Read Online Women of the Otherworld 10.5 - Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kelley Armstrong
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neighborhood kids to learn the basics.
“And look who teaches the kiddies,” Savannah said, rapping her knuckle against a dog-eared poster. It promised free after-school lessons, taught by former state champion Tommy Gallante .
“I bet he does it for free, too.” She shook her head. “Some people, huh? Raising a kid who isn’t their own. Running a squeaky clean business. Finding time for community work. There’s good and then there’s too good.”
“I’m not sure how good you can be if you’re running an illegal gambling operation.”
She looked at me. “You’re running an illegal gambling operation?”
“I thought we were talking about the Gallantes .”
“Oh, right. Damn.” She looked over at me. “Do you think we could run an illegal gambling operation?”
I pushed her toward the doors. She swung them open and breezed through, and for perhaps the first time since she’d turned sixteen, Savannah walked into a room full of young men and not one glanced her way. That may have had something to do with the drama playing out ringside.
A hulking young man was leaning over the ropes, sweat dripping from his bald head. Behind him, his opponent staggered toward his corner, blood trailing in his wake.
“Now will you fight me, you arrogant son-of-a-bitch?” the bald fighter shouted to someone ringside.
The reply came so softly I barely heard it. “No, and it doesn’t matter how many bouts you win, Max, I’m not ever going to fight you.”
With a snarl of rage, the fighter leapt over the ropes and flew at his unseen target. Two guys rushed in to the other man’s defense, but he only rose from the bench, waving them off. As he did, I saw his face. Tommy Gallante .
Tommy stood his ground as the bald fighter loomed over him.
“I’m not fighting you, Max, and that’s not an insult. I’m just not interested.”
The fighter grabbed Tommy by the shirtfront.
“Uh-oh,” Savannah murmured. “That’s not smart.”
Tommy didn’t throw a punch. He just let the younger fighter put him up against the wall, then calmly said, “Okay, you got me. If you want, you can throw me down and tell everyone you beat me, and I won’t argue. Is that what you want, Max?”
“I want you in the ring, Gallante .”
“Well, it’s not happening. I concede to your superior skills. Now, if you’ll excuse me, a couple of pretty girls just walked in, and I really hope they’re looking for me.”
Max dropped Tommy hard enough to make him stagger. He recovered his balance, then flashed us a big smile and strolled over as if nothing had happened.
“Hey, ladies,” he said. “Ethan said you were coming to see me. Paige and Savannah, right?”
“That’s right,” I said, extending a hand.
We did proper introductions, but I was sure his brother had already told him who we really were and why we were there. He took us into an empty office and ran through his encounter with Jared. He gave more details, but in essence, it matched his brother’s story.
“So, you’re the club enforcer,” Savannah said when he finished. “You like doing that?”
He looked from her to me, then sighed. “Okay, what did Ethan say? No, let me guess. He told you I hate it.”
“You don’t?”
“ Mmm , let’s just say it’s not my favorite part of the job. But it is my job. It’s a bit of an ongoing dispute between me and my brother. He knows I don’t like it, so he wants to have one of our boys take over. How would that reflect on me as the club’s top fighter? I need to play the heavy, even if it’s not my favorite role.”
“We saw that,” I said, nodding toward the ring.
Tommy shifted. “Yeah, well, that’s how it goes. You’re the lead fighter, everyone wants a piece of you. In the club, we can control it. Here? I don’t have time for guys like Max.”
“You handled it well,” I said. “Not many
“And look who teaches the kiddies,” Savannah said, rapping her knuckle against a dog-eared poster. It promised free after-school lessons, taught by former state champion Tommy Gallante .
“I bet he does it for free, too.” She shook her head. “Some people, huh? Raising a kid who isn’t their own. Running a squeaky clean business. Finding time for community work. There’s good and then there’s too good.”
“I’m not sure how good you can be if you’re running an illegal gambling operation.”
She looked at me. “You’re running an illegal gambling operation?”
“I thought we were talking about the Gallantes .”
“Oh, right. Damn.” She looked over at me. “Do you think we could run an illegal gambling operation?”
I pushed her toward the doors. She swung them open and breezed through, and for perhaps the first time since she’d turned sixteen, Savannah walked into a room full of young men and not one glanced her way. That may have had something to do with the drama playing out ringside.
A hulking young man was leaning over the ropes, sweat dripping from his bald head. Behind him, his opponent staggered toward his corner, blood trailing in his wake.
“Now will you fight me, you arrogant son-of-a-bitch?” the bald fighter shouted to someone ringside.
The reply came so softly I barely heard it. “No, and it doesn’t matter how many bouts you win, Max, I’m not ever going to fight you.”
With a snarl of rage, the fighter leapt over the ropes and flew at his unseen target. Two guys rushed in to the other man’s defense, but he only rose from the bench, waving them off. As he did, I saw his face. Tommy Gallante .
Tommy stood his ground as the bald fighter loomed over him.
“I’m not fighting you, Max, and that’s not an insult. I’m just not interested.”
The fighter grabbed Tommy by the shirtfront.
“Uh-oh,” Savannah murmured. “That’s not smart.”
Tommy didn’t throw a punch. He just let the younger fighter put him up against the wall, then calmly said, “Okay, you got me. If you want, you can throw me down and tell everyone you beat me, and I won’t argue. Is that what you want, Max?”
“I want you in the ring, Gallante .”
“Well, it’s not happening. I concede to your superior skills. Now, if you’ll excuse me, a couple of pretty girls just walked in, and I really hope they’re looking for me.”
Max dropped Tommy hard enough to make him stagger. He recovered his balance, then flashed us a big smile and strolled over as if nothing had happened.
“Hey, ladies,” he said. “Ethan said you were coming to see me. Paige and Savannah, right?”
“That’s right,” I said, extending a hand.
We did proper introductions, but I was sure his brother had already told him who we really were and why we were there. He took us into an empty office and ran through his encounter with Jared. He gave more details, but in essence, it matched his brother’s story.
“So, you’re the club enforcer,” Savannah said when he finished. “You like doing that?”
He looked from her to me, then sighed. “Okay, what did Ethan say? No, let me guess. He told you I hate it.”
“You don’t?”
“ Mmm , let’s just say it’s not my favorite part of the job. But it is my job. It’s a bit of an ongoing dispute between me and my brother. He knows I don’t like it, so he wants to have one of our boys take over. How would that reflect on me as the club’s top fighter? I need to play the heavy, even if it’s not my favorite role.”
“We saw that,” I said, nodding toward the ring.
Tommy shifted. “Yeah, well, that’s how it goes. You’re the lead fighter, everyone wants a piece of you. In the club, we can control it. Here? I don’t have time for guys like Max.”
“You handled it well,” I said. “Not many
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