Page 101 of Back in Black

“Oh.” Drawn back to the here and now, she withdrew papers from her briefcase. “Yes, I do.” She handed the detailed file over to Fran and a duplicate file to Loren. “I’m sure you’ll agree that, once we make certain facts wider known, we’ll be able to counter most misgivings.”

Her smile tight, Fran said, “I hope so.”

Gillian took that as agreement. “I can start implementing everything in a press conference tonight.”

Fran waved that away. “Let’s give it another twenty-four hours.”

Drew took offense at that. “Come on, Frannie, you know you’re not going to fire me.”

Shooting him a dirty look over the nickname, Fran reluctantly agreed. “No, I’m not. But right now, everyone is enthralled over that business with the new fighter, Brett Bullman.”

Confused, Gillian looked at Drew and saw his escalating apprehension and anger.

He looked from Fran to Loren and back again. “What are you talking about?”

As Fran moved to a chair and continued to peruse the file, she said to Loren, “Could you pull that up on my computer so they can see for themselves, please? Thank you.”

His expression bemused, Loren went to her desk. Multimillionaire that he was, his sister was likely the only person who could issue him instructions. From what Gillian knew, even Loren’s current wife—number three—didn’t try to boss him around.

Loren typed in an address, pressed a button, and a giant monitor on the wall switched on.

Gillian’s heart began to race as she read the detailed, malicious release. This was going to be trouble for Drew, she knew. Would Brett blame him?

“I wouldn’t have done this,” he said low, his rage palpable. “I would have made it about accomplishments and overcoming the shit life throws at you, not . . . notthisinsulting garbage.”

Knowing how this would bother him, Gillian moved closer to Drew and touched his arm. “How did Ms. Christian find out about Brett’s background?”

“I have no fucking idea, but that nutcase seems to know way too damn much.” Drew shook his head. “And this time she’s gone too far.”

“Drew . . .” His lethal mood worried Gillian. She didn’t want to see him take monumental strides backward when they were just getting back on track again.

“No fucking way am I losing Brett as a fighter.” Dismissing everyone in the room, Drew pulled out his cell and started punching in numbers as he stalked out of the room.

Gillian had not a single doubt that he was calling Brett, and somehow he’d make it all work out.

With the perfect illustration to drive home her point, she turned to Loren and Fran. “There, do you see?” Neither of them did, apparently, but she had no problem explaining. “More than anything else, Drew cares about the fighters. That’s a commodity you won’t find in any other man. And that’s why he’s so invaluable to you.”

Loren sat back in his seat with a grin. “Oh, I don’t know about that, Ms. Noode. I think Drew has found someone that interests him even more than the SBC as a whole.”

Fran glanced up from the papers to nod. “Settling down will accomplish the same thing—a grand transformation for Drew. It’s about time. And lucky for us, he’s found a wonderful woman like you. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

So now she was wonderful? Gillian fought the urge to roll her eyes. Weren’t these the same people who had fired her just this morning? Not that their misguided assumptions mattered. Soon enough, Drew would set them straight.

For now, she wanted to make sure they understood one very important thing. “My God, you’re both still missing the big picture. Drew doesn’t need to transform. As he is, faults and all, he’s one of the most brilliant businessmen you’ll ever meet, and he’s an outright wonderful human being, too.”

Disinterested in that assessment, Fran went back to reading, but Loren looked behind her. He grinned.

Oh, crap. With dread, Gillian turned and found Drew standing half inside the door, his gaze speculative.

Feeling her face go red, Gillian asked, “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry to do this to you, but we’re heading straight to the airport. I need to talk to Brett, and he’s not answering, so I’ll have to track him down.”

Gillian said a quick farewell to Loren and Fran and rejoined Drew. How he kept up such a phenomenal pace, she didn’t know, but it was his life, and . . . she wouldn’t mind sharing it with him.

Maybe, once everything settled back to the normal chaos, she’d make him see just how perfect they could be together—for real, instead of simply as an illusion.

CHAPTER 17

---