Run To Rome

Pushing those items aside, she eyed the other choices of tops and pants spread out on the intricately quilted bedspread, wanting so badly to walk away, but at the same time cringing at the thought of putting her smelly, grimy travel clothes back on.

No. She didn’t want a darn thing from the man.

She took two steps back to the bathroom before her resistance waffled. The material had felt so soft when she’d brushed the lingerie out of the way. They probably wouldn’t even fit, so, what could it hurt to try them on, right? Then at least she could wear her old clothes without thinking twice about the clean ones.

Selecting a pair of lightweight jean Capri’s was easy, and they were close enough to her size. The shirts were another matter. A blue, backless halter top she tossed aside without a second glance. The sheer, black button-up blouse was quick to follow. That left her with a white, V-necked, baby doll T-shirt, size small, the least offensive of the three—if it weren’t for the words Wet & Wild emblazoned in blue rhinestones across the front.

Considering she’d seen the women the arrogant jerk dated, she was not surprised by the limited options. At least those women had the body and the confidence for these clothes. Heck, if she strutted around on Trent Tomlin’s arm, maybe she would, too.

With an annoyed frown, Halli snatched up the underwear and clothes, and returned to the bathroom, reminding herself she had no time to waste. The Capri’s were a little tighter than she usually wore, and obviously made for someone much taller, but comfortable, none-the-less. She rolled up the extra length a few times before pulling the white top over her head.

Flipping her damp hair back over shoulders, she eyed herself in the mirror. The T-shirt sucked tight to every inch it touched; shoulders, chest, stomach and hips. Her breasts stood out, additionally highlighted by the rhinestones that stretched across the shirt’s velvet-soft material. Good God, if she got cold, the thin satin bra would hide nothing. Heck, even now, her nipples puckered at the mere thought.

She reached for the hem to take it off when a muted noise reached her ears in the otherwise quiet house. She paused and held her breath. Was that the garage door opening? Chances were Trent was near the garage, too, which put him clear across the house from her. This might be her only opportunity to escape.

Halli bent down and dug into the pocket of her sweat pants for the photo copy of her passport and stuffed it into the front pocket of her new Capri’s. A quick flick of her wrist turned the shower back on full blast, and then she scooped up her shoes, ran across the bedroom, and tried the first window. It didn’t budge. She bounced across the bed but the pane on the other side was no better.

Muttering under her breath, she hauled butt to the bedroom door and peeked into the hall. All clear. She had to get to a door with a security pad so she could key in the four digit code she’d watched Trent enter. Four years earlier than the year she was born, it was easy to remember. Once out in the yard, she’d bypass his security gates by going down to the lake and around the wall she’d noticed while he was drinking shot after shot. From there, she’d head straight to the local police station.

How?

Halli froze as the question expanded in her mind. How would she get to the police station with no clue where to go and no knowledge of the language?

Stop. She fisted her fingers around her shoes and put one foot in front of the other. Her only choice was to move forward. She’d figure out the how once she was free.

Her heart pounded in her ears with each silent step along the thick carpet in the hall. It nearly leapt from her chest when the muted thud of a dresser drawer sliding shut sounded behind her. Her breath seized. He was supposed to be by the garage so she could sneak past the bar by way of the double doors leading to the lake. Clutching shoes to chest, she ran down the hall and made it to the stairs as the door at the end of the hall opened behind her.

Please let him hear the shower and think I’m still in there.

She rushed down to the first floor, around the corner, toward the bar. Right there, right next to the whisky bottle that’d almost choked her, sat his wallet. She had a flash-vision of her dad and mom, smiling proudly at her, Ben, and Rachel after they’d pulled a successful con. Games, they’d called them. Once she was old enough to figure out what was really happening, she’d sworn she’d never again do those things.

Cheat. Lie. Steal.

Halli hesitated. All her money was in her purse. In Trent’s hands.

She grabbed his wallet and bolted for the door. This is different, she told herself. This was her life, not some game her parents were playing to beat the system.

And it’s not like he can’t afford it, Baby. The words were true, but as they echoed in her father’s smug voice, they almost made her drop Trent’s wallet.

She gritted her teeth and whispered vehemently, “Focus, Halli.”

Stuffing the soft leather into her front pocket with one hand, she hugged her shoes against her ribs and keyed in the code with her other.

Her trembling finger slipped on the fourth little rubber square.

Chapter 4

Halli sucked in a breath, wondering what number she’d actually pressed.

Three excruciating heartbeats later, the light blinked from red to green. Air whooshed from her lungs, but she had no time to enjoy the relief.

Knowing Trent could spot her at any moment made the sprint past his pool, down some stone steps, across a small immaculate lawn, and finally over the rocky shoreline to the edge of his property seem like a mile. Her headlong rush startled three white swans swimming near the water's edge.

Indignant honks filled the air as they half-ran, half-flew across the water. Halli cringed as they landed near the large white boat house next to Trent’s dock. Stupid swans. The darn birds would be the death of her yet.

She waded around to the other side of the wall separating his property from the villa next door and paused to catch her breath while taking stock of her new surroundings. Past the front of his neighbor’s house there were no gates to block access to the road. Thank God.

By the time she reached the sidewalk at the edge of the yard, her feet were dry enough to put on her shoes. She straightened and searched for something familiar. Something...anything to point her in the right direction.