Chapter 123: Aiden

“Well, that could have gone worse,” Tom remarks from his sprawl in the corner of the cab. The little window into the cab driver’s compartment is shut. I can hear music through the plastic, turned up pretty loud. It’s a pretty safe bet that she can’t hear anything we say unless we shout it.

“It could have gone better,” I sigh. “It wasn’t supposed to be a formal visit.”

“Aiden, my poor dear, you’re their king,” Sarah tells me, like she’s breaking bad news to me. “If you insist on acting as if you’re just their beer buddy, you’ll worry them. They have expectations. They need you to be someone they can look up to.”

I never asked for this. If someone else was doing it, I wouldn’t have to. “I don’t