Rescue Me
The passenger side door popped open, and Ella dove inside. Rome started driving before she even got the door shut, but he had ahold of her, and she knew he’d never let her fall.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes on her more than the road.
“Yes! Just drive!” She managed to get the door closed and her seatbelt on as she checked the rearview mirror. Three men came flying up the sidewalk, all of them menacing, as if they were her father’s bodyguards and not just a group of businessmen. She hoped they were far enough away that they couldn’t see Rome’s license plate number.
“What the hell happened?” Rome wanted to know.
“Hold on.” Ella was panting, but she had to warn Tim. She whipped her phone out and called him. He answered immediately.
“Ella, what the hell is going on?”
“No time to explain at the moment, but you need to get out of there now.”
“You told me not to leave without you.”
“I told you not to leave me there. I’m not there anymore. I climbed the wall.”
“Ella, I don’t believe you.”
“Well, it’s true. I climbed the wall and caught an Uber. My dad wanted me to marry that Henry guy. I won’t do it, Tim.” She heard Rome gasp next to her. “Get out of there before he tries to hold you as ransom or something.”
“You can’t actually think he’d do that….”
“I don’t know what he’d do, but he’s trying to make a business deal, and you know how he is when he’s got a plan that’s not going right.”
“How do I know he’s not got you locked up somewhere or is forcing you to say that?”
“You don’t. You’ll just have to believe me.”
“The last time I believed you, you were locked in an attic.”
“I know. But I’m safe now.”
“Okay. I’m outside. I’m getting in my car. Ella, have the Uber driver pull over and wait for me.”
She glanced at Rome. He was still driving super fast even though they were no longer being followed, and her father didn't know where she lived. “I can’t. We’re far away now. Tim, just go home, and I’ll call you when I get to my apartment.”
“No, I’m headed straight to your apartment so I can see you’re safe for myself.”
She knew there was no use arguing with him. “Okay. See you soon. Bye.”
As soon as she hung up, Rome let the questions fly. “What the hell is going on, Ella? Who is Henry? And why does your father want you to marry him?”
“I’ll explain, but listen, Tim’s on his way to my apartment. Even as fast as you’re driving, he’s not far behind us. We’ll have to get there and separate before he sees you.”
He nodded in understanding, his face telling her how uneasy he was about the entire situation.
“My dad brought the son of one of his French associates with him from Paris. His name is Henry Caron. Apparently, they’ve been working together. He thinks the two of us would make a good match, so he wanted me to stay there and get to know him better.
Rome’s eyes bulged out of his head. “So… now your father is trying to hold you against your will?”
Ella’s first instinct was to say no, that wasn’t what had happened. But it was, wasn’t it? “I guess so.”
Her phone was ringing again, and it was her dad. She ignored it.
“Is that him?”
“Yeah.”
“Listen, Ella, there’s a good chance your dad already knows where you live, but if he doesn’t, he will find out. We need to go. As soon as you assure Tim that you’re okay, we need to get on the road, get out of here for a while, figure this out.”
Now it was her turn to have her eyes pop out of her head. “Go where?”
He swallowed hard. The apartment complex was just ahead of them on the right. She thought he might not answer until later, after Tim left.
But he did. “To Vegas. To get married.”
Ella should’ve been shocked, but she was so happy, that was the only emotion that came through. A giant smile lit her face. “All right. I’ll get rid of Tim as fast as I can. Pack a bag, and I'll meet you back at the car?”
He nodded and pulled into a parking spot. Ella kissed him hard and fast and then flew out of the car, running to the front of the apartment building to meet Tim, not sure whether she should be terrified of her dad, upset about Henry from Paris, or elated about marrying Rome. She chose to go with the third option and had trouble wiping the smile off of her face as Tim’s car pulled into the lot.
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