Lost in Italy (48 page)

“Oh, please.  Like you didn’t notice them all coming in for a peek at you without your shirt?  Clearly, word spreads just as fast in Italian.”

Surprisingly, a hint of color stained his cheeks.  He pushed off the bed and came around to where she’d leaned her butt against the windowsill.  Her heartbeat picked up.  One corner of his mouth twitched, though the look in his hazel gaze remained serious.

“Does it bother you?”

Truthfully, she was amused
and
jealous.  But it was time for that distance she was going to need.  She
pasted a smile on her face and
gave him a careless shrug.

“Why should it?  It’s not like I have any claim on your body.”

A firm bite on her tongue kept the hopeful, pathetic
“…do I?”
off the end.  He might be acting protective and caring since the rescue, but
acting
was the key word.  He’d made things pretty clear back on the boat prior to the exchange.

Something akin to disappointment flashed in his eyes.  He lifted one hand toward her.  “Halli—”

“Ms. Sanders?”

Trent stepped back as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t.  Halli straightened, giving him one quick glance before focusing on the figures in the doorway.  Greg Tomlin waited behind the doctor.

“Yes?”

“Your brother is awake.  He is asking for you.”

Sensing Trent had been about to say something important, she hesitated.  He placed a hand on the small of her back, urging her forward.  She ignored her disappointment and followed the doctor.

“Everything went okay?” Halli asked as they walked.

“
Si
,” the doctor assured her.

A nurse hurried up to Trent and offered a blue scrub shirt.  He accepted with a quiet, “
Grazie
.”

“Barring no complications,” the doctor continued, “he will be discharged the day after tomorrow.”

Wow
.  Trent’s hand landed on her shoulder, halting her progress just before they turned a corner.  He nodded toward the opposite hall.  Walking toward them, pushing a wheel chair, was Simone with Rachel.

Halli gave a soft exclamation and rushed forward to hug her sister.  A moment later, she pulled back, wiping her tears with one hand and Rachel’s with the other.  “You’re just in time.  We’re headed to Ben’s room.  He’s okay.”

Rachel sniffed.  “I was so afraid I’d never see either of you again.”

Too choked up to speak, Halli answered with another brief squeeze before standing.  She smiled at Simone and motioned them ahead of her.  Once at Ben’s room, the doctor told them he’d give them a few minutes, and Simone wheeled Rachel in first.  Halli hung back at the door.  More tears welled as Rachel grasped their brother’s hand and leaned over to press her cheek to his.  She wished she could figure out a way to turn off the faucets.

“What are you waiting for?”

She jumped at Trent’s deep voice in her ear.  Swallowing hard, she managed to blink the tears away and tried to think of an answer that would make sense.  All she came up with was a befuddled shrug.

“Your family is safe, Halli.”  Trent gave her a one armed hug and a reassuring smile.  “You can finally go home.”

Home
.

The word she’d been praying to hear for what seemed like forever, and yet, even in his low, gruff voice, it sounded sad and empty.  Not what she wanted at all, if it meant leaving him.  But she had no choice.

She took a deep breath and nodded.  Squared her shoulders and forced herself to step away from his support.

At the hospital bed next to Rachel, she leaned over to give Ben a careful hug and kiss.  Seeing his bruised face up close made her chest ache, but Trent was right, he was safe.  Ben looked from her to Rachel as she straightened.

“Some vacation, huh?”  His half-smile was tired, but no less cocky than usual.

“Well, I spread my wings, but I lost a whole lot of feathers.”

The three of them laughed together.  At least one part of her world was right again.  She couldn’t help but look at Trent where he stood on the other side of the bed with Simone.  They’d both played a big part in this reunion.

Ben followed Halli’s gaze and smiled toward Trent.  “Thank you hardly seems adequate.”

Trent’s gaze landed on Halli.  “No thanks necessary.”

God, the look in his eyes made it hard to remember they had no future together.  She averted her gaze to Simone, hoping to keep her heart firmly entrenched in reality.  Ben hadn’t met Simone, so she made the introduction and explained her connection.

A brisk knock on the door drew everyone’s attention.  Greg Tomlin stepped aside and Halli surveyed the beautiful, petite Italian woman who entered the room.  Waist length curls matched a black T-shirt stretched across her well-endowed chest, serviceable kakis hugged her hips, and to round out the ensemble…a gold badge on one side of her belt, pistol on the other.

The sight of the gun sent an instant surge of alarm through Halli.  She drew in a calming breath, reminding herself the bad guys were behind bars and she could trust
la polizia. 
It helped that the woman wore an aura of authority as if she’d been born with it, and introduced herself as
Agente
Evalina Gallo.

Ben’s tired eyes sparked with clear male interest.  He attempted to push himself up a little straighter and Halli smiled to herself.  Leave it to her brother to not let a little thing like surgery from a gunshot wound cramp his style.  The woman nodded at Trent in a way that made Halli wonder if they knew each other.

Rachel smiled at the newcomer.  “I knew you were nice.”

The Italian’s brows rose in an elegant arch.  “Too nice, apparently.  You two almost blew my cover.”

Ah ha.
  Sultry-voiced
Agente
Gallo must be the undercover cop
Eva
Tony had mentioned earlier.  Ben’s reaction made a little more sense, but the last thing she expected was for the police officer to step right up, prop a hip on the bed, and glare at her brother.

“Especially you.  More trouble than you are worth, and still kicking.”

Ben grinned.  “Does me no good to be dead when you change your mind about dinner, does it?”

Ebony curls swept along her back as she shook her head.  “Cocky and stubborn.”

“When it matters.”

Another glance at Trent confirmed he recognized the déjàvu moment.  More than anything, Halli wanted to be back in his arms, but she forced her gaze away.  Ben slowly reached out to thread his fingers with Evalina’s.

“Come on, Eva, one little, innocent dinner won’t kill you.”

“Innocent?  You?”

“You’ll be in complete control.  Promise.”

A secret smile touched the Italian woman’s lips.  Unspoken communication passed between the two of them.  Belying her confident aura, color rose in Evalina’s face and Ben’s grin widened.  Just as Halli began to feel like the rest of them were intruding on something intimate, Evalina blinked and abruptly stood with a haughty shrug.  “One dinner.”

“Thank you,” Ben said softly.

She was all business as she turned from the bed.  “My office requires statements from each of you.  I can speak with you two here,” she indicated Halli and Rachel, “but Mr. Tomlin and Ms. Costa, you will be required to come to the station.”

“How’s your partner?” Trent asked.

“Dead.”  The word was delivered short and hard, but the emotion in her dark eyes told him the betrayal hurt her as much as Lorenzo’s hurt him.

He glanced at Simone before he asked, “Did you talk to Lorenzo yet?”

Evalina gave a brisk nod.  “He was very forthcoming.  He got himself into trouble a few years ago with a bad bet and it multiplied from there.  Cousin Luca is his bookie, and Nino was married to Luca’s sister.  Once they found out you and Lorenzo were friends, it did not take much to convince Lorenzo you were a quick fix to his problems.”

Trent’s jaw flexed.  “They were going to sell me proof that Alrigo murdered my brother.”

“Yes.  Only Alrigo shot Lorenzo before they could get their evidence and execute the plan.  Nino ‘took care of the body’, and Alrigo made it harder for you to hide by having his connections publically implicate you in the ‘murder’.  With Ben in play, Nino manipulated the situation by suggesting Alrigo demand ransom.”  Her gaze shifted between Trent and Greg.  “You should know, in light of this new evidence, Sean Tomlin’s death will be completely reinvestigated.”

“Thank you.”

Halli felt the relief for Trent that she heard in his words.  Alrigo Lapaglia was already dead, but now he’d get public justice for his brother.

The surgeon returned and insisted Ben be left alone to get some rest.  Rachel was escorted to a nearby room to have her leg formally checked, and Evalina suggested it was a good time for Halli to give her statement.  Trent squeezed her shoulder on his way out the door after his father.  She followed his gaze to Tony, who waited at the doors to take Trent in.

“You okay?” Trent asked.

She automatically stiffened her spine.  “Of course.”

“Looks like another long night.”

To prove she could be as casual as he had been on the boat, she quipped, “And nowhere near as fun as last night.”

He didn’t laugh as she’d thought he would.  He stepped closer and spoke low.  “What I said earlier—”

She quickly shook her head and stepped back, holding up a hand.  “Please, you don’t have to explain.  I get it.”

His steady scrutiny made her pulse flutter.  “Do you?”

“Yes,” she insisted.  “And I agree with you, let’s not make a big deal out of it.  I have to go, and they’re waiting for you.”

Annoyance passed over his features.  “Halli, we need to talk.”

“Tomorrow.”  She quickly spun to follow Evalina to an empty room the hospital had provided.

“You never gave me an answer about dinner,” he called after her.

Halli felt the eyes of numerous nurses and hospital staff zero in on her as she reached the makeshift interview room.  She almost said yes, just to appease him, even though she knew she wouldn’t actually follow through.  A simple no would be better, but it was too public.  In the end, she stepped inside the room and closed the door without answering at all.

Fatigue dragged her feet when the interview concluded and Evalina walked her back to Ben’s room.  They’d set up a second bed for Rachel and a cot for Halli.  Rachel was sound asleep, but Ben opened his eyes and watched them enter.

With a quiet goodnight, Halli went straight to the cot.  She dragged the blanket to her chin and wearily fought against thoughts of last night with Trent, only to have the worry of how they’d pay for Ben’s surgery and the hospital stay drop into her mind like a grenade.  She bit back a groan of dismay.

In the middle of struggling to remember how much she had between her savings and her 401k retirement fund, exhaustion won the battle and her mind shut down.

****

The next day, with her luggage and personal items returned from their rental car, and refreshed after a hot shower, Halli was desperate for fresh air and a cup of caffeine that wasn’t tar-black and bitter as plain baking cocoa.

Earlier, she’d managed the detail of rebooking their flights, but when she inquired about a payment plan for all the medical services, the doctor told her not to worry.  Easy for him to say.  To her frustration, he avoided any further direct answers, stating he had patients to tend.

As if she could argue that.  Instead of dwelling on the problem and driving herself crazy as she knew she was prone to do, she escaped.  Armed with directions from
Agente
Gallo, or Evalina as she’d insisted, Halli located an almost-perfect cup of coffee a couple blocks from the hospital.  She sipped the steaming brew on her way back, thinking nothing would ever compare to the cup of coffee she’d shared with Trent that first morning on his boat.

This past week had been life changing in so many ways.  People passed her on the street, smiled and greeted her, and she began to wonder if she looked any different.  She felt different on the inside, but did a person
look
different after the crazy week she’d survived?

She thought of the man who’d been beside her every step of the way.

Did a person look different after they fell in love?

In the light of day, she allowed an objective look, so as not to be swayed by delicious, seductive memories in the dark.  The Trent she knew, the man she’d fallen head-over-heels for, was so different from the persona he presented to the media.  Her heart wanted to believe they’d had a connection, and that he’d felt it, too.  That she hadn’t misread the concern and caring she’d seen in his eyes.

Her practical side,
Wisconsin
Halli, told her anything she might have imagined between them was nothing more than an illusion.  Wishful thinking by a gullible, lonely heart.  Just because he said he wanted to talk in that serious tone and asked her to dinner, didn’t mean they’d have a happily ever after like in the movies.  Shain never stayed with any of his leading ladies.