Page 13 of Deadly Rescue
“That’s because it doesn’t happen often,” she teased, then grew serious. “I shouldn’t have taken a risk like that, especially now that we have Via. I guess there’s still a part of me that thinks I can just charge into danger whenever I want and damn the consequences.”
“And now?”
“And now I have a family to think about.” She stopped, putting a hand on his arm. “From now on, I promise to think before I charge, okay?”
“Okay.” He covered her hand with his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Now let’s get to Sophie before Nelson decides to dig through the rubble with a broken leg and find her himself.”
They wound their way to the front of the building where they found Polly pacing on the sidewalk. One look at them and she practically bowled Celina over in an attempt to give her a hug. “I’m so happy to see you guys!”
“How did you manage to get out?” Celina asked when she was finally able to disentangle herself.
“It was Leo, actually.” Tablet in hand, Polly glanced shyly at the doctor, who stood a few feet away. “We were on our way to grab a clean testing kit from the mobile lab out front when the explosion happened. He threw me in a storage closet until things settled down, then found us a way outside. If it hadn’t been for him, we’d still be trapped in there.”
“So thereisa way out? Did you tell anyone where to find it?” Celina asked, hopeful.
Having heard the question, Leo walked over, shaking his head. “We were well outside the gymnasium and training areas when it happened, and there was no back in. The sample kits that were brought in were contaminated, and we were authorized to get new ones from the mobile lab. If we had been inside…I don’t know what might have happened.”
The spark of hope snuffed out. “Still, there has to be another way in. You can’t tell me a sports arena of this size doesn’t have a million entrances and exits.”
“I’m sure they do, but whether or not they’re passable is yet to be determined. News is scattered and the rescue crews are doing everything they can to get to those trapped. They’re biggest concern at the moment is extinguishing the fires in the outer levels to keep the smoke from infiltrating the air vents.” Leo wiped a hand down his grimy face. Up close, Celina could make out the tawny skin beneath the grime, and a sheen of intelligence in his blue eyes. He seemed likeable enough and scored big points for taking care of Polly. She wondered if Polly thought the same.
“Have you seen Roman or Nelson? I don’t think they made it out. Roman isn’t answering my calls.” Polly kept her tone neutral, but the tremor in her voice gave her away. That and the way she drummed her fingers nervously on her tablet.
“We just spoke to them. They’re still inside, but doing okay.” Cooper paused as if remembering something. “Well, as okay as you can be. Sounds like Cruz has a broken leg.”
“Yeesh,” Polly grimaced. “Sophie is not going to like that when she hears it. Oh my God, Sophie!! Has anyone checked on her? She’s probably worried sick.”
“We can’t get raise her by phone. We’re on our way to the hotel now.” Celina watched as Polly’s eyes flitted between the hotel and Leo, uncertainty in her gaze. Celina knew that look.She wants to check on Sophie but doesn’t want to leave Leo behind.“You guys should come with us. We should stick together.”
Cooper nodded in agreement.
Polly’s face brightened, and Leo looked somewhat relieved. There was safety in numbers, and right now they needed as many helping hands as they could get. Especially as chaos reigned around them.
“I’m happy to help in anyway needed,” Leo admitted. “There may be people in the hotel who have injuries.”
“Good deal,” Cooper said. “Let’s go then. The hotel definitely took some of the damage from the blast, so we best be prepared for anything.”
4
People trickledout of the hotel, shell-shocked. Cooper’s trained eye scoured the crowd as they pushed their way inside but came up empty. Sophie was nowhere to be seen and Celina kept dialing her phone, hoping for an answer. “She must still be inside.”
Celina nodded, stepping around a woman with a small child to fall into step beside him. She pocketed her phone. “Their room is on the fourth floor. Even if she did attempt to get out, in her state, she couldn’t have gotten far.”
“Any chance the elevators are working?” Cooper asked the girl behind the front desk, not exactly relishing the thought of climbing four flights of stairs.
Amanda, her name tag read. Eyes wide, the girl shook her head. She looked to be in her early twenties, with short, dark hair and slightly skewed glasses perched on the end of her nose. Her hands shook as she flattened her uniform, a deer in headlights. “The power’s been completely knocked out and parts of the stairwell from the third floor to the sixth has been damaged from flying debris. I guess, part of an ambulance hit the building? A few people were able to get through on the stairs, but they said…” She swallowed, eyes growing glassy with tears. “There are still people trapped, and we’ve been ordered to evacuate the building. I don’t…I don’t know what to do.”
Damn. Cooper ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. Too many people. They needed more resources, and fast.
“How can we help?” Leo stepped up, determination in his eyes. It was obvious he was a man of action, which is exactly what Cooper needed right now.
Cooper turned to Leo and Polly. “Celina and I will take the staircase to assess the damage and see if we can get through. I need you two to gather as many first aid supplies as you can and follow us up.”
“We have a first aid kit in the office,” the girl behind the desk announced, hurrying away. She returned moments later carrying a large white box with a red cross on the side. They all peered over Leo’s shoulder as he flipped the lid open to survey the contents. Cooper caught sight of gauze pads, bandages and ace wraps as Leo dug through it before closing the lid once more.
“This will do,” Leo nodded, thanking the girl.
Cooper tapped the desk. “Now, why don’t you go ahead and evacuate with everyone else?” he told the girl. “There are police and rescue crews outside, stay with them until they’ve said it’s safe.”
