“Later today,” Adriana said, glancing at her watch. “This morning, to catch you right when you open. My source doesn’t have proof, but he thinks the inspector has been paid off and will say your building is derelict and out of code and all that shit that means it will need to be torn down. He’ll say it’s an emergency closing because the building is close to collapse and endangers human life.”
River’s world turned sideways. “How can that be? There’s nothing wrong with this building. He can’t just lie. Can he?”
“He can, and he will. And then he’ll file that paperwork so damn fast, it will make your head spin. And whatever judge she’s paid off in the court system will push it through before you can dispute it and hire someone to give you a second opinion.”
“What…” River rubbed at her face. “What happened to the whole regeneration thing? Patience and taking it slow and all that? What does Marina have to say about this?”
Adriana shrugged. “Honestly, my source didn’t say. He just said Black has gone batshit crazy, and everyone is scrambling to do what she says.”
Did Marina know that Black had changed her mind? Why had Black fired the law firm? Surely Marina had toed the line well enough to keep that devil woman happy. “Okay. So what do I do?”
Adriana grinned. “Glad you asked. I’ve made a few calls, and you’re going to have a nice crowd outside by six a.m. The shady inspector will have to face an angry mob as well as us with the filming going live for the morning news.”
“Fuck.” River grasped Adriana’s hand. “Thank you. I don’t know what we’d have done without you.”
“Are you kidding? My followers are going to eat this up. She won’t get away with this.” Adriana motioned toward the street. “There’s a black van parked down the street that definitely doesn’t belong here. I think they’ve been watching you for a while.”
Instantly, River understood, and the room spun as her blood went cold. “She saw us together,” she said, more to herself than them.
“What?” Adriana said, leaning forward.
River looked up, stricken. “If they’ve been watching us, then they probably saw Marina leave my place the other morning. Early.”
Adriana’s grin grew to a big smile. “Nice.” At River’s expression, she shrugged. “You look good together, and if Marina took that chance, then she thought you were worth it. And it explains why Black fired the firm, if she thought Marina was sleeping with the enemy.”
“She’d have taken it personally. You should have seen the way she looked at Marina. Like she was a toy no one else could play with.” River’s stomach turned. “But if I cost Marina her job…”
“Hey.” Adriana touched her hand again. “Marina is a big girl who made her own decisions. This is her thing, not yours.”
River couldn’t help but feel responsible, even if what Adriana said was true. “Yeah. I guess I’ll hear from Marina eventually. In the meantime, we’ll have to fight it our way. At least it doesn’t drag anything out, right?”
Adriana stood. “Right. I’ll be back with everyone else by five thirty. See you then.” She and the guy with her left, and River waved at the van down the street as she locked the door and headed home.
Why hadn’t Marina called to warn her? After what they’d shared, even though Marina had been freaked out and run off… Maybe it hadn’t meant as much to her. Maybe she hadn’t felt the same way. Hell, maybe she’d just chosen her career over a woman she barely knew.
No ghosts were hanging around when River got home, for which she was glad. She couldn’t deal with any of them right now. She needed sleep, and hopefully she’d wake up with a better sense of how to fight the angry dragon snapping at their houses, ready to burn the village to the ground.
But sleep was elusive, and she stared at the shifting shadows on the ceiling as her thoughts raced. There didn’t seem to be a way to stop Black Pinnacle. If Black really had paid off so many people to make things move this fast, how could they possibly stop her? By the time the alarm went off, she was already in the kitchen making coffee. Yet again, no ghostly roommates appeared. Strange.Maybe they know something is going on.
She shrugged into her warmest coat and walked through a few inches of snow to the shop. Small flakes flurried in a light wind, dancing across the yellow rays of the streetlights. A few people were already in front of the shop, signs hefted over shoulders or leaning against the wall, breath sending steamy clouds into the dark morning air. She let them in and got the lights on, as well as a pot of coffee brewing. To the accompaniment of the dripping caffeine, she dashed off a group text to the whole team on this crazy ride with her. She explained in brief what was happening and when, and she asked for any and all ideas on what the hell they were supposed to do next.
Music with a heavy bass made her look outside. The queer kids strode up as a group, one of them holding aloft an old-fashioned boombox. It blared out an anthem about not going down without a fight. River went to the door to greet them but stopped when she saw people approaching from every direction.Wrapped up warm, people carried bullhorns, signs, and some even brought food and drinks, which were quickly set up on trestle tables.
River’s eyes grew wet, and she returned the kids’ hugs.
Signs of every kind were in existence. Some about gentrification, others about corporate villainy. One read, “The tarot says no” and another proclaimed, “Take your bad vibes somewhere else.”
Adriana and her crew showed up in force, cameras rolling. They took their time getting through the crowd, letting the growing chant of, “Not yours to take,” fill the time on air. By the time she made it to River at the front door, the crowd was thick with loud supporters. Billy and Audrey finally made it too, and Billy handed off the boxes of pastries to one of the queer kids to go add to the table of food. Soon, other members of the community board joined them as well. Audrey slipped inside, out of sight.
Adriana turned to River. “You ready?”
River shook her head. “No. But let’s do it.”
Adriana squeezed her hand and then turned to her camera guys and counted down on her fingers. “I’m in front of Echoes and Insights, and as you can see, I’m not alone.” The cameras panned the crowd, which raised its collective voice in response. “As you know, we’ve been following the story of Black Pinnacle and the proposed development of South Shore for a while now. You’ve heard the stories and met so many people in this fantastic area. You’ve also been told about the things Black Pinnacle will do to get what they want.”
She had to pause as the crowd booed and hissed.
“When it was announced that Black Pinnacle would be under federal investigation, they turned their plans to gentrify into a plan for redevelopment instead. That held some promise, evenwith all the potential pitfalls. The community was discussing it and trying to decide what to do about it.”
