Run To Rome

“Looking forward to it.”

Halli startled at the sound of his voice right behind her. When he brushed past, her jaw clenched. Holding back a growl of frustration, she stared at his back as he headed for the bar. Now how was she going to pull this off without him seeing her?

“However,” he continued, “I think we should…”

What she needed was a plausible distraction—

Trent spun and lunged toward her. “Get down!”

Chapter 6

Halli dropped to all fours behind a chair, her heart lodged in her throat. Her bottle of water rolled across the hardwood floor, gurgling a wet trail. “Wh-what’s the matter?”

“Shh.”

Trent pressed close, arm half around her as he moved into a crouched position and rose up slightly to peer above the armrest.

Fear sunk its talons in deep. “Oh my God, did they find us?”

His razor sharp gaze swept the living room and moved to the windows. “I don’t know, but someone’s been in the house,” he whispered. “They might still be here.”

“How do you know?” Her heart thumped wildly despite the heat of his body next to hers.

“My wallet’s gone. I left it on the bar earlier.”

Halli went limp with relief beside him. Tingles spread through her body with the retreat of adrenaline. “It’s right here.” Without thinking twice, she shifted away for more room and lifted the hem of her sweatshirt to fish his wallet from her front pocket. “God, you scared me half to death.”

He glanced down at her hand, then did a double take. “What the hell?”

She started to hand it over, but he stripped it from her fingers in a swift motion. When he flipped it open, she pushed to her feet, scooped up her mostly empty water, and tried to make light of the theft. “I owe you twenty bucks.”

He stood as well, still taking stock of the contents of his wallet. “And you talk about me with your nose stuck in the air.” Finally, he shut it and slid it into his back pocket. “At least I haven’t lied or stolen from you.”

Halli followed him into the kitchen, guilt overridden by indignation. “Whoa, hold on. You’ve got my passport and all my money, but now I’m the bad guy for taking your wallet?”

“You gave them to me. Threw them at me, remember? I didn’t steal anything from you.” He opened a drawer, withdrew her things, including the camera, and thumped them on the counter.

“Before you get up on your righteous high horse, let’s take a look at this from my point of view,” Halli challenged. “I was just sitting there minding my own business when you showed up. After your cheesy pick-up lines didn’t work, you threw me into your car—”

“Cheesy pick-up lines? They were shooting at you! Would you rather I’d left you there?”

“My point of view, remember?” She slammed her water bottle hard on the countertop, surprising even herself with her vehemence. Water splashed from the open top, all over her hand, arm, and the countertop.

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned a hip against the counter, a look of annoyed resignation tightening his features.

The itch on her palm would go away if she smacked his handsome face right now. She was sure of it.

Resisting the temptation, she clenched her fingers, short nails digging into her skin as she tried a different approach. “You may be used to crazy things like this, but back in Wisconsin, I have a set schedule that I’m comfortable with. I work, I exercise, and at the end of the day, I relax in my garden or by reading a book. The last thing I expected after only a couple hours in a foreign country was to be stranded, kidnapped and shot at. On top of all that, you refused to go to the police and forced me into your house. Believe me, I don’t make a habit of stealing from people, but I’m just a little out of my element here,” she lifted her trembling hand, thumb and forefinger about an inch apart, “so excuse me for not quite being myself.”

He snorted. “This version of yourself sounds a hell of a lot more interesting than your regular self.”

She scowled at his rude comment.

“I’m curious about one thing, though.”

His casual, conversational tone raised her suspicion. “What?”

“When did you plan to go to the bathroom during your trip?” He shoved her purse across the counter. “I didn’t see any potty breaks scheduled on that itinerary of yours.”