Her Love Came Too Late novel · Chapter 21 of 24

Chapter 21: Right on Time

"Marin isn't well," Russ said again, into the dead air, and smiled at fourteen thousand people.

Elliott felt the whole arena lean toward him.

"She's had a long month, and she's said some things that aren't true."

He spread his hands.

"The show will resume in a few minutes."

"Russ," Marin said.

"Sweetheart, let me help you off."

"Don't touch me."

He reached for the microphone stand anyway.

A man in the third row shouted, "Let her talk!"

Another voice picked it up, and then a dozen, and the sound rolled down the rows.

Russ's smile did not move.

He turned to the wings, and for one second his eyes landed on Elliott in the dark.

Then he said into the mic, quite pleasantly, "The sound crew will take it from here."

Every speaker in the building cut out at once.

The stage lights stayed on.

Marin stood in them with her mouth open, and nothing came out of the dark above her.

Then the captain came past Elliott, out of the shadows.

He walked onto the stage in his plain gray suit, with his badge held up in his left hand.

He did not hurry.

"Mr. Slater."

Russ turned.

The captain's voice carried without a microphone, flat and heavy, to the back wall.

"Russell Slater. I'm the captain of the Fourth Precinct."

He held up the folder.

"I have a hundred and ninety-nine false police reports with your office's phone line on every one."

Russ laughed.

"Captain, this is a private event."

"It's a public arena."

"You can't arrest a man for a manager's paperwork."

Keep reading free with an account. Start Her Love Came Too Late from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.