Chapter 1. On a day that begins like any other, a violent earthquake strikes Los Angeles, plunging the region into chaos

On a day that begins like any other, a violent earthquake strikes Los Angeles, plunging the region into chaos. Two strangers, trapped in a collapsed shopping mall, find each other amid the rubble and join forces to escape. Hampered by injury and darkness, they dig and claw their way through one crumbled store after another, emerging long after most have given up hope for survivors. The ordeal leaves both women shaken, but their shared triumph sets them on a life-changing course together, igniting a connection like neither has ever known. Anna Kaklis—whose perfectly planned life never included falling in love with another woman—is thrown for a loop, but she doesn’t doubt her heart. Lily Stewart—abandoned too many times by people she trusted—won’t let herself believe that Anna’s love will endure.

Chapter 1

Anna Rutherford nudged her luxury coupe one lane to the right, determined to get out of this jumbled mess. Freeway traffic was usually snarled in LA, but today’s was even worse than usual. With a GPS subscriber service, she could have checked for construction or accidents, but that option wasn’t available in 1999, the last model year for her classic BMW 850. Her next car would have the GPS... if she could ever bring herself to part with this one.

She felt sorry for the drivers around her, because they probably did this every day. Her usual commute, from her home in Bel Air to the dealership in Beverly Hills, took twelve minutes. Lucky for her, she made this downtown trip only once a month, for the breakfast meeting of the Greater Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. As treasurer of the organization, her presence was mandatory.

At least this morning’s program had been interesting, she thought, a slide show on various community organizations involved with the area’s at-risk youth. Anna liked the idea of using Chamber resources for making the whole community a better place. The way she saw it, it was good for business because they were building a foundation for future employees, vendors and customers.

For more than forty years, Premier Motors of Beverly Hills, southern California’s top BMW dealer, had lent its support to LA’s thriving symphony, its opera, three of its theaters and at least a half-dozen art museums. The dealership was a major underwriter for an afternoon business update that aired on the local public radio station. Anna’s father believed charitable donations were best spent on those who bought luxury cars.

Anna, who at thirty-one served as vice president of the family’s dealership, agreed that supporting the arts was good business, probably the best advertising their money could buy. But she had been moved by today’s program, especially by the teenage girl who told a personal tale of how one organization had helped her overcome an abusive home, poor school performance and a flirtation with drugs and alcohol to become a college-bound senior with hopes and dreams of one day being a leader in the LA business community. Why couldn’t Premier help with things like that too?

Despite losing her mother at an early age, Anna knew she was blessed by the hand dealt her, lucky to have never known such hardships as those she saw displayed today. For all the good those organizations did for the community, it seemed such a small price to—

A blaring horn interrupted her ruminations, and she hurriedly accelerated to close the thirty-foot gap between herself and the car in front, lest someone squeeze in and delay them all by ten seconds. Spotting the off-ramp for Endicott Avenue, she continued to pick her way to the exit lane. Endicott eventually dumped into La Cienega Boulevard, where stoplights and surface streets were preferable to this creeping, growling mass of motorized inhumanity.

This morning’s look at the struggles of troubled youth had been an ironic respite from her own problems, which had consumed her like a cloud for the past three months—even longer if she was honest with herself. Her control had been slipping away gradually for over a year, to the point where she no longer had any sense of direction. Strong and confident in the business world, Anna had always felt clumsy when it came to her personal life. If only she could have plotted contingencies like she did with her sales models, or studied engineering blueprints for clues like she did with her cars. Romance didn’t come with a kit. At least hers didn’t.

 

“Two hundred dollars, counselor,” Judge Rusty Evans barked, slamming his gavel against the desk.

Lily Stewart cringed, not just at the fine, but at the anger on the judge’s face. Of course he was furious. She couldn’t blame him for that.

Eager to wrap up this case, she had led her client, Maria Esperanza, into the family courtroom at the Los Angeles County Courthouse, where they were to have squared off against Maria’s ex-husband Miguel for primary custody of the couple’s two children. Lily knew the facts of the case cold, and Maria was perfectly prepped on what to tell the judge about her ex-husband’s volatile behavior.

As Lily looked back now on yesterday’s conversation with Maria, she recalled the confusion. Her office calendar said Thursday—which was today—but Maria’s cell phone reminder was programmed for Friday. That had to be a mistake, Lily had told her.

Unfortunately, the mistake was hers, not Maria’s. The case file that Pauline, the legal aid clinic’s newly-hired secretary, should have pulled was that of Maria Espinosa, Lauren Miller’s client, whose final divorce hearing was to have been today. It all came to light only moments ago when Maria looked across the aisle quizzically at Mr. Espinosa and whispered into Lily’s ear. “Who is that man and why does he want custody of my children?”

She scribbled a personal check to the clerk to cover her fine— she would have to move money from savings right away to cover it—and turned to face a fuming Maria. “I’m really sorry. I don’t know how that happened.”

“I knew it was tomorrow.”

“You were right.” No matter how irritated Lily was with Pauline at this moment, it was nothing compared to how furious Lauren would be when she discovered Judge Evans was fining her too. “At least let me give you a ride home.”

Though the screw-up hadn’t been entirely her fault, she felt awful for trusting the eraser board in the office instead of checking the file herself. If she had, she wouldn’t have dragged her client out on the wrong day.

Maria had another letdown when they reached Lily’s car, a ten-year-old Toyota RAV4, with more dings than a wind chime. Lily saw the disappointment on her face when she realized they weren’t getting into the Lexus in the next space. Yes, she needed a new car, but not a new car payment. All of her extra money went to her house fund on the off-chance she ever found something decent that didn’t require a second job.

Lily gathered up the pile of folders and books on the front seat, making room for her passenger. “There you go. Sorry about that.” Then she removed her suit jacket and laid it across the backseat. The day was unusually warm for February, and the RAV4’s air conditioner had been out of commission for four years.

Most of Lily’s clients at the Braxton Street Legal Aid Clinic lived in Watts or East LA, but Maria was staying with her sister until the custody of her children was resolved. “Culver City, right?”

“Si. I mean yes.”

Lily bit her lip and started the vehicle. She deserved Maria’s condescension after the fiasco today. It wasn’t that her client had a dozen other places to be today. It was that a court appearance involved a new blouse she couldn’t afford, her sister missing work to babysit and three buses to get her downtown to the courthouse.

 

As she coasted to the bottom of the ramp to the stoplight, Anna checked the digital clock on her instrument gauge: 11:40. Today’s meeting had lasted until ten, after which the officers met in closed session to discuss the new membership drive. Her morning was shot, but that didn’t worry her. Staying late at her office was routine, especially since her troubles at home began.

A wave of her hand over the infrared eye on the doorframe produced a dial tone. “Premier Motors,” she stated succinctly. A few moments later, her call was answered with the same two words. “Carmen, it’s Anna. Is Dad there?”

“Yes, and he’s driving us all crazy. Please tell me you’re on the way.”

“I am, but I’m stuck in traffic.”

“Did you bring that book for Hal? He called a little while ago and said he’d come by for it.”

Anna banged her fist on the console, irritated when she suddenly realized what probably had happened. Last night, she had laid out the book about the car business to bring to her brother-in-law, but Scott must have picked it up this morning on his way out the door, assuming she meant for him to read it. “No, I don’t have it with me, but I can stop at the mall and get another copy. I want Hal to have his own anyway.”

“Okay, I’ll tell him if he calls again. Hold on. I’ll get George for you.”

A few moments later, her father answered, obviously out of breath. “Where are you? They’re driving me crazy.”

“So I heard.” Except she had heard it was the other way around. “I’m on Endicott. I have to go pick up a book, but I’ll be there in less than an hour.”

“Can you call Steve French? He needs the run-of-press order.”

Steve was their account representative from the LA Times. “I sent it to Brad yesterday for the VIN numbers. Just get him to forward it.”

“Fine. I have to get Morty Schneider’s car off the rack in the next five minutes or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Thomas didn’t show up today. I’ve got two trucks due in this afternoon and no way to get them processed. I’m going to fire him the minute he walks in here.”

“He had a doctor’s appointment this morning. He’ll be in this afternoon.”

“Why didn’t he tell anybody?”

“It’s on the calendar behind Carmen’s desk. You need to check that first. And please don’t go firing anybody.” Anna had inherited many things from her father, but fortunately, not his temper.

He sighed, clearly exasperated. “I’m getting too old for this.”

“No, you’re not. Just go worry about Morty. I’ll be there as quick as I can.” She hung up and shook her head. Since taking over most of the day-to-day operations at the dealership, she had managed to streamline processes for everyone but her father, who still thought he had to oversee everything, just as he had since the early 1970s.

 

Five minutes into the ride to Culver City, Maria decided to phone the sister she would see in less than a half hour. Lily’s working knowledge of Spanish was just enough to find the conversation distracting, so she tried to concentrate on other things.

At the top of her list today was why on earth she had decided on this line of work. Sure, it was full of intrinsic rewards, but the fancy firms downtown didn’t suffer snafus like hers today. Of course, those secretaries probably made twice what Pauline made at the law clinic, and they would be fired for an error like that. Pauline would be forgiven, but all of the attorneys would double-check their own schedules from now on.

Lily had never truly second-guessed her decision to accept the job at the legal aid clinic. The downtown firms were notorious sweatshops for young lawyers, who worked endless hours to line the pockets of the partners. Their goal was billable hours. Hers was actually doing some good in the world, like family attorney Katharine Fortier. When Lily was only seven years old, Katharine rescued her from an unfit mother, Karen Parker, and saw to it she was placed for good in a loving home with Eleanor Stewart, the woman Lily always considered her real mother.

Lily fell in with the traffic flow and continued her musings. Given her background as a child, it wasn’t surprising at all that she had followed a career path to helping people like Maria. She was working now with people just like herself.

Clutching the steering wheel of the RAV4 a little tighter, Lily fought back the emotions her early memories always brought to the surface. The difficult moments in her life had given her empathy for others... others like the woman beside her, a divorced mother who needed a champion to help her escape a life of domestic violence.

Lily reached Culver City, depositing Maria in front of a small stucco home. She bid farewell with characteristic optimism. “Only one more day, Maria. Then you’ll know your children will be safe.”

With one last wave, she neatly executed a tight U-turn, and headed back to her office.

 

Anna reached an important decision as she drove toward Culver City scouting for a bookstore. She wasn’t going to languish in this marriage mess another day, just waiting to see what life would hand her next. It was time for her to wrest back some control, to make the tough decisions that had to be made and live with the consequences.

There was no easy answer. She and Scott would both have to work hard for their marriage to survive—if they even wanted it to survive. The alternative was admitting her failure and walking away. That would be humiliating and a huge disappointment to her family, especially her father. Either decision would take all the courage she could muster, which was precisely what had her stuck in this quagmire.

It had been easy in some ways to retreat emotionally and act on the outside as though nothing was wrong. For the past three months, she had gone to work early most days, and stayed late in the evening because she couldn’t bear to be at home with Scott. But she couldn’t keep this up, and it wasn’t going to just fix itself. She had been avoiding her family, and people had begun to comment on her weight loss and tired features.

What Anna realized she missed most over these past three months, even more than personal happiness in her marriage, was being in charge of her life. She had quietly stepped back from the world, allowing things to proceed as she watched from the outside. She needed to come out of the safe corner she had backed herself into, no matter how hard it was, or things would only get worse. So while the resolution was unclear, she knew she couldn’t put off dealing with it any longer.

Turning on her blinker, she pulled into the parking garage of the Endicott Mall. Finding a space on the ground level, she parked and pulled her long frame from her car. She straightened her shoulders as she walked, as if physically demonstrating the resolve she now felt to break this impasse. She tapped her key-chain to set the car alarm, and turned toward the breezeway leading into the stores. Out of nowhere, a battered RAV4 careened around the corner and continued its rapid climb to the second floor.

“Crazy driver,” she muttered as she rolled her eyes with disgust. Unfortunately, the whole world seemed as self-absorbed as she.

 

At precisely 11:40, Lily’s phone vibrated against her waist to announce a new text message calling her to a one o’clock arraignment for another client’s abusive boyfriend. She just had time to pick up lunch at the In-N-Out Burger on Endicott Avenue and to stop by her office to gather the files she would need. She placed her order and circled around to the small window to wait, justifying the greasy cheeseburger with the argument that she couldn’t very well eat a salad while driving.

Her mouth watered as she pulled away from the window. This was a rare treat, and she was going to savor every bite. With one hand on the wheel, she pulled into traffic. As she took the first decadent bite of her sandwich, she felt something hit her chest.

“Oh, fuck!” Her cream-colored top now sported a prominent blob of ketchup right below the neckline, too high for her suit jacket to cover. Not only was her nicest silk top ruined, she would have to replace it before going to court. She couldn’t very well walk in looking as if she had been shot in the chest.

Disgusted with her carelessness, she dropped her burger on the seat beside her and quickly sidled across four lanes of traffic. Signaling left, she turned into the Endicott Mall. Peeling around the corner to the second floor of the parking garage, she barely missed a tall, beautiful woman with long dark hair exiting her fancy BMW. “Careful, gorgeous,” she muttered, checking out the stately figure in her rearview mirror. “With the kind of day I’m having, you don’t want to be stepping in front of my car.”

The second floor parking deck was wide open and she grabbed the space next to the breezeway that led to the upper concourse. Hurriedly, she dialed her office.

“Pauline, it’s Lily.”

“Did you get my text message? You’re supposed to be in court at one with the Washburns.”

“Yes, I got that message. Did you get my earlier one about Maria Esperanza?” she asked testily.

“Yes, I’m so sorry, Lily.”

“I’ll forgive you this once. But I’m not going to be the one to tell Lauren she owes Rusty Evans two hundred dollars for missing her court date.”

“I feel so bad.”

“It happens, Pauline. But you have to be very careful not to get these names and dates mixed up. We depend on you for that.” She took one more bite of her burger, making sure not to let it drip on her skirt. “I need you to call a courier and send the Washburn files to the courthouse for me. I spilled something on my top and have to get a new one.”

“I can do that.”

“And please, Pauline—”

“I know. I’ll double-check to make sure it’s the right one.”

“Thank you.” Lily hung up and dropped the phone inside her console. Leaning over to the passenger side, she grabbed her wallet before shoving her briefcase under the seat. If she got in and out really fast, she would have time to finish her lunch in the parking lot at the courthouse.

 

Entering the mall on the lower level, Anna looked about for a bookstore. Not seeing one right away, she scanned the directory near the entrance. “Come on, come on. Every mall has a bookstore,” she pleaded with the silent sign. There it was—Binders Books, just to her right about halfway down the concourse.

It was now a few minutes past the noon hour, and the mall was buzzing with lunchtime shoppers. But the only other person in the bookstore was a friendly young clerk with orange hair, Skye, according to her nametag.

“Excuse me. I’m looking for a book called Top Down. It’s about the car business. Do you have it?”

“Sure, I remember seeing that. It’s got the picture of the Ferrari on the front.” Skye hopped down from her perch at the register by the shop entrance and led Anna to the business shelf located along the left wall. “It’s here somewhere.”

Anna quickly located the book, not bothering to point out that the car in the picture was actually a Maserati. She was oddly satisfied her nerdy accountant brother-in-law had expressed interest in a book about the car business. She had often thought about asking him to leave his accounting firm and join them at the family dealership, but she didn’t want to be presumptuous. Not everyone shared her fascination with the car industry.

“Thank you. I’d like to browse for just another moment, if you don’t mind.”

“Help yourself.”

Anna tucked the book under her arm and checked the shelf labels as she walked toward the back of the store. She had always been skeptical of self-help books, but she had to at least consider the possibility a pop psychology strategy might work to help her solve the current crisis with Scott.

 

Coming straight from the second floor of the parking garage, Lily entered the mall on its upper level. She scanned the directory and located Sycamore, a women’s apparel store, at the far end of the building on the lower floor—about as far away as it could be.

The layout of the mall was confusing at first. The main entrance appeared to be at the far end on the top level, opposite where she was standing. Then she remembered the mall was built into a hillside, so the ground floor entrance on this end was directly below her.

She started down the escalator to the lower level and got her bearings for a hasty retreat once she found what she needed. She charged past Lacy Lady, not failing to notice the mannequin in the window wearing a red satin teddy. Next was a gift store, a dress shoe store, Peggy’s Bridal Shop, a bookstore, Foot Locker, and finally Sycamore.

An online and catalog shopper, Lily rarely set foot in a mall. Though she usually only hated shopping, she absolutely despised it when she needed something in particular and was short on time. When she reached Sycamore, she was relieved to find right away a rack near the door holding the perfect style blouse in a variety of colors, and on sale.

Of course none were her size. It was that kind of day.

Her size was available among a new shipment in a slightly different style, but at a much higher price. Out of options, she pulled off the tag. “Excuse me.”

The sales clerk rushed to her side. “Would you like to try that on?”

“No, I’m sure it will fit. I just need your dressing room to change in, if that’s all right.” She fingered the blob on her other top. “Here’s the tag and my debit card.”

The clerk took the items and began to process the sale as Lily ducked into the fitting room at the very back of the store. When she yanked the stuck louvered door, it caught her knee with a sharp crack, and a splinter in the wood neatly pierced her hose.

“How could this day get any worse?”

 

If the picture on the cover—a man and woman standing back to back with their arms folded stubbornly across their chests— was any indication, this was the book Anna needed to start the process of dealing with her personal tumult. In truth, she held all the cards in their relationship right now, but she was too paralyzed to play.

As she grasped the book, she lost her footing and stumbled against the bookshelf. It took her a moment to realize what was happening, that the steady vibrations beneath her feet signaled an earthquake. These rarely lasted more than three or four seconds, but each one was an adventure.

“Hold on!” the young clerk yelled.

Anna did, grabbing the bookcase for support as the fluorescent lights began flickering and raining sparks around the store. The rumble grew louder and books fell from the shelves around her—at first only a few at a time, then in bunches as the floor suddenly tilted.

Then it went dark.

Anna strained to get her bearings as the shaking grew louder and more violent. This was no minor quake. A glimmer of light filtered from the atrium to where she was hunkered in the back of the store, enough that she could make out the shadows of the bookshelves as they crashed to the floor, blocking her escape.

With every breath, she prayed for the quake to subside, but it only grew more intense. She clung to the shelf as her anchor, even as it shook free of its bolts and tipped precariously toward her. A creaking sound drew closer and passed near where she stood. The smell of fresh dirt told her the earth had opened up within inches of where she was standing.

The shaking lessened for several seconds, and Anna held her breath in hopes it was over.

Suddenly the whole room seemed to pitch upward. She felt her feet leave the floor as she lost her grip on the bookshelf. Then with as much force as the thrust upward, she was thrown back down. As she collapsed onto her back, the floor lurched once more and the bookshelf hit her full force as it fell. The room convulsed one last time, followed by a deafening crunch of something heavy and large falling in the space between where she lay trapped and the way out.