looked at Dave. “Mr Helms, do you appreciate the severity of these charges? Assault, battery, trespassing, property damage… could even throw attempted murder at you if we wanted to push for it. You are in a lot of hot water right now my friend, I hope you appreciate that?”
“I’m aware of what I’ve been accused of.” He knew damn well that he was guilty, at least of some of the things they’d try to pin on him anyway. But that didn’t mean he was going to hand them an admission of guilt on a plate. Not until Heath turned up anyway. “How about that phone call though?”
“How about you wait until we print you and grab a nice new publicity shot first?” The desk sergeant had a smirk on his face that served to annoy David, but he bit his tongue. He didn’t want to end up in deeper trouble because his smart smouth ran away from him. “Room’s free, Flynn. Print and mug him then stick him in room six. His attorney shouldn’t be far out by now.”
“And what about my call?” David was pushing for it now. He knew Heath was coming, but he also knew that he had rights and that he’d need to arrange bail.
“There’s a phone in the interview room that you can use once we’ve got you processed.” It wasn’t the desk sergeant that spoke, but the cop that had arrested him. Evidently the asshole behind the desk was finished with him, having dispensed his orders and turned back to his computer. “This way.” And David followed. He wasn’t going to make things worse, he wouldn’t make a scene or say anything that may only add to his troubles, either by adding further charges for kicking off with the cops or admitting guilt that left him without a leg to stand on, where his defence was concerned.
Helms followed the cop through the set of doors next to the processing desk, which opened onto a long corridor lined with more doors, as well as an open doorway to the left. They went through that doorway, where Dave found himself in the mugshot room. It was a far cry from professional photoshoots he’d had with SCW, that was for sure. “So where do you want me?” He couldn’t help himself, he was used to asking the same question whenever he had to have promo shots taken, but he at least managed to keep a grin from his face as the cop looked at him.
“Prints first,” David walked behind the cop, towards a computer at one side of the room. The cop tapped enter to wake the computer and then typed something into search query box, that seemed to pull the database up. David stopped paying attention; he didn’t want the cop thinking he was too interested in what the screen was showing and it was only when the cope spoke again that David looked back at the computer. “Can see here that it’s been a while since you’ve been brought to our attention. Things have moved on a little in that time, so there’s no need to worry about getting those fingertips dirty. This pad here.” The cop pointed at a little electronic pad next to the computer, about the size of a computer tablet. “When the screen comes on, place each finger and thumb one at a time in the designated spot. Just follow the instructions on the screen.”
David did as he was instructed, scanning each print in turn as the tablet told him to. The cop wasn’t wrong; the last time he had his finger prints taken, it was an ink pad and paper job. He was also fairly sure that his previous mugshot was from back when his hair looked like he’d stuck a fork in a plug socket too. “Alright, all done.” He couldn’t help looking at the end of his fingers as he finished his left hand, shaking his head at the fact that they were clean.
“Okay, take this.” The cop handed him a little white board with his name and a number on it, along with the name of the LAPD precinct. “You know the drill. Up against the wall, front facing first, then profile.”
If nothing else, David did at least appreciate the fact that this cop, whatever his name is, was going out of his way to make sure everything was done as quickly and without fuss as possible. Not that he could really blame the guy; this was probably his life most days of the week, and David imagined that anything to make the process quicker was probably looked upon favourably. He did as he was told and walked towards the wall that had the height indicator stuck up on it and turned to face the camera, holding the board up below his chin. Even after all these years, the flash of a camera still blinded him and he was thankful that one shot was enough as he turned to his right and then his left to repeat the process twice more before he was done. “Can I get my phone call now?”
The cop sighed. “Look buddy, contrary to popular belief, we’re not going out of our way to just fuck people over in this place, alright?” It was odd. A wall seemed to come down almost as he spoke, as if he was tired of having to deal with the attitude but also just as tired of putting on the hardass act himself. “We’re not withholding your phone call from you, it’s your legal right to make it. But this is a process and we have to jump through the hoops just as much as you. So lay off, okay? As soon as we get you in the interview room to wait for your attorney, you can make your call.”
The cop quirked an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. Eventually, David sighed and nodded his head. “Sorry. It’s not been a great day.”
“No shit.” the cop stifled half a grin, trying to maintain his professional demeanour. “Quite the list of charges bud, can’t wait to hear your side of the story. Come on, let’s go find you that phone.” David followed the cop back out of the room and down the hallway. Every door in the row they passed was marked as an interview room according to the plaque on the wall next to the doorway, and they stopped at room number six, just as the desk cop had instructed. “Phone’s in there. As your attorney’s on his way, we’ll hold off on the interview until he arrives; last thing we need is a celebrity claiming that we didn’t follow due process, after all.” This time he did crack a grin before turning to unlock the door so that David could enter. “Hit nine then dial out. I’ll be back when your attorney shows up.”
“Thanks.” The cop simply nodded and David walked into the room.
The door was closed behind him and the sound of the bolt sliding across was like a gunshot in the otherwise quiet room as David turned to look around him and take everything in. There was a table in the middle of the room, with four chairs, two either side of it. A phone sat on top of the table and there was walking room all around it, probably so a cop could walk around in a circle during an interview, but that could just be that David had watched way too many cop shows over the years. Sighing, he made his way to the table and sat down at one of the chairs and lifted the receiver, casting an eye up into the corner of the room at the security camera before beginning to dial.
He hit nine and then did his best to push in the number for Lucas’ cell from memory, and as the call started to connect he pushed the speaker phone button and replaced the receiver back on the body. “Hello?” The voice that answered the call sounded confused, which was probably due to the unknown number on the screen if anything, but it was definitely the right voice regardless of confusion. It was definitely Lucas.
“Lucas, it’s Dave!” He sat leaning forward towards the phone, as if moving closer to it would speed up the entire process and make the situation somehow better than it currently was.
“Dave? Where the hell are you?!” The confusion in his voice was replaced with concern suddenly, which caught David off guard. “Matty’s been out looking for you, said he’d had a call that you were in trouble!”
“You could say that.” David stifled a nervous chuckle. “Cops busted me, I’m at LAPD headquarters right now, this is my one phone call.” He had to wonder if he could get away with more than one call if he wanted to, given he’d been left alone, but the light on the CCTV camera in the corner of the room was blinking, so he’d probably find cops rushing in the room if he did try it. “I may have done something stupid… but look, I can’t go into all that at the minute, alright? What are you doing right now?”
“Right this minute?” David wanted to hurry him along, but he knew that wasn’t exactly the right way to go about convincing his friend to do him a favour. “I was just about to leave for the gym, you caught me as I was leaving the house, but what the fuck happened mate, why you been locked up?!”
David physically waved away the question, not that Lucas could see him do so. Standing up, he leant his palms on the table as he continued to speak into the phone’s mic. “Look, I don’t have the time for that right now; Heath’s on his way here and I don’t exactly know much at the minute because they haven’t interviewed me yet because he’s not here, but I have a feeling I’m gonna need someone to make bail.”
“Lemme guess; you want that someone to be a ruggedly handsome Englishman?” Despite everything, David rolled his eyes. “Depends how much it’s gonna be mate, but I’ll help where I can. Should I call Regan or anything?”
“No!” David hadn’t meant to be quite so blunt when he shouted no almost immediately and he had to take a moment to compose himself before explaining. “No, don’t bother Regs with this bro, she doesn’t need to know yet.”
“Don’t bother her? She don’t need to know?” Lucas sounded flabbergasted. “Dave, sorry bruv, but you’re clearly talking out of your arse if you think Regan don’t need to know you’ve been banged up. And you know what she’s like when she’s kept out of the loop; look how she reacted when we revealed the Lucho’s were us three, she flipped her bloody lid!”
“This is different.” Yeah, that was true. This was actually serious, for a start. But David ignored that little nugget. “Just, if I have any chance of getting out of here today, I’m gonna need bail money and obviously I can’t pay that myself, so I need someone to do it for me.”
“Sure, happy to help mate, but I think it’s a bad idea keeping Regan out of the loop like that. I mean, you’ve been arrested mate, she’s gonna find out eventually ain’t she?” It was a logical argument, and David couldn’t argue with the facts. Yes, if things went badly, then obviously Regan would find out eventually, especially if it went to court. But David didn’t want to delay things that far anyway, it wasn’t as if he wanted to keep this whole thing a secret permanently, he just wanted to buy himself an hour or two before sitting down with his wife to explain everything from the beginning, under his own terms. “And even if I was to help you keep the secret, Trin’s gonna notice a bail charge on the credit card bills mate, not like I can hide that one, is it?!”
“It is if you charge it to the Fighting Spirit company account.” He wasn’t sure where that had come from, but he was thankful he had managed to conjure it up from somewhere! “I can transfer the money back into the account when I’m out of here… whenever the fuck that’s gonna be.”
“Fucking hell, you think of everything don’t ya?” David could hear the laughter in Lucas’ voice as he spoke, and David nearly cracked a smile too. “Alright, I can do that mate. Still think you ought to call your Mrs mind, but if you don’t wanna, then that’s up to you. Where do I need to go?”
“I don’t know yet. Well, I know where obviously, but not when. I’m waiting on Heath to turn up.” Given the wonders that Heath Mitchell had pulled off on his behalf over the years, David at least had a hope that he’d be out of there soon enough, but given the charges… there was a very real chance that Regan would end up finding out what had happened from someone else anyway, given what had happened. He may not be getting out any time soon, staying there overnight or maybe longer. He may not even get bail! “I guess just keep your phone handy and be ready to shoot over here if Heath calls you?”
“Alright, I can do that I guess.” David felt back that he was dragging Lucas into all of this, and worse that he was basically asking him to keep his secrets. But if Matty had already called him as Lucas had mentioned, then he was dragged into it already, wasn’t he? “Heath has my number anyway… and all this bollocks makes me think we need some sort of fund put aside for future lawbreaking, whatever the fuck you’ve done. Maybe I’ll have him set something up through the company accounts. I mean, it probably ain’t gonna be the last time one of us gets arrested is it, let’s be honest…”
Despite himself and the situation, David couldn’t help but smirk at least at that. It wasn’t a bad idea, all things considered. “Not the worst idea you’ve had, bro.”
“All my ideas are solid gold mate, you know that!” He was still laughing as David sighed and sat back down at the table. “So come on bruv, what the fuck you done to end up getting arrested, huh? You do something to Elias, or was it that Eacott prick? Jesus, you ain’t murdered him, have you?!”
David let out a loud humourless laugh. He wasn’t far of trying to do that in the eyes of some, he was sure, and if the cops thought they could throw that at him, they’d probably try. But he didn’t have the energy to go over it all, knowing he’d have to do so with the cops soon too. “I’ll explain it all when I see you next, bro. But I don’t want to say anything right now until I’ve spoken to Heath. Walls have ears and all that.”
“Fair enough, fair enough. I’ll keep my phone handy then. Hopefully you’ll be out of there soon enough.” David hoped he would be too. He thanked Lucas once again and ended the call, hopeful that between Heath’s brains and Lucas arriving like a white knight with a credit card shaped sword, he’d be out of there before the sun had even fully gone down. Though he was also aware that he may still be there when he came back out again, depending on how the interview went.
It couldn’t have been more than five minutes later when the sound of the bolt sliding back on the other side of the door snapped David out of his thoughts and back to reality. He jumped up and turned to the door expecting a cop to walk in or Heath. When he saw who did walk in, he was left speechless. “David, how’dya do, sorry it took me so long to get here, traffic was awful but I suppose that’s to be expected at this time of day, isn’t it? I’ve brought you a coffee by the way, here ya go.” David took the coffee but it was out of instinct more than choice as Elias Crane turned back to face the arresting officer that had been dealing with David since his arrival at the precinct. What the hell was going on?! Where was Heath?! The cops said his attorney was on the way, but this wasn’t his fucking attorney. The guy hadn’t gone to law school or tried a single case in his life! The closest he’d got was breaking laws, and David knew that for a fact! “If you could give me a few minutes with my client, I’d be very appreciative. Without the cameras if you don’t mind. Attorney-client privilege, sure you understand. Thank you, thank you.” How the hell was he doing it?! The cop had agreed, he’d allowed Elias to usher him from the room! The door swung shut and the bolt was put back in place, and David turned to look up at the camera in the corner of the room. Within seconds, the light went out. Elias stepped into the room and walked over to the same corner David was looking, and reaching up he pulled the power supply for the camera out of the wall, for extra peace of mind before turning back to David. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ sunshine, are you outa your bleedin’ mind?!”
“Elias, what the fuck?!” David stared at the brit, wide-eyed as the problem solver sighed heavily and threw his briefcase down on the table between them. He reached over and pulled the cord out of the back of the phone too, just to be safe. “They said my attorney was on the way; I assumed it was Heath!”
“Don’t be fuckin’ soft, you pillock. Heath’s got no fuckin’ clue you’re here.” Elias shook his head and sighed; he wasn’t just angry with David over what he’d done, but disappointed that he could be so stupid too. “What, ya think that plonker’s sat in his office, monitoring everythin’ you get up to, just waitin’ to spring into action an’ save ya from trouble again?”
“I’d have said that was more likely than you showing up here pretending to be him!”
“I ain’t pretending to be him.” Elias popped his briefcase and pulled out a business card from inside a pocket in the lid lining. David took it from him and read. “Lester Dreyfus, attorney of law. Says so there on the card… so tell me David, what part of don’t do anythin’ fuckin’ stupid didn’t you understand earlier, eh?!” He snatched the card back from the New Jerseyite and put it back in his near-empty briefcase and slammed the lid shut again. “I fuckin’ told you Dave, do not fuck wi’ Nathan Eacott or you’ll get burned, an’ what have ya done? You stormed into his office an’ made him look like the fuckin’ good guy in all’a this! Jesus, you really are a shower of shite, ain’t you?!”
“Oh fuck you, ‘Lester’, you know what he did to deserve it!” He wasn’t exactly sure how much he believe those words, or how much weight they held, but he wasn’t going to back down even if he did regret flipping out how he had done earlier. “That prick threatened the people I love, did you really think I was going to let him get away with that?!”
“Do you really think those cops are gonna let you get away wi’ what you did?!” It was the near-perfect rebuttal, if for no other reason than David couldn’t argue the fact. The chances of him getting away with it were pretty slim to say the least. “So how’s about we both accept we’ve been a bit naughty an’ move on, eh? ‘Cause fuckin’ hell Dave, this one’s taken me some effort to sort out, you wouldn’t believe what lengths a’ve ‘ad to go through to get you art’a this shit, sunshine!”
David came up short at the words he heard come from Elias’ mouth. In fact, he wasn’t sure he had heard them, or maybe that he’d imagined them. “Dude, what the fuck are you talking about?!” He had to be hearing things, there was no way Elias had just told him that he’d got him out of trouble, surely?! “What do you mean you’ve got me out of the shit?!”
“What’s it sound like, ya plank? A’ve smoothed it over wi’ Eacott, ain’t I?” David could have kissed him right there and then. If he wasn’t quite so fucking smug anyway. “You went in there all full of piss and vinegar and then get yourself locked up for your troubles and the first thing ol’ Eacott does once the plod’s gone is call yours truly to tell me all about it, don’t he?”
David let out a sharp laugh. “So he was gloating huh?”
“Well, he had a lot to gloat about, to be fair.” Elias rolled his eyes. “I told ya not to go playin’ silly beggars, an’ what did ya do? Ya went playin’ silly beggars! But he thinks he’s won nar Davey boy. Thinks he’s got you over a barrel, even when his attorney calls to drop the charges.”
“So he’s actually dropping the charges?!” David couldn’t believe his luck, not when he’d done what he had anyway. It wasn’t as if it was just some minor misunderstanding between the two, David had gone in there with the intent to hurt the asshole! “Jesus christ, how the fuck did you pull that off?”
Elias shrugged. “It’s all about knowin’ what strings to pull, mate.” He seemed a little blase about the whole thing despite David being impressed that he’d managed to pull it off. “He was thinkin’ the threat of a court case loomin’ over you would be a good way of applyin’ the thumb screws over that gym of yours, but I pointed out that you’re a stubborn cunt by all accounts an’ there’s less obvious ways to go about it.” Well, he couldn’t argue that; he was stubborn, and if Eacott had tried to blackmail him into selling using the threat of jail time as his bargaining chip, David probably would have dug his heels in and fought it the whole way. “Then it were just a matter of givin’ him a few choice bits of advice an’ suddenly he thought it were all his own idea… but don’t for a minute think that you’ve got away wi’ this scott free, sunshine, ‘cause you ain’t…”
David shook his head. “Bro, I don’t care what you have to do in order to convince Eacott you’re workin’ for him, if you get me out of this mess, I’ll happily sit on my hands and leave it to you to figure out.”
Elias opened his briefcase again and checked his phone. “His lawyers should be makin’ the call as we speak. Word of warning though, it’s not gonna be pretty, even if you ain’t gonna be tossin’ anyone’s salad in prison any time soon. Instead of lettin’ this play out in court, he’s gonna let it play out in the court of public opinion. His press team is already workin’ on a plan to spin this shit to the media…”
“Guess I need to--” David didn’t get any further through his sentence, because there was a knock on the door and it opened right after, with the cop that had first arrested David standing in the doorway.
He had a look on his face that David found hard to read, a mixture of annoyance and something else. Surprise, maybe? Troubled? Either way, he didn’t seem over the moon when he finally opened his mouth to speak. “Seems like it’s your lucky day, David. Eacott’s attorney called; he’s dropping all charges… I’m here to take you to collect your things, you’re free to go…”
And just like that, David could read the expression that was mixed in with annoyance. It was amusement. He was actually amused by the situation. “I’m free to go? Just like that?”
“Much as it pains me to say it, you are indeed free to go just like that.” The cop gestured to the open door and Elias snapped his briefcase shut and stood up before waiting for David to do the same. “I don’t know what magic Mr. Dreyfus worked, but Eacott’s attorney said they’ve reached an agreement that works for both parties and he doesn’t wish to pursue criminal charges, so there’s nothing we can do about it. If only you’d have attempted to assault one of my colleagues or me, huh?” He let out a dry laugh at that, and David did his best to chuckle too, even if he was confused. Elias nudged him covertly with an elbow and David jumped forward before heading for the door, and the cop simply turned to walk back through to the room where the booking desk was located. The desk sergeant he’d dealt with earlier was gone, and the cop who’d collected David instead walked behind the desk and picked a clear plastic bag up from beneath it, placing it on the desk. “Your belongings.”
“It’s really this simple?” David couldn’t believe his luck as he removed his keys, phone and wallet from the bag. “I just take my stuff and go?”
“Your car was impounded, details can be found here.” The cop put a piece of paper in front of David. “You need to sign here and I take the top copy back.” He handed David a pen and David scribbled his name along the bottom before the cop took the top copy for himself and handed David the second copy. “And you need to sign this too, to say you have received your belongings.” He put a second form in front of David and the New Jerseyite signed that too. “And that’s it. Please try and stay out of trouble Mr. Helms… you’ve had a lucky escape this time, please don’t push your luck and try it again.”
“Don’t worry bro, no need to tell me twice.” David shot the cop a grin, who promptly rolled his eyes before simply gesturing to the door and Elias fell in step with him as David made for the doorway as quickly as he could without it looking suspicious. The air outside was like bliss, as he stepped outside and took a deep breath. He’d been in custody hardly any time at all, but when he was convinced that things weren’t going to end well for him, the freedom he was now enjoying was indescribable. “I can’t fucking believe you got me out of this, you son of a bitch…” He punched Elias lightly on the arm, grinning from ear to ear. “I was expecting to get seriously fucked for this, yet here I am, walking away scott free!”
“Not quite, sunshine. You’ve still left Eacott feelin’ like he needs to even the score, an’ given what I’m capable of, even when pullin’ my punches, that’s no laughin’ matter.” And David knew first hand how true that was, because he’d been Eacott in the past, makin’ use of Elias’ particular skill set hadn’t he? So had Lucas, to a lesser extent. Which reminded him that he needed to call Lucas and explain that he wouldn’t need bailing out after all, when he got a moment. “An’ while am sure that ya freedom is always gonna be preferable to gettin’ locked up, am not sure you’ll be overjoyed when the cctv footage of today’s little incident starts gettin’ bandied about online either…”
“So that’s his plan, huh?” He wasn’t shocked. He already knew that Nathan Eacott was a spiteful and manipulative bastard, and while he was a renowned businessman, David had a level of fame that would instantly attract attention if a juicy story like this came out. “Well, let him have at it, I guess. If that’s the best he can do, then I’m not going to worry.” He went to reach for his vape but he remembered that he’d left it in his car, which was now at an impound lot somewhere and needed retrieving. Elias realised what he was doing and pulled out his cigarettes and offered one to him. David thought about it for a second before accepting. He lit it up and took a drag and the nicotine rush hit him almost instantly. It was like greeting an old friend after years of not speaking. “Guess I better figure out how I’m gonna go get my car back, huh? Any chance of a ride back to mine for now?”
“Let’s not be too hasty mate... am not sure you’ll be needing a ride from me, if am honest.” David looked at Elias in confusion, pausing to take a drag on his cigarette and exhale above their heads before turning back to the Brit. “See, the public opinion thing wasn’t Eacott’s only plan of action… and the rozzers weren’t the only phone call I made, either…” He nodded with his head in the direction over David’s shoulder and David narrowed his eyes suspiciously for a moment before turning. He was expecting some of Eacott’s goons, or maybe just Thaddeus or even Eacott himself to be walking towards them. What he wasn’t expecting was the sight that greeted him. Regan.
“Oh shit.” He took a final drag on his cigarette before flicking it away, and he turned to Elias to find out what the fuck he was playing at, calling Regan, only to find that he was now standing alone and he caught the briefest of glimpses of a briefcase rounding the corner of the police building before turning back to his rapidly approaching wife, who’s face painted a picture that really lived up to her Hellcat nickname. “Babe? What the hell are you doing here?” He tried to come across as calm, like it was a pleasant surprise to see her, but they both knew he was putting on a brave face.
Regan continued to walk in silence until she was standing directly in front of her husband, and David tried not to wince at the thought of how he must look. He had to be at least a little ruffled after his scuffle with both Eacott and then the police, and he definitely had bruised knuckles, he knew that much. Regan’s hand connected with the side of his face with a thunderclap that snapped David’s head to the side with such force that he was seeing stars in one eye and he momentarily couldn’t hear anything around him. Everything went silent for a second or two before the sound rushed back and brought a stinging in his cheek with it. “David, what the fuck is going on right now?” Regan was almost apoplectic with anger, but David could also see signs of confusion in her eyes too, and that didn’t come as any great shock. He didn’t know what Elias had told her on the phone or how much she knew, but it was evidently enough to convince her to turn up there at the LAPD headquarters to come and get him. “I get a call from some beat cop telling me you were arrested? That they charged you with assault and a bunch of other shit, but that the charges were dropped?! And then I turn up and I find you standing here with some guy I’ve never seen before and you’re smoking now too?! What the fuck, babe?!” David looked away, his head dropping as he found it difficult to look his wife in the eye. He had to steel himself before he found it in himself to look back at her again, making sure to look her right in the eyes this time, determined to get it over with.
“I think we need to talk.” It was the most obvious statement ever, given what Elias had evidently told her over the phone and where they were. But it was also an accurate statement. Regan opened her mouth as if to argue with him but David simply shook his head. “Come on. We can either go home or we can go to a bar, but we’re not going to do this out here.” With a huff, Regan turned on her heels and marched off in the direction she’d just come from, leaving David with no choice but to follow her. So much for keeping her out of this like he’d hoped to be able to when he called Lucas with his one phone call. Which was looking more and more dumb by the second now he thought about it, watching his wife walk away from him as she headed back to her car. Resigned to the conversation that was going to happen shortly, he started trudging after her, thought swimming through his head as he searched for the best way to even begin explaining this mess. But that was the problem. There was no best way. He’d tried to keep her out of it all for a reason, and now he was going to pay for that act of what he thought was kindness in the beginning. Now though? He felt like a fool. He was a fool. The days actions had proven that, hadn’t they? What an idiot. David fucking Helms, professional dumbass…
YouTube Video
Location: Helms' Home, Hollywood Hills CA
Date: 02/22/2021
We click play on the video and as we do, a small loading icon appears in the middle of the blank screen, turning slowly as the video buffers for a split second before it disappears and the video begins to play. And now that it's playing, we see Supreme Championship Wrestling star and Hall of Famer himself, David Helms, sitting in the games room of his home in the Hollywood Hills. With a smile, he brings two fingers up to his temple and pops off a casual salute before beginning to speak. “Sup guys,” he says as his hand falls back into his lap.
“Sorry about the video rather than a stream, but I’m gonna save those things for pay per views, give them a big match feel if you will, I’m sure you’ll understand,” he says with a grin. “But let’s be real for a minute; I think we have to start this video talking about one thing and one thing only, right? Last week’s Breakdown!”
David brings his hands up and starts to clap. No sarcasm, no irony, but genuine applause. “Chris Cannon, take a fucking bow bro, taking a fucking bow!” he continues as he lowers his hands again. “When Ace used his Trio’s to make that gauntlet, we all knew it was going to be a hell of a fucking night and let’s be completely honest about it, last weeks show was insane. It was basically a whole pay per view crammed into a single Breakdown, given the number of matches we saw thanks to the actual wording of Ace’s cash in.”
“And Chris, you killed it bro,” David continues, nodding enthusiastically. “It’s weird to think that a year ago, people would have booed the absolute fuck out of you for winning that thing, and now here you are, a double champion, and you got to become that surrounded by fans going absolutely insane in a good way all around you. I know that feeling bro, and despite what people say about not caring when the fans boo them, I also know how much better it feels to win and get cheers than boos. Congrats Chris, you earned it bro. Even if you did steal my tag partner,” he adds with a cheeky wink at the camera.
Helms chuckles to himself briefly before getting back to business. “Then there’s also the matter of my own Trio’s cash in, I guess?” he asks, with a little shrug. “And while I’m gonna get to the douche canoe who had to interject his own opinion into the proceedings shortly given he’s my opponent this week, let me first confirm that I’m not going to be a part of the Scaffold Scramble at Retribution.”
“Adam and Jon touched on it after my announcement, that I was going to use my Trio’s contract for opportunity but that I didn’t say that opportunity was for me,” he says before shaking his head. “And that’s because it isn’t,” he adds with another shrug. “I had my opportunity. I’ve earned many over the years, but specifically here in this company, here in Supreme Championship Wrestling, I’ve earned my opportunity in the very same match I’m now booking for Retribution.”
“It was ten, almost eleven years ago now, when I walked out to the ring at Rise To Greatness to compete in my first Scaffold Scramble and earned myself the opportunity, that I single-handedly pin my main event rise on, in this company!”
“Sure, I’d held World Titles before in other companies, and was already a fairly big name in the past,” he continues, nodding. “But what you’ve done before means exactly squat when you come to another company if you can’t back it up by doing it all over again, then maybe you have to accept that you don’t really have what it takes anymore. But Greatness twenty ten, I picked up the victory that catapulted me to eventual main event status by the end of the year… and because of that, while I have absolutely no fucking desire to ever compete in another one because I value my own physical health a wellbeing a little too much these days, I decided to give others that same opportunity!”
Helms, chuckling to himself a little, finally sighs. “Problem is, now I have to decide who I want to suggest to Sasha for a spot in this thing!” he says, frowning a little. “And I’m sure she’ll have her suggestions, so at least I have that to fall back on, but honestly, I had a few names in mind when I told her what I wanted to cash in on, but some of those people are already busy, and double booking people feels like a shitty way to hand out opportunities, when you think about it...”
“So I guess I have a lot to consider over the coming days, huh?” he asks as he continues to speak. “Which fits a theme, considering just how much I’ve had running through my mind over the last few weeks or hell, months even! And while some of it is behind the scenes stuff that isn’t really public, I think you guys can all take a wild stab in the dark at the kind of stuff that’s been consuming me as of late,” he says with a dry laugh, before shaking his head.
Helms gives a theatrical shrug, arms out wide before placing them back in his lap, fingers laced together. “Last Grasp of Reality was a shitstorm bro, it was a real clusterfuck,” he admits, sucking his lower lip in a little before pushing on. “Watching the ref throw up that X during Regan’s match with Xander, it left me numb. A whole host of emotions followed obviously, but as I sat backstage I couldn’t actually feel anything at first, I was in shock. That changed obviously, that shit soon came crashing down once the numbness faded, and truth be told, I’m still kicking myself for not just saying fuck it and telling Sasha or Dean Black to hand Bree the title so I could go to the hospital with Regan, but can’t change that now.”
“And while she’s making remarkable progress in her recovery, it still pains me to see Regan in the state she is,” he continues, looking truly upset as he does his best to hold it together. “And it’s fair to say I may or may not have been thinking as clearly as normal over the next show or two that followed Regan’s injury… I mean, I kicked a chair in Ricky James’ face for a wisecrack about Regan, for god sake. Though thinking back on it, no, that actually felt pretty good and I’d probably do that again. A gift for The Silent Majority from The Dangerous Minority, I guess?” he says with a slither of a smirk on his face as he brings his hands into an understated and low key Self High Five, silently popping his hands apart at the fingertips without addressing it.
“And I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses for losing to Bree, because that’s not what I’m doing either,” he continues, as if nothing just happened. “I lost to Bree because on the night she was better than me, it’s as simple as that. And because my head isn’t both ridiculously big and simultaneously wedged firmly up my ass, I can actually allow myself to admit that too,” he continues with a smirk. “Sure, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have Regan in my mind while fighting that night, but that’s more an explanation for why I got the fuck out of dodge as soon as the bell rang out for the end of the match than my performance between the two. Bree got my somewhat rusty yet still formidable best that night and I came up short. It happens.”
Helms shrugs, nonchalantly. “I probably got the better end of the stick anyway, right? I mean, I lost in a one on one, I can take that on the chin. If I’d won, I’d have been the one defending in that gauntlet last week, and yeah, I’m glad it was her and not me, legit I am!” he admits, chuckling.
“But the show doesn’t stop because you lose a belt,” Helms continues, moving on. “As long as you don’t throw a tantrum like a little bitch and quit, you have no choice but to dust off and get back on the horse. Which I guess I didn’t do a great job of given my actions to poor ‘unfortunate’ Ricky James the first Breakdown after or my behaviour when facing Xander later in the night, but hey, being experienced doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes, does it?”
David looks to the left and then to the right, a mischievous smile on his face as he turns back to the camera and whispers conspiratorially to it. “I think I was a little bit naughty that night, wasn’t I?” he asks before laughing, and shaking his head. “Okay, so I let my emotions get the better of me and I went and got myself disqualified. Wasn’t the first time and won’t be the last time I imagine, given how hotheaded I can be at times. I’m part Italian, part Irish, all New Jersey, bro… what the fuck did you expect?”
“I took a leaf four of Jake Starr’s book and got myself my own personal Chairee and introduced him to Xander’s back,” David says, at least having the good sense to look a little sheepish. “And I got choked out for my trouble too, by the time the night was done. Arms like Xanders, I guess it isn’t gonna come as a real shock that he can choke my little pencil neck out, huh? But I rocked that big ugly fuck… I shook him. And if he wants to tango again, then he knows where to fucking find me. Because I may have calmed down after Last Grasp of Reality… but I sure as fuck haven’t forgotten it,” he says, shaking his head. “You want another match Xander, just name the time and place, I’m all in.”
“But that brings me, in a roundabout fashion, to Breakdown this week, doesn’t it?” Helms says, shifting gears. “Because it’s not me that Xander Valentine has to worry about, at least officially, in the foreseeable future, but the guy I’m facing this Thursday night and also the guy I said we’d get to at the start of this promo… Gavin Taylor.”
Helms sighs, taking a moment before turning back to the camera. “The sad thing is, I look at Gavin and I see someone who’s a phenomenal athlete that could go to the very top in this joint if he applied himself,” he states, sadly. “This is a guy who, among a laundry list of other egocentric nicknames, calls himself The All-Star, and it’s not hard to figure out why when you consider the fact that he scored a full ride in college on a multi-sport scholarship.”
“He had all the tools available to him bro, graduating top ten percent of his college class on top of being a star in not just one but several sports teams in his college class,” Helms continues, before sighing. “So why do I sit here looking glib, given the prowess I clearly think Gavin possesses? Simple. He’s wasting it!”
“I never had his opportunities as a kid, and maybe I’m a little bitter about that, but it is what it is,” He admits, shrugging his shoulders. “Nothing I can do about my circumstances as a kid, and I can’t hold it against him for his either. You work with what you’ve got and I’d be angrier if he hadn’t taken advantage of that stuff, so kudos to him for knowing how to load the bases in his own favor at least.”
“But what does piss me off is watching someone who is clearly an outstanding athlete, wasting his time on shit like we saw on Thursday night!” Helms continues, clearly unimpressed with his little brush-in with Gavin the previous show. “This guy has the look, the physique and the talent… and he wastes his time on cheap heat, cheaper jokes and cheap ways out of putting in any effort. And I get it. I do. I’ve had my fun over the years and enjoyed myself while also building a legacy, but come on, that crap last Thursday?”
Helms rolls his eyes. “Gavin, if you’re as great as you continuously tell people you are, you surely don’t need Xander softening up for you before you face him at Retribution, huh? And the fucking nerve bro, the nerve you showed last week when you used my wife’s injury to try and convince me to do it, just for your personal gain?! I kicked a chair into Ricky James’ face for just mentioning her three weeks ago Gav, so fucking watching what you say or who knows, maybe I go and get my disqualified again, you hear me?!”
Helms glares at the camera for a second or two before sighing. Shaking his head, he takes a second to compose himself before continuing in a calmer manner. “Gavin… I know what I’m saying right now probably means nothing to you, because you strike me as a ‘water of a ducks back’ kinda guy who doesn’t really care what other people think, but I’m gonna say it anyway and if you don’t want to listen then that’s on you. Much as it pains me to admit it, I see potential in you and I’d be lying if I denied it…”
“But the other bullshit?” Helms says, shaking his head. “Playing the fool, Australia's favourite import, the bragging and vanity, the overconfidence and tantrums… do yourself a favour and drop it. Because this company and this business has seen many people like that over the years Gavin, and while they do tend to have their time to shine, few make it long term because they either stumble over their own arrogance or someone puts them on their ass and exposes them for what they really are!” he continues, calling on every single one of his years in the business now.
“You let that big mouth of yours continue to lead the way, and eventually it ends up on the end of one boot too many and suddenly you’re sat on your ass at home, thinking about what could have been instead of what is!” Helms informs the camera. “And I’m sure you’ll tell me that you came back from serious injury once before Gavin, I’m sure you’ll tell me how capable you are of doing it again if necessary, but trust me when I say that it gets much harder every single time you have to come back from an injury, the older you get!”
“I’ve been there,” He continues, knowing that he’s done it again recently and how his rustiness didn’t exactly help in that match against Bree. “I’ve done it several times, and sure, I’ve had success but I’ve also had to work twice as hard every time it happened to. And with that in mind, I’m more than aware that eventually, I’m gonna hit a brick wall and my body is gonna say ‘enough is enough’ and I won’t be able to push myself further!”
“But hey, how you live your life is your decision, broski,” Helms says with a shug. “At the end of the day, if you want to come across as a coward, a phony and overall, a massive tool, then you do you Gavin, go ham with it!”
“But while you’re plotting and scheming for Xander at Retribution, Gavin. While you’re playing your games and coming up with your Scooby Doo Mystery plans, be warned… Xander isn’t doing that,” Helms adds, starting to finish up the video. “He’s out there training to destory you! Like he nearly destroyed me three weeks ago. And if you don’t take it seriously, Retribution isn’t ending well for you bro. You won’t get to flee to Mexico, because you’ll be in a hospital bed somewhere, probably needing help to breathe!”
“And to even get to Xander, my dude… you’ve got to face me first. And you can laugh all you want. You can call me a legend of the past if you think it’ll score you some cheap heat or get a couple chuckles…” He concedes, shrugging his shoulders. “But Thursday night Gavin, the quips and witticisms, they get left at ringside when that bell rings. And you remember what happened when I last stepped into a ring in Minneapolis, right? I’m sure that the seventy thousand people who attended Rise To Greatness last year sure as hell remember! And while I may have had a shaky start to the year Gavin… things change.”
“They changed last year,” He continues. “I had a poor run heading into Taking Hold of the Flame… ended up flame winner, Rise To Greatness main event winner, World Champion and Male wrestler of the year! And thursday night, you underestimate me? Then Thursday night, this legend of the past is gonna kick your ass! BANG!” he finishes, glaring into the camera as the scene fades to black and the replay button appears in the middle of the screen.
