Page 96 of Lawbreaker

“I don’t know. Ben said they took him to the nearest ER...”

“We have to go, right now...!!”

“But you’re going onstage,” Stasia protested.

Odalie was already running toward the stage manager. She was back in two minutes, headed for the dressing room. Stasia followed her, still crying, and waited while she got into her street clothes and grabbed her coat.

“But you’ll lose your chance,” Stasia sobbed as they started out the stage door.

“I don’t care,” Odalie said recklessly. “Where’s Ben?”

“I’ll call him...”

“He has to be alive,” Odalie was whispering to herself. “Even if he ends up with someone else, he has to live. Please, God, he must live, he must...!” Her voice broke. In all her life, Odalie had never been so terrified, not even on the stage in front of hundreds of people. If Tony died, what would she do? How would she live?

Please let him live, even if I have to lose him to another woman, Odalie prayed silently.Even if I have to do that. Just let him live!

Stasia managed to text Heather while Ben was pulling up at the curb, saying only Tony had been shot and they were en route to the hospital and assured Heather that Ben would protect them both—there was no need for Tanner and Cole and John to come after them. Heather sent a reluctantOkay. Talk later.

The women dived in the back before Ben could even get out to open the door for them.

“Go!” Stasia called to him. “Where is he? How is he?”

“I don’t know,” Ben groaned. “All I got was a message from my guy that he was shot, and they took him to the nearest ER,” he added, naming the hospital. “It’s only a few blocks away. One of my guys is going to get his butt kicked for this!”

“I’ll help,” Stasia said, her voice breaking.

“Hey, now you calm down,” Ben said gently. “You’ve got a baby to worry about.”

Stasia’s hand was on her belly. “I know. Who did this to Tony?!”

“That James man,” Odalie said through her teeth.

“I don’t think so,” Ben replied.

“But he was out for blood,” Odalie said, her own voice unsteady.

“Yeah, but he was after your people,” he told her, “not the boss.”

“There was that interloper that tried to finger Tony for a murder he didn’t commit,” Stasia said. “The New York bunch.”

“Just what I was thinking,” Ben said. “So, I called Teddy.”

“Good.” Stasia’s voice was harsh. “There will be retribution. I just hope Tony’s still...”

“Boss is tough,” Ben said through his teeth.

“Yes,” Stasia said.

She reached out and took Odalie’s cold hand in hers. Odalie wasn’t saying much, but her face was pasty white and her eyes were huge.

“We’ll know something soon,” Stasia assured her. “Just hold on.”

Odalie nodded, too choked with fear to speak.

They piled out of the car at the emergency room entrance and hurried in past EMTs and police and civilians milling around.

They’d just turned the corner where the admission desk was located when they spotted Tony walking toward them, ruffled and with blood on the white shirt under his suit coat, but walking.

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