Chapter 17: Chapter 17

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 terrifying to her, and he couldn’t blame her. He wouldn’t want to have to do that either. Hell, he didn’t even want to call his mom, and she already knew everything he had to tell her--well mostly. Ella would avoid revealing she was alive as long as she could, but if they moved back to California, that might not be possible forever.

Deciding there was no use in putting the phone call off, Rome dialed her number. “Hello? Rome?” she asked, answering immediately, as he’d known she would. She’d probably answered every phone call she’d received all week in the exact same manner.

“Hi, Mom,” he said, feeling a little sorry for her. She hadn’t always made the best decisions, but she was his mother, and it wasn’t easy for her, being married to such a powerful man. “How are you?”

“Oh, God. I’m so happy to hear your voice, son. I’m fine. How are you? Where are you? Are you back yet?”

“No, I’m not back, and I can’t tell you where I am, but I’m fine. What do you have to tell me?”

“I spoke to your father. I told him everything you said--about calling off his men, about you deciding to maybe come back to California if he did that. I told him what you said about Lloyd Sinders as well. He called off all of his men everywhere else in the world, Rome, but I don’t think he’s actually called them off at the airports in the States yet. I told him he had to do that, and I could lie to you and tell you that he has, but I don’t think that’s the case. He is too stubborn for that, Rome. He wants to know where you are so badly, it’s killing him. The fact that you were able to get away from him, to get out of Europe without his men catching up to you, is eating at him.”

Rome rolled his eyes. “Mom, I don’t care about Dad’s ego. That’s the reason so many people I know and cared about are suddenly dead. He will call them off, or I’m not coming back. While I appreciate your honesty, I have to know he’s not going to grab me again the second I hit American soil. I have a lawyer, Mom. You could both be in a lot of trouble. You drugged and kidnapped me. Dad might think that he runs the law around there, but he doesn’t.”

“You would do that? You would have us arrested for that?”

“Hell, yeah, I would. Are you shitting me, Mom? After what he did? And it’s not like you were sitting on your hands.” She was crying, and he felt bad, but he had to be tough with her. “Tell him, if he doesn’t want yet another legal case brought against him, he needs to call off all of his thugs.”

“All right. I’ll tell him.”

“What did he say about talking to Sinders?”

“He asked me if I had lost my mind and said over his dead body.”

Rome ran a hand down his face. “So Dad doesn’t feel at all responsible for what happened to Ella?”

“No, he doesn’t. He said you should’ve known better.”

“Son of a bitch.” The last time Rome was this angry was the moment he’d heard that Ella was dead. “You can tell him to go screw himself, and he’ll be hearing from my lawyers. Never mind everything else, Mom. I’m just going to stay where I am.”

“What? No, please, son, you’ve got to come home! I miss you so much!”

He had been stupid to think that he could ever convince his dad to do the right thing on any front. “I’ve got to go.” She was still crying, but he hung up anyway. He’d have to find another way to go back to America, and while this hadn’t been his only option, it would’ve been easier if his dad wasn’t watching the airports. At least he knew the truth now….

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 swallowed hard, knowing she could well see this as an opportunity to press him to stay here longer, but that wasn’t what he wanted. She didn’t want to be selfish, not when it meant so much to him to go back and prove he could handle his father.

Rome dropped down next to her on the sand, shaking his head slowly. She let him gather himself together before she even bothered to ask him anything. He would talk when he was ready.

It took several minutes, but he finally said. “I hate that old bastard. I wish he was dead.”

Whether he meant that or not, it didn’t matter. She reached over and put her hand on top of his in the sand. Again, she didn’t bother to say anything, only waited for him to be able to speak again.

“She said… he called off his thugs that were chasing us through Europe, but he’s still watching the US airports. Obviously, not all of them, and wearing that costume King gave me, I could probably walk right past them anyway. But that’s not the point. I shouldn’t have to be afraid of my own goddamn father.”

“You’re not afraid of him,” Ella said, her voice just above a whisper. “If you were afraid of him, you wouldn’t be thinking of going back at all.”

“True,” he said with a violent shrug. “I just don’t want to have to constantly be looking over my shoulder. And he refuses to talk to your father.” He shook his head again, his free hand scooping up the sand and crushing it. It spurted out between his fingers.

That didn’t surprise her either, sadly. She wondered if her own father would want to talk to Monty if it had been suggested to him. She was sure Aunt Gen would’ve told him to reach out, but he likely wouldn’t listen either. “What do you want to do?” she asked, doing her best to keep her own wishes out of the question.

“Maybe we should stay here longer,” he said with a shrug. “I know that’s what you want.”

“I want whatever you want.” She meant that, even though her preference was not the same as his. “What about movies that are being filmed overseas?”

He shook his head. “All of the auditions are in New York or LA if they’re US productions. And that’s what I want.”

She nodded. That made sense. “Then… we’ll have to go back.”

He looked up at her, trying to read her face. “How? Sneak in?”

“Why not? Bart did it.”

“He flew through Chicago.”

“We could do that, too, or someplace more obscure. Your dad can’t have eyes everywhere in all of the states in the entire country, can he?”

Shaking his head, Rome said, “No, but it’ll be impossible to tell which ones he’s at and which ones he’s not.”

“That’s okay.” she said. “We’ll put our costumes back on, fly into Dallas or someplace, and then rent a car and drive to LA. We can do that.”

“You’d be willing to do that?” His eyes brightened with the question.

“Sure. We’ve been on a hell of an adventure together all over, baby. I'm ready for another one.”

Rome’s smile broadened, and then he leaned in and kissed her. “Then… I guess we’re going home.”

Ella smiled back at him, even though on the inside, it was the last thing she wanted to do. She’d find a way to focus on the bright side. Maybe she’d like their new home. As long as her father didn't find out she was still alive, that was all that mattered.