Page 170 of Triggered By Love
Screams erupted all around her. The shooter fell from the fire escape and tumbled down onto the scattering chorus line. Dancers leaped from the stage. Musicians abandoned their instruments, and a stampede of screaming patrons thundered from the theater.
“Get down,” Jason shouted, reaching for her with his good arm.
She lunged over him, protecting him from more shots.
“What are you doing?” Jason tried to push her off. “Run, hide. Go. In case he takes another shot.”
“I won’t let him kill you.” She pushed her hands over his bleeding wound. “Stay with me. Don’t you go dying on me. I love you, Jason.”
“Well, in that case, if you love me, I don’t think I’ll be dying.” Even in pain, he was able to smirk and grin like the rascal he was.
Avery covered him with kisses, and Jason’s good arm curved around her. He held her tight in a grip that told her he had her exactly where she wanted to be.
A hair trigger for love.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Jason’s armwas on fire, but that didn’t stop him from giving Avery’s mouth and tongue a thorough licking, right before he pushed her off him. “Sorry, I have to catch the shooter.”
“But you’re hurt. Someone, call nine-one-one!” Avery was covered with blood and fumbling through her evening bag for her phone.
While she was distracted, Jason grabbed one of the orchestra chairs and launched himself onto the stage. All around him, dancers, actors, musicians, and singers were scrambling for the exits.
He spotted Harvey Leach and tackled him, flattening the wiry dancer to the wooden floor. “You’re under arrest.”
“It wasn’t me. I swear. It was the priest up on the roof. I mean the character.” He pointed at the set which depicted a luxurious Upper East Side penthouse. “He fell off the fire escape.”
Jason ran toward the screams. The actress for Maria Schitt was screaming her head off and pushing her hands into the wounds of a man dressed as the priest who was supposed to marry the Maria and Tony characters before the Adam character broke it up.
“Blade, Blade,” she cried. “You idiot. You big fat idiot.”
Jason couldn’t believe what he was hearing and seeing. He yanked the woman’s wig off and recognized Tatiana Renzi, but even worse, the man dressed in priestly robes was his effing partner, Blade Camden.
“What the fuck?” Jason exploded over him. “You’re the shooter?”
“Hell no, I’m not,” Blade said. “I’m here to protect you and Avery, but she shot me and let the perp get away. It was the Adam Schitt actor. He was going to shoot you. I tried to take him out, and I missed.”
“Who is the Adam Schitt actor and why would he shoot Avery?” Jason gave Blade a disbelieving huff.
“It’s Trent Gallagher,” Blade said. “Don’t you get it? He’s supposed to shoot the Tony Triumph character on Fifth Avenue, but instead of shooting him, he was going to take you guys out. All I was doing was stopping him.”
“That’s not true,” Tatiana said. “Trent’s gun shoots blanks.”
“Whose side are you on?” Blade’s voice rose to a whine.
“My own.” She kicked him.
Jason grabbed Tatiana’s arm. “Where did Trent go? Where’s his gun?”
“Over there!” She pointed and kneed Jason in the groin at the same time.
Pain shot through him, made worse by his injured arm.
“Let me have my gun.” Blade gasped for breath. He reached for the gun he dropped with one hand while the other one was pressed onto his bleeding side. Another wound on his thigh spurted blood.
Jason managed to kick the gun from Blade’s reach. He tried not to drop his own blood onto the evidence bag he carried. He couldn’t catch Trent right now, but he had to make sure Blade didn’t get away.
“Gimme my gun.” Blade’s voice gurgled.
