Run To Rome

Not that she saw them every day at home in Wisconsin. Rachel tended to get wrapped up in her jewelry designs and art fairs, while most of the time Ben was flying around the country for his job or traveling on his motorcycle for weeks on end. But at least things stayed ordered and there were no surprises, especially since they both called her on a regular basis. Yes, she’d finally agreed to give up all control of her life for a week, but only because she knew she’d have the two of them as her guaranteed constant during the trip.

But nothing had been guaranteed since they’d stopped beside the lake. And even now, though she’d left the messages on Ben’s phone, after the crazy, scary events of her day so far, a small part of her worried she would never see her family again.

Her chest tightened painfully. Before the lump forming in her throat made swallowing impossible, she managed a deep breath. Instead of focusing on how completely powerless she’d been throughout the day, she needed to think of meeting up with Ben and Rachel in the morning. Life would return to normal—as soon as they changed their return trip to the states for tomorrow afternoon.

In the meantime, she had a video copy to make.

At the bottom of a second box in the closet, she found a cable compatible with her camera and Trent’s system. As she closed the bedroom door quietly, she heard the very faint sound of the shower in Trent’s room at the end of the hall.

She paused and closed her eyes, only to pop them wide open and hurry back to the living room. Last thing she needed to imagine was Trent Tomlin naked and wet—especially knowing the size of his condoms.

Her face burned as she set everything up and plugged the cable into his DVR and her camera, then inserted a blank DVD. A quick check showed her video needed to be rewound, so she pressed the button and waited a full minute before hitting play. Her own face appeared on screen.

“I promise, Halli, you’re going to love winging it once you get used to it.”

How ironic she’d chosen that spot to stop the video. Rachel had confiscated the camera while Ben drove. Her sister’s words currently prompted a wry smile, even as her on-screen self gave an uneasy laugh. “I’m not one of the swans on the lake at home, Ben. My wingspan is pretty narrow.”

“Yes, but you agreed to stretch your wings this week,” Rachel reminded.

“I know, I know. But you’re still going to have to be patient with me and understand my nerves may get the better of me from time to time.”

“We’ll break you in easy today,” Ben assured her.

So much for easy. More like a crash course. Literally.

The laughter in her brother’s voice brought the ache back to her chest. Tears welled. And Rachel; what she wouldn’t give for a hug from her big sis right now.

Halli sniffed and blinked away the stinging moisture. Tomorrow she’d see them again and get hugs. Lots of hugs.

Ignoring the tiny bit of doubt lingering in the dark corners of her mind, she concentrated on the video and tried to figure out where they were at this point. She didn’t think it was too much further along that Ben had parked on the sidewalk so they could check out the lake by that stone wall, so she hit record on Trent’s DVD player.

A minute later she prepared to fast forward again, but something Ben said on the video jogged her memory. It was coming up. A tremble wobbled the camera in her hands.

She backed up a step and absently pushed aside a couple of magazines lying on the coffee table so she could sit, still holding the camera. Much as she didn’t want to watch, it was impossible to look away. Trepidation remained, but she found herself determined to see what’d happened to Trent’s friend. Maybe that’s what it would take to make this thing become real in her mind.

On screen, the large white swans moved with graceful ease across the calm water in direct opposition to the current pounding o

f her pulse. Rachel complained about her filming the swans. Ben offered a suggestion—

A loud, siren-sounding noise pierced her ears. Halli stifled a scream and leapt up from the coffee table. What the heck was that? When it continued to echo through the living room, she knew.

Trent’s security alarm!

A shadow moved by the window to the right of the bar area. Halli froze. Was it a tree branch swaying in the wind, or something more sinister?

No way she was staying to find out.

Halli yanked the connection cable from the camera in her hands and ran for the stairs. She sprinted down the hall and threw open the door to Trent’s room just as he stumbled from the bathroom, hair dripping, chest wet, jeans low on his lean hips and unzipped. The sight brought her to an abrupt stop, breathless from her panicked run and the fear coursing through her veins.

Trent spotted her in the middle of a hard tug on the jeans’ belt loops. He clearly wasn’t wearing any underwear. His attention dropped to his zipper as he groused, “I can’t take a fricken shower without you doing something stupid, can I?”

Halli tore her gaze away from the dark hair on his lower abdomen and below. She sucked in a deep breath, suddenly too warm for the sweatshirt she still wore.

“I-it wasn’t me.”

He jerked his head up. “You didn’t mess with the security system?”

She shook her head.