Back in Black by Lori Foster Page B

overwhelmed her, and she looked away. “One day, I’ll get the rest of the world to see the sport for what it really is.”
    He frowned, but let that go. “Millie has the same beef as you?”
    “Not really.” She shrugged. “We’ve been friends for a couple of years now, ever since she joined WAVS. We hit it off immediately. It was like we’d known each other forever. She’s been a wonderful friend—and that’s why I blame myself for what happened to her.”
    Concerned now, Brett said, “That sounds ominous.”
    After a deep breath, Audrey nodded. “Drew Black attacked her.”
    Stunned, Brett took a step back. “No way. Sure, everyone knows that Drew is far from perfect, but I’ve never once heard about him hurting—”
    “No, of course not.” Audrey shook her head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that he’d attacked her physically.”
    A small boisterous group joined them in the hallway, so Brett put his arm around her and started her again toward the stairs for the restaurant.
    On the way up, Audrey said, “But he was vicious to her all the same, and believe me, that hurt her.”
    At the landing, Brett steered her toward an empty table close to the railing. He looked grim. “What happened?”
    After taking her seat, Audrey looked over at the barroom below. As Brett had promised, it wasn’t nearly as busy tonight as it had been on the weekend. From what she could tell, there were fewer fighters present, too. To Audrey, they stood out from other men. Most of them were tattooed, loud and rowdy, big and buff. Despite the lack of a sports crowd, there were still plenty of people milling about.
    Quietly, she recalled that awful scenario involving Millie and Mr. Black. “As one of the spokeswomen for WAVS, Millie posts articles and information about the SBC on various bulletin boards, and on her own blog. Sometimes other outlets pick up the info, too. She did an interview with a small local paper that later got posted on the Internet. It wasn’t really a big deal, but she . . . had a few minor facts wrong.”
    When the waitress came by, they ordered drinks—a diet cola for Audrey and an ice water for Brett.
    She was wondering about the water when Brett said, “I take it Drew reacted badly?”
    “That’s putting it mildly.” Temper sparking with the memory, Audrey curled her hands into fists on the tabletop. “Rather than just correct her, Mr. Black demolished her in the cruelest ways possible. He called her awful names, cursed her, and maligned her intelligence. The whole conflict hit the Internet and Millie was publicly humiliated.”
    Recognition showed on Brett’s face. “The online blowup. That was Millie?”
    She gave a humorless laugh. “You see? Everyone has heard of it.”
    “I’ve seen it, yeah. If you follow the sport at all, it would have been hard to miss.”
    He reached across the table and took her hand. Smoothing his thumb over her knuckles got her to relax her fist.
    “Drew was harsh, but Audrey, you have to admit that Millie got more than a few minor things wrong.”
    Audrey’s jaw loosened. “You’re defending him?”
    “Not what he said, but his reasons for saying it, yeah. Millie put the SBC in the worst possible light, and she accused Drew of unethical business practices.”
    “That’s not how she intended it!”
    “That’s how it came off.” He kept her hand when she would have pulled away. “Drew Black’s temper is legendary. The thing about Drew, though, he doesn’t really attack first. But if anyone wrongfully criticizes the SBC, as Millie did, he goes rabid.”
    She was not in the mood to hear anyone explain away Mr. Black’s faults. “Millie has always been shy in large groups, and how he treated her . . . she’s still in WAVS, but never again will she be a spokesperson for us. In fact, I have to do all the interviews now myself because no one else is willing to risk the wrath of Mr. Black. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a foul-mouthed bully and a complete