Free Seams of Destruction by Alene Anderson

ready. Just need to grab my bag.”
    “Give me your hand,” Mitch said when she returned.
    She was startled when he fastened a handcuff on her wrist.
    “Are you going out to eat alone?” she asked.
    He smiled at her humor. “No, but I do need to use the bathroom.”
    They strolled along Via della Spiga and once again Jade stopped at various store windows to look at the fashions displayed. They came to a restaurant that they both agreed looked inviting and went inside.
    They took their time looking at the menu. Jade chose an antipasti dish, Granseola in bella vista , which consisted of a lobster stuffed with chopped celery, carrots, onion and peppercorn with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and parsley. Mitch settled on spaghetti with shrimp, clams, and mussels.
    The waiter brought their entrees and sat them down in front of them. He asked if there would be anything else. They thanked him but said, “No.”
    “ Bon appetite,” he said and left their table.
    They took turns tasting each other’s choices and agreed the restaurant had been a good pick. For dessert they had a small dish of lemon gelato with crisp cookies called baicolo.
    “Let’s talk about our trip to Venice,” Jade suggested. “When we get back to our suite I will call the hotel where we stayed when a group of us went to Venice.”
    “How long does it take to get there on the train?”
    “About two hours and fifteen minutes.”
    “I’m really looking forward to spending time in Venice. Are you going to take me on a gondola ride and have the gondolier sing to us?”
    Jade’s eyes lit up. “Do you want to? That will be fun. For some reason my friends and I didn’t do that when we went to Venice.”
    It was dark by the time they finished with their meal and headed back to the hotel. As they approached the Plaza Reale, there was a sudden swishing sound and fireworks exploded in the sky.
    Jade saw Mitch flinch.
    “What is it?” she asked.
    “Bad memories. For a minute it reminded me of my time in Afghanistan.”
    “Probably some sort of a celebration.”
    They stood at the edge of the crowd who exclaimed in enjoyment every time there was a new burst of fireworks. They watched until all was quiet and when the crowd dispersed, they headed to their hotel.
    “We should probably get to bed soon,” Jade suggested. “We will want to get up early and catch the train to Venice.”
    “Are we going to do our morning jog before we leave?”
    “We should. I find if I miss a morning, it’s easier to miss the next one and the next.”
    “Since we haven’t been able to do any other type of exercise, we should at least take our morning run.”
    Mitch told Jade goodnight and walked into his bedroom, leaving the door open. She knew it was to keep an eye on her so he wouldn’t have to handcuff her to the bed. She was grateful for that. Being forced to lay in the same position all night would not permit a good night’s rest. She went into her bedroom and shut the door.
    She was woken out of a sound sleep by shouting from Mitch. Startled, she jumped out of bed to see what was happening. She could hear him calling, “No, no,” over and over again. She went into his room and stared, concerned at what she saw.
    A lamp in the sitting room, which had been left on, gave enough light to see the man on the bed who was tossing and turning in a tangle of sheets. Realizing he was still asleep, she stepped to the side of the bed and gently shook him by one shoulder.
    Before she knew what was happening, his arm was around her neck and she was laying on her back on top of him. Startled, she tried to twist out of his hold, but he was too strong for her.
    “Mitch, it’s me, Jade,” she cried. “Please, let me go.”
    His arm dropped away from her neck and she rolled off of him, lying beside him.
    He stared at her out of sleep glazed eyes.
    “You were having a nightmare and I was just trying to wake you.”
    He was wide awake now. “Did I hurt