Once Upon a Disaster

by Holly Copella

  Jade cried out softly and made an effort to push out from under the heavy object pinning her. She could hear the table move. She pushed again, getting her hand beneath her, and toppled what was holding her down. She saw Vahn roll off her with her last thrust, casting his motionless body onto the floor. He lay unresponsive on his back, bleeding from the temple while covered in debris. A small part of the ceiling had collapsed on top of the table they’d been huddled beneath. The table and Vahn absorbed most of the impact, protecting her. Jade stared at him a moment as her heart pounded, uncertain if he was even alive, then slid toward him and felt for a pulse. When she discovered he was alive, she weakly pulled herself to her feet, swayed slightly, and stumbled over mounds of debris to the bar.

  Between being drugged and having the house fall down upon her, she could barely stand on her own feet. Jade removed a bottle of water and a rag from the bar then hurried back to Vahn. She practically fell to the floor alongside him, still dizzy herself, and cleaned his bleeding temple while leaning over him.

  “Vahn, can you hear me?”

  Vahn suddenly jerked awake, clutched Jade’s hand on his face, and looked around with disorientation. He immediately groaned, shut his eyes, and lay still on the floor.

  “What the hell hit me?” he gasped.

  “I’m guessing the ceiling.”

  Vahn opened his eyes and stared at the massive opening to the second floor. “Oh, shit--”

  “The table must have absorbed most of the impact,” she added while attempting to clear the dust from her throat.

  He cringed with pain and groaned. “My back disagrees with you.”

  Vahn slowly sat up and clutched his bleeding head. Jade helped steady him even though she wasn’t exactly steady herself. She took a few swallows of water from the bottle then offered the rest to him. He took several swallows then gave her a quick once over with concern.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I was beneath you,” she informed him then offered a tiny smile. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” he muttered and shut his eyes, enduring the pain in his head. He managed a tiny, humored smile. “I was just looking for an excuse to jump on you.”

  She ignored the sexual innuendo and studied him. “Are you okay?”

  “Other than feeling like a ceiling fell on me, yeah, I’m fine,” he remarked then glanced at her. “But we may have to forgo sex tonight.”

  She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re fine.” She attempted to move to her feet. “I’d better check on the other people. I think a lot have been hurt.”

  Vahn nodded and made an effort to stand but fell back onto his backside. He panted heavily and waved her off.

  “I’ll catch up with you,” he groaned.

  §

  Cody pulled himself from the rubble and looked around the disastrous area that was once Club Zen. He stared in disbelief at the destruction and the collapsed second floor. It only took another minute or two for a quick head count to reveal the horrifying reality of the situation. He ran his fingers through his dust-coated hair and shook his head.

  “Jesus,” he cursed softly.

  The patron total was only about twenty-five percent of what it had been prior to the quake. Bernard staggered toward him while wiping blood from his forehead.

  “What the hell happened?” Bernard demanded while looking around. “Was that an earthquake? On the east coast?”

  Cody shook his head and continued to scan the room. “It most certainly was,” he replied then looked at Bernard. “Have you seen Jared?”

  “No, not since the city took a shit,” he muttered.

  “Find him,” he ordered. “Then you need to collect the others and start crowd control. This building isn’t secure. We need to get these people out of here before the whole place comes down on our heads.”

  Bernard nodded then made his way through the rubble. Jared stumbled toward Cody from the back. He was slightly battered with several cuts and bruises.

  “Well,” Jared announced with a groan. “Now I’ve seen everything. A massive earthquake on the east coast.”

  Cody continued to scan the club, still stunned by what he was seeing. “Yeah.”

  “We need to get our VIP guest and get the hell out of here,” Jared informed him. “We can’t afford to have first responders show up and find our little operation in the basement. I suggest we purge the place.”

  Cody looked at Jared with some surprise. “You realize there are probably one hundred people beneath that rubble, right?” he demanded. “We’ve got bigger problems.”

  “No, you have bigger problems,” Jared snarled. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about your precious club. I’m not going to jail because you’re feeling sentimental about a few dozen drunken party kids. You evacuate anyone with a pulse, and then you purge this dump. I don’t want any evidence left that can incriminate me. If you cross me, you’ll wish you were beneath that rubble along with them. Understand?”

  Cody frowned and nodded. “Yeah, I understand.”

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Nearly thirty people roamed around within the debris of the dimly lit nightclub. Thankfully, most only had minor injuries, but it was disheartening when they realized there had been over two hundred people in the club just before the quake hit. There had been so much chaos when the building shook; no one really knew what had happened. Had some made it outside? Many had been shoving their way to the main exit that was now blocked by a huge chunk of ceiling. As they searched beneath tables and broken chairs, they found several people dead in the rubble. The number of those found dead or alive was still just a fragment of how many patrons had been in the building.

  A few patrons attempted to open the rear exit to the alley between the club and the professional building next door. Despite their combined efforts, the door wouldn’t budge. Others worked tirelessly to remove chunks of the second floor from the main entrance. It was within the massive amount of rubble they found dozens of dead bodies with countless more possibly beneath the larger portions of ceiling they couldn’t move. Maybe some had made it outside, but it was obvious that most hadn’t.

  Sirens were heard in the distance, but none was heard directly outside the club. They didn’t seem to be getting any closer, leaving those trapped within the partially collapsed building concerned about a possible rescue. Vahn fiddled with his cell phone, but no one was able to complete their calls. They kept hearing ‘all circuits are busy’ with an irritating tone. Jade approached Vahn as he made several attempts to get a call through.

  “Anything?” she asked.

  “The cell towers are working, but they’re overloaded,” he informed her. “I texted a message to a few people, but I haven’t gotten any responses yet.”

  “Judging by the amount of damage here and the sounds of sirens in the city, they’re not finding us for a while,” she informed him. “They’ll be responding to fires, car accidents, and collapsed buildings visibly noticeable. I’m guessing this structure appears intact from the outside.”

  “You can give me the good news anytime,” he muttered under his breath.

  “I don’t have any good news at the moment,” she remarked while looking around. “There are two dozen dead people beneath that collapsed ceiling by the main entrance and probably another dozen closer to the doorway.” She removed her ear transmitter and looked at it while frowning. “Miller’s not answering.” She replaced the ear transmitter. “Either the signal is lost along with the phones or something happened to him as well.” Jade looked around and rubbed her sore arm. “We can expect powerful aftershocks that could easily bring down the rest of this building. We’re not safe in here.”

  “Something pretty heavy is blocking the back door,” Vahn informed her. “Some guys have been working on it, but it’s not budging.”

  “Aren’t there any windows in this place?”

  “Upstairs,” he remarked and indicated the large hole in the ceiling. “There might be small ones
in the basement, but I don’t really know.”

  Jade looked at the back door that once contained a bouncer. “Is that the basement?”

  “Yeah.”

  She looked up to the missing ceiling and debated her next move. “How do we get up there?”

  He nodded toward a large pile of ceiling. “The stairs are beneath that mound of rubble. The second floor is unstable enough. We shouldn’t be up there.”

  “Then we should try the basement,” she suggested. “Maybe there’s an unblocked window.”

  Vahn looked at the basement door then at Jade with little emotion. “I’ll check it out,” he informed her. “You should wait here.”

  “I’ll fit through tighter spaces than you.”

  His look was stern. “You need to stay here.”

  “Seriously?” she launched with irritation while firmly placing her hands on her hips. “You think I’m concerned about your boss’s illegal activities at a time like this? I think we all have bigger worries.”

  The building vibrated harshly, and debris fell from the ceiling pelting them. The ceiling groaned above them. Vahn grabbed Jade, pulled her against him, and took her down to the floor alongside the bar, shielding her with his body. People screamed as the few remaining lights flickered. Jade clung to Vahn, held her breath, and buried her face into his neck. Few things frightened her, but this was one of those moments in her life where she was actually afraid. She had visions of the building collapsing on top of them as it had those unfortunate people by the door. That she sought comfort in Vahn’s arms was the most frightening part. Normally, she didn’t want to be held; she didn’t need to be held. Today was not normal. The rumbling stopped, and she felt Vahn’s muscles unclench. He loosened his grip then looked at her as she slowly removed her face from his neck. Their lips nearly touched as she stared into his eyes. She knew he saw her fear, and she wished she could have hidden it better. She tensed while staring at him.

  “This is the first time I’ve ever felt helpless,” she announced almost timidly. “I don’t like it.”

  “Trust me; you’re not alone.”

  Vahn kissed her quickly but warmly on the lips, surprising her, then pulled back and smiled, revealing his sincerity, as he brushed the hair from her face.

  “I’m going to get you out of here,” he gently informed her. “We’re going to be just fine.”

  She stared into his eyes not far from hers and no longer saw Cody’s hired goon. She saw the gallant soldier willing to sacrifice his life for hers. The way she stared into his eyes was all the encouragement he needed. He touched her face then leaned closer, lowering his mouth to hers for another kiss. Jade placed her hand to his debris coated shirt and spoke just as his lips were about to touch hers.

  “I’m going with you into the basement,” she insisted.

  Vahn’s smile faded into a frown as he pulled away from her. He groaned with disappointment and stood. She immediately straightened as well.

  “Don’t involve yourself in something that doesn’t concern you,” he announced sternly, his mood changing. “You have no backup, and I can’t protect you.”

  “If this building collapses, we’re all dead,” she announced while glaring at him. “We need to find a way out.”

  “The answer is no, Jade. If I’m caught taking you down there, it’s both our asses,” he informed her while placing his hands firmly on her bare, slightly scraped shoulders. “You need to stay here and help the others. Protect and serve, remember? I’ll let you know the situation when I return.”

  Vahn released Jade and was about to leave when he suddenly hesitated and appeared to consider something. He placed his hand behind her neck and kissed her quickly but passionately on the mouth. Before she could protest, he broke off the kiss, flashed a smile, and hurried away. He snapped his fingers to one of the bouncers, Bruno, and pointed at Jade.

  “Keep an eye on my girl,” he announced gruffly to the big man. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

  Bruno gave a nod and focused his attention on Jade. She glared at Vahn as he headed through the back door then looked back at Bruno.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Vahn walked down the basement stairs then stopped a few feet short of the bottom step leading into the corridor. Thigh high water flooded the basement. He stared at the flooded corridor and appeared to contemplate his next move. He ran his fingers through his dirt coated hair then headed down the last few steps into the water.

  “Oh, shit--” Jade gasped from behind him.

  Vahn turned when he heard her and stared at her with surprise. “How did you get down here?” he demanded. “Bruno was watching you.”

  “Bruno isn’t very bright,” she replied then indicated the water. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” he groaned and again looked around. “Water main break perhaps?”

  Vahn trudged through the water with Jade following him. A dead bouncer floated in the water having suffered a head injury. They heard screams and pounding on the door just a few feet down the corridor. Vahn approached the dead man, removed a set of keys and unlocked the nearby door. Several people pushed their way out of the flooded room in a state of panic. Jade peered inside the room and observed the flooded casino. Tables and chairs floated along with chips, cards, and a dozen or more bodies. A large ceiling mirror was broken and submerged in the water, indicating the dead people were undoubtedly struck by it. At the moment, Jade was more concerned with the death toll than the illegal gambling. When she eyed Vahn, he must have assumed she was assessing the illegal activity and glared back at her in response. She wasn’t worried about Cody’s little side business right now.

  “Come on,” he muttered. “Let’s go.”

  As they turned within the flooded corridor to follow the fleeing gamblers, Jade heard a thump within one of the rooms in the corridor not far from the casino. She trudged through the thigh-deep water and attempted to open the nearby closet door. It didn’t budge. She knocked on the door and listened for any response. She heard a thump beyond the door. Jade turned to Vahn with concern.

  “There’s someone in there,” she informed him.

  Vahn moved past her and unlocked the door with the bouncer’s keys, revealing a small closet. Greg was gagged and tied to a chair with the water nearly up to his waist where he sat. Jade trudged through the water into the room and removed his gag. The door closed and locked behind her. She turned and looked at the locked door with surprise.

  “Not exactly a brilliant move, Detective,” Greg announced while gasping from his ordeal.

  Jade removed the duct tape binding his wrists to the arm of the chair. “When a guy saves your life, it makes you forget that you aren’t supposed to trust him,” she informed him.

  Greg reached into the water to untie his ankles then stood within the thigh-high water. He stared at her and appeared surprised by her less than concerned attitude.

  “Why aren’t you worried?” he asked.

  “Because I’m smarter than he is,” she remarked and approached the locked door.

  “Not from where I’m standing.”

  “Have a little faith,” she announced. “This dress may look a little short and revealing, but I have one or two gizmos up my sleeves.”

  “Too bad you don’t have any sleeves,” Greg remarked and casually leaned against the doorframe while watching her.

  Jade removed one of her high heels, slid open the bottom, and removed a lockpick from a hidden compartment. She replaced her shoe. “I’m lucky I have a genius uncle who’s into gizmos, gadgets, and secret compartments.”

  Greg stared at the lockpick with surprise then eyed her and laughed softly. “If we get out of this, I’d love to shake your uncle’s hand.”

  Jade worked on manipulating the lock. “Since we have a few minutes, maybe now you’d like to tell me what you wouldn’t tell me before.”

  “I have a bit of a gambling problem,” Greg replied while sinking against the wall near her. “I owed Co
dy Riley a lot of money, so he let me work it off by electronically laundering money for him. A lot of money.”

  “But then something went wrong?”

  “I discovered the casino wasn’t all he was into,” Greg continued and frowned. “Knowing what I knew was too much, so I started compiling evidence against him, but I needed enough to make him and his entire operation go away or else he’d make me go away. You know what I mean?”

  “What stopped his hitman from doing that?”

  “I moved his money around as an insurance policy,” Greg informed her. He managed a tiny grin. “If they killed me, nearly a billion dollars would die with me--virtually.”

  “That’s a good way to get tortured before being shot in the head,” she muttered.

  “Yeah, I hadn’t really thought that through.”

  “So why not tell us after the attack?” she asked while casting a quick look at him and continued with the door lock.

  “I didn’t have enough evidence. I needed a couple of days,” he replied then sighed softly. “Time ran out. They grabbed me when I went to the vendor on the corner for a coffee.”

  “So besides illegal gambling, what’s the sorry sack of shit into?” Jade asked.

  “The usual,” Greg replied with a sigh. “Prostitution, drugs, smuggling.”

  “What else?” she asked and stopped to eye him. “You wouldn’t suddenly feel guilty over that.”

  Greg frowned and appeared ashamed, almost unable to admit what he knew. “Underage Asian girls,” he replied reluctantly. “I was so enraged when I found out, that I just wanted to put a gun to his head and pull the trigger.”

  Jade returned to picking the lock, although she was letting the new information circulate within her head. “So who offed the hitman?”