Run to Rome (Italy Intrigue Series--2) by Stacey Joy Netzel

Author:Stacey Joy Netzel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stacey Joy Netzel
Published: 2013-07-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

“Eva!”

Ben flung off his bag and slid down the bank after her. Twenty yards below, the river tumbled over boulders and fallen trees, probably twice its normal height after the previous night’s downpours. The thought of her plunging into the cold water chilled his blood.

Suddenly, she jerked to a stop. He saw her bag had caught on a fallen tree limb and she’d managed to grab the strap as it slid over her head.

“Hold on, Eva!”

Heart in his throat, struggling to keep his own footing, he slowed his descent so he wouldn’t wipe out and knock them both into the rushing water.

“Oh, God, I’m slipping…”

Her muddy fingers barely clung to the strap as she lay on her back, arm fully extended. A roll onto her side to reach with her other hand came up short, though she still clutched her gun. He made it to her bag and carefully moved closer. Her wide eyes met his.

“Ben—”

“Don’t you dare let go. I’m almost there.”

Seconds took a lifetime as he sought a firm anchor hold with one hand and reached for her with the other. In the next instant, he grabbed her slender wrist, wrapping his fingers tight on her mud-slick skin. He dug in his boot heels and dragged her up.

“You got her?” Nick Marshall called from above.

Ben collapsed next to the tree with Evalina half draped over his lap, clinging to his leg. He’d completely forgotten about the other man and glanced up the hillside to see he’d been on his way down with a long branch in his hands.

“Yeah, we’re good,” he hollered back. Relief leached the adrenaline from his system, leaving him weak-kneed.

Surprise registered a second later. Evalina stiffened at the same time he whipped his head around in time to see Nick drop the branch and turn around. How the hell did he get the cuffs off? In a flash of comprehension, he understood the reason the guy had resisted the handcuffs back at the tower. A quick check of his pocket confirmed it; Nick had used the disruption as cover to lift the key from Ben’s pocket.

“Marshall!” he bellowed as Evalina struggled to get to her feet. “Nick! Wait!”

The guy didn’t slow down as he reached the top of the hill and disappeared into the trees.

“You have to stop him!” she exclaimed. “We can’t let him go.”

There was no way he could make it up the muddy slope in time to catch the guy. He reached to help her up, but she shook him off. “Go after him!”

“I’ll never catch him.”

“You could at least try,” she accused. “He has the diary and he was our ride.”

“He’s gone,” he bit out. “Let it go.”

She spouted some words in Italian, gesturing with her gun. He smiled, then took a step back to bend down and drag her duffle from the mud. “Sorry. I was a little more concerned about you going for a swim than the stupid diary.”

“That stupid diary is probably the only thing that will keep me from getting fired when this is all over.

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