Page 73 of Enchanted Hero
He opened the car door for her. “A year.”
Oh.
The conversation was light as they drove to the press conference. Alexander was clearly distracted, so after a few minutes she stopped talking and looked out the window. People in other vehicles pointed to the Ferrari as they passed, a stark reminder of Alexander’s position in the world. Her hybrid was cute and reliable, but it had nothing on the sports car or its famous owner.
“My goodness,” she breathed, as the soaring downtown buildings came into view, a visage far different than her last weekend trip into the city. The world was a sea of cars and trucks, the skyway jammed with dueling helicopters. It was a dozen rush hours combined into one, with hundreds of vehicles filling the normally quiet Saturday streets.
“Unbelievable.” Alexander frowned deeply. “How could all these people be here to see a press conference?”
“People will do anything to learn about the mysterious hero.” The rows of cars were endless, the queues to turn on the major roads backed up for miles. Crawling at three miles an hour, they would never make it. “Should we turn back? Even if we get there, we’ll never find a parking spot.”
“We’ll make it.” Alexander swiped the wheel sharply to the right, taking a quick turn down a side street. Everleigh gripped the seat – and Alexander – as the engine revved them faster. Back at the road they’d left, cars quickly jumped ahead to fill the gap. “Let’s find a street I can actually drive.”
It sounded good, except they were headedawayfrom city hall. “Are you sure this will get us there?”
“It’s a shortcut.” He made another sharp turn. “Are you familiar with downtown?”
“No,” she admitted, “but shortcuts usually involve moving in the direction of the place you want to go.”
“The roads curve.”
The roads did curve a surprising amount for a city grid, and she lost count of how many times they turned and backtracked. Then they sped through a tunnel, and suddenly, they were across the street from city hall. “What just happened?” The line of cars extended as far as one could see, yet they had skipped them all. “How did you do that?”
He smiled. “A shortcut.”
The cars weren’t moving any faster than before, but Alexander immediately pulled into the parking garage of a high-end apartment building, where security guards waved them through. “Let me guess – you have an apartment here.”
“No.”
“Then how–”
“I own the building.”
Of course.
Alexander pulled into a reserved parking space on the first floor and jumped out of the Ferrari. He grasped her hand firmly as they strode out of the parking garage and onto a sidewalk with throngs of people so thick you could barely walk. It included officials of all sorts, from uniformed policemen to men in dark, dark suits. Near the front, there was a large faction from the Scientific Institute of Research and Investigation and a science fiction fan club whose leader was giving an impassioned speech about uncovering the truth.
Journalists jostled for the best vantage spots, already giving live reports for local, national and international newspapers. Helicopters circled overhead, drowning out the sound of the crowd. A thousand dueling scents mixed, a cacophony of perfumes, street vendor food and sweat.
The crowd surged, thousands of people talking, whispering and sharing cell phone videos of the “magical” events, with more arriving by the second. The incidents replayed on the news incessantly, to a proportion unlike any sensation ever before. It was hard to make out individual conversations in the thick chatter, but one question emerged again and again.
Who was the mystery man?
The crowd grew denser as they approached the stage. When it didn’t appear they’d be able to get any closer, Alexander kept moving, and somehow the crowd shifted to allow them through. He stopped near the stage. “We’ll be able to see from here.”
“Mr. Stone.”
Everleigh turned as two men in black suits strode to them. They were both large, wired andarmed. “The Governor asked us to keep a lookout for you. He wanted you on the stage with him.”
“The Governor?” Everleigh stiffened. “He’s here?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Although Alexander remained stoic, he was clearly not pleased. “Miss Lacey will accompany me.” The two officers hesitated, but nodded, leading them to a tented walkway. All around, officials moved about, intent on unseen missions, still they gave way when Alexander strode by. He never let her go, not as they reemerged into the bright sun, this time in front of the massive crowd. Everleigh followed Alexander up the steps onto the stage.
“Agent Andrews and Dr. Garrison.” Alexander’s expression was grim as the men appeared, surrounded by a group of people with similar badges. “I didn’t expect such a grand entrance. I would’ve been just as happy in the audience.”
“Nonsense,” Agent Andrews straightened his black sunglasses. “Someone like you belongs up here.”
