The elevator shaft was even darker than the car, with only the reflective paint providing a frame of reference.
I tried not to think about the emptiness all around me, about the abyss of nothing for hundreds of feet below me, but every breath reminded me as it echoed off the concrete walls.
“I am seriously freaking out right now,” I said as my teeth began to chatter. There was a difference between talking about it and sitting on top of an elevator with nothing to stop you from tumbling over the edge.
“Stop thinking about everything but the goal.” He shined the light at our target about twenty-five feet up.
“How the hell are we going to get up there?”
The light swung to the right illuminating a straight vertical ladder imbedded in the wall so that it was flush.
“Hell, no.” When he said ladder, I was envisioning an A frame.
“I’ll go first, open the door, then you climb up and I’ll help you through.”
“I-I can’t climb that. There’s nothing…if I slip…” My chest heaved, my breaths short. He squatted down next to me.
“Shh, calm down.” He caressed my cheek, his touch giving me another focus.
It was only then that I realized I’d begun to hyperventilate, my breath in panicked pants.
“Stay here. I’m going to need your help with the flashlight.” I nodded, then sighed as his lips pressed against mine. “Everything is going to be okay. I’m going to get us out of here, but I need you to calm down. Can you do that for me?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head before stepping toward the ladder.
I pulled my phone out and turned on the flashlight, allowing Reid to turn his off and stuff his phone in his pocket.
I attempted to settle myself, my hands fumbling with my phone as I arranged it to point at the ladder. Reid’s shoulders gave a heave as he blew out a breath, then reached out for the closest rung. My heart slammed in my chest as his hands grasped, then again as each foot settled.
He turned to me and smiled. “We’re going to be fine.”
If we were in a horror movie, those would be the famous last words before something tragic happened.
With each rung, my attention shifted from panic of being on top of an elevator car in a massive open shaft to staring intently as he climbed.
“Be careful,” I squeaked out.
“She says once I’m ten feet up.”
“Delayed reaction.”
I barely took a breath until he reached the door. It was so far—how was he going to reach it? And if he did, how was he going to open it?
He answered my unasked question by shifting his position and wrapping his arm around a rung and stretched out. I hitched a breath as he reached and adjusted once again, more of his body hanging in the open.
I couldn’t see much, the light only dully brightening his form. But I could hear him. Swearing and grunts as he got a grip on the door, then a guttural cry as he pulled with all his might. With a screech, a gap was created, then finally it let go, momentum helping until the door was fully open. The opening illuminated, giving to the surrounding nothingness.
Reid didn’t even pause as he gripped the opening, swinging his leg over and catching the edge. He finished his climb and disappeared. A moment later his breath echoed through the chamber as he leaned over the edge from the safety of the hallway.
“Come on.”
I took a few steadying breaths and climbed to my shaky legs, stuffing my phone into my back pocket. Nothing in my life had ever been as terrifying as that moment—complete blackness, nearly fifty stories beneath my unstable platform, and a vertical ladder to strength and comfort. I contemplated taking off my shoes, but decided it would probably be better to have them on.
My hands vibrated as I reached for the closest rung, Reid’s phone casting enough light for me to grab hold.
With agonizing tentativeness, I placed my foot and with three points of contact, shifted my weight. A wave of calm moved through me, but it was only enough to slightly dull the terror. The solid feeling helped me to move, but it didn’t necessarily make the climb any easier.
The straight up and down shifted my center of gravity, and my hands became quickly taxed by the strain.
“That’s it, you’re doing great,” Reid cheered me on.
My muscles began to fatigue by ten feet. How had he made it look almost effortless?
Sheer will and desperation kept me going until I reached the opening. The emergency lights in the hall created a low glow while Reid kept his flashlight angled on my climb.
“Grab my hand.”
It was a very different exercise than in the elevator, and much more dangerous. A slight mistake or slip could be deadly.
I reached out as far as I could while still holding onto my lifeline.
“I’m going to take your hand. When I do, hold on tight with both hands, okay?”
I nodded. “Don’t let go.” Fear trembled in my voice.
“I’ve got you. This is going to be scary, but I promise it will be okay.”
His hand gripped my wrist and with one last breath, I released my other hand and stretched for his hand as gravity took over. My stomach bottomed out as I began to drop, a scream lodged in my throat. I couldn’t think, couldn’t process anything, but somehow as I swung up the other side of my pendulum swing, Reid used the momentum and pulled me up. My waist crashed into the opening and before I could begin to slip, there was a hard tug on my waist, hoisting me the rest of the way.
I lay on the floor, the most solid thing besides Reid’s chest I’d encountered in an hour, and thanked every god I could think of.
“I’m going to be so sore in the morning,” I said against the carpet.
There was a smack on my ass, Reid’s fingers flexing. “Not quite the soreness I was thinking.”
“Oh, Mr. Hollywood thinks I’ll put out for him on the first date, huh?”
“Not really, but after getting you free from that elevator—”
“And endangering my life,” I reminded him.
“And saving your life, maybe I might have earned some brownie points.”
“I think a make-out session is ample compensation.”
“I’ll take it. Wait, over clothes or under?” he asked.
“Over, otherwise it becomes more.”
He smacked my ass again before sitting up. “I’ll still take it.”
I pushed up into a sitting position and took stock of our new situation. The hallway was lit with sparse emergency lighting, just enough to help navigate to the brightly lit exit sign over what I guessed was the staircase. There was dead silence, making the already eerie situation even more so.
“Now we’re in a hall, and I’m wondering if almost death was worth leaving the relative safety.”
“I have to piss.”
Once he said it, my bladder spoke up and agreed that not going in the confined space was probably best. Besides, the electricity was still out and worry began to creep in on if and when it would return.
“Okay, maybe you were right. And I hope all that booze is still in your room.”
“Full bar,” he confirmed.
“Good. I’m going to need it.”
“Ditto.” He took my face in his hands and our eyes met. He seemed to be studying me before his lips pressed against mine. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Only slightly traumatized.”
“You did great.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you good to go?” he asked as he stood up. He held out his hand, and I slipped mine in his as he pulled me up again.
“It’s a good thing you’re so strong.”
He grinned and slipped his hand in mine. “My workouts for this film helped a ton.”
The emergency stairwell didn’t have much more lighting than the hallway, and the metal stairs clanged with each step. When we made it to the floor up, he tested the door and it swung open before slamming shu
t.
“Good sign.”
We continued up, but after six floors I was tiring.
My breath was coming out in heavy pants, and my body slowed down. “Ya know, I thought I was in decent shape, but the ladder and these stairs are proving me so wrong.”
He chuckled, his breath also heavier, but he never broke his stride.
When we finally reached the penthouse level, I fell onto the floor and sprawled out.
“Damn, it’s still locked,” he said, jiggling the handle.
“We thought it would be,” I reminded him.
“I know, I just hoped I wasn’t going to have to break down the door to my room.”
“How many doors have you kicked in before?” I asked, tilting my head back to look over at him.
“Props? Many. Real ones? None.”
I turned over in time to watch him use his shoulder as a battering ram.
“Son of a bitch,” he cursed, rubbing his arm.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” A loud bang rang out as he slammed his foot against the door, again with little movement. “Man, I make this shit look easy, and it’s not.”
“Bigger and thicker than you’re used to.”
“Stealing another of my lines.”
“Oh my God!” I covered my face with my hands, not that he could really tell, and tried to ignore what he was insinuating.
Bigger and thicker made my pussy tingle in ways it hadn’t in years.
He chuckled at my reaction before kicking the door again and again.
“What about the wall?” I asked as I stared at the empty space on either side of the door.
“What about it?”
“Have you ever watched RED?”
He paused for a second, wondering where I was going. “Yeah.”
“When he had to get past a door he had no codes for?”
He stared at the space as well. “It can’t be that easy.”
I shrugged from my position on the floor. “You never know.”
He adjusted his stance, then stopped as the emergency lights dimmed.
“I think they’re running out of battery,” he commented before slamming his foot into the wall next to the door.
There was a crunch, a very different sound from the bang. I sat up and crawled closer on my knees. Reid pulled out his phone and shone the light on the spot. While it wasn’t a hole, it was a definite improvement from the door bashing.
“Hold this,” he said as he handed his phone over.
It took a few solid kicks and some hard tugs of the firewall, but he was finally able to break through one side and then the other.
There was some metal structuring and wires, but he was able to reach through. His fingertips flicked the handle enough for me to pull the door open when the latch cleared. It was quite a stretch, half his body in the wall.
I held the door with my foot as I helped him dislodge himself, and we stepped in.
CHAPTER 8
A huge relief washed over me. I’d gone through more in that evening than I thought I would in a lifetime, and I was rattled beyond belief. A sob broke through before I could stop it.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Reid said as he wrapped his arms around me. “You’re okay.”
I let the tears pour out as I shook in his arms. Almost as readily as it began, it stopped.
“I’m sorry,” I said as I pulled back. “It just came out.”
He ran his hands up and down my arms. “It’s been a scary time, I get it. I’m going to go to the bathroom, and when I get back, I’ll make us some drinks.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
I handed him back his phone, and he gave me a smile before walking away. With each step, the darkness surrounded me more and more until it was so dark I could only see the lighter shade of black from the windows.
It hit me then—it wasn’t just the hotel.
Panic surged through me with renewed energy. I pulled out my phone and lit a path in the direction he’d headed.
“Trying to sneak up on me isn’t easy in the blackout silence,” he said as I entered the bathroom.
“Sorry,” I said as I realized I’d just walked in on him in with his dick out. “I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you.”
“Everything okay?” Reid asked as he tucked himself back away.
I nodded. “Sorry, I…I’m just kinda freaked out and didn’t want to be alone. The power is out everywhere.”
He froze. “Everywhere?”
I nodded. “Everything is black. A giant nothingness.”
He moved to the sink and flipped up the handle to wash his hands.
“I’m surprised there’s water,” I said as I watched, still waiting for his reaction.
“Pretty sure it’s just what’s in the pipes.”
He dried his hands and was still a rock at the news. I couldn’t decide if that made me feel better or not.
“All the way up here, I bet you’re right. We had the remnants of hurricane Ike come through about ten years ago and that storm wreaked absolute havoc.”
He slipped his hand in mine and we walked into the bedroom. “I remember that. I flew some friends out while their houses were worked on.”
“Well, we didn’t have electricity for five days, but thankfully we had water. I doubt it’s the same sixty stories up.”
“No, but there’s probably still ice in the ice maker. What should we kick this off with?”
I thought about it. “If you’ve got some chips and salsa, I vote for margaritas.”
“Margaritas it is.”
Before heading back out, he stopped at his luggage and pulled out a large power bank. As we walked, he plugged his phone in and set it on top of the bar, screen faced down.
“That should keep us with some light for a while.” The flashlight app created a pin of brightness that cast an umbrella of soft light, illuminating the room enough to navigate. However, it only worked for the immediate space.
“How long is a while?”
“Days. That thing can charge my phone ten times over.”
“This better not last days,” I said, my chest clenching.
“We’d be fine here. Lots of food and drinks. Blankets for warmth, and maybe that fireplace.”
It was an interesting thought. What if we were stuck here for days? As I pulled off my shoes, I thought about it, and I had to admit it was intriguing. We could get to know each other very well. There would also be lots of sex. No doubt in my mind about that.
What about Sar—my thought stopped as my blood ran cold.
“Fuck,” I cursed.
“We can definitely do that to keep warm,” he said with a grin.
“No, Rob’s plane. I hope it landed before all this.” I ran up to the window and pressed my face against the glass as I attempted to look down the strip toward the airport. There was no signs of a fire from a crash anywhere, and I blew out a breath with relief.
“When was it due in?” Reid asked.
“Right around the time the power went out.”
“He’s fine,” he assured me. “If they couldn’t reach the tower they would divert to another airport, and if he landed, he’s okay.”
“You seem to know a lot of randomness.”
He chuckled. “I’ve picked up a lot over the years. Plus, I do a lot of research on my roles.”
“Like character research?” I asked.
“Actually, technical. Whatever the character does, I spend months learning about it. It’s turned out to be a great way for me learn new and random things. It helps that I love to read.”
My mind went into total and complete apocalypse scenario. Based on what I’d learned thus far, Reid would make a great survival partner. “What if the power is out everywhere?”
He paused and his head rose, his eyes meeting mine. “I think it’s just Vegas.”
“Why do you think that?” I asked. Did he know something, or was it just a silent prayer?
“Not a thought, but a hope.
” He stepped up next to me and stared out. “Fuck.”
There was only a few small bright spots, like the twinkling of stars around. Not enough to illuminate much, but enough to be a beacon of life.
“I’ve never been anywhere so dark. There’s hardly any moon. And the stars—I’ve never seen the Milky Way so clearly.” There was a streak of what looked like clouds and light that was millions of stars. They were the only light in the dark sky.
Reid’s hand slipped into mine, our fingers intertwining.
“It’s okay if you’re not okay,” I whispered.
He didn’t respond, but kissed my forehead before stepping back to the bar.
“Are we really going to spend all night in your room?” I asked as I continued to stare out into the blackness. It was almost like the glass wasn’t there—black upon black.
“Do you have a better idea? We’re safe up here.”
“It’s not that. I’m just wondering what’s going on down there.” In the distance, I saw a fire that wasn’t a bonfire, possibly a building.
The rumble of ice against glass was all I could hear as he filled up two glasses. “What do you mean?”
“Think about it—thousands of people, no electricity.”
“Societal breakdown?” he asked.
“Maybe. Or is everyone sitting in the lobby getting drunk in the dark.”
“That’s probably not a good combination.”
“No, but I have a feeling it’s mass chaos in the streets. Do they have some kind of protocol in place for this?” I wondered.
“I doubt it. That’s the whole purpose of the backup generators. And with no communications…”
I didn’t want to think too hard on what it was like down there. If I hadn’t been with Reid, what would I have done? Where would I have gone?
“I’m suddenly really glad you forgot your wallet and that I came up with you. I’d be freaking out down there by myself.”
“If you hadn’t come with me, I would have gotten out of the elevator sooner and gone to find you.”
My heart sped up for a second as I stared at him. “Really? You would’ve come to find me?”
“I can’t be the hero if you’re not there to see it,” he said, that playful smirk gracing his face.
“Oh, that’s how it is,” I said as I walked back over to him. “All for the glory.”
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