Ash speaks into his walkie. “We’ve got a situation. Connie has been abducted.”
Abducted. The word slams into me. “What did they look like, Lilli?”
“Um, short black hair, feminine, like Alice Cullen fromTwilight. She said she wanted to meet Jennifer Lux.”
“Was she armed?”
Armed? The panic is white hot rage.Constance. I need to find her.
“No. I don’t know.” Lilli is crying now as Ash relays the information through his walkie talkie.
“Units four and six, comb the backstage corridors. Perp was driving a cart. Alone with Connie. Tops, call 9-1-1. Perp is trying to get to Lux.”
“You.” Ash points at me. “Stay with Lilli. Get to her dressing room.”
“What? I need to find Connie,” I protest. I can’t just sit idlily by and wait.
“This is what I do, Eric. Trust me.” He turns and leaves, Lilli shivering and sobbing behind me.
The show is halted, and Jennifer can’t come out in case there’s a threat to her. I can’t just stand here, so I take Lilli by the hand.
When we get to the dressing room, we’re met by unit three, sent to confirm Lilli’s safety and monitor the corridor in case Connie or the crazy fan come this way.
Lilli is shaking on the couch while I’m pacing and resisting the urge to punch my way to Connie.
“Fuck this,” I say. There’s enough security to keep Lilli safe. “I have to go find her.”
As soon as I open the door, though, Connie is there, wrapped in a blanket like Lilli is, clearly still in shock. There are some more security and police. There’s Ash, and Tops. I can hear the concert starting in the distance—it feels like hours, but it has only been ten minutes.
I embrace her, inhaling the scent of that strawberry shampoo. “I’m okay,” she says. “Just a crazy fan who wanted Jennifer.”
“How did she get back here in the first place?” Tops fumes.
“She said she was a roadie with a… Michael?”
My arms tighten around Connie. That fucking prick. He put everyone in danger—he putmy girlin danger.
The police question Lilli, then Connie, and then after, they leave with Tops walking them out.
Lilli turns to Connie with a small smile. “I’m going to change. I want to get to the hotel as soon as possible.”
“Me too,” Connie says. “Tops wants me to wait for her to come back, though. If you want to head over to the hotel without me, that’s okay. I’ve got Eric.”
“You’re sure? I don’t want to leave you. She was going to take me.” Tears pool up in Lilli’s eyes. “You took my place. What if something happened to you?”
“Nothing did. I’m alright, Lilli. I love you.”
I watch them hug, and then I watch Lilli leave with Ash, a second car available to take us to the hotel when Tops is done with Connie.
It’s misplaced from all the emotions I felt today, but I’m furious at Michael. Something much worse could’ve happened to Connie because of him.
When we’re finally alone, Connie looks at me with a weak smile says, “Well, that was something.”
30 - Connie - Now
“You should have never gone out with him,” Eric simmers as he paces behind the closed door. “You know Michael is the reason she was even back here?”
“He probably didn’t know,” I say, unsure how we got into a conversation about Michael when I was just so relieved to be in his arms.
