Page 102 of Back in Black

WHEN Audrey returned to her apartment that night, her only thought was to see Brett again. In such a short time she’d fallen for him. Hard.

She had to let Brett know that she’d be delayed by the meeting with the other WAVS members tonight. It was important that she speak with everyone, to share her differing perspective on the SBC. But when she called Brett, he didn’t answer, so she left a message.

Disappointed, she took a quick shower and redressed in jeans and a comfy, long-sleeved T-shirt. She was putting on her shoes when her cell phone rang.

Hoping it was Brett, she snatched up the phone and said a breathless, “Hello?”

Millie asked, “Have you gone to any of the MMA sites to check out my story?”

Actually, with Brett on her brain, Audrey hadn’t even thought to look at the piece. She covered by saying, “I was getting ready to pull it up right now.”

“Great.” Millie snickered. “Thanks to you, I was able to . . . enhance it.”

As her stomach bottomed out, Audrey squeezed the cell phone. “You didn’t trash the publicist, did you?”

“Audrey!” Millie tsked in mock censure. “You asked me not to, so of course I didn’t.”

She relaxed, but not much. “Thank you, Millie. It was the right thing to do.”

“Yeah, so you said. You can explain why tonight when we all meet. But in the meantime, let me know what you think about the piece after you’ve read it, okay?” Laughing, Millie hung up without saying good-bye.

Reminded of the dread she’d felt earlier, Audrey rushed over to her desk and started her laptop. Millie had been acting so peculiar lately, she didn’t know what to expect. She also didn’t know which MMA sites carried her blog, so she did a quick search using Millie’s name.

With shock, Audrey watched the volume of sites appear. Millie had gotten a lot of exposure on this one.

Audrey sank into a chair and, filled with apprehension, clicked on one of the best-known MMA boards.

The article was right there at the top of the page, generating a ton of hits and some furious feedback from hard-core MMA fans.

Feeling sicker by the second, Audrey began reading.

SBC SCOOP, from Millie Christian of WAVS: Fighter escapes dregs of society, to do . . . what? Thanks to a tip from Audrey Porter, the MMA world can switch its focus from the disreputable performance of SBC president Drew Black to Brett Bullman, a fighter who has seen it all. After suffering emotional and physical abuse from his father, and drug addiction and prison for his mother, you’d think someone with that background would seek a better life to set himself apart from the violence and drug (steroid) use. But not Brett Bullman. He’s making a life for himself as a brutal, bloodthirsty fighter in the SBC. One has to wonder if his drive to improve his deadly skills is inspired by his need to confront his father once and for all, or to defend his mother when she gets out of prison and goes back on the streets, selling herself for drugs.

Is Brett Bullman the caliber of man the SBC seeks? Are societal rejects, the abused and the downtrodden, perfect pupils to brainwash into a “sport” of viciousness? It would seem so.

It didn’t take much digging to uncover details of Bullman’s sordid life, including homelessness, despair, and then an obvious need to get even.

Even though she was sitting, Audrey’s knees felt weak. As the article and all the repercussions from it sank in, her eyes burned with regret and shame.

She’d done this to Brett; throughout the article, Millie repeatedly gave her credit for the inspiration in the story. Why would Millie do such a thing to her? She had to know how Brett would react to this.

And Brett . . . oh, God. He’d be so hurt, and so angry. Rightfully so. The last thing he wanted was his life laid bare for everyone to analyze.

The majority of the responses to the news were outraged on Brett’s behalf. But they were also filled with pity. She couldn’t even imagine how a strong, independent man like Brett would feel about that.

He’d trusted her, and she’d inadvertently given Millie the initiative to go digging into his past. Millie had switched her cannon from the publicist to Brett with devastating and destructive effect.

She wouldn’t call Millie back. No, Audrey would see her tonight at the meeting, and then she’d make her feelings known. Right now, she just needed to talk to Brett, to explain. But her call again went straight to voice mail, and her anxiety doubled. Was he ignoring her calls?

The idea of that tortured Audrey until she couldn’t stand it anymore. The very least she owed Brett was a sincere apology. If he never wanted to see her again, she couldn’t blame him. But she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t explain to him and tell him how sorry she felt for all of it.

She glanced at her watch and decided to make a quick stop at the meeting first to get it out of the way. Her reign within WAVS was coming to an end. She couldn’t be a part of a group that sought maliciousness over effectiveness, that used cruelty toward others for recognition.

It didn’t take her long to drive to the meeting location. With early evening descending, the temperature dropped and a chilly breeze drifted in. Audrey pulled on her hoodie and, determined to enact some change, entered the room where the others had already gathered.

An expectant silence descended the second she stepped through the open doorway.

At the front of the room, Millie called out to her, “Perfect timing, Audrey. We were just discussing you.”

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