“It was three fucking hours!”
“Why don’t we get out and walk?” Pres suggests, looking out the window in hopes of catching a glimpse of the hotel.
“Are you sure?” I cast a wary glance at the crowd.
“It’s either that or we sit in this car for the next hour or two.”
My eyes dart from her to the sidewalk. “Okay,” I agree, then I address Jonas. “Hey, we’re gonna walk to the club. I’ll let you know what we find out.”
“Okay,” he says. “We might join you if it doesn’t get any better shortly.”
“Sounds good.”
I inform the driver that we’ll be taking it from here and give him a hefty tip, feeling guilty that he’ll be stuck in this traffic for the foreseeable future.
When we step out of the car, I do my best to shield Pres from the crowd, wrapping an arm around her waist as we make quick work down the street toward the club.
If anyone recognizes us, I don’t pay any attention. I just keep focused on making it to our destination so I can figure out why the fuck all these people are here in the first place.
It occurs to me that I could probably ask one of them, but that would risk exposing us, and since that awkward Hero Hollis thing is still alive and well…
Yeah, no thanks.
We finally make it to the back entrance of Vine. It’s where VIP guests are supposed to check in and where the bouncer meets us.
“Evening, Mr. Creed.”
“Hi, Kevin. How many guests have checked in?” I ask him.
“Only a few,” he replies, glancing at the list.
“Fuck. Can I see?”
Sure enough, almost every name remains unchecked.
Not that I’m surprised. The crowd outside is enough to spook even the bravest celebrities into staying in for the night.
I scan the list and let out a sigh of relief. “The family is here,” I tell Pres. “Even Hen and Zander.”
“They wouldn’t miss this. You know that.”
I swallow hard, feeling a lump in my throat. “I know.”
“Come on.” She takes my hand. “Let’s go find them. Maybe they’ll know what’s going on.”
“Okay,” I reply, then thank Kevin and head inside.
The place is gorgeous. Brimming with elegance and old Hollywood charm, it’s everything Jonas said it could be.
And more.
The only thing that’s missing is the crowd.
The small groups of people wandering around make the space seem a little overwhelming. It reminds me of the one and only time I went to a school dance in middle school. I showed up early, and the boys were all huddled on one side, the girls on the other. The gym looked so much larger in the dark, like it could swallow us whole.
That’s how the club looks right now, and I hate it.
My stomach twists.
