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Here, on stage, was the only place she could manage to feel enough happinesstosmile. It was always fleeting, though. She knew the moment she turned and saw Harrison standing in the wings, that euphoric glee would crumble to ash and remind her how alone and helpless she really was.
So many times she wanted to stop singing. To tell those hundreds of people who sat there staring at her what Harrison was doing. How he was forcing her to stand here night after night but every time she got the nerve to do it, she’d see Samuel’s face in her mind’s eye and fear so gut-wrenching took hold, she had trouble remembering the words to the song she was singing.
She took another bow and as her head was bent—she heard her name. She straightened and looked into the crowd. The lights along the stage were so bright it was hard to see much of anything. She could see the silhouettes of people in the rows of seats but couldn’t see any of their faces and over the roar of applause, she’d heard her name yelled but it wasn’t Elisabeth asthese people knew her as, as Harrison printed on the flyers he left all around the city, it was Betsey. Someone called out, Betsey.
Her pulse leaped as she heard it again and searched the crowd, her eyes widening as she looked up into the balconies and back down to the rows of seating on the ground level. Her heart was racing so fast she felt dizzy by the time she saw someone in the aisle coming toward the stage.
The curtain started to close as whoever was walking down the aisle started running, her name loud enough now for her to recognize it. “Aaron?” She took a step forward, a lump forming in her throat as she saw the person in the aisle was a man. When he was close enough for the lights to hit, her entire body started shaking. It was him.
She grabbed the curtain and held it back when it shut completely and laugh-sobbed when she could see his face, her heart nearly beating out of her chest. It really was him. He wasn’t dead. Someone grabbed her arm and jerked hard enough it felt as if it had been pulled from its socket. She stumbled, fear stealing her joy as she looked over her shoulder and saw Calvin.
“Move your ass, girl.” He tugged on her arm again, pulling her away from the center of the stage as the musicians started playing loud enough her screams went unheard.
Betsey grabbed the other curtain as she was dragged away, snatching it open. “Aaron!”
Calvin gave her another yank and the curtain slipped from her hand but she saw Aaron jump onto the stage as it swung closed. Her heart was in her throat as Calvin dragged her backward toward the theater wings and the moment the curtain parted and Aaron stepped through, she let out a relieved sob, tears filling her eyes so fast she was blinded. “Aaron!”
“Let her go!”
Betsey got her feet under her enough she was able to turn. She raised her left arm and clawed at Calvin’s face, screaming, “Let me go,” over and over again, trying to pull away from him until she was near hysterical.
She saw a blur of movement out of the corner of her eye as several men ran past her. Calvin grabbed her and turned her, twisting both her arms behind her back so hard she screamed again as pain shot down both of them clean to her fingertips.
It took the men who’d run past her—Harvey and a few other stagehands—little time to restrain Aaron and drag him toward them, stopping a few feet away.
Calvin heaved a gusty sigh behind her. “Damn it, Harvey, you need to work on your aim. Boss ain’t going to be happy when he finds out that one ain’t dead.”
“No, I won’t.”
Betsey turned her head as Harrison stepped up beside her. “Let us go, Harrison.”
He glanced at her and said, “And why would I do that?” before approaching Aaron and stopping in front of him. “Now this is disappointing.” He reached out and straightened Aaron’s shirt collar. “Here I was, going to sleep every night with a smile on my face imagining you toes up and six foot under, but here you stand.”
“I came for Betsey. We had a deal, Harrison. I bought that contract and you said you’d burn it.”
Harrison smiled. “Well, about that.” He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. “I’m a businessman, Aaron, and I’ve been making deals long enough to know they mean nothing without a contract. You saying we had a deal means nothing.” He looked at the others standing around. “Did any of you boys hear me tell this young man I’d accept his money as payment for Elisabeth’s contract?” The men said, “no boss,” in answer to his question. “So, as you can see,” Harrison said. “It’s your word against mine and who do you think a justice of the peace will believe? Me—the fine upstanding owner of the most popular theater in the city? Or a cowboy who has barely grown into his whiskers?”
The men holding them snickered. Betsey jerked in Calvin’s grip, only to have him pull on her arms tighter.
“I’m not leaving here without her.”
Harrison grinned and Betsey’s blood ran cold. “Somehow, I knew you’d say that. Gentlemen—“
Some silent demand from Harrison was all it took for Harvey and the men surrounding Aaron to pounce. Betsey screamed at the first punch to Aaron’s face. His head flew back, blood spilling from his nose as the other three joined in. It took less than a minute for them to knock him down, those punches turning into brutal kicks and the more they hit him the louder she screamed.
Harrison held up his hand and as quickly as the attack started, the men backed off. Aaron lay on the floor gasping for breath, one arm around his stomach. “Get him up and take him to the dressing room.” He shot a glare her way. “And shut her up before the whole damn theater hears her.”
Calvin clamped one big hand over her mouth before wrapping his arm around her and lifted her off her feet, then started toward the dressing room she used to get ready. She kicked and fought the entire way, doubling her efforts when they tossed Aaron to the floor and slammed the door shut behind them.
Betsey pulled at the hand Calvin had clamped over her mouth and was able to get it to move enough to sink her teeth into the flesh—then bit into the side of his hand until she tasted blood. He let out a howl louder than any she’d made and as she hoped he would, he dropped her. She was running across the room to Aaron before he had a chance to grab her again.
As bruised and bloody as Aaron was, he managed to sit up enough to grab her, one arm going around her to pull her in so tight against him she could barely breathe. She held on, cried onto his shoulder, and had never been so relieved and terrified in her whole life.
“How touching.”
Betsey stiffened at the sound of Harrison’s voice and pulled her head away from Aaron’s shoulder to look at him.
“This little reunion is heartwarming to see but—I still can’t let you go, Elisabeth. Let’s not forget, I do have something in my possession more precious to you than he is. Surely you don’t mean to leave poor Samuel behind.”
