He glanced over. Kyle Morgan stood beside him, hands in his pockets, gaze fixed on the entrance.
“Environmental group,” he explained casually. “They’ve been following Burnside all week.”
His attention still on the doors, he caught a brief incident of pushing and raised voices before security contained it.
“You’re with your parents tonight?” Kyle asked.
“And my daughter.”
He frowned slightly, as if thinking. “I passed your table just now. I only saw an older couple.”
“Tasha was on the dance floor with her boyfriend.”
Kyle shook his head. “I don’t think so. The band took a break when the protesters got loud. But I could’ve missed her.”
He glanced toward the wall of windows. “Or she grabbed a sign and joined them,” he muttered
“Really? Your daughter is a rebel?” His lips twitched, failing to suppress his amusement.
Coop didn’t find it funny. It was exactly the kind of thing Tasha would do. He looked toward the ladies’ room door, tornbetween staying with Erica and tracking down his bleeding-heart-liberal daughter before she got arrested.
“I’ll escort your date to your table if you want to go check,” Kyle offered.
He hesitated, weighing his priorities. Keeping Tasha out of a potential riot topped them. “That would help. Thanks.”
“No problem. You can’t be in two places at once.”
The restroom door opened. Erica came out, searching for him. “Vince, you’ll never guess—”
She halted when she saw Morgan standing beside him. “Hello,” she said hesitantly.
Just then, two police officers exited the ballroom, a vocal, struggling, and cuffed young man between them.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
He touched her arm. “There’s a disturbance with the protest,” he told her. “I need to find Tasha.”
More shouts echoed down the hall.
“Of course. Go,” she said.
“This is Special Agent Morgan. He’ll take you back.”
“I’ll be fine, Vince. Find Tasha,” she urged.
Two more police officers dragged another protestor out. Decision made, he told her, “Stay with my parents. We’ll leave as soon as I get back.”
He didn’t like it, but he moved, striding through the side door, already scanning the volatile crowd for his daughter.
***
Through the windows, Erica watched Vince until the crowd swallowed him. What had started as a noisy protest escalated fast. Security pushed forward, trying to contain. A sign went down. Someone shouted. The response came louder.
Her stomach clenched. Tasha could be somewhere in that chaos.
Vince would find her. She was sure of it.
Still, unease lingered, especially after the bathroom encounter.
