Belonging (27 page)

The local station that we’d been
watching interrupted their morning newscast and cut to a live shot
of my family as they came outside. I could hear the din from the
kitchen as every reporter started screaming questions at once.
Jessie waved to the cameras, Nana flipped them off, and then all
four of them turned their backs to the throng and went to work. I
noticed they’d all donned headphones. Nana had what looked like a
1980s Walkman clipped to the belt of her white capris, and she
started singing along to whatever she was listening to and shaking
her butt as she popped open a can of paint and gave it a
stir.

The paparazzi meanwhile were going
totally ape shit. They tried to charge my family, but the dozen
beefy security guards held the line at the edge of the lawn. A
couple police cars pulled up, and the officers spent some time
reminding the media to stay off private property. Finally, an
officer started to approach the house.

Shea appeared in the kitchen doorway.
He’d been watching TV in the family room along with Christian, Skye
and Dare, and said, “I’m going to let that police officer in, he’s
my brother.”

He stayed out of sight of the cameras
when he opened the front door, and a minute later, an enormous guy
in uniform appeared in the kitchen, holding an SFPD baseball cap in
his hand. Shea said, “Gianni and Zan, I’d like you to meet my
brother, Finn Nolan.” To Finn he said, “I didn’t know you were
working this neighborhood.”

As he shook hands with us, Finn said,
“Nice to meet you.” Then he told his brother, “Everybody’s been
working this neighborhood since Zan’s story broke.”

“Figures,” Shea said.

Finn asked, “You want a police escort
to get out of here? I’ll make sure you don’t get hassled by the
paparazzi.” That had actually been directed at his
brother.

“We’re not going anywhere unless Zan
does,” Shea told him. “Christian’s worried about his dad and wants
to stay close.”

“Okay. So, here’s the official part of
my visit,” Finn told him. “The chief wants me to talk to Tillane
about relocating to a more secure location. He sent me because I
told him in confidence that you were in this house. I didn’t tell
him about your fiancé’s relationship to Tillane, though. I know
that’s a secret.”

To Zan, Finn said, “You have every
right to stay here if you want to, of course. Nobody can make you
leave. I want to ask you to consider relocating, though, as a
personal favor to me. I’m totally playing the family card here as
the brother of your future son-in-law, and I know that’s really
cheesy. I apologize for that, but my captain has put me in an
awkward position here.”

“Dude, that really is cheesy,” Shea
told him.

“I know, but my captain’s desperate.
The fact is, Tillane’s reappearance has put a huge strain on the
department. Two officers are working around the clock just to keep
fans from climbing over the back and side fences of this property,
and that’s even with your private security doing their part,” Finn
said. “Half a dozen more are rotating on twenty-four-hour shifts to
man the traffic controls. They blocked off this street at both ends
and have to ID everyone to keep out all but the folks who live
here. Plus, they’re trying to direct traffic, which is completely
snarled. People keep trying to drive by the house, then are forced
to turn off when they reach the roadblocks. It’s just made a mess
of things. Other geniuses have been flying private planes too low
over the neighborhood, trying to get a look at all of this, but
that’s another story. Worst of all, we’ve had to put dozens of
officers on that Tillane-a-paloosa happening in the park. It’s been
peaceful so far, but with that many people in one place, it’s all
just one fistfight away from breaking into total chaos. It’s not
just fans and the gay community that have gathered there. Anti-gay
protesters have started to show up with picket signs. Those people
love to get on camera and stir things up.”

“Shit,” I murmured.

Finn turned his attention to me. He
resembled his brother, with the same bright blue eyes and handsome
features. While Shea was usually smiling though, the frown on
Finn’s face looked like it probably spent a lot of time there. “I’m
not saying you have to get out of town or anything. It’s not like
I’m here to run you off. But I wanted to ask if you might have
someplace else where you could lay low, because the center of San
Francisco really isn’t ideal.”

“Actually, that sounds exactly like
you’re trying to run them out of town,” Shea said.

Finn sighed and told his brother,
“Give me a break. I’m just trying to make a bad situation better,
not only for our department, but for these two. I’m guessing
they’re not enjoying getting hassled by the press and the paparazzi
and the hundreds of people that are flocking here, given the fact
that they’ve been hiding inside since the story broke.”

“You have a point,” I said, “but I’m
really not sure where we’d go. I don’t think Zan wants to go back
to his house, and hotels are too public. If we try to stay with any
of our friends or relatives, that’ll just throw the spotlight on
them, like we did with this place.”

“I actually came up with an idea if
you’re interested,” Finn said. “It’s someplace off the beaten path,
and I’d be happy to escort you there and help you settle in. It’s
up to you.”

“They’d be recognized wherever they
went,” Shea said. “Where do you think you could take them, outer
Mongolia? I’ll bet even there you’d find a yak herder with a Zan
Tillane album on vinyl, hounding him for an autograph.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “I was thinking
of something a bit less drastic.” He turned to Zan and me and said,
“My cousins Kieran and Brian own a cabin above Lake Tahoe. It was
left to them when their dad died. It’s not exactly in the middle of
nowhere, but still, it’s fairly private. I know because Shea and I
have been going there since we were kids. As long as we didn’t
drive up there with a caravan of news vans behind us, you’d buy
yourselves some time and some peace and quiet.”

“That’s actually not a stupid idea,”
Shea said, and his brother shot him a look.

Finn addressed Zan and me again as he
said, “What do you think? We could make a big show of you two
leaving this house, so the reporters clear out. After that, we
could switch cars and slip out of the city.”

“How very Mission Impossible,” Shea
quipped.

“I actually like this idea,” I said.
“I’d love to lure the paparazzi away from my family, even though I
bet a few will stay and keep trying to get a story from them. Also,
I think it’d be great to go somewhere calm and quiet. Both of us
could really use that.” I picked up Zan’s hand and asked him, “What
do you think? If I’m wrong and you want to go home, we could do
that, too. We’d do the same thing, switching cars and all of that,
but I kind of like the idea of going somewhere random. I’m worried
about being followed despite our precautions and the paparazzi
discovering where you live.”

He said, “I’ll go wherever you want.
As long as you’re there, I’m good.”

I smiled at him, then told Finn,
“Okay, we’re in. So, when do you want to do this?”

“In about three or four hours, maybe.
I already asked Kieran,” Finn said, “and he’s fine with letting you
use the cabin. I just have to pull a few of the logistics together.
I’ve been thinking about how to switch cars without the paparazzi
noticing, and I may have figured it out. I’ll just need to make
some calls and get it all set up.”

I glanced at Zan, and when he nodded I
said, “Okay. We can be ready to go this afternoon.”

Finn looked relieved. “Great. I’ll
text my brother when we’re ready to roll.” He put on a pair of
mirrored sunglasses and the baseball cap and said, “See you soon,”
before Shea walked him to the door.

When we were alone, I asked Zan, “Are
you really okay with this idea? We could stay here if you’re not
comfortable with it. Or we could go ahead and go back to your house
if that’s what you want. I know all this change has already been a
hell of a lot for you, and I don’t want to push it.”

“It’s a good idea to get out of the
city, but I can’t go back home. Not yet. I want to, but I’m afraid
going back too soon would mean getting stuck there
again.”

“Okay. Do you like the cabin idea, or
would you rather think of something else?”

“That idea’s good as any,” he said.
“You’ll be with me, so that’s all that really matters.”

Jessie’s phone rang, startling me. I
glanced at the screen, which listed an east bay number but no name.
I said, “I forgot about that journalist, I’ll bet that’s
him.”

When I answered, a young-sounding male
voice said, “So, um, this was probably totally a prank and I’ve
been sitting here trying to convince myself not to fall for it.
But, well, then I figured what the hell. So, is Jessie
there?”

“No, he’s outside painting the house,”
I said. “Is this Eddie Guerrera?”

“Yeah. Who am I speaking
with?”

“Gianni Dombruso.”

“Bullcrap.”

“I don’t blame you for being
skeptical, but I can prove I’m really him.” I thought for a moment,
then glanced at the TV and said, “Do you get channel
twenty-two?”

“Yeah.”

I got up and headed out of the kitchen
as I said, “Turn it on. That station is currently showing a few
members of my family painting a big rainbow on the house, as if
that’s actually news. In just a minute, I’m going to give them a
reason to zoom in on the front window.”

I reached the hall closet and pulled
out a five-foot-tall cardboard cutout that someone had gotten Nana
for her birthday, then carried it with me into the formal living
room. I lifted the drapes just an inch and slipped the standee in
place. Immediately, I could hear the buzz of the reporters, even
through the double-paned glass. I said into the phone, “Say hello
to my little friend.”

Eddie started laughing, and said,
“Dude, seriously? Did you just have that laying around?” The
cardboard figure was a happy, buck naked little old man holding a
popping, spewing champagne bottle that covered his junk.

“My grandmother did, actually. It’s
completely random, I know. That’s her in the t-shirt inviting the
world to suck her dick, incidentally. Here, I’m waving to you in
case you need more proof,” I said, sticking my hand through the gap
in the curtains and waving at the cameras. “I guess I probably
could have just gone with the wave, but I wanted to make sure I had
the camera’s attention.”

“Oh my God,” Eddie said. “This is
real! I’m actually talking to Gianni Dombruso. Or someone in his
house, anyway. Jessie’s email said you guys wanted me to interview
Zan Tillane. Was he serious?”

“Yeah. We think you’re the perfect
person to do that interview. Jessie’s a big fan of your internet
videos and showed us one of them.” I’d returned to the kitchen and
glanced at the TV, where my friend was mugging in front of the
cardboard cutout and pretending to flirt with the naked
octogenarian. “That cute blond on TV right now is Jessie, by the
way.”

“But...I mean, every reporter alive
would kill for that story. Do you know what the talk shows would
pay to get an exclusive?”

“We just want someone with integrity,
and that’s you. So, do you want the interview?”

“Yes! Oh my God, yes!” Eddie
exclaimed.

“Great. Can you do it this
afternoon?”

“Of course. I’ll cancel everything for
this!”

I told him, “We don’t have a lot of
time, because we need to change locations in a few hours. How long
would it take you to get to the city?”

“An hour, tops. I think my roommate’s
home, so I can probably borrow his Datsun.” I gave him the address
and he stammered, “Okay. Well, great. Thank you so much! Oh my God,
I don’t believe this is happening!”

Once we disconnected, I set Jessie’s
phone on the table and put my arms around Zan. “Eddie’s on his way.
He sounds nice.”

“Good. I’m looking forward to
dispelling the insane rumors that are going around. I want to send
a message to my fans, too. I’m not sure what to say to them
exactly, but I suppose I’ll think of something.”

The painting party came inside a few
minutes later. Jessie was thrilled to hear about the interview. I
asked Dante to have his security team let Eddie through when he
arrived, and my brother fired off a text and said,
“Done.”

“Letting Eddie Guerrera interview you
is such a good call,” Jessie said. “I just know this guy’s going to
do you justice.”

“I think you’re right,” I said. Then I
asked, “So, how’d the painting go?”

“Well, we got a little done,” he said.
“But a lot of the paint was knocked over when the reporters charged
the house yesterday, so we need to buy more. Also, even with
headphones on, we could totally hear the paparazzi screaming at us
the whole time we were out there, and we could only take so much of
that.”

Nana had been washing up at the
kitchen sink, and we told her about our plans to relocate. She
thought about this while she dried her hands, then said, “You sure
about this? Here you got your family, there you got nobody. Also,
aren’t you gonna be kind of exposed at some cabin?”