Run To Rome

“I got it.” She held the syringe behind her back and met his gaze as he faced her. “I can do it, just give me a minute.”

“I appreciate that you’ve been looking forward to jabbing me with the needle, but I prefer not to have it broke off in my ass.”

He had a point. She carefully set the syringe in his extended palm and then watched him pull a contortionist act to give himself the shot. He’d pulled his pants down further so they didn’t slide back up and she got a good look at his firm muscles as he stuck the needle in. Heat warmed her face as she recalled running her hands over them last night.

Trent glanced up and caught her staring. He pulled the needle out with a grimace and set the syringe on the counter so he could refasten his pants. His teeth flashed as he cut his gaze back to her. “Enjoyed that anyway, didn’t you?”

There was no use denying it, so she simply smiled at his egotistical grin and then laughed when he waggled his brows and asked if she’d rub his butt for him.

Yeah…heartache definitely lurked right around the corner.

The cell phone rang with a sobering dose of reality. Halli followed Trent’s gaze to where he’d left it on the bed. He crossed the space in three strides, checked the number, and flipped it open. The rigid line of his jaw told her it wasn’t Simone.

“I’m working on it. You gave me ‘til six…don’t worry, you’ll get yours as long as we get Ben.” He paced to the bar counter and yanked open a drawer to pull out paper and a pen. Then he wrote while repeating out loud a set of GPS coordinates and the time. He ended that call and immediately began dialing again as he faced Halli.

She started to speak, only to have him hold up a silencing hand.

“Figured you’d be up,” Trent said without any other greeting. “Where are we at with the money? Good. Don’t forget, waterproof bag, and tell him to meet me at the Villa Melzi gardens at four, on the steps leading down to the waterfront. Can’t miss ‘em.”

His gaze shifted from Halli to the gun on the counter.

“You’re absolutely sure I can trust this guy? Thanks, Brad, I owe you one.”

After an abrupt disconnect, he slipped the phone into his pocket, his m

outh set in a grim line. Halli blew out a shaky breath when he picked up the gun and tucked it in place against the small of his back before meeting her gaze.

“Time to make that plan.”

****

Numerous ideas had been suggested and discarded, and Halli was beginning to think they’d never figure out how to pull the whole thing off. They had about an hour before meeting the guy delivering the ransom money. Three hours before the exchange with Lapaglia. Time was running out.

Head buried on her crisscrossed arms, she mumbled under her breath, brainstorming to herself about the lake, boats, meeting on the water. Trent had insisted a minute ago he was not pacing, but since then he’d resumed wearing a path in the carpeting. He didn’t even see her glare, so she dropped her head again.

Stupid boat. They needed more space. For the first time since yesterday, she actually wanted to be separated from—

Halli stiffened. She lifted her head from her arms. “I’ve got it. We need a second boat.”

Trent paused in his pacing. “A second boat?”

“A second boat,” she repeated, smiling. “That way we can keep our bargaining chips separated and stack the odds in our favor.”

His gaze narrowed as he considered her suggestion.

She got up from the table and went to stand in front of him. “Think about it. The money on one boat, the video on the other.”

“They get one when they release Ben, and the other when the boat with Ben is a safe distance away,” he expanded, nodding, warming to the idea.

“Exactly,” she agreed. “You asked for a waterproof bag, so we hold that back until we’ve got Ben. Since there’s no way for them to know for sure if we’ve made another copy of the video, I think the money’s the better incentive.”

“Good point.”

Excitement pumped up her pulse. Finally they had a workable plan the two of them could realistically pull off.

Trent reached past her to grab the notebook she’d been using at the table and turned toward the bar area. “Renting a boat shouldn’t be too much of an issue around here, but the driver is a whole other matter. We can’t just ask anyone—”

“We don’t have to ask anyone,” she interrupted. “I’ll drive it.”