“Killian?”
He dropped his hand and leaned closer to Portia, his eyes closing briefly. “Thank god you’re awake.”
Her hand tightened around his as violent coughs racked her body. “What happened?” Her voice was raspy.
“I think the building collapsed.”
“An earthquake?” she gasped.
He shuddered. “I don’t know.” Not entirely a lie—he didn’t know for sure. It hadn’t felt like the last one. Though the earthquake that killed his parents and trapped him in the rubble had happened five years ago, some days it felt like it just happened. He’d never forget the terrifying sensation of the ground rolling beneath him. That hadn’t happened tonight. Recalling the fireworks and the chaos, he had a terrible suspicion.
Portia struggled to sit up.
“No, stay there,” he said. “You might be injured.”
“Where’s Tommy?” Fear coated her words. Tugging her hand from his, she scrambled frantically to sit up. This wasn’t the iron-willed woman the tabloids had dubbed the “Ice Queen.” This was a wife terrified for her husband.
“Portia, let me help you.”
Several slow minutes later, Portia was nestled in the vee of his legs.
“We’ve got to find Tommy,” she sobbed.
Her tears broke his heart and echoed his own worries. Killian couldn’t give in to those concerns now. He had to be strong for her.
“Listen to me, Portia. We’ll find Tommy.” He willed her to believe him. “We need to make sure somebody finds us, too, okay?”
She slumped against his shoulder and nodded. Whether in agreement or defeat, he didn’t know.
Turning his head so he wasn’t shouting in her ear, he tried again to summon help. “Over here!”
Nearby lights bobbled, then paused.
“What the hell?” someone said. “I thought you cleared this section?”
Shadows moved through the dense air. Rocks shifted around them with a clatter as someone came closer. A flashlight nearly blinded him.
Squinting against the bright light, Killian barely made out the two faceless figures beyond it.
“Can you shine that to the side?”
The light shifted. Killian blinked to clear the spots from his vision.
He curved his body protectively around Portia, unwilling to risk her life any further. “Anyone here from Tremaine?” he asked.
“Buddy, we got corporate folks coming out our ears.” The second rescuer laughed. “What flavor did you want again?”
“Tremaine,” Killian repeated. It was possible—but not likely—that his grandparents or maybe Tommy’s family had sent someone to look for them. The Tremaine Corporation would definitely have sent a rescue team for Portia.
“Yeah, I think they’re somewhere around here.” Neither rescuer made any attempt to move.
“Go get them,” Killian snapped.
“What’s in it for me?”
Killian bit back a curse. Right now, these rescuers held all the power.
“I’ve got a high-level Tremaine exec here,” he said—understatement of the year—“and I’m guessing you’ll get some kind of reward for bringing them over.”
