Page 23 of Wolfish Player
It comes again, and I flip the page in my book.
“Sir?” The door opens without an invitation, and George waves his security badge before stepping inside. “We have a situation in the lobby. A very, uh, crucial situation.”
“Don’t I pay you to handle those things?”
“This one requires your attention—unless you’d like to get the police involved.”
“Fine.” I stand and follow him into the hallway, boarding the open elevator.
As the car descends, I brace myself for the possibilities: a tourist falling into our book-inspired fountain, a staff member sneaking out early copies of an anticipated release (that’s usuallywhat this is about), or…my parents demanding to see me for a lunch date instead of picking up the phone.
When the doors open, the scene in front of me obliterates all of my assumptions.
Pink and purple tents crowd the floor, amidst sleeping bags and glitter-covered picket signs.
Release the book! Give us the Date! Satisfy the Cliffhanger Haters!
What the hell?I move closer to George. “What is this?”
“Sir, I think they’re?—”
“We don’t need him to speak for us!” A redhead with a “Fuck Wolf Publishing” sign moves closer. “We are camping out here until you release Allyson Harmony’s books!”
“Excuse me?”
“I didn’t stutter, sir.” She looks like she hasn’t slept in days. “She hasn’t posted on TikTok in a month, hasn’t shared any updates, and I’ve been around book publishing long enough to know that something suspicious is going on between you and her.”
There’s no way she knows anything…
Her fellow crazies start moving closer, angling to hear our conversation, hoisting their sparkling signs like they’re storming a castle.
“Don’t look at me like I’m stupid.” She picks up a coffee and takes a long sip before narrowing her eyes at me. “I. Know. The. Signs.”
“The signs ofwhat?”
“The publisher isn’t treating her right or you’re doing something shady behind the scenes, so you’re not publishing herbooks.” She crosses her arms. “Who in their right mind wouldn’t give the fans something after all her success?”
“That’s a very good question.”
“And yet, here we are, waiting for the answer…”
I blink.
“Give us the answer!” she yells, setting off a chorus of chants.
“Answer us!” “Release the books!” “Give us a release date!”
“Hold on, hold on.” I raise a hand, waiting until they stop. “I’ll have our publicist come down and talk to you.”
“We already talked to her in the parking lot.” She asserts. “She fed us lies because she doesn’t know anything. Give us the release date.”
“You do know that I can call the cops on you for trespassing, right?”
“I know you won’t.” She pulls out her phone and aims it toward me. “I’m about to livestream this in front of all my followers.”
“All six of them?”
“Six million.” She hisses before hitting the red record button. “Hey Harmony Obsessives! Like I promised, we’re here at Grey Wolf Publishing to get answers for our favorite author! The CEO himself came down to give them to us.”
