The sound of his phone ringing--again--had Rome turning over and reaching for it. He pulled his jeans up off of the floor with one hand, trying not to wake Ella up, but she stirred and rolled over, freeing his other arm. It was Bart on the phone. Rome slid out of bed and went into the living room to answer, not caring that he was nude. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Glad to know you’re alive,” Bart said, making it obvious he’d tried calling before. “Did you make it to your destination?”
Walking down the Strip made Ella feel like a little kid at an amusement park--or a big kid at an amusement park. She couldn’t help but gawk at everything. From the beautiful lights to the dancing fountains to the statues, it was so vivid and alive. She wanted to go into every hotel, look at every building, say hello to everyone that she met.They had disguises on again, but this time, they were better. They’d taken their time trying to make sure neither of them were recognizable, but especially Rome since he was a celebrity, and it was only a problem for h
The chapel Rome had picked was in a secluded part of town, if there was such a thing as a secluded part of Vegas. With their certificate in hand, Rome and Ella approached the chapel. Her heart was pounding in her chest because she was so excited. It was still unbelievable that she was getting married, but she’d never been more sure about anything in her life that this is what she wanted to do.The woman at the desk greeted them and said it would be just a moment, that the pastor was still with the couple before them. She had a friendly smile, and it seemed as if
Speculation was all over the Internet. Rome didn’t want to spoil their time in Vegas by constantly checking his phone, but he was nervous. If anyone figured out who Ella was, that could be a huge problem.He saw the pictures, and there was no way to identify her unless someone knew her really well, but the fact that she’d lost her shoe alarmed him. One of the entertainment sites was reporting that a member of the paparazzi had taken her shoe and was doing his best to trace it back to where and when it had been purchased and by whom. It was just a matter of
Ella and Rome stayed in Vegas a few more days but had to get back to LA because of Rome’s get-together with the rest of the movie cast. They spent every waking moment together, and Ella couldn’t remember ever being happier in her entire life. While it would’ve been nice to go on a honeymoon to a tropical island, he had work to do, and Ella was still working on her assignments from her father’s business, too.It was difficult, working for him when they weren’t getting along, and every moment that they spent at odds with one another ate awa
The sun beat down on Rome’s head and shoulders, the blue ocean in front of him twinkling as the waves rolled against the yacht. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, not sure what to do.It was evident Tim was not in a compromising mood, nor was he feeling friendly. Rome had attempted to speak to him, to congratulate him on getting the role, but Tim blew him off and walked away. While almost everyone else was wearing swim trunks and T-shirts that could come off once they reached the point in the ocean where Wynnie had mentioned stopping the yacht for some t
Rome sprinted around the edge of the boat, the fury inside blinding him to everything else except for catching up to Tim and making sure he paid for what he’d just done. He grabbed ahold of Tim’s arm, shoving off one of the men who was escorting him away from the scene, away from where Mark’s bleeding body still lay.“Come back, Tim Bolt! Come back and see what you’ve done! Mark Hutio’s body still hovers just above us, and yet you walk away!”&
Aunt Genevieve was sitting on the floor in her bedroom, her cell phone in her hand, tears streaming down her face as she screamed, “My baby! My boy! Tim! Timothy!”“Aunt Gen, calm down!” Ella begged her, dropping down and wrapping her arms around her aunt’s shoulders, trying to figure out what had happened. “What’s going on?”
The police station was just as cold and impersonal in real life as it was on television. Rome sat in a stark white room, with only a desk, a few metal chairs, and a Styrofoam cup full of water someone had given him when they first brought him in. He’d refused medical treatment after the Coast Guard had torn him out of the water. He had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. At some point, Bart had gotten his shirt and shoes to him, but he didn’t know where his phone was. All he knew was that Mark and Tim were dead, and the police were trying to figure out whether or not Rome had killed Tim or if it had been an accident.