Smith rolled his eyes dramatically and disappeared back down a hall.
Many of the eyes in the lobby were on him now. Not seeing much other choice, Reece went up to the table and the xenophobe. Just beyond the table, the doors of a huge conference room were open, and the face from Pitney Adams’ framed picture projected onto a gigantic screen at the front of the full room.
Cedrick Stone.
“Hannah was a dear, personal friend,”Stone’s image was saying to crowd from on-screen.“I know she’d want us to keep up the fight in her honor—”
Stone was, of course, ignoring the pesky little snag about Hathaway planning to withdraw the bill. At least Reece hadn’t had to hear Stone’s lie in person.
People were packed into every chair and propped against the walls of the conference room. On the stage in front of the screen was a table with several panelists, Beau Macy in the middle.
Reece quickly looked away, turning to the woman behind the table, who smiled brightly at him. “Welcome, AMI Family member!”
AMI Family. Reece rubbed his temple. “Right.”
Stone’s voice drifted out from the conference room.“—while sales of our product buoy the tireless fight against those who threaten the sanctity of all American minds—”
“—and make me a billion dollars,” Reece muttered.
The woman at the registration table blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Nothing.” Reece tapped the table in between them and tried to act like a normal person whose bare fingers touched things all the time. “I’m press. Where do I sign in?”
She pointed to one of the many lists on the table. “This one. And I’ll need to see some ID.”
Reece carefully scratched outConnor Kendrickon the sign-up sheet and slid it toward the woman, along with his perfectly made fake driver’s license.Thank you, Jamey.
The woman glanced at it, at Reece, then passed the license back. “I like your glasses, Mr. Kendrick.”
Thank you, Liam. Reece shifted impatiently. “So can I—”
“I’ll just need to see your credentials.”
The world screeched to a halt. “My what?”
“Your press credentials. We don’t have you on our list, and we wouldn’t want just anyone to sneak in here and claim they were press!”
She smiled again with perfect sincerity. Reece just managed not to cringe. What really got him about xenophobes was their genuine warmth toward anyone they thought was part of their exclusive group.
“What station are you with?”
“Ah.” Reece cast desperately for an explanation. “I have a blog,Eyes on...Things.”
“Oh.” Her smile disappeared. She looked into the conference room, nose wrinkling. “Is there a convention of high school bloggers tonight?”
He followed her gaze to a man with blond-brown hair leaning against the back wall of the conference room, about Reece’s size and maybe a couple years younger. “He and I make two.”
“Well, that’s two more than the AMI Family is going to appreciate,” she said primly.
“What are you talking about?”
She gestured at him. “You’re built like an empath. It makes people here uncomfortable.”
Reece stared at her. “AMI has something againstshort people?”
She folded her arms. “Sir, you’re raising your voice.”
“People have no control over their height! That’s the most ridiculous—”
