The Way to Eden

"Well?" the man demanded as he approached Eden backstage before the show. "It's been a week and I think you've had long enough to consider my offer."

"I have indeed," she said pulling out of a leg stretch. "I've decided to take you up on your offer."

"Wonderful! We can get started right away!"

"Right now?" she asked bewildered. "What about my matches tonight?"

"Oh, you'll still need to stay with the club," he answered dismissively. "At least for the time being. You see, he likes to go to these things. Ever since Rio, he's been drawn to them. He's already been here twice, I'm told."

Eden nodded mutely trying to take in all of the information at once. She'd been taught to observe and let others do most of the talking then fill in any gaps with questions.

"He hasn't seen you fight yet," the suave man went on, "but he will tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes, tonight," he smiled. "That's why I was generous with the amount of time I gave you to consider the job."

"Is it okay to ask just exactly who my target is, Mr. . . .?"

"No names, please," he said, keeping his smile firmly in place. "Do you watch wrestling?"

Eden frowned at the sudden change in subject. Her new employer was a strange man indeed. No matter, she thought, it's his dime.

"Occasionally, why?"

"Because your target is a wrestling superstar."

Oh, please let it be that obnoxious Triple H, Eden thought. Wouldn't it be great to rid the world of his arrogant ass? She probably wouldn't even need to leave the country then. In fact, the day may be declared a national holiday by true wrestling fans everywhere.

"Which one?"

"Jeff Hardy."

Damn. Well, whatever.

"You've heard of him, I take it?" the man asked warily.

"Does it matter?"

He smiled gleefully at that answer. She filed that away in her mental database for later use and waited for him to continue.

"He'll no doubt be ringside with a friend or two."

"And have you planned out every detail of this mission?"

"You like to be in control," he said soothingly. "I can respect that. I'll just give you a few pointers on how to make contact. But remember, I want him to die of a slit throat in his bed."

"I remember."

"And I want his friends to know he was seeing a warrior woman before it happened."

"Forgive my bluntness," Eden said, stretching her other leg. "But isn't that just begging for me to be captured."

"I did mention you would have to leave the country afterwards."

"I remember," she said. "But I didn't think you wanted the authorities to be able to ID me that quickly. How am I to get out of the country without incident if the authorities will know immediately who committed the act?"

"Well, I've actually thought that through."

"I figured you probably had," she smiled sweetly, bending into a split.

"If you time it correctly and kill him at home, it will be days before anyone finds him. He and his brother no longer travel together, so they're generally not home at the same time."

Eden considered the cold calculation of the plan as he was unfolding it. Jeff Hardy must have really done something to piss this man off.

"He lives alone?"

"He lives with a zoo filled with animals, but no people. If you do him when his brother goes on his promotional tour next month, as soon as you get him home, his neighbors won't even find him until they come over to feed the animals . . . at least three days later."

"Next month, huh?"

He nodded.

"You want me to get close to him, don't you?"

"You don't have to get too close," he pointed out. "Just give him enough encouragement to whet his interest. He'll pursue you. Then you can let him try to convince you to leave your club. You can agree, setting next month as the date."

Eden finished her stretching in silence as she pondered the man's plan. It seemed logical to her. Normally, she would have run it by Samuel for final consideration but she had decided to go "dark" on her communication until her mission was complete. The decisions from here on out would be hers and hers alone. She'd even moved out of Samuel's house to make the break clean.

"It sounds plausible," she said finally. "Now, about payment . . ."

"I'll pay you as soon as the deed is done."

"Come now," she chided. "I'll need every one of those three days as a head start out of here. Cameron, North Carolina isn't exactly the US capitol. Travel will be a slight difficulty."

"You know where he lives?"

"He's well known."

"Very well," he sighed. "I'll give you half of the money tomorrow."

"You'll give me all of the money."

"Excuse me . . . "

"No," she said with finality, tossing back her ebony and hot pink hair. "You're asking me to kill a man and leave the country. Frankly, I could toast you with this information if I chose. I've committed to the plan and will see it through, but I need to be out of the country immediately following the crime. There's no time for a money transfer, and frankly, I'm surprised you'd think any other 'professional' would stand for your terms under these conditions."

"Well, I . . ."

"Do you think just because you haven't given me your name I can't track you down?" she now asked incredulously. "The man who trains me can find you wherever you are without anything more than the information I've already provided to him."

The blood drained from his face. Now it was his turn to stare mutely at her.

"Don't worry," she smiled again. "If we wanted to turn on you, you'd be dead already. I've taken your job for two reasons."

"And they are, if I may ask?"

"You may," she replied. "One, the money is too enticing to ignore. Two, I wish to prove myself to my trainer. This mission will undoubtedly make him see that all of his training has not been in vain."

"A test."

"In a manner of speaking," Eden said straightening to face the man once more. "So you see, you have nothing to worry about. Pay me all of the money up front and leave Jeff Hardy to me."

The man raised an eyebrow but smiled slowly. Eden returned his smile with a grin. Ah, finally, we have a deal.

--------------------------------------

"Jeff, why ya always draggin' me ta these thin's?" Shane grumbled as he took his seat in the front row.

"Aw, c'mon," Jeff laughed. "Ya kno' ya love 'em, too."

"No' quite as much as you."

"Hey, this is 'ow we met Rio," the orange and green colored haired Hardy returned. "I jus' like ta reminisce, ya kno'?"

"Ya ain't gittin hung up onner again, are ya?"

"No, man," Jeff laughed again. "She belongs wit' Shannon. I jus' like ta see these places and rememba 'ow I met 'er."

"Okay," Shane said finally relaxing into his seat.

Jeff looked around the small arena excitedly. He'd been waiting to see the new female division to this club and tonight he'd get the chance. He didn't get down to Florida too often to check the club out, so he was glad to drive the fifty miles tonight to do so.

Suddenly the lights dimmed and the audience quieted as the first bout was announced. The first fighter into the ring was a tall blonde woman the announcer called Honor. She entered and pandered to the audience, clearly the crowd favorite. Then, to the beat of a loud dance song Jeff hadn't heard before, the challenger entered. She was even taller, with long jet- black hair that sported a neon pink streak and a lean toned body. Her name was announced as Original Sin. She turned to scan the crowd after she stepped between the ropes into the ring. Her mysterious dark eyes found Jeff's and held them for a moment with a slight smirk then she turned to her opponent. Jeff couldn't explain the sudden feeling of destiny that shot through him.

--------------------------------------

Eden turned to her opponent in satisfaction. Target locked. She'd felt Jeff's interest immediately heighten with their eye contact. Now all she had to do was concentrate on her matches for the rest of the evening and bait him a little along the way. Simple.

She flipped Honor backwards immediately, losing interest in the tall blonde. Honor hit the mat with a loud thud and winced as she tried to right herself. Eden didn't give her the comfort of a reprieve, choosing instead to pull her up by her arm and whip her into the post, making sure her kidneys were rammed in the process. Honor cried out and fell again. Eden knew she had the woman beat and didn't need to bring out her knife so early. She did so anyway, slicing easily through the tendon in Honor's right ankle. Honor screamed and cried out her surrender as Eden laughed and threw her pinky up in her Original Sin gesture, making sure she witnessed Jeff Hardy's stricken expression before she ran up the ramp.

--------------------------------------

"Vicious woman," Shane murmured beside him.

Jeff couldn't even speak. The woman obviously recognized him and he liked that thought at first. It reminded him of the time he'd met Rio/Tara. But this one seemed to enjoy inflicting torment of her opponents. He didn't know what to make of her. He knew she had that match won before she resorted to the blade. So like Rio, yet so unlike her.

--------------------------------------

"Don't you think the knife may have scared him away from you?" the smooth man asked as she returned to the back.

"I highly doubt it," Sin shrugged. "From what you've told me, he enjoys saving women fighters from themselves."

"That's true."

"I've just begun baiting the hook," she smiled grabbing a bottle of water presumably to refresh before her next bout. "He's interested, though. He can't hide it."

"You're going to speak to him at some point tonight, I take it?" he asked still somewhat nervous.

"Oh, yes," she confirmed. "I'll show a little interest, then pull back."

"Pull back?"

"He won't stay interested if he thinks I'm just another mat rat," she explained.

"Of course," the man smiled knowingly and leaned back against the wall.

Jeff Hardy was most definitely interested in her, he mused. He'd seen the reaction himself from the monitor. How could he not be? Here was his proverbial wet dream. She was a Rio-esque warrior in need of rescue from herself, with no attachments. Oh, he was taking the bait, all right. And Sin would maneuver him right into his doom, just like Eve did to Adam. This was almost too perfect to stand. The anticipation may kill, him, he thought, but the pay off would be spectacular.