Blind Faith by Lauren Runow

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Blurb:
I never expected to be locked out of my room basically naked in a total blackout. Thinking that would be the biggest shock of my night was my first mistake.

With my friends nowhere in sight, I’m thankful when Jason, the mysterious guy who flirts from across the hall, shows up and comes to my rescue.

As he takes me under his wing how could I not fall for this handsome Clark Kent lookalike?

But just like the lights suddenly going out, our night ends just as fast, leaving me more lost than when it went dark.

Excerpt:

A short guy in a waiter’s tux slides the table into the room, and after I sign the bill, I curl up on the bed, grabbing some fries and turning on the TV.

Juice runs down my hands as I try to wrap my mouth around the biggest burger I’ve ever seen. I drop my head back as pure bliss meets my mouth. I try not to eat big, greasy meals, but after you’ve been drinking as much as I have, a burger is the only way to go. Hell yes, I plan on enjoying it down to the very last bite.

I flip the channel until I find a rerun of Sex and the City, throw the controller to the side, and take another bite.

Carrie’s just about to tell me how Mr. Big was engaged to someone else when I hear a loud beep ring through the room before everything goes black. Not just the TV. Everything. The entire room is pitch-dark.

The beep rings again as the lights flicker on for a quick second and then go dark again.

I feel over my bed, reaching for my phone, hoping it’s somewhere near. After I feel it, I stand carefully, making sure not to trip over anything. I walk to the window to open the blackout shades, hoping the lights from outside will help guide my way a little better.

My eyes go big when I see nothing. Literally nothing.

As far as I can see is darkness.

The Eiffel Tower that lit up golden in the sky is dark. I turn to the right and then to the left, leaning over to try to see farther. Everything is off.

Fear grips my stomach.

How is this possible?

Memories of things I read today at The Mob Museum infiltrate my mind.

It’s the mob. They’re coming to steal all of Vegas. They want control back!
I shake my head, trying to calm myself down. That’s ridiculous. The mob doesn’t have that much control anymore.

Now, it’s more of—

Terrorists.

Oh my God.

Could it be?

The mob was one thing, and I’m sure they were scary in their day, but nothing compares to the terrorist attacks we’ve had more in the modern day.

Screams start to sound through the street below me, and my heart leaps from my chest as I step back from the window. Scared to death of what could be happening.

I don’t hear gunshots, but the screams get louder.

My mind is a jumbled mess.

Sam? Carrie? Sarah? Oh my God! Where are they?

Are they safe?

Are they just as scared?
I try to call them, but the phone won’t connect. When I see the screen, it’s lit up with No Signal written in the upper left corner.

Commotion outside my door catches my attention, so, using the light from my phone, I grab my key card off the table, slide my feet into my flats, and open the door.

A few people stand in the hallway, just as confused as I am, using the lights from their phones to guide their way.

“What’s going on?” I ask the person in the room next to me.

The man glances down at my robe before saying, “I don’t know, but I would get changed, and either stay in your room or get out of the hotel.”

“Leave the hotel? Why?” I ask, even more freaked out as I grab my robe with my hand and tightly hold it close against my chest.

“I don’t know, but if something were to happen, the hotel couldn’t notify you. Look, everything is out. The emergency exit lights are on but only because they’re battery-powered. I can only assume fire alarms aren’t working either. There could be a fire right now, and we’d have no clue.”

“A fire?” someone from behind us screams in terror.

The man turns to them. “No, I’m saying, I have no clue what’s going on, but without any electricity, how would they tell us to leave? You can do what you want, but I am choosing to leave the hotel.”

People nod their heads in agreement, so I turn to my door and hold my key up to the lock mechanism.

Nothing.

Nothing happens.

The lights of red and green that normally stare back at you on the keypad are gone, and that’s when fear really sets in.

I’m locked out.

“Do any of your key cards work?” I yell in desperation.

A woman turns to me and then looks at the door she’s standing in front of. “Oh no! They run on electricity!”

I bang my head against the one thing standing between myself and my clothes. Fear and frustration running through me.

No. No. No. No. This can’t be happening.
How did I get stuck outside my hotel room in a blackout in nothing but my robe?
Tears well in my eyes just as Jason opens the door behind me. “Gemma? Are you okay?”

“Don’t shut your door!” I yell out just as it swings shut, but to my surprise, he’s turned the top lock, stopping it from closing all the way.

“Are you okay?” He tilts his head down in concern.

“No, I’m not okay!” I whine as tears fall down my face. “What’s going on? How is this possible?”

I can barely see him through the light shining from my cell phone, but it takes him a minute to answer.

“The electricity is out,” he says like it’s not a big deal.

How can he be so calm? I’m internally freaking out, and he acts like it’s something that happens every day.
“Well, yeah. No shit. But did you forget where we are? How does a huge hotel like this lose all of its electricity? Or all of Vegas for that matter? Have you looked outside?” I say in a near panic again when I remember the vast nothingness I saw a few minutes ago.

“All of Vegas is out?” a middle-aged woman asks in terror.

About the Author:

Lauren Runow is the author of multiple Adult Contemporary Romance novels, some more dirty than others. When Lauren isn't writing, you'll find her listening to music, at her local CrossFit, reading, or at the baseball field with her boys. Her only vice is coffee, and she swears it makes her a better mom!

Lauren is a graduate from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and is the founder and co-owner of the community magazine she and her husband publish. She is a proud Rotarian, helps run a local non-profit kids science museum, and was awarded Woman of the Year from Congressman Garamendi. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons.
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