Aftershock (Hqn)
After EMT Lauren Boyer’s partner is killed in their ambulance when a freeway falls during an 8.5 earthquake in San Diego, she, hulky former U.S. Marine Garrett, a pregnant woman, a grandfather, his granddaughter, and two severely injured people set up base in the area around the severed ambulance and the cab of a semi. Through aftershocks, they hunker down in their little caved-in area, fighting off a gang of three prison inmates while trying to come up with an escape or rescue plan. Like a season of Survivor, they must battle problems both large and small: the convicts squander their liquids, then attack to get more, wounding the grandfather; the pregnant girl goes into labor; one of the injured dies, while the other wakes with no memory. As Lauren and Garrett work to keep everyone healthy and calm, even as setbacks develop, they bond. But will what feels like love now last after they are rescued? As the survivors fight for their lives, Sorenson describes everything in stunning detail to create a riveting romantic adventure. --Pat Henshaw