Page 3 of Catching Fire

“Okay.”

She was being irrational. There was a whole team of firefighters here. They were not going to let her get chopped in half. They did elevator rescues as part of their job. But she was nervous and couldn’t stop spouting the physics. “The changing coefficient and the friction and the brake pads do not work fast enough to stop a three-foot fall.”

“I thought you were a chemist,” he was grinning at her, but not in a demeaning way.

“Physical chemist. I’m not quite up on my string theory or what FermiLab is up to right now, but I have an excellent amount of physics under my belt.”

Kalan only nodded and looked up to the men peering down at them. “Hernandez. Kane. I'm going to boost Seline up, you’re going to grab her hands and pull her through as quickly as possible.” They nodded and shifted a little bit. Then Kalan turned to her. “Don't grab the edge of the floor. Just aim high and grab their hands. They’re going to pull you out as fast as they can. The braces will hold long enough, even if the elevator falls at the exact right moment. You’ll be fine.”

He was so kind and reassuring that she believed him.

“The other option is waiting until we get this fixed. Right now, everything is turned off.” He emphasized the last words, then added, “which means the elevator should not start up again. It shouldn’t move at all. This is the safest we're going to be, and I'm coming out after you.”

Seline nodded. Damn, he was good at being calm. He was even talking her into this, though she was armed with physics and fear. She nodded.

Once again, she placed her hand on his shoulder and her bare foot into his strong hands. This time, he didn't wait for her. Instead, he said, “One … Two … Three.” And he launched Seline and her rapidly beating heart almost through the small window above them.Almost.

Chapter Two

Kalan jumped backwards as the elevator began to fall again. His arms automatically flew upward to shield his face as the two-by-fours bracing the elevator above him snapped exactly as Seline had said they would.

The good news was that she was already out, her delicate bare feet had slipped through the opening as the power had flickered back on.

“Kalan!” She screamed his name over the squealing of the brakes. The rubbing noise crescendoed to a screech that drowned out her cries as he came to a stop just a few feet below where he’d started.

“I’m fine! I’m fine!” He hollered back up, both for her and the guys.

He was looking to the control panel as the lights immediately flicked back off. Above him, and through the radio, he heard the guys swearing a blue streak and demanding to know who had messed with the breaker.

“Please step away from the elevator shaft.” Kalan heard Sebastian talking to Seline and he almost laughed. He appreciated that her stubbornness was turned to him now.

Dr. Seline Marchand was tempting.

“We're coming for you.” The chief’s voice crackled over the radio but Kalan didn’t worry.

The inside doors of the elevator had remained partly open, a massive problem. They would definitely be shutting these down until further inspection, though he figured the top floor guys wouldn’t appreciate the climb.

He could see the backs of closed external doors on the floor below at his feet. So if the guys could pry those open, he could get out through the bottom. And even if the elevator turned on and dropped again—which it shouldn't—he would have more than enough time to get through the opening.

Son of a bitch, he thought. He’d tried to convince her not to be afraid of the elevator falling. Not only had she not needed his input but, in the end, she'd been right.

If she'd been halfway through the window when the elevator dropped again, it would have gone exactly as she’d said.Jesus, he ran his hand over his face and watched as the doors at his feet pried open and the tops of two helmets came into view.

“Alright, dude, we got you.”

Unlike Seline, he knew the drill. There was just enough room for a guy his size to wiggle through, and he slid out feet first. Flipping over midway, he grabbed the edge and lowered himself down in a reverse pull up. He would have done it nice and slow, but after the elevator had already fallen, he wasn't taking another chance.

Pushing back, he jumped away from the elevator shaft and hit the linoleum floor with an ungraceful thud before stumbling back a few feet.

“You good, man?” Luke asked, while behind him a softer prettier voice breathed out in relief. “Oh, Kalan. I'm glad you're okay.”

He felt his heart twist at the sound.

Was it okay to ask a woman out after being stuck in an elevator with her?

She very personally threw her arms around his waist, holding onto him tightly. “That was exactly what I was afraid of.”

“I know.” He hugged her back. “And I feel bad that I told you it wasn't going to happen.”

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