The ride back to Lyse's apartment was steeped in silence.
Brandon didn't press her to talk. He simply gripped the steering wheel and drove, occasionally glancing at her from the corner of his eye, checking that she was still holding herself together. Her arms were crossed tightly, her shoulders tense, and she stared out the window with a blank expression that masked the storm raging inside her.
When they pulled off the freeway, dusk had fully settled over the city. The sky bled into deep navy, and the streetlights flickered to life like watchful eyes. Brandon made the last turn toward Charles building, slowing as they approached the familiar entrance to the parking garage.
That was when he noticed them.
A swarm of bodies ahead, clustered at the curb outside the building. Dozens of them. Some leaned against the fencing. Others perched on car hoods, hunched with cameras pressed to their faces. Flashbulbs sparked like angry fireflies. Brandon's jaw tensed.
"Shit," he muttered.
