Page 34 of Enchanted Hero (The Secret Enchanters #1)

She had more than a little, unfortunately, but she savored every bite. “I don’t normally eat like this. It’s lucky I love to be active, just like you. Obviously, you exercise a lot.” She cringed. “I mean, I read that on the Internet. I don’t know if it’s true.”

He leaned forward, his muscles flexing. “No?”

She moistened her lips at a body that could only be made with hard conditioning. “Yup.”

He laughed. Even if he couldn’t read minds, no doubt he saw every wicked thought in her mind. He tossed his napkin on the table and sat back. “There is something I want to discuss.”

She sobered in a minute. “Should I be worried?”

“Not at all.” Yet he averted his gaze, before blinking back to her. “It’s about Agent Andrews and Dr. Garrison.”

“The scientist and the agent,” she murmured. “What about them?”

“As you know, they’ve showed up unannounced to my home multiple times, ambushing me. Maybe it’s because of my position, but they believe I’m somehow involved with the–” He waved his hand. “Incidents. I would prefer if you didn’t talk to them.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why not? Since you have nothing to hide–”

“Of course, I have nothing to hide,” he swiftly interjected.

“But I am an influential businessman. If people know I’m being investigated for some sort of paranormal event, it could affect business.

Of course, no sane person would believe it, but it still looks bad.

You’re my business partner. How do you think it would affect New Age Treasures? ”

She shrugged. “Actually, it would probably help sales.”

He opened his mouth, grimaced. “That was a bad example. Most of my companies would be harmed by such news. In addition, I would garner even more attention than I do now. Do you want a bunch of people following us looking for magic wands?”

She blinked. “Us?”

“They’ll follow me around, so if you’re with me…”

How much time was he planning on spending with her? “I hadn’t actually planned on talking to them.” As he grinned triumphantly, she held up her hand. “But not because you commanded me not to.”

“Whatever your reasons, thank you. I appreciate it.”

“The reason is simple.” She leaned her chin on her knuckles. “Someone extraordinary saved my life, and I’d like to protect him.”

He stared at her for a moment. “As long as you keep me out of it, you’re welcome to search for any mythological creature you want.

Let me know when you find the tooth fairy.

” His voice was flippant, but something deeper lurked behind it.

He looked at his watch. “We’d better leave for the press conference. Are you finished?”

She nodded, and they both stood. Of course, the owner of the restaurant didn’t get a bill, which was quite fortunate. Splitting it would have ravaged her monthly budget.

They strolled back through a restaurant just as crowded as before, even though it was no longer a standard mealtime. She stood back as a well-dressed couple passed. “You do fantastic business. People love this place.”

“Thank you.” He led her into the bright sunshine. “We’ve switched to an all-reservation system.”

“How long does it take to get a reservation?”

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 headed away from 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 and armed . “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.”

The air turned as thick as Alexander’s bank account. “Someone like me?”

“Of course.” Agent Andrews rubbed his hands together. “A powerful businessman, the prodigal pillar of our community.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Despite the flattery, Alexander frowned. “I’m just a businessman.”

“Are you sure?”

Alexander turned to the scientist with a glare that sent most men running, yet Dr. Garrison simply stared at him with fascination. The businessman’s voice was hard, as he responded, “I’m sure.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome.” The crowd quieted as the official took the microphone.

“We’re here to discuss the unusual occurrences of the past few weeks.

There have been a lot of questions, and we want to share what we know.

No matter what, be assured we are dedicating substantial resources to discovering the truth. ”

“What is the truth?” a man called from the crowd. “Is an alien among us?”

Some in the crowd twittered, but most remained serious, their gazes locked on the official. “We’ll have time for questions lat–”

“He’s not an alien,” a spectator called. “He’s a hero!”

This time the crowd erupted in cheers. Next to her, Alexander breathed deeply.

“Please hold your comments.” The official tried to regain order. “Like I said, we’ll take questions at the end. We want the truth as much as you do, but it’s going to take time.”

“The truth emerges now!” a voice boomed from some sort of hidden speaker. For a moment, the crowd became silent, then it erupted in surprised chatter as both officials and audience searched for its origin. “Up here!” the voice called again.

As the audience collectively looked up, Everleigh gasped and pointed. “There’s someone on the ledge!”

Calls of “Who is it?” and “Is it him?” pierced the air. Everleigh squinted, straining to see the man perched on the ledge, ten stories in the air. Was it her hero?

Not even close.

“It’s that guy from the science fiction group!” one of the officials called. “Timothy Evans.”

“How did he get up there?” the head of security growled. “Someone get him down now!”

“I’m not coming down!” Timothy called, although he couldn’t possibly have heard from so far. “Not until the hero shows himself. He needs to prove he exists!”

He stepped along the ledge, yet his foot slipped. A hundred gasps sounded as he teetered on the thin ledge, in what was clearly no longer a show. All bravado fled, all certainty too, leaving only pure fear. The crowd watched the unfolding tragedy – everyone except Andrews and Garrison.

They were focused solely on Alexander.

This was it. The moment the truth would emerge. Time to discover whether Alexander Stone was even more extraordinary than the world imagined.