Page 88 of Wayward
“Rocky!” Haley’s the first to move; she jumps in front of Zane and beelines for my dad.
“Haley Brewster, how in the hell did you get here? Boy, I can’t wait to tell your dad.”
“My dad? You know my dad?”
“I’ve talked to him every week since Emily and I got back. Same with Charlie and your mom, Sam. And Dante’s mom and sister. Yours too, Zane. I’ll be damned, all six of you are here. And there’s my boy.” Tears start rolling down his cheeks. He takes a few wobbly steps and steps onto the curb. A security team surrounds us, but I barely notice. My dad’s not the only one crying.
“Mr. Rockwell, we need to get you out of here. You’re drawing too big of a crowd,” a guard says.
“Right, we’ll walk back to the hotel.”
“No sir, the way is blocked.”
“Easton!” People are yelling my name. There’s shouting, and when I look to the side, there’s a camera crew filming the whole thing. And fuck, Haley’s in the middle of it. We wanted to save her from the circus we knew we had to create to announce we’re back.
There’s lots of shouting.
“Have you been in London this whole time?”
“How did you survive?”
“Where’s the diamond?”
Two black London taxis pull up. “Get in, Mr. Rockwell. We’ll drive around to the back entrance.”
It’s quick, and in an instant the five of them are pushed into one cab while I’m in another with two guards and my dad. My insides hollow out, and panic rises up my throat. It’s been a year since I’ve been without them. Without Haley.
My dad grabs my hand. “You’re okay, son. You’re home now.”
There are so many things I should be saying, so many things I’ve dreamed of saying to him for the last year, but I’m having a hard time gathering any of my thoughts. It’s also damn near impossible to keep me from jumping out of this car and running after the next one.
“I’ve been home. But it’s fucking amazing to see you.”
“What, to Miami?” Dad asks.
I shake my head, realizing he’s never going to fully comprehend the year I’ve had. How an island with no running water or electricity could be better than the civilized world. “We just got back to civilization three weeks ago. It’s a long story.”
“How the hell did you end up in London? I was standing at the top of the stairs in front of the Redmond, about to give a two-minute update to the BBC finance radio, when I saw you punch someone. At first, I didn’t trust my eyes. You were so far away, but I asked the Rockwell PR person beside me if he thought that hooligan looked like you, and he gasped and said he would bet anything it was you. And that the rest of the surrounding people were the missing crew from theRock Candy. He’s been working really hard to keep your case in the media so people didn’t stop looking for you. But you found us. That’s...It’s so . . . Damn it, Easton, I’d say I’ve never cried this much, but you haven’t seen me for the last year. Em! Does your sister know? We need to call your sister.”
“Not yet. We will, Dad.”
The car stops around the side of the hotel, and a valet yanks the door open. I’m out of the car, and the second I see the others getting out in front of us, I turn back to my dad and hold out my hand.
“I’ve got it. I’ve got it. The cane’s just for show.” He shakes me off. But I know he’s lying.
There’s a face I recognize standing next to the car. Someone from Rockwell-Harding. “Mr. Easton Rockwell, welcome home.” He holds out his hand. “I’m making arrangements to get us up to Mr. Rockwell’s suite as privately as possible.”
“Actually, for our safety, we need to make our arrival as public as possible,” I say, turning from my dad to the PR guy and back again. “You need to trust us on this.”
“I can do it in public. Do you need it right now?”
“We’ve got a start,” Dante says. “There were a few people filming with their phones.”
“I’ll arrange a press conference.” He stops and squares his shoulders. “Or a deep interview with the reporter of our choosing? A one-on-one with the six of you. It will be easier to control the narrative. I’m Mike Hastings.” He nods to us.
“That sounds good,” Sam says.
“Follow me.” The doorman opens the doors for Mike and my dad, who step into the elevator. The six of us crowd in around the two shorter men. I’ve never thought of my dad as short, but I think he’s shrunk an inch or two. Even Haley is taller than him, and she towers over the PR guy.
