Page 33 of Dream Chaser

The glow from his phone lit the panel until, a second later, the dim emergency light blinked to life. He jabbed the emergency button, and a man’s voice crackled through the speaker in the shiny silver wall. “Security. This is John Douglas.”

“We’re stuck in the elevator. The power went out,” Alejandro said.

“Yes, sir. Power seems to be out for the entire block. How many people are in the elevator?”

“Just two.”

“I’ll notify the fire department and update you with an ETA.”

“Thank you.” Alejandro rubbed his forehead, exhaling hard. “Fuck. You’d think they’d have a better backup generator. You okay?”

“Yeah.” I leaned against the mirror. “I’m not afraid of small spaces.”

He nodded. “Good. Let’s hope they get here fast.” He glanced at his phone. “I don’t have service either.”

The intercom beeped. “Hello, this is security. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Alejandro said.

“The fire department has been notified, and they’ll be here as soon as possible. But power is out all over town and traffic is already backing up, so it might be a while.”

“Okay.” Alejandro sighed. “Thank you.”

Minutes ticked by, filled with our breathing and an oddly comfortable silence. Our situation would’ve been more bearable if not for the dull ache in my lower back. It already resented me for sleeping in my car. Now it had another reason to. I shifted, searching for a more comfortable position.

Alejandro glanced at me. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

He tipped his chin up. “Your back bothering you?”

He must’ve noticed my grimace. Preston always rolled his eyes, saying someone as young as me couldn’t have the aches and pains of an old woman.

Alejandro shrugged off his jacket and spread it on the floor. “Come on. Sit.”

“Don’t,” I whispered. “The floor’s dirty.”

He sighed. “We’re already late to the meeting, Nova, and it sounds like we might be stuck here for a while. Don’t be stubborn.”

Not stubborn—just not used to anyone caring. Especially not a man like him.

He lowered himself onto the floor as if to show me it was fine to sit, and I sat beside him.

“What’s wrong with your back?” he asked.

“It just hurts if I stand for too long.”

“It shouldn’t. Have you seen a doctor?”

“Not yet. Are we going to be in trouble for not showing up to the meeting?” NitroFlow was huge. I could see lots of athletes trying to get that sponsorship deal. Asher was more famous than most, but still.

“Let’s hope wherever the NitroFlow people are, they’ve also lost power.” Alejandro smoothed the pad of his thumb over the face of his watch. My gaze lingered on his hand—much bigger than mine. I still remembered how it felt wrapped around my fingers. “I just hope we’re not stuck here for the rest of the day.”

“Did you have plans later?”

It was none of my business, but I couldn’t resist the urge to learn more about him, even though now that he’d given me a permanent position, it was even more inappropriate.

“None,” Alejandro said. “Asher’s busy with Kaia, and I’m not really in the mood to go out. What about you?”