Breakfast of Kings
Rome woke up with a crick in his neck. He had to look at his phone to see what time it was, since the windowless room gave no clues. It was just a little past seven. Normally, he wouldn’t get up that early, but something told him he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep under the circumstances anyway. He may as well let Ella try to get another hour or so with the entire tiny bed.
He feared using the makeshift restroom would be enough to wake her up, but he didn't have a choice and was glad that she only let out a little sigh when he relieved himself. He put on a shirt and his shoes and went out to see if anyone else was stirring. He had the feeling King wasn’t the sort to sleep in--he had the feeling King wasn’t the sort of fellow to sleep much at all.
He found their host in the kitchen, mixing up some concoction that was probably supposed to be their breakfast. The scent of sausage and eggs mingled with a bold spice Rome couldn’t quite put his finger on. He doubted Ella would want to eat this. “Good morning,” he said as King turned to look at him.
“Good morning, Mr. Rome. How are you?”
Rome found a smile. “Good, good. And you?”
King let out a hearty laugh. “Good. The excitement last night keep you up?”
“No, not for too long. I managed to go back to sleep. Does that happen to you often?”
With a shrug, King gave his pan of food a stir. “Sometimes. I am afraid I have many enemies. But I don’t worry so much. I have lots of defenses all around to keep them away from my home.”
“I saw that.” Rome really didn’t want to go into everything that he’d seen. “Well, if you don’t mind, I think we’ll ask you to help us with our disguises, and then, we’ll be out of your hair.”
“Oh? You don't want to stay a few days?”
“We don’t want to be any more trouble,” Rome said, leaning back against the one counter in the kitchen.
“Is no trouble,” King said with a shrug. “You going to the airport?”
The fact that he didn’t protest too much made Rome think he’d actually be happy to see them go. “That’s the plan. If you can give us a ride either to the airport or to a place where we can catch a ride….”
“I’ll take you there. But will have to wait until nightfall. I don’t drive out of here during the day.”
“That’s fine. Thanks,” Rome said, but he was disappointed. He was hoping to get out of there soon rather than later. He wanted to call Bart, and he knew Ella was dying to call her aunts. But they needed to respect King’s wishes not to use their phones from his compound.
“This is finished,” he said, removing the pan from the heat. “Shall we wake the others?”
“Uh, I’m not sure about Mary and Gus, but I know Ella would rather sleep than eat any day.”
“Then I guess they’ll just have to warm it up.” He laughed again and grabbed a few plates from a cabinet.
Rome knew he’d have no choice but to eat it, and he hoped it wasn’t as awful as the stew from the night before. It was nice of King to go to so much trouble for them, and he didn’t want to seem ungrateful.
The man heaped a portion on a plate and handed it to Rome, along with a fork and a tin cup full of water.
“Thanks,” Rome said, stilling himself before he took a bite. To his relief, it wasn’t that bad. A little spicy, which made him think Ella wouldn’t like it, but it was edible.
“How long have the two of you been married?” King asked.
“Not long,” Rome said with a shrug. “I’m not exactly sure what Gus told you, but our parents have been enemies for years.”
“He said that your father didn’t want you to marry her, and she faked her own death to get away from her dad.” He took a bite from his plate, his spoon so full that pieces fell back into the mixture.
“That’s pretty much it. To make things worse, my best friend was killed by her cousin, and then her cousin accidentally drowned. The police thought the drowning might’ve been my fault, but I did everything I could to save him. Then, my dad realized I’d married her and kept me locked in the house, drugged me, and brought me to Italy.”
“Wow--that sounds like something out of a movie,” King mused.
“Yes, it does. My friend Bart helped Ella fake her death. Mary helped, too. She used to work for Ella’s dad but is Ella’s personal assistant now. The two of them managed to sneak Ella out of the country. In the meantime, I’d heard that Ella was dead and was just about to take drastic measures to be with her again when she showed up outside my window.” Rome shrugged at that last bit. He still didn’t know how Ella had found him. Even with the address, it was a large building with lots of windows. The fact that she’d found his made him think she was sent there to save him.
“You’re one lucky bastard,” King said. “Even though it sounds like you’ve been through a lot, you’ve got a beautiful woman willing to give up everything for you. She is sweet, too. It sounds like the two of you will have good life, soon as you figure out how to get away from your crazy parents.”
“Yes--and that’s the rub. I don’t think I want to keep running forever, King. I think I want to try to go back and face them.”
He nodded. “Running is… no good. Especially when you have loved ones to care for. Out here, it’s just me most of the time. I don't worry about anyone else. If I still had a wife… it might be different.”
“What happened to her?” Rome asked, taking a drink of his water and hoping he wasn't being too nosy.
King shook his head slowly, and Rome figured that meant he wouldn’t answer. To his surprise, the man said, “KGB.”
“Really?”
King shrugged. He clearly didn’t want to say more.
Rome managed to finish off the food on his plate. “You want more?” his host asked.
“No, thank you. I’m stuffed.” He rubbed his stomach, which really was full. “Thank you, though. It was good.”
King looked proud of himself. “I no cook many things, but I can handle breakfast.”
Rome smiled at him. “I agree.” He definitely preferred King’s version of breakfast to his stew.
They heard footsteps on the stairs, and soon Gus and Mary had joined them. As they made their plates, Rome excused himself to go check on Ella. She may as well take her time if they couldn’t head to the airport until later. He’d need to look at flights, too, which meant he’d need King’s permission to use his phone, or he’d have to find an alternative method to checking the schedule.
She was still asleep when he opened the door. Rome stood and stared at her for a long moment, taking in how beautiful she was. King was certainly right. He was a lucky man. He just needed to figure out how to make sure he kept her safe. Losing her again was not an option.
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