We’ve been circling the City Hall parking lot for over twenty minutes. It’s slap full, and the lines of cars parked along the roadsides stretch in all directions for over a mile. I grip the steering wheel tighter as a truck coming from the opposite direction cuts me off and stops right in front of us. The passenger jumps out and attempts to direct the driver into a narrow opening. Then the tailgater behind me taps my bumper, waving his arm out the window as he slams on his horn.
Damn it. Dropping Crystal off at the entrance may be the only option at this point.
“What the hell are we about to walk into?”
She raises a finger, still talking animatedly with someone on the phone.
I notice the news vans and cameras parked right at the entrance. Shit. What are they here for?
Finally, she hangs up and turns to me. “Scott wants us to park at Spock’s Ice and meet Sid and her team. There’s still some parking there, and they’ve got bikes.”
The truck in front of us has squeezed a couple more feet over to the right, enough for me to edge around it. After a few morenear collisions, I get us back on the road and fall back three blocks to the ice cream parlor.
Spock’s Ice. With bright pink walls, light green trim, and a striped awning, the building looks good enough to eat.
“You want some ice cream while we’re here?” I ask her, only half joking.
“Maybe later.” She laughs as she gathers her notes and puts them into her tan satchel. “Or you can stop by with Natalie. She loves it. Her favorite is wild watermelon with lychee popping boba.”
“Over there.” I point to Sid and the bikes. She’s standing with a few of her crew at the curb.
As we walk up, Sid hands me a helmet while another guy hands one to Crystal. “Hop on. Nathan, you’re with me. Crystal, Heath’s got you.”
I buckle the chin strap of my helmet and get behind Sid.
“We’re going to get y’all right to the entrance,” she says. “When we do, head straight for the door. Don’t stop for anyone. Scott and Liam are already waiting and ready to fight them back.”
“Fight them back?” Crystal asks. Her voice is hoarse.
“Looks like the word’s out that Nathan’s alive. This is all about him.”
What the hell? I’m already creating chaos for the people I love.
Crystal looks my way and mouths, “It’ll be okay.”
We take off.
It’s even worse now. There’s not an inch of space left, and anyone who arrived early is blocked in. It’s going to take hours for this mess to clear out later.
“I’ve got to pick up Natalie in about an hour,” I tell Sid as we move at a slow crawl into the parking lot.
“No worries. I’ll get you back to your car when you need to go.”
Is she sure about that? The bikes can squeeze through for now, but it’s a challenge even for them.
“K, Nathan. Listen up. You’ve already got eyes on you, and they’re about to charge. I’ll get us right on the steps and will try to hold them back. Run for Scott.”
I glance over my shoulder, looking for Crystal.
“Hold on tight, here we go.”
Sid presses hard on the gas, and we whirl around the sharp corner into the building’s porte-cochère. She jerks the bike, and it bounces up several steps of the staircase.
“Run,” she commands.
Jumping off, I run. Instantly, a crowd of reporters swarms around me. Calls and shouted questions from dozens of voices ring in my ears.
“Nathan, where have you been all these years?”
