Sitting on the ledge of a high hill, looking out over the ocean, Rome prepared for a phone call he didn't want to make. It was necessary, though. He’d spent a lot of time talking to his lawyer over the last month and a half since they’d come to Thailand. He loved it here and knew Ella was happier than she had ever been in her life. But they couldn't stay here forever, not if he was going to go back to acting. Unless, of course, he left her there and only came back between films, which really wasn’t an option.
They had plenty of money, so it wasn&rsqu
Ella fixed a dinner of tortillas, chicken, and a few vegetables in the modest kitchen space of their little piece of heaven. It was a different take on fajitas since she didn’t have all of the typical ingredients she would’ve put into them if she was in a place where she could go to a grocery store more frequently, but it would do. She’d made them a few times in the last few weeks, and Rome liked them.He was sitting outside on a big rock, staring out at the ocean as the tide came in and lapped his bare feet. They spent a great deal of time out there
It had been a week since Rome had called his mother. He sat in the same spot as he had before, phone in hand, assuming she’d answer on the first ring as soon as he called. He took some deep breaths and thought about what this phone call would mean.Ella was so happy here, and he could tell that she wanted to stay. He hoped that the house Bart had found for them was enough to make her happy. He’d shown her pictures, and she seemed to like it, but he knew she was nervous. The idea of having to face her father and let him know that she was alive was terrifyin
Ella was sitting on the beach, waiting for Rome to come back from the trip he’d made up the mountain to call his mom where the reception was better. The tide was rolling in. It washed over her feet, up to her skirt, but she didn’t care. Living on the beach, one couldn’t be averse to water or sand. It was going to be everywhere, anyway, and that was fine with her.The second she saw his face, she knew the call had not gone the way he’d wanted it to. His lips were pressed together in a defiant line, and his hands were fisted at his sides. She swa
“Attention, passengers. We will begin our descent into Dallas in approximately twenty minutes. The temperature there is seventy-eight degrees….” The pilot continued, giving information about where the plane was headed next, what to do if one were looking for connecting flights, etc., but Ella’s mind was on what was going to happen when she stepped off of the plane. Would they be followed, or would they make their entry into the United States undetected?It was weird not sitting next to Rome. She had for the first flight, the longest leg, but w
Rome waited for Ella to get off of the plane and followed her at a distance as far as he could, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious. He didn’t think they’d see anyone on this side of security who might be a threat. His dad was rich but too cheap to buy a ticket to get behind the security keepers if he didn’t have to.Once they were outside, Rome took a deep breath and let Ella go from his sight. It wasn’t easy to do. He wanted to stay behind her, to make sure she got the car safely, but he had a job to do, and if the airport was under surv
Ella had waited patiently for the slow woman behind the counter at the car rental place to eventually get her the car she’d rented. While she didn’t want something too flashy, she did want something that would go fast, just in case she needed that. What she ended up with was really neither--a black SUV. Now, she could be the one who looked like she was chasing someone.When Rome told her he was taking the tram to the parking garage, every hair on the back of her neck stood on end. “What? Why?” she asked, using her Bluetooth.
Rome had to keep his head down, even though he wanted to peek out the window and see where the cars that had been following them were. “What’s going on?” he whispered to Ella as she approached the toll booth. He could see her behind the wheel without lifting his head far enough to be noticed by anyone in other vehicles.“They’re two back from us,” she said, rolling down her window and crushing a twenty dollar bill into the person’s hands. “Keep the change,” she said.
“Howdy!” Ella shouted out the window at the bewildered man next to her. “Y’all from around here?”Beside her in the passenger seat of the SUV, she felt Rome’s nervous energy. Maybe she was taking a huge gamble engaging the enemy--assuming that’s who these people were there to try to kidnap Rome and take him back to his father.