“Damn straight.” She lay her head on his shoulder. For a minute, Killian wished she were his.
He didn’t mean it—there’d never been a lick of attraction between them. That was all Portia and Tommy. He merely wanted what they had.
It was frighteningly easy to imagine the courier in his arms, her head on his chest, his hand tangled in her braids.
He shook his head to clear the ridiculous image. The courier may have been gorgeous, but she was completely unsuitable. His friends would eat her alive.
“What’s the matter?” Portia lifted her head to look at him.
“A silly thought.” He was reluctant to admit how much the mystery woman had intrigued him. Or how attractive he’d found her. Maybe he would seek her out. No one needed to know.
Portia stared at him a long moment. Finally, she smiled. “I’m glad. I didn’t think you had silly in you anymore.”
He didn’t know how to respond to that. At a loss, Killian dipped her, needing distance. He pulled her up, back into his arms.
A sudden whoosh and deafening boom startled Killian.
What the hell—? Was that a giant firecracker?
The noise reverberated around the room. Had there been fireworks planned for the party? They sounded too close. Like they were in the room.
“What the hell?” Portia exclaimed.
Acrid smoke tickled Killian’s nose and his nostrils flared. Around them, the other partygoers looked around, as puzzled as he was.
Then a bass rumble cut through the music. The band cut off abruptly, replaced by the shriek of metal on metal.
Everyone on the dance floor froze. Time stopped, then whirled forward. Somebody screamed. Then there was a burst of movement and noise.
Around them, dancers dashed every which way, terror in their eyes. Bodies swarmed forward, merging into an unmoving cluster.
He pulled Portia close as they were swept into the crowd. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
The wave of bodies surged again, moving toward an exit.
Portia struggled to look around. “What about Tommy?”
“We’ll find him.” Tommy had been closer to an exit. Killian prayed he was already out of the ballroom.
Something crashed to the left of them. An agonized scream followed. Then ended abruptly.
The cluster of bodies condensed then exploded as people scattered.
In the chaos, Portia pulled free and darted back the way they’d come. “Tommy!”
“Dammit!” Killian raced after her. People had to be getting out, because the dance floor wasn’t crowded any more. Broken glass and discarded shoes littered the marble floor. And chunks of—ceiling? He looked up at the flickering neon lights.
Where had those come from?The realization that he was looking at the neighboring skyscraper took too long.
This was bad. Really bad.
While he’d stared at the missing roof, Portia had stumbled to a stop a few feet away.
“Portia! We’ve got to go!” He lunged and wrapped his arms around her.
Then he noticed what had stopped her. Feet poked out from beneath a mass of metal and concrete.
He looked around. More feet. More legs. More bodies.
