Page 123 of Through the Storms

“You need to stay with us, Lucas. Where’s Mia?” Riley asked.

Chloe squeezed Riley’s arm as if to saythank you.

Lucas’s eyes snapped open. “We were in the tub when it hit. Everything fell on us.” His breathing came out rapidly, and his eyes fluttered.

“Take it easy, Lucas. It’s okay.” Riley put her hand on his shoulder, steadying him so he didn’t try to sit up. “You only need to tell us where she is. You can tell us the rest of the story later.

Chloe’s pulse raced. He couldn’t pass out before he told her where Mia was. She leaned in toward him and was about to speak when Lana put her hand on Chloe’s shoulder.

Lucas winced when he lifted his head, but he continued to sit up slightly. Riley put her hand behind his back and supported his weight. He pointed. “Her foot’s trapped. I couldn’t get her out, so I crawled out to get help.” His breathing was labored. “That hole. By the couch. That’s where I came out of.”

Riley lowered Lucas back to the board. “You did great, buddy. We’ll find her. I want you to go with these men now and get treatment.”

“No!” His eyes filled with panic.

Riley shot Chloe a pleading look.

Chloe put her hand on Lucas’s head and brushed back his hair. “I want you to get checked out. You’re a brave guy, making your way out to get help for Mia.” Chloe pointed at Riley. “Riley’s an EMT. She’s trained for this, so she’ll find Mia. I want you to focus on getting better.”

He smiled, and his head fell back against the board.

“Thank you.” Chloe gently continued to rub his head.

“Okay, guys, get him to the hospital.” Riley stood. “I need a rope and flashlight,” she said to Oakley.

“Are we going in?” Oakley asked.

Riley shook her head. “No, I am.”

“But things could shift, even collapse.” Oakley frowned.

At the word collapse, Chloe bit down hard on her lip.

Riley clenched her jaw and shot Oakley an angry look. “Exactly why I have to go alone.”

Oakley and Riley stood staring each other down for several beats before Oakley said, “Okay, but we need to get you outfitted before you head in.”

“I’m not waiting,” Riley said through clenched teeth.

Chloe put her hand on Riley’s arm. “As much as I want you to find Mia, you’re not going in without the proper equipment.”

CHAPTER 45

Riley squatted and duckwalked through the opening in the center of the collapsed house. She’d only gone a few feet when the opening narrowed. Her flashlight beam showed a short passage ahead before it appeared to dead end. She needed to remain optimistic. Surely, there would be an offshoot she could follow.Shit.What if it branched in two different directions?

Her shoulders scraped against the sides of the passageway as it continued to get smaller. She commando crawled across the wet mushy drywall. As she moved farther into the fallen house, she checked the rope around her waist again. In such confined spaces, it would be easy to panic, but the rope acted as a lifeline.

When she arrived at the end of the tight tunnel, it only went off to the right. Relief flooded through her. The last thing she wanted was to get disoriented and lost in a maze.

She turned to the right and discovered a more spacious passageway. Riley couldn’t stand fully upright but was able to get to her feet and walk hunched over. The beam of her flashlightreflected back at her, bouncing off the stainless-steel appliances.The kitchen.

Something crunched under her feet, likely broken glass. She shuddered. Good thing she wasn’t still crawling on her stomach.

Riley stopped and called Mia’s name.

She listened for a response but heard nothing. Her heart sank. Of course, she couldn’t expect it to be that easy. She let her flashlight play over the area and noticed a bowed section of the ceiling.

Crap.Eventually, it would collapse, which was even more incentive to continue moving as quickly as she safely could. She made it another ten feet and called Mia’s name again.