by Kaylea Cross
Through a fleeting gap in the smoke two people emerged through the doorway below carrying someone. A sharp, terror-stricken cry rent the air, and it was like a match on tinder.
Panic erupted. People started pushing and shoving, yelling and shouting as they swirled in a chaotic mass around and below Tiana and Aidan, each fighting to get down the steps.
Tiana sucked in a breath, her skin shrinking as she saw people fall and get swallowed up under the stampede of panicked people trying to escape. Oh, God, they were trampling each other in their terror.
A woman’s thin scream echoed upward as she fell beneath the onslaught. The tightly packed crowd rushed right over top of her, crushing her into the concrete steps.
Beneath her forearm, Aidan’s stomach muscles contracted sharply. He reached back to lock an arm around her, holding her in place against his back. She pressed her face into his shirt and closed her eyes, having no intention of moving.
The door below banged shut. Several groups pushed past them, jostling them against the railing. Aidan held her fast, waiting for the frightened mass below to thin out a bit. Finally Tiana opened her eyes and peered around Aidan.
Through the clearing smoke, she could see the trampled woman lying facedown on the steps, struggling to get to her hands and knees. “Help,” she moaned, reaching a hand out blindly to the crowd rushing past her.
It twisted Tiana’s heart. “We have to get to her.”
“Aye. Come on.” Aidan started down the steps.
Someone crashed into Tiana from behind, sending her slamming into Aidan’s back. He didn’t budge, immediately steadying her, then pulling her after him.
Her knees wobbled as the soles of her wedges hit each step. Someone had finally stopped to help the injured woman to her feet, only to get shoved aside and carried away on the tide of bodies streaming down the stairs.
Aidan reached the woman, his huge frame forming a protective shield as he bent and hoisted her upright. “Tiana, come to her right side,” he commanded over the noise and confusion.
She rushed to obey, reaching for the woman’s right arm as she came up alongside her. Looping the woman’s arm across her shoulders, Tiana hurried down the steps while Aidan guarded the victim’s exposed side.
The woman was crying pitifully, the side of her face streaked with blood. The smell of it turned Tiana’s stomach.
“It’s okay, we’re getting you out of here,” Tiana said to her. The woman didn’t respond, hanging in their grip like a rag doll as they carried her down the stairs as fast as they could.
Tiana lost count of how many flights they descended. The smoke kept clearing as they neared the bottom and the crowd began to thin out. Debris littered the lobby floor. Groups of people were gathered around on the sidewalk out front of the building. Some people were covered in gray dust. Others were bleeding.
Together they helped carry the injured woman outside, staying close to the building. Pieces of it littered the street, and more might fall yet.
Two firemen were setting up what looked like a triage station near the entrance. Tiana helped Aidan bring the woman over to them and carefully eased her to the ground. Her bleeding head, face and shoulders were covered in a fine gray dust, her eyes wide and blank with shock.
“You’re safe now,” Tiana told her while Aidan spoke briefly to the firemen. “You’re going to be okay.”
“Angela!”
Tiana glanced over her shoulder as two men burst from the crowd assembled near the front doors and came running toward them. One of them was her lawyer. The men knelt in front of Angela, taking her hands and speaking to her urgently.
“Is she a friend of yours?” Tiana asked her lawyer.
“She’s my assistant,” he answered, pausing to meet Tiana’s gaze. “Thank you for helping her.”
Aidan arrived and set a protective arm around her shoulders. “Come on. I’m parked about a block from here.”
She followed him down the sidewalk, a new wave of dread slamming into her when she couldn’t get a signal on his phone. The level of damage from the quake became more apparent with each step they took.
Tiana gazed around in horror. The downtown area looked like something out of an apocalypse movie. Piles of brick and other rubble littered the streets. Smoke rose in clouds over the rooftops, filling the sky, and flames burst through windows in the buildings they passed.
People and cars jammed the roads and sidewalks, clogging them in every direction. Some people were running. Others were stumbling along, clothes torn, bleeding. Frightened, urgent voices swirled around her, distant sirens an eerie wail in the background.
Ella. Was she okay?
“I’m parked over this way,” Aidan said, pulling her around the corner to the right.
Half a block down the street, that terrible, now-familiar rumbling noise started up again.
Tiana swallowed a cry as the ground began to undulate beneath them, like they were standing on the deck of a ship at sea.
She froze and grabbed Aidan around the waist. He whirled and crushed her to his chest, pushing her flat against the wall of the closest building beneath a slight overhang in the roof. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you,” he said against her ear, his solid body forming a protective cage around her.
She squeezed her eyes shut and hung onto him as the world shook and rattled all around them.
The ground thudded with each impact as more rubble tumbled down from the buildings. People were yelling. Screaming. Glass shattered and hit the pavement with a crystalline tinkle that sent a primal shiver up her spine. Distant explosions ripped through the air, pulsing against her eardrums and chest.
Something large rushed past them as it fell, so fast it created a breeze. She screamed when a huge chunk of building hit the ground, hard enough to buckle the sidewalk beneath their feet.
“It’s all right. I’ve got you,” Aidan repeated, his voice calm amidst the terror.
Her lungs were as tight as her muscles when the shaking finally stopped. She lifted her head from Aidan’s chest, her heartbeat throbbing in her ears.
“Hurry,” he said urgently, grabbing her hand and running down the ruined sidewalk.
Tiana stumbled after him, her legs like marshmallow. Debris kept raining down in the street. More fires had broken out, flames and smoke pouring from shattered windows in the buildings they passed.
Through a veil of smoke, she spotted Aidan’s SUV up ahead. It had some debris on it, but the windshield was only slightly cracked and it looked like it was still functional. He yanked the passenger door open for her. She climbed into the seat, slammed the door shut and locked it, her whole body trembling.
Shit, oh, shit… Was it over, or was there more coming?
Aidan jumped in behind the wheel a moment later. “Give me my phone.”
There was no message from Ella as she handed it over. “There’s still no signal.” They couldn’t get a call out or receive one.
“Aye. Cell towers must be down.” He turned on the SUV’s radio.
Tiana pushed past the fear to listen. What was happening? Was Ella okay? Please, God, let her be okay.
Aidan handed her back his phone. “Keep trying.” He tuned to a news station and together they waited, silent and tense.
“The U.S. Geological Survey confirms that an eight-point-two quake has hit the Portland area this afternoon at twelve-twenty-three local time,” the radio announcer said. “A tsunami warning has been issued for the entire coastal region.”
The bottom of Tiana’s stomach fell out. No.
“Officials have ordered an immediate, mandatory evacuation to higher ground…”
Tiana made a strangled sound and clapped a hand over her mouth, terror forking through her. My baby. My BABY!
Aidan cursed and curved his hands around her shoulders, turning her and pulling her to his chest. He held her there, his arms locked around her. “She’s going to be okay, lass. She’s going to be okay.”
Her throat closed up as
tears flooded her eyes. They were trapped here on this side of the Willamette River while a lethal wave of water was rushing at her daughter, and there wasn’t a goddamn thing Tiana could do to protect her.
Chapter Ten
Molly sighed in relief as she sank onto the living room couch and stretched out on her back. She grabbed the throw blanket from the back of it and pulled it over herself, glancing at her watch.
It was almost twelve-thirty. She’d just put Savannah down for her afternoon nap. If all went well, Molly had at least an hour to sleep, and since Jase was at work, she planned to take full advantage of a quiet house.
She jerked awake just as she began to drift off, the sensation of swaying tricking her subconscious into thinking she was falling. But she actually was moving.
Her eyes snapped open. She lay perfectly still, staring up at the chandelier in the middle of the living room ceiling. It was swaying. Wobbling back and forth.
A low rumble filled the air, then the whole house started shaking.
Savannah.
She threw the blanket off, her heart rocketing into her throat as she vaulted off the couch and tore for the stairs. The floor rolled beneath her feet as she reached the upper landing and raced for Savannah’s room.
Throwing the door open, she ran for the crib, grabbed her sleeping daughter and hugged her close as she looked around for shelter. Books and toys fell off the shelves in the bookcase. There was nothing big enough for her to fit under so she ran for the guest room next door and crawled under the desk to ride out the shaking.
She held Savannah close and huddled under cover, fear lashing at her. Thuds sounded from somewhere in the house. Drawers and cabinet doors in the guest room banged open and shut. The shaking went on and on. She shut her eyes and pressed her face to the back of Savannah’s head, willing the sharp edge of panic away.
At last the shaking eased and everything seemed to settle. Her heart continued to clatter against her ribs as she opened her eyes and glanced around. The damage didn’t seem too bad, but was it over? She’d never been through a quake before.
Only when she was reasonably sure it was over did she crawl back out from under the desk and go downstairs. Broken dishes and glasses littered the kitchen floor and a few lamps had fallen off tables in the living room.
She bypassed it all, heading straight for the mudroom to bundle Savannah up, put on her own coat, grabbed the packed diaper bag she always kept by the door, and went outside. There was no smoke and she didn’t smell gas, but there was no way she was going back in there until she knew it was safe.
Her fingers shook as she pulled out her cell and dialed Jase. A beeping noise filled her ear. She checked the phone, swore when she saw there was no service and started down the driveway to see if she could get a signal closer to the road. The sky was leaden with thick clouds and a cool wind was blowing off the water, but it wasn’t raining yet.
At the road she checked her phone again. Still nothing.
“Dammit.” She looked back toward the house. Maybe she’d just risk going into the garage to put Savannah in the car and drive her into town to meet Jase at his office. If he wasn’t there, she could go to Beckett and Sierra’s, or Poppy and Noah’s.
Plan in mind, she walked back up the driveway. No sooner had she reached the front porch than the ground began to rumble and undulate again.
She ran to the middle of the lawn well away from any trees or power lines that might fall, and watched anxiously as everything around her seemed to sway. By the time the shaking stopped she was done. Clutching her still sleeping daughter to her, she marched for the road. She’d walk into town, screw risking going inside for the car.
Partway up the street, she stopped when a white pickup barreled around the corner.
“Jase.” Thank God. The instant she saw him she knew everything would be okay. She let out a deep breath, sagged in relief as he sped toward her and pulled to the curb.
He jumped out, his face a mask of worry as he scanned them both, already reaching for them. “Are you guys okay?” His arms closed around her tight, cradling her and two-month-old Savannah to his hard chest. The baby woke and started fussing.
“We’re fine. Just scared witless. I tried to call you but there’s no service.” She leaned into him, wrapped her free arm around his waist. “What about you, are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He pulled back to check them both again, as if he didn’t believe they were actually okay. “Is the house damaged?”
“Some things fell over and we lost a lot of dishes. But I didn’t smell gas or smoke and the structure seemed okay when I left.”
“Thank God.” He kissed her and let go, his expression concerned. “They’ve issued a tsunami warning.”
“No…”
“Everyone’s evacuating the inundation zone right now, all along Front Street and the waterfront.”
Fear clutched at her heart. Poppy’s shop and Sierra’s vet clinic were right in the middle of Front Street. “What about Poppy and Sierra—”
“They got out. I passed them on the way out. I saw Noah’s patrol car parked there, though. He’s down there right now.” He ushered her to the truck, opened the back door so she could put Savannah in her car seat.
She hated Noah or any of their friends being in harm’s way, but as sheriff, it was his job. “Was Beckett or Aidan with you when it hit?” she asked as she buckled their daughter into the seat. Because sure as hell, they would both be heading down to Front Street to help Noah.
“No. Beck was at home with Sierra. Up there on the cliff they’re safe from the tsunami. I’m taking you over there and then going to help Noah.”
She grabbed his arm. “Jase—”
“I’m going, Moll. I can’t leave them, and we have to help as many people get out as we can.”
Dread coiled like a snake in the pit of her stomach as she got into the front as Jase went around to get behind the wheel. Arguing with him about this wouldn’t do any good. He’d been a soldier—an elite one—most of his life. He and the others had the skill set that might help others survive. Beckett, Noah and Aidan were his brothers and he would be at their sides through whatever threat they faced, even a lethal wall of water rushing toward the town.
“What about Aidan?” she asked.
“He took Tiana into Portland this morning. I heard on the radio on the way here that the quake originated there.” He looked over at her, his aqua eyes worried as he put the truck in gear. “They were right in the epicenter when it hit.”
****
Because he was halfway through a twenty-four pack of beer when the shaking started, it took Brian a few seconds to realize what was happening.
As soon as it registered to his befuddled senses that they were having an earthquake, he leapt up off the couch and raced across the room to crawl under his kitchen table, holding onto a sturdy wooden leg while the world shook around him. He wasn’t sure if it was the quake or the beer, but the floor seemed to roll under him like a wave.
He stayed there for what felt like an hour while dishes fell out of the cupboards and shattered on the floor. A few pictures fell off the walls, and several pieces of unsecured furniture toppled over with loud crashes. The whole house seemed to groan as the wooden frame wobbled and shook on its foundation.
Even when everything stopped he didn’t move, remaining under cover until his heart came down out of his throat. In the stillness it was suddenly, eerily quiet.
He climbed cautiously out from beneath the table and glanced around at the damage. He had one hell of a mess to clean up but he was unhurt, and while he hadn’t been through an earthquake before, that one had seemed pretty bad.
The power must have gone out because all the lights were off. He would have no heat, no light for who knew how long—
He sucked in a breath as it hit him.
The power was out.
A prickle of heat raced over his skin.
He looked down at the bulge below the hem of his right j
ean leg. The electronic monitor they’d locked on him only had enough battery for 40 hours, max. If the power was out and the quake had been bad enough, the entire system might be down.
Movement caught his attention through the kitchen window. Over the back fence his neighbors were in their backyard, gesturing at their house and talking loudly amongst themselves.
He wandered down the hall to his front door to get a better look. Several paintings were lying smashed on the floor but when he opened the door the outer structure of his house seemed to still be intact. He couldn’t say the same for other homes on his street, however.
A few chimneys had toppled over, and a few of the brick homes had sustained visible damage, large cracks fracturing their exteriors. People ran out of one three houses down, shouting, drawing the attention of others as they gestured and pointed toward the roof where smoke boiled out from under the eaves.
Several neighbors had their cell phones out. “…can’t get a signal,” one man said next door.
“Looks like the quake knocked out the cell towers and power,” the guy he was talking to said.
That was music to Brian’s ears.
He rushed back to the kitchen, intent on his task. All the drawers and cupboards were in various states of disarray, their contents strewn across the tile floor. He rummaged through a pile from one drawer and seized a roll of tinfoil.
After wrapping a length of it over the ankle monitor to try and jam the signal in case the system was somehow still working, he hurried to his bedroom, ignoring the mess as he shoved clothes and other items into a backpack.
From his safe he grabbed the two thousand in cash he always kept there for just such an emergency. One final stop by the catastrophe in the pantry to grab water and food, and he waded through the mess in the garage, shoving it all out of the way so he could get his car out.
With the power out he had to manually open the rolling garage door, but no one paid him any attention as he backed his car out and hurried back to shut the garage door. Excitement bordering on euphoria surged through his bloodstream as he drove out of his damaged neighborhood. He spotted several other fires on his way toward the highway. The first responders were going to be busy for the next while.
