26
Vivian
Different Channels
Vivian waited through the applause and smiled and smiled and smiled some more.
She had no idea what she said in response to questions that came her way.
She wasn’t even sure what the questions were.
The only thing she could really focus on was the tall figure that had hurried from the room directly after her speech.
Rowan had left.
Some part of her had been holding out hope that he’d try to apologize. But he’d left.
She wanted to break down and cry. She wanted to scream and throw things at Rowan’s stupid head. But he wasn’t even there to yell at.
Ashley arrived and gave Vivian the once-over.
“Viv, the photographer wants a picture of you with the board.”
Vivian looked at Ashley.
“I know. I’m sorry. I can put them off for a few minutes. Tell me how I can help.”
“Gather up the board,” said Vivian. “No point in letting one person ruin everything.”
“I’ve got a bottle of wine saved,” said Ashley. “Afterwards, we’ll talk.”
“Afterwards,” agreed Vivian.
It took a few minutes, but the board members were extracted from the tables.
Dessert service was imminent, so Vivian knew they had a limited window of time.
The voices of the guests scraped across her nerves, and she tried not to feel impatient with the Board Members as they lollygagged their way toward the side of the room where the photographer waited.
“Has anyone seen Howard?” asked Ashley, looking at the assembled board.
“I think he took a phone call outside,” said Kandie. Vivian was pretty sure Kandie had complimented the speech at least once. Vivian wasn’t sure she could take that much goodwill and positive energy right now.
“I’ll go get him,” said Vivian. Anything would feel less claustrophobic than this enormous ballroom.
“Are you sure?” asked Ashley, looking worried.
“It’s fine,” said Vivian. “I could use the air.”
Vivian walked toward the front entrance.
Through the doors, Vivian could see Howard talking on the phone under the projecting front awning.
Howard peered along the fire lane that looped in from the street and then continued out to the parking lot as if looking for someone.
Out on the road, she could see the Whole Foods sign down the block amid the warm glow of the street lights.
Could she just keep walking? The Whole Foods was a bastion of Fair Trade and kombucha.
They would have chocolate dark enough to drown her sorrows.
She pushed through the doors and welcomed the damp air with the hint of sprinkles in it.
“Viv, Viv, Viv.”
Vivian paused and looked back.
Mark wasn’t quite jogging to catch up with her, but it was close.
“Don’t leave yet,” he said.
Vivian rounded on him angrily. “I’m not leaving!
I have a job to do. This is my place. I’m not the one who ought...
” Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes, and she blinked them back furiously.
She would not ruin her makeup and event pictures over him.
“And anyway, why not? Huh? Why not? He already left!”
“He’s coming back,” said Mark.
“Ha! Yeah, right. Where did he go?”
“Uh...” Mark looked like she’d asked him the formula for nuclear fission. “I don’t actually know, but he said he was coming back.”
Vivian shook her head. “You know, I have enough people who think I’m a useless idiot in my everyday life. I don’t need to date someone who feels the same.”
Mark sucked in air like she’d punched him in the gut, and he leaned further away from her.
“Uh... He didn’t actually say that, did he?”
“There only so many ways to take being called an inexperienced twenty-something assistant that he’s fucking,” snapped Vivian.
She turned and headed back toward Howard, ignoring the haze of damp sprinkles in the air, even though it gave her goosebumps.
Howard was still on the phone, standing near the edge of the curb.
His head swiveled to look the length of driveway, then he turned back toward the entrance.
He wasn’t a demonstrative person. His gestures were usually contained and economical, but at the moment Howard’s free hand waved in an impatient pinwheel of anger.
“See,” said Mark, pointing past Howard, “Rowan is coming back.”
On the far side of the street, Rowan walked briskly toward the Center, but as she watched Rowan pointed toward the driveway and yelled something at Mark.
A large black vehicle pulled into the drive from the street.
Vivian noted that it was an SUV and driving oddly slow.
Maybe they were lost? Or maybe they were the person Howard had been looking for?
The window was rolling down even though the rain was picking up.
Rowan was halfway across the street and sprinting fast, running straight for Howard.
“Cover Vivian!”
That was a weird thing to say. Why was Rowan yelling that?
She felt Mark grab her, heaving her into the air, and then the world went sideways. She saw something flash from the car window. Multiple flashes. And Rowan tackled Howard.
Everything was gray. Vivian finally realized the gray lumps were rocks.
Something was pressing on her and it wasn’t until he moved that she realized it was Mark.
She put one hand out and touched a heavy concrete planter.
She remembered then that there were planters evenly spaced in front of the Arts Center and full of native species plantings.
They had seemed overly thick and substantial when she’d first seen them.
She and Ashley had shoved giant paper flowers in them to try to make them more festive.
As she watched, a little scrap of tissue paper drifted down in front of her. It was a vibrant red. It must have come from the poppy flowers they’d made. Why was it in shreds?
Mark was really heavy. Something had gone bang. Something had been so loud that now everything seemed quiet. But it wasn’t really quiet. Mark was yelling. Shouldn’t she be able to understand what he was saying?
Was everything going really slow or really fast?
Tires had squealed. There had been several of the bangs. Then, more bangs. Then tires had squealed, and now there was yelling. Something had come out of the window. An arm, and it had been holding…
It was as if her brain had taken everything in on separate channels and now wanted to reshuffle it into the proper order.
The air smelled like rain and fireworks. Her hair was wet from the drizzling rain. It would start frizzing and curling soon, and all her hard work and product would be wasted.
She felt Mark move away from her and looked up in time to see Teddy go running by with his gun out.
The thing coming out of the window had been a gun. It had been pointed at Howard. And Rowan had been running to get him.
“Rowan,” she gasped, trying to sit up.
“Stay down, Viv,” ordered Mark, pushing on her back. He had a gun out, too. He snuck a look over the planter.
“Howard,” she said, trying to get up again.
“No, Viv,” said Mark, pushing her down again.
“Medic!” She heard Teddy’s voice clearly. “We need a medic!”
Her breath started to come in gasps. Medics were only needed if someone was wounded.
“Let me up. Rowan and Howard—”
“Tyrique!” Mark yelled. And suddenly, there was Tyrique in front of her.
“I’ve got EMT incoming. Three volunteer medics want permission to advance and José and Jake are on cover. Delacroix is on crowd control.” Tyrique’s usual smile had been replaced by a severe expression she didn’t recognize.
“Medics can advance. Get Vivian inside. Protect and cover. I’m going for Rowan.”
“Yes, sir. Vivian.” Tyrique grabbed her and pulled her to her feet. She could see that her gown was torn at the hem.
“No, I want to go to Rowan and Howard,” said Vivian.
“Carry her if you have to,” said Mark.
“Vivian, Rowan needs you to come with me,” said Tyrique, putting his hand around the back of her elbow and steering her toward the building.
“Teddy said medic,” protested Vivian, trying to pull away.
“But you’re not a medic,” said Tyrique. Somehow, they were nearly to the entryway.
Two more Valkyrie employees were stationed inside the door with their guns drawn.
Tyrique walked Vivian inside but didn’t stop.
He walked her through the foyer and back into the ballroom, where the dance floor and tables had been cleared.
Everyone had been pushed to the back of the space, and Vivian realized that someone had gotten the crowd to put maximum distance between themselves and the street.
“They shot at Howard,” said Vivian. “At Howard.”
“OK,” said Tyrique.
“Rowan was running,” she whispered. “But I don’t know what happened. Mark picked me up. I didn’t see what happened to them.”
“Yes,” said Tyrique.
“Teddy didn’t say who the medic was for.” Tears were starting to form. She could tell by the stark prickle and sudden thickness in her nose that they wouldn’t be attractive tears—they would be blobby and gross. She was about to completely lose it right here in front of everybody.
“When I get an update, I will let you know,” said Tyrique, and she realized that he didn’t know if Rowan had been shot or not either. Tyrique was doing his job and holding it together, but he was scared, too.
If Tyrique could function in the dark, she could. She had to. Vivian swallowed hard and pulled herself up as tall as she could. If he could do it, so could she.
“What are we supposed to do now?” she asked.
“Assess the threat. Call for medical personnel and reinforcements.”
“They did that,” said Vivian nodding.
“Then right now, we’re at wait and keep bystanders calm,” said Tyrique. “When the team has cleared the threat, they will let us know.”
She looked toward the doors again. She knew that she had no skills to help them, but every inch of her wanted to go back out front. She looked back at Tyrique. She had to stay on mission.
“The team,” repeated Vivian, nodding to show that she understood. Rowan’s people would do things. Probably reassuring and important security things. She just wasn’t one of them.
She looked around the crowded ballroom and saw nothing but a sea of scared faces. Guests and staff were huddled together, looking lost.
“The security team is handling security. Shit. Who’s handling the staff and guests?”
Tyrique stared blankly at her. “We don’t…”
“Ashley!” Vivian swiveled and bellowed, scanning the crowd for her friend.
“Over here,” said Ashley.
Vivian finally spotted Ashley fanning a woman who was slumped on the floor.
“Drunk or medical?” demanded Vivian.
“Trying to run in Spanx,” said Ashley.
“Kandie, Debra,” Vivian snapped her fingers and pointed to two of the board members. “Take her to the restroom in the kitchen. Get her the air she needs. Ashley, has anyone communicated with the staff?”
Ashley shook her head and pulled her headset back on.
“Pretty sure the band is hiding in the kitchen,” said Father Fred, joining them.
“Great,” said Vivian. “They can stay there until we’re cleared to leave. Ashley, how many headsets do you have? Can you give them to the Valkyrie team?”
Ashley put her hand up to her headset protectively. “Um… Do I have to?”
“Please?” asked Tyrique, and Ashley sighed and pressed the button on her radio.
“Annie, can you come to the ballroom? Bring all the headsets.”