Page 110 of Back in Black

Stunned at the courtesy when obviously they all knew who she was, and what she was responsible for, Audrey took his hand. Voice wavering, she said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Thompson.” She switched her gaze back to Brett. “I tried to call, but—”

“When?”

Audrey didn’t understand him. He was distant, but not . . . furious. At least, he didn’t seem to be. “Several times tonight. The last time was just a few minutes ago.”

He frowned and fished out his cell. His mouth flattened. “It went dead. Sorry, I didn’t realize.”

He was apologizing . . . to her? Audrey shook her head, but couldn’t get a single word out.

He shoved the phone back in his pocket. “I guess having my past up for discussion must’ve distracted me.”

Big tears filled her eyes, and Audrey tried to blink them back. “Brett . . . it wasn’t me. It was Millie. I told her not to post her story—”

“But she did anyway.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “With a few new twists.”

Her throat tightened. “I was trying to explain why it was so important not to attack Ms. Noode. I didn’t mean to make things worse.”

He nodded, and then his eyes narrowed. “What the hell happened to you?”

Oh, God, she’d almost forgotten about Spice! Thinking of the best way to give horrible news, Audrey licked her lips. “Everyone is fine, and Spice is safe at my apartment—”

“Spice?” Dickey asked.

“His cat,” Audrey said, and then in a rush to Brett: “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but someone burned down the building you live in. Everything is ruined.”

His arms fell to his sides. Seconds ticked by with him saying nothing. And then: “How do you have my cat?”

With each breath, she felt the lingering burn in her lungs. “The fire department wasn’t there yet, and I knew Spice was inside your apartment. The smoke was so bad, and she’s so small, that I didn’t think she’d survive if I didn’t get her out of there.”

His expression darkened. “You went into the place for my cat?”

“One of those nice young men below your apartment showed me how to use the fire escape. When I got in the kitchen, Spice came right to me. I was only in there a few seconds, I swear.”

“Christ, Audrey.”

Now he sounded angry. She stared up at him, unsure what to think. “She seems fine, Brett, just as smelly with smoke as I am. But I thought you might want to have her checked by the vet anyway.”

After a heartbeat of surprise, Brett cupped her face. He examined her red-rimmed eyes and used his thumb to smooth away a smudge of soot off her cheek.

She didn’t know what to think. He was being so sweet to her. “Brett?”

As if her voice broke a spell, his brows came down, and then Havoc said, “Drew’s moving in.”

With all of them acting like Drew would have her head, Audrey should have been nervous. But the only one she’d really been worried about was Brett, and he didn’t appear to hate her, so she could take on the world if need be.

“It’s okay,” she told everyone. “I plan to apologize to Mr. Black and Ms. Noode, too. Might as well be now instead of later. An apology won’t change what’s happened, I know, but I do feel terrible about things.”

Brett’s scowl eased, but not by much.

And then suddenly she found herself behind three fighters.

Brett said, “Hey, Drew.”

Audrey gulped and her courage flagged. Was everyone so sure that Drew would verbally annihilate her with a roomful of witnesses? She closed her eyes and thought,Yes, he defi nitely would. Drew Black didn’t care what anyone else thought. She sort of admired him for that quality.

And sadly, she couldn’t blame him for being furious. Not after the terrible scandal that had erupted because of her group.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard Drew Black say, “Hiding something, Brett?”

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