Aftershock

“Owen?”

“The blond guy with the bruises.”

She squinted out the driver’s-side window, surveying the space where Owen had stood. “I’ll throw rocks at him if he comes back.”

Antagonizing the convicts wasn’t a good idea, but it couldn’t hurt to be prepared. Garrett was carrying a crowbar. Don had been keeping a baseball bat next to his lawn chair. Lauren wouldn’t mind having a blunt object at the ready. The women needed to be able to defend themselves, too.

“This is a cool crash pad,” Penny said. She sat down on the bunk, testing the mattress. “It’s like a tiny apartment.”

Lauren was distracted by the local radio, which she’d kept on at a low volume. A series of beeps indicated an emergency broadcast, so she turned it up.

“The president has declared San Diego a disaster zone. Yesterday the city experienced a powerful eight-point-five earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks. Rescue teams are in the process of evacuating the entire county. If you are located near the epicenter, emergency personnel may not be able to reach you. The greater downtown area has sustained considerable damage and many roadways have been destroyed.

“Those who cannot evacuate are urged to take shelter. Air support will be delivering supplies to strategic urban locations.”

The broadcast went on to give advice about tap water, warning that pipelines had been contaminated. Power wasn’t expected to be returned to the area soon. Most residents had no electricity and no means of communication.

It was a mess. The death-toll estimates were astronomical.

When the announcement ended, Lauren exchanged a glance with Penny. Disaster teams were focused on evacuation. It could be days before they launched a concerted rescue effort. When she considered the specialized equipment and manpower necessary to sort through a freeway collapse, she anticipated a much longer wait.

Penny placed her hand on the top of her belly. “The baby’s kicking,” she murmured, her eyes flat.

“Will you stay here and tap the SOS code every few minutes?”

“Sure,” she said, sighing. “I don’t have anything else to do.”

Lauren left Penny to it and returned to Don and Garrett, relaying the latest information. “We might not get rescued until evacuations are complete.”

Garrett made a noise of agreement. “If they’re doing airdrops, putting out the flag is crucial. They’ll prioritize searches by areas where they know there are survivors. Even then, they’ll do the easy jobs first.”

Lauren couldn’t imagine how many small-scale rescues the disaster teams would perform in the next few days. Crews would start on the outer edge of the most affected areas and work their way toward the epicenter.

Which they were smack-dab in the middle of, as far as she knew.

“I need the mirror you were using last night,” Garrett said.

“Why?”

“I’m going to stick it through the crevice in the concrete and try to look around. Assuming I make it that far.”

Lauren retrieved the mirror, watching while he taped it to a wire clothes hanger, which he’d bent and doubled. He was a regular MacGyver. Although she admired his ingenuity, she worried about his safety. She knew he worked well under pressure and had courage to spare. But he seemed a little too willing to put his life on the line.

“We should search the rest of the cars first,” he said. “It might take all day for me to climb the wall.”

Before they set out again, Lauren strapped a pair of scissors to her belt. It wasn’t an ideal weapon for stabbing, but the blades were sharp and handy. For Penny she found an even better tool: landscape clippers in a leather sheath. She attached them to a strip of gauze that Penny tied around her waist, under her belly.

The teen looked like a pregnant pirate. With Mary Ann braids.

Lauren exchanged a smile with Garrett as they walked away. Although his face was streaked with dirt, his teeth appeared very strong and white. Her breath caught at the sight. Then she remembered how he’d reacted to her touch.

She looked down, focusing on navigating through the debris. He might like her as a friend, or be attracted to her as a woman, but he wasn’t comfortable with intimacy. She should keep her smiles—and her hands—to herself.

* * *

PENNY WATCHED LAUREN and Garrett fade into the dark edges of the cavern.

They were cute together. Total opposites, in looks. Lauren was light haired and small; Garrett was dark haired and big. Both were save-the-world types. Penny’s soccer coach had been that way. Miss Alisos had cried when Penny quit the team.

Penny had cried, too. Just not in front of everyone.

She didn’t consider Garrett as much of a threat as the other men. He’d saved her life, which counted for a lot. He’d also protected Lauren from a rapist. Although Penny had caught him checking Lauren out when he thought no one else was looking, he seemed like a good guy. Penny didn’t think he’d hurt anyone.

She did the Morse code thing again and listened for a response. Nothing.

Bored and restless, she rifled through the trucker’s sleeper cabin. There was a stack of dirty magazines and a box of condoms in a drawer under the bed. Curious, she selected the most shocking cover and returned to the driver’s seat to peruse it.

The images were pretty gross. She’d only seen one men’s magazine before, which featured glamorous women in sexy shoes and expensive lingerie. These shots depicted worn-out hookers with mussed hair and weird grimaces.

They weren’t just posing, either.

Shuddering, she closed the pages. If getting pregnant by a stupid jerk hadn’t already put her off sex for life, this would have done the job. While she was placing the magazine back in the drawer, the semi started shaking.

Letting out a cry of distress, she covered her head with her arms and stayed still, waiting for the tremor to pass. The latest aftershocks weren’t as bad as the first ones. Those had been almost as strong as the original quake.

Maybe her father was right; God punished sinners. Especially female ones.

When it was over, she lifted her head, listening. That annoying car alarm sounded again, but only for a few seconds. Penny rose to her feet and looked toward the RV. Cadence had rushed outside to hug Don, her face crumpled in fear.

Penny felt a tiny stab of envy at the sight of their embrace. She missed her aunt, who’d been her only remaining supporter. She missed her parents, even her father, who thought she’d sullied the family name. Before she left home, he’d issued a stern warning about her pregnancy. If anyone found out, he would disown her. She was supposed to deliver the baby and quietly give it up for adoption. Either that, or get married.

Those were her only options.

Although she feared her father’s wrath, she was more afraid of dying in childbirth. If she got through to someone on the radio, she’d tell them who she was. She’d be honest about her family name and her condition, no matter what the cost.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and climbed out of the truck. Maybe Cadence would enjoy learning the SOS signal and hanging out inside the semi. Distracting the traumatized girl was the least Penny could do.

Before she reached Cadence and Don, one of the convicts stepped out of the shadows. It was the youngest, Owen. He came forward hesitantly, looking up at the ceiling of the cavern as if worried about falling debris. He held a brown paper bag against his chest.

When he saw Penny standing by the semi, he froze.

She didn’t even think of brandishing the pruning shears. Lifting her chin, she stared back at him. He looked awful. There were shiny black crescents under both eyes. The tattooed script along his neck and arms reminded her of newspaper.

He was a walking advertisement for hate.

His demeanor didn’t quite match the outside. He was tall and scary, but he didn’t appear comfortable in his skin. There was no hint of derision or arrogance. If anything, he seemed uncertain. Or...fascinated.

With what—her hideously misshapen form?

Don picked up his baseball bat in a challenging manner.

Owen tore his gaze away from Penny, blinking a few times, as if he’d seen a bright light. “I found a bag of toys and stuff in one of the cars,” he said, setting the package down. “It’s nothing we can use.”

They were all silent for several beats.

“What kind of toys?” Cadence asked.

He looked from Don to her, the corner of his mouth quirking. “The Nintendo DS might interest you. It’s got ‘Mario Kart.’”

“I’ve never played that game,” she said shyly.

“You haven’t? It’s pretty fun.”

Penny couldn’t imagine why he’d brought the device to Cadence. Most young men enjoyed video games just as much as kids. Under these circumstances, anything that could be used to pass the time was invaluable.

“There’s some baby blankets, too,” he said, glancing at Penny again. “They look new.”

Don didn’t thank him or set aside his bat. He kept his hand on Cadence’s shoulder, preventing her from moving forward.

For some reason, the baby items sent Penny over the edge. She was terrified of going into labor before they were rescued. Owen’s “gift” reminded her of her worst nightmare. How dare he waltz into this side of the cavern and stir up her fears? How dare he flash his white-power tats in front of a proud Mexicana and a mixed-race girl?

“Get out of here,” she said, her fingers closing over the handle of the pruning shears. If he tried anything, she’d snip his face.

He flinched at the harsh words, a flush creeping up his neck. Either from shame or anger, she couldn’t tell. But he didn’t step closer or talk back to her. Nodding politely, he turned away, limping into the dark.

As soon as he was gone, Don retrieved the paper bag. He found the game player and a purple-haired doll with black button eyes for Cadence. “Go back inside now,” he said, passing her the items.

Cradling both in her arms, she returned to the RV.

Don rifled through the remaining contents, as if making sure they were safe, before he handed the bag to Penny.

Her throat tightened when she saw the soft blankets inside. Her aunt had taken her shopping for baby items last week. It seemed like a year ago. She’d purchased some unisex clothes and accessories, along with a big box of newborn diapers. Tyler hadn’t bought her anything, of course. He hadn’t sent a single gift.

She resented Owen for doing more than the baby’s father.

Not that she took his gesture at face value. He might be planning to steal the rest of their food. One of his buddies had tried to rape Lauren last night. She didn’t know why those men had been in jail, and she wasn’t going to let her guard down.

Garrett and Lauren returned from their supply run, arms filled with miscellaneous items. Nothing Penny was interested in. She would have killed for an orange. The only fruit they had left was a spotted banana.

“Is it okay if I take Cadence back to the semi with me?” she asked Don. “I can show her how to do Morse code.”

He agreed, perhaps intending to speak with the others about Owen. Penny was torn between staying and going. She wanted to be treated like an adult, but the responsibility was overwhelming. Being pregnant, in itself, was a chore.

Cadence brought her doll and game device with her. Penny, who had played “Super Mario Kart” once before, gave her some tips. To Penny’s surprise, the girl set the device aside after a few minutes.

“Why’d you tell that man to go away?” she asked.

“Because I’m afraid of him. You should be, too.”

She shrugged. “He seems nice.”

“Do you know what that tattoo on his hand means?”

Cadence’s face became troubled. “Yeah. My mom told me to stay away from people like him. They hate us.”

Penny was relieved that she didn’t need to explain, but she felt sad for Cadence. A girl her age shouldn’t have to deal with ignorance and hate.

“What if he made a mistake?” Cadence asked. “Some people get tattoos and feel sorry about it later. I saw a girl on MTV who had her name spelled wrong on the back of her neck. That was pretty dumb.”

“He’s got a lot of tattoos. They can’t all be mistakes.”

“I think he likes you,” she said.

Penny recoiled from the notion. Smoothing a hand over her watermelon-size stomach, she glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror. If Owen found her deformed figure attractive, he had really bad taste. But they’d already established that.

“One of the other men attacked Lauren,” Penny warned, frowning at herself.

“I know. My grandpa told me. He doesn’t want us to get hurt.”

Don had been kind to Penny, and for that, she was grateful. She hoped he didn’t consider her a bad influence on Cadence. Some people—like her parents—disapproved of pregnant teenagers. They ignored her or gave her dirty looks.

Since she’d started showing, she’d felt like a pariah.

“Don’t worry,” Cadence said, putting her arms around Penny. “We won’t let anyone attack you. I’m pretty sure Owen wouldn’t do that, but the rest of us will be watching out. You’re safe here.”

She’d meant to comfort Cadence, not be comforted by her. But the girl’s embrace felt warm and sweet, and Penny didn’t have the heart to pull away.

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