Whole Lotte Trouble Ch 5

On their approach to the party, the protest at street level was loud but otherwise not too spicy. It’s different now. Riley’s eyes water as she and Lotte push their way through the melee; there’s tear gas and people struggling with cops in riot gear, wielding big plastic shields and sticks. It’s hard to breathe and hard to see. Riley wants to pull down her mask, but that’s the wrong thing to do. She stumbles and is nearly knocked down; people keep running into her. They aren’t even close to the frontline where the protestors are struggling with the cops.

“You see her?” she shouts, turning to see Lotte peering at the crowd.

Lotte holds a brick in her hand.

“Where did you get that?” Riley demands.

“Found it,” Lotte replies proudly.

“What are you gonna do with that?”

She shrugs. “It’s a protest.”

“This isn’t France. You are not French. Put it down.”

“No,” Lotte says defiantly. Riley grabs for the brick and they struggle briefly. Lotte is the beautiful blonde model and Riley is the former athlete; she comes away with the brick, panting.

She’s about to yell at her wife that they need to find their daughter, but she sees a figure in black, pointing his gun at her.

“Uh,” Riley says, looking guiltily at the brick in her hand. “I hope those are rubber bullets,” she says. “Would it help if I said we’re white and privileged?”

Lotte strikes from the man’s right, clubbing him in the side of his helmet with both hands together. He reels and Lotte grabs Riley’s hand and yanks her deeper into the chaos. Lotte points and Riley sees it: Anika’s distinctive yellow backpack.

A cluster of combatants blunders into their way.

Swearing, Lotte punches another person, this one a protestor who’s in her way.

“I need a brick,” she snarls.

“No, you don’t! She’s right there!”

Anika’s up ahead in the smoke, applying a bandage to the side of a man’s head. He’s on the ground.

The line breaks and men in riot gear stream through. Anika is thrust to the pavement; a man straddles her and whips out a zip tie.

“Son of a bitch!” Riley shoves past the protestors in retreat. She grabs Lotte’s arm. “You get her out of here!” Riley is the athlete after all. She tackles the cop off Anika’s back, spilling painfully to the cold ground. She doesn’t try to fight him as he expertly flips her over, now with another zip tie. The freezing pavement is rough under her cheek. Spending New Year’s Eve in jail won’t be great, but it’s better than her daughter spending it there. Lotte should have her out of here by now.

“Huh?” the guy says.

Riley looks up to see Lotte right there.

“Augh!” the cop cries as she flips up his face shield and sprays him with pepper spray, then plants her boot in his face and kicks him off Riley.

Anika and Lotte yank Riley upright. Sirens blare and shots pop off in the night air.

Anika tries to push past them toward the action, but Lotte and Riley grab her on both sides and haul her away.