Page 30 of Reverb
“Liberty,” the woman said. “I’m a fan, too, but this is Lysa’s first concert.”
Mish signed the T-shirt. “Did you have fun?”
“Oh my god. It was the best thing ever.” Alysa’s dark eyes were wide and held wonder and joy. Her gaze drifted to the hand where Mish’s ring had been. “I’m so sorry, though.”
Mish waved the concern away and handed the T-shirt back. “Some people are just jerks. Don’t worry about it.”
Kid looked at her mom, and Liberty nodded. “If you want to.”
Alysa took a breath, then pulled a silver ring off her finger and handed it to Mish. It had a sun design stamped into the band. “I don’t know if it’ll fit, but I want you to have it.”
“Oh god, I can’t!” The words came out so fast, Mish couldn’t stop them.
Alysa’s eyes filled up with those tears again. “Please?”
Reluctantly, and with moisture in her own eyes, Mish held out her hand and Alysa dropped the ring into her palm. “Thank you. I’ll treasure it.” Like she’d treasured the ring from her mom.
The smile both Alysa and Liberty gave her almost made the tears spill, but Mish didn’t cry at concerts. Tried not to cry at all, if she could manage it.
The pair moved on to Ray, and Mish found another fan in front of her. Another set of worried eyes. Her heart twisted, and she did her best to smile and laugh and set the fans at ease.
“Get out of the way!” David shouted as he ran through the packs of people heading to the parking lot, swerving around those that didn’t move. They were gonna lose the fucker if he got to the entrance. Too many cars, too much land to cover.
He’d outstripped the venue security when they’d all taken off after the man who’d stolen Mish’s ring, but Adrian ran next to him, his focus as intent on the fleeing guy’s back. “Too fast,” he said between breaths.
Yeah, the fucker was running pretty damn quickly. Probably fear and adrenaline keeping him moving. The knowledge that bad things would happen if he got caught. David had chased his share of thieves in his time in security. Knew how this went.
Hopefully the guys behind them had called ahead to the gate security.
God fucking damn it. He should have noticed that guy lingering, not being as happy and bouncy as the other fans. Impatient to get to the front. Should have caught him before he’d lunged out of line. David fucking should have been closer to the signing table, but with all the helpers and security there, he’d figured it would be fine.
He’d been wrong, and put Mish in danger.
He really fucking wanted this asshole.
For once, something went their way, and the crowds thickened near the gate as security temporarily slowed people leaving—enough that the dude who’d stolen Mish’s ring came to a stop, then frantically looked around for somewhere else to run.
“Cut left,” David shouted to Adrian.
Adrian did, no questions asked. Good. Because if David read the guy correctly, he was going to break—left. Adrian saw and gave an elated shout, which was perfect, since it made their quarry spin right back around and head straight for David, the short, unassuming guy.
David grabbed the man’s arm, pulled him around and laid him flat on the ground. “You have something that doesn’t belong to you, asshole.” He pressed a knee into the guy’s back, as Adrian and some of the venue security guys came up.
“Let me go. I didn’t do anything!”
Guy was maybe in his early thirties. Wiry build. Light brown hair. White as a sheet, despite the exertion and the sweat on his skin.
“Dude, we watched you snatch Mish’s ring,” Adrian said. “Where is it?”
“It’s just a fucking ring. Not like she needs it, with the cash she has.”
Anger spun through David and he pressed down harder. “Doesn’t matter. You’re giving it back.”
The guy grunted and panted. “I can’t breathe, you fuck!”
He wasn’t pressing that hard, but there were more than a few boots of the venue security that shuffled forward at that, so David took his knee off the guy’s back. “You can breathe. And you better start talking.”
“We should wait for the cops,” one of the security guys said. More murmurs in agreement.
