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“Careful, Eva,” Nino breathed. “Or you’ll be the one to screw everything up.”
His hot breath sent a shiver down her spine, but it chilled to the bone where Ben’s had warmed and excited.
Proving Nino was absolutely right.
Chapter 18
Halli paused in the doorway of Simone’s front room as Trent spoke into his cell phone.
“No, I figured you’d heard the news already, but I swear to you, I did not kill that cop. We were friends. He was helping me investi
gate Sean’s death.”
The muscles in his back were as tense as his voice, but then his shoulders relaxed a bit.
“Thanks—your belief means more than you’ll ever know,” he continued. “Which is why you’re the only one I trust with the money. I don’t care what you have to do, just so it’s ready when I call tomorrow. I’m dead serious about this, Brad. Waterproof bag, and someone you’d trust with your daughter’s life. Yeah. Thanks.”
The ransom money. Hearing him make the arrangements solidified Halli’s growing remorse for doubting him. If he intended to keep the video for himself, he’d have been gone already, right? She watched him flip the phone shut and slip it into his jeans pocket, his back still to the doorway. She searched for an opening line, but he spoke first without turning around.
“Are you here to accuse me of ulterior motives again?”
She’d intended to apologize, but instead went on the defensive. “I had to ask.”
He ran his hands through his hair, frustration evident as his fingers clenched at the nape of his neck. Was that an existing habit, or newly formed, she wondered, stepping into the room. Then he pivoted to face her as he leaned back against the window sill, and she forgot all about the errant thought.
“I’d like to say I’ve looked at it from your point of view, Halli, that I get where it came from, and, dammit, I do. It’s just…I thought we were past that.”
He couldn’t really be as offended as he sounded, could he? Unless he didn’t truly understand where she was coming from.
“I’m sorry.” She lifted her hands, then dropped them back to her sides with a feeling of helplessness. “I’m more grateful than you’ll ever know for what you’ve done for me, and Rachel, but I still have to think about my brother. Can you honestly tell me you didn’t consider the fact that you’d be turning over the one piece of evidence that proves you’re innocent?”
“Of course I considered it. Can you honestly tell me you think I’d choose to let your brother die?” His hand rose, palm out. “Forget it, you already answered that question.”
Heart pounding, she lifted her chin and stated, “No, you answered that question when you stole the SD card from my camera.”
“What? You think that’s...” He leaned his head back, and swore at the ceiling. Then he met her gaze dead on. “I did not steal the card. It’s in a safe place.”
“And where’s that, in your pocket?”
Hurt flashed, then his gaze sharpened as his features turned to granite. “On the boat, Halli. I had a bad feeling about the consulate so I hid the card to ensure your safety in case anything happened.”
“Oh.” Remorse was an understatement now. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“You were excited about seeing your family. We’d had a good morning and I didn’t want to ruin it by worrying you in case I was wrong. And God do I wish I would’ve been wrong.”
When he pushed away from the window and walked past her toward the living room, she cleared her throat to find her voice. “Trent...”
He kept walking.
“Trent.”
This time he stopped, and when he swung around, his expression was cautious.
“I’m sorry.”
All she got was a tight nod.
Blinking away the moisture blurring her vision, she smoothed her damp palms down the sides of her newly borrowed jeans. “About the money…”
