Page 56 of Lawbreaker

“Now, it’s not nice to be a musical snob,” Connie teased. “Just because you favor opera doesn’t mean you should turn up your nose at a nice musical, and it’s even got cowboys in it.”

Odalie burst out laughing. “Well, I guess you’re right. I would like to come,” she added, noting Angel’s warm smile.

Connie, sensing comradeship, smiled to herself. She’d gotten some firm vibrations from her cousin Tony about Odalie. He was fighting tooth and nail not to get attached to her. Angel here might be the straw that broke the camel’s back. He wasn’t exactly Odalie’s type. But Tony was.

“So, Saturday night?” Connie prodded.

Odalie smiled. “Saturday night.”

They exchanged cell phone numbers and Odalie went home by herself. She liked Angel. He really wasn’t her type, but he was a lot of fun and she’d recognized him when he told her his stage name from when he’d wrestled. They had enough in common that they could get along. After all, Tony had warned her off. It wouldn’t hurt to show him that she wasn’t sitting alone on the shelf pining for him.

Rudy sat back on the sofa while Tony spoke to him about Teddy’s instructions. The James man was getting a little too nosy about their operation in his quest to put down Tanner Everett. Teddy had been unsettled by vague threats and he was ready to take action.

“We’re limited in what we can do,” Tony reminded him as he leaned back against his big oak desk with his hands in his pockets. “We don’t want to draw any unwanted attention. On the other hand, we need to shut him down before he becomes a problem.”

“That’s what Teddy said,” Rudy replied.

“Why did you switch Odalie’s seat?” he asked abruptly.

Rudy blinked. The question had startled him. “She was all by herself. I didn’t think it was a good idea under the circumstances,” he added. “She shouldn’t be out on the town without protection.”

“I’ve got two guys on twelve-hour shifts,” Tony pointed out, “with nothing to do except follow her around.”

“I know that, but neither one of them was in the theater.”

Tony glowered at him.

“And this weekend, they won’t even be needed. Well, not for Saturday night, at least,” Rudy murmured.

Tony scowled. “Why not?”

“Don’t you ever talk to your relatives?” he replied. “Connie and Angel are taking her out to a Broadway show Saturday.”

Tony was so still that he seemed not even to be breathing for a few seconds. “Excuse me?”

“Connie and Angel are taking her to see the revival of that cowboy musical.”

“When the hell did she meet Angel?” Tony asked abruptly.

“He and Connie came up to buy Francesca a new coat. They ran into Odalie and the three of them practically ate out a sushi restaurant.”

“She likes sushi?” he asked blankly.

“Apparently.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed. “Angel is out of her league,” he said shortly. “He’s got his fingers in too many rackets.”

“She isn’t marrying him, for Pete’s sake, Tony,” Rudy reminded him. “They’re just going to the theater, and Connie’s going with them.”

Before Rudy finished getting the words out, Tony was punching in numbers on his cell phone. It rang two, three times.

“Connie?” he asked abruptly.

“Yeah. Hi, coz!”

“Hi, yourself. What’s this about you and Angel taking Odalie to Broadway?”

“Now, Tony, it’s just a date...”