Read Online Tap Out by Michele Mannon - Free Book Online

should have seen her handle the Boys on the bus. And tonight.”
    “You’re talking about that reporter, right?” he asked, already guessing the answer. Caden gave himself a mental pat on the back. Keeping himself off that bus was money well spent.
    “ Most of the Boys seem to have taken a liking to her.”
    “Imbeciles. What was Sophie Morelle doing at our gig?”
    “Jerry’s face looked like a parsnip. The man must take blood pressure medication or else he’d have been wheeled outta that place on a stretcher. Bad enough only ten people showed up. Bad enough the Boys downed enough liquor to fill a stadium. The worst of it all happened after Sophie moseyed on in. That’s when the night went from bad to life-threatening.”
    “Usually does when she’s around. She was at the gig because...?”
    Sal looked at him, and something crossed his face, something slightly devious. Or was it perturbed? Or most likely nothing, except mad-ass drunk.
    “Trust me, Sal. Whatever happened, that woman will get over it. She’s a survivor. What did she want from you, anyway?”
    Sal looked like he was ready to tear his hair out. Good thing he had so little to work with. “Dang, I hate to disappoint a pretty lady.”
    Caden snorted.
    “Now I’ll never see my name in the credits.”
    Caden tossed the towel onto the bench, braced his elbow on his legs, and leaned forward, angry. “What exactly do you mean, credits ? Like television credits?”
    Sal opened, then closed his mouth. But the truth was written all over his face.
    “Fuck! You sold me out, didn’t you? How much?”
    “It’s not what you think.”
    “Figures the one guy I trust in this whole operation pulls a classic Wall Street move by going all public and shit. Here, everyone thinks Jerry’s the shark when the manatee swimming beside him is much more lethal.” Caden shook his head in disgust, as Sal ran his hand over his belly, clearly missing the point.
    “I know you said that you could give a fudge about being a celebrity. Hanging your hat up for good. No more interviews or...”
    Caden glared, causing Sal to fidget on his stool.
    “Exactly who drank enough liquor to fill a stadium? What were you thinking?”
    “Can’t an old man get his five minutes of fame, like that Andy Holwar fella? Like...you?”
    Caden laughed, a shallow sound. It was that or give voice to the stream of cusses he was barely holding back. Fifteen minutes of fame for any other reason than fighting was time wasted. Years wasted. “I wouldn’t sell someone out. Besides, how would you feel about having your crotch plastered on billboards nationwide?”
    Sal scrunched up his face, considering the question.
    Jesus . And Caden had been thinking Jaysin Bouvine coveted his celebrity the most. Little did they know what a load of bull it all was.
    Caden considered the money he’d been dishing out to Jerry. “You could have given me a heads up. Not sell me out like that. What’s she up to, anyway? Filming fighters? Busting balls?”
    “She asked me to help her out. Wants to follow you fellas around, get some interviews for a documentary. The lady’s dang persuasive. She had most of the Boys feeding from her hand, before Jaysin got fresh.”
    “I knew she was up to no good. Poking her nose in our business. I’ll bet my ass that woman doesn’t know jack about MMA.”
    “I’m gonna need more than my name in the credits now. Gotta pay for the damages caused by tonight’s brawl. Jerry put a number on it, in the thousands,” Sal muttered, his voice hoarse and pained. “Valeska is gonna kill me.”
    He shot Sal a look, then said softly, “Didn’t I warn you that woman was trouble?”
    The old timer’s fist shot out, a bitch move that would have hit a lesser fighter square in the face. He would have grazed Caden, had he not spotted it coming at the last second and dodged it. For an old feller, he packed a punch.
    Both men jumped to their feet. No way did Caden want to take down Sal, but if