No Escape by Julie Moffett
Chapter Eight
Lexi Carmichael
Slash and I took a shower together in the interest of saving time, but one thing led to another and before we knew it, we only had about ten minutes left to get dressed. Still, totally worth it, in my opinion.
I blow-dried my hair in the bathroom while Slash shaved at the sink. Luckily, no one got electrocuted. I quickly slipped on a sky-blue dress and a matching cardigan sweater, the same outfit I’d worn for my engagement party. I had matching shoes that were low to the ground and snug. Only my parents and Slash had seen my outfit before, and I didn’t care if it was a faux pax to repurpose it. I felt comfortable in it, so that drove my fashion decisions. Tonight, comfort was especially important to me since I was already so anxious about everything else. The last thing I needed was to be worried about a dress.
I paced the room, nervously twisting my engagement ring around my finger. The band was an antique gold setting with two entwining hands that met at a circle of white diamonds. A gorgeous blue diamond nestled in the center of the circle, winking and sparkling whenever it caught the light. It had belonged to Slash’s beloved nonna, and she’d gifted it to him to give to me. Nonna and I had an interesting history that involved odorous perfume, a haughty cat, and the best food I’d ever eaten in my life. Somehow, despite language and geographic boundaries, we’d become pretty good friends. Her ring was the perfect one for me—small and unpretentious, but still beautiful and unique. I rarely wore jewelry, but I loved that ring more than I could say.
After Slash left the bathroom to get dressed, I went in to put on makeup, just enough to find the sweet spot where my comfort equaled the minimum of socially acceptable expectations. I brushed my thick brown hair until it shone and left it long. I realized it hadn’t been cut in a while, and it was longer than I’d had it in ages. Given all that had been going on in my life lately, there hadn’t been an opportunity to get it cut. Plus, haircuts were not at the top of my list of favorite things to do. I didn’t like being touched or handled by strangers, so I had to get myself mentally prepared every time. It was exhausting.
I came out of the bathroom just as Slash was putting on his suit jacket. He straightened his tie and turned toward me, holding out his arms. “What do you think?”
He looked handsome and smelled even better, so I walked up to him, winding my arms around his waist. “You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever met, but don’t let that go to your head.” My words muffled against his chest.
He hugged me and chuckled, the sound rumbling in my ear. “And you’re the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever known,” he murmured, stroking my hair. “Despite your concerns, I’m looking forward to introducing you to my parents.”
“I guess there’s no backing out now…right?” I looked up, half hoping he would have some magic excuse that would provide me with an escape. Unfortunately, he didn’t.
He glanced at his smart watch, then kissed the top of my head. “It’s showtime. Are you ready?”
“Emotionally, no. Intellectually, maybe. But it’s one of those things I have to get through, right?”
“Si.” He put his fingers in my hair and lowered his mouth to mine, murmuring, “But you’ve got this.” His lips were soft and sank into mine, touching, tasting as if it weren’t enough. After a minute, he pulled back, resting his forehead against mine. He was breathing fast, and so was I, for that matter.
“I can’t seem to get enough of you,” he said. “It’s magic.”
“It’s biology,” I corrected him.
“Not all of it.” His brown eyes lit with amusement as he kissed me one more time, his mouth lingering near mine. “We’d better go or we’ll never leave this room.”
I was totally okay with that scenario, but it had to be done. I left his embrace and picked up my purse, trying to steady my nerves. “Guess I’m prepared as I can be. I’ve got you, my spreadsheet, and the app on my phone to get me through this. Let’s do it.”
Slash smiled and held out his elbow. I slipped my arm through his with a deep breath. “I just hope everything goes right for once. Is that too much to ask?”
* * *
We knocked on both of our parents’ doors before heading downstairs, just in case we caught them before they’d left for dinner. Neither couple answered.
“Are we late?” I asked, clutching my sweater tighter as we walked down the sconce-lighted hallway.
“We’re not,” Slash said calmly. “It’s not quite seven. It’s likely that everyone went down a little early to enjoy a cocktail or two. I figured you needed the extra downtime and early cocktails was something you wouldn’t want to do.”
“You’re right, as always.”
We walked down the curving marble stairs instead of using the elevator. Lorenzo waited in the foyer. He’d changed out of his gray trench coat and looked quite dapper in a black suit and red bow tie. “Good evening,” he said. “I hope your accommodations are adequate and you had sufficient time to rest and recharge.”
“The room is beautiful,” I said. “And we haven’t even used the fireplace…yet.”
“We’re quite comfortable,” Slash agreed. “Mille grazie.”
Lorenzo stretched out a hand to the right. “The dining room is that way. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres are being served right now.”
Slash patted my hand as we walked in the direction he had pointed. “Courage,” he murmured.
As we got closer, the murmur of voices and laughter wafted down the hallway. Slash paused just outside the doorway so we could get a glimpse inside the glittering dining room before entering.
I had to blink twice because everything was so bright. A huge crystal chandelier hung over an enormous rectangular table set with gleaming dishes and silverware. Dozens of red and white candles formed a line down the middle of the table, causing the glassware and settings to sparkle wildly. Classical Christmas music played softly from artfully hidden speakers, and a roaring fire blazed in a huge white marble fireplace over which rested an exquisitely carved mantel. Above the mantel hung a gigantic portrait of a handsome man with long dark hair, a full beard, and dark, piercing eyes. It was everything I’d imagined an Italian castle dining room would look like—not that I’d thought a lot about it.
“That’s Zachetti in the portrait, I presume,” Slash said.
Whoever he was, he looked kind of intense. “I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley.”
Slash didn’t have a chance to respond, because his younger brother, Giorgio, the groom of the upcoming wedding, spotted us.
“Romeo,” he shouted before he bounded over to Slash, giving him a hug complete with heavy backslapping and cheek kissing. Slash had many names and aliases, but his family called him Romeo.
“Gio,” Slash said with a smile on his face. He said something in Italian to his brother, and Gio laughed.
“What did you say?” I asked.
“I told him love looks good on him,” Slash said. “And it does.”
I’d met Gio briefly several months ago when he’d helped Slash save me from a Chinese hacker. I remember being shocked the first time I saw him, because he was so handsome. Even though they weren’t biologically related, Gio looked like a slightly shorter version of Slash, with dark, wavy hair, brown eyes, and an extremely attractive smile. However, unlike Slash, who was quiet and reserved, Gio seemed to be constantly joking and had a great sense of humor. He was also incredibly charming and flirtatious.
Gio lifted my hand to his lips, keeping his eyes on me the entire time. “Lexi, bella, we meet again,” he said in accented English. His voice was velvety and had that same hint of sexiness that I liked whenever Slash’s English pronunciation slipped back into Italian. “What a joy it is to welcome you to our family.”
“Congratulations on your forthcoming nuptials,” I said, hoping that was an appropriate response to his declaration. I wasn’t sure it was, because he laughed and pulled me toward him, kissing me noisily on each cheek.
“You’re such a delight. Please, I wish to introduce you both to my beautiful fiancée, Vittoria.”
Vittoria was, indeed, beautiful. Long, glossy black hair swept to one side in perfectly formed ringlets, heart-shaped lips, and stunning brown eyes with long eyelashes. She wore a glittering off-white dress with only one sleeve and an uneven hem, which was likely supposed to be a fashion statement, but my desire for symmetry made me wince. Slash had told me she was seven months along, but the baby bump was barely noticeable because of the flowing material.
Slash gently kissed Vittoria on each cheek and murmured something to her in Italian before she turned to me. I stood awkwardly, not knowing whether it was up to me to shake her hand or if I had to do the cheek-kissing thing that seemed the norm in Italy. Maybe I had to wait for her to make the first move. Why the heck hadn’t I studied that part of the etiquette book before we’d left?
“Hello, Lexi,” she said in a throaty voice, giving me a dazzling smile.
Thank goodness, she’d broken the ice first. “Hi, Vittoria. It’s so nice to meet you.” I thrust out my hand, and she shook it. I wasn’t sure if that was proper etiquette, but it worked. We didn’t have a chance to speak further, because we were mobbed by Stefan, Slash’s older brother, and Tito Blickensderfer, a longtime friend of Slash’s and, more recently, mine.
Tito, a former member of the Swiss Guard, had met Slash when they were working at the Vatican. I’d first met Tito when I was in Rome helping Slash’s uncle with a hacking problem, and we’d become friends right away, which was unusual for me. I’d seen him only once since then, when he, Gio, and Slash had saved my life in Papua New Guinea. Tito was also good friends with Gio, and he was in the wedding party. Knowing Tito would be here made me feel better. At least I had someone other than Slash and my parents to talk to if things went downhill socially for me—something that was a real possibility.
“Hey, Tito,” I said, wincing as he smashed me in a giant hug. He was a muscular guy, and even though he’d recently left the Swiss Guard, he still had his brown hair buzzed in a military haircut. “It’s great to see you again.”
He slung an easy arm around my shoulders. “Likewise. Thanks for the opportunity to play in a rich man’s castle. I heard you had a little excitement at the airport.”
“Yeah, Santa Claus gone bad. I’m sure Slash will fill you in on all the details.”
He laughed. “You two have all the fun.”
Before I could respond, Slash spotted Tito and they started grinning and slapping each other on the back, talking to each other in German. I suddenly faced Slash’s older brother, Stefan, alone.
“Lexi, what a pleasure to finally meet you,” Stefan said. Like Gio and Slash, Stefan had the same dark hair, chiseled jaw, and smoky brown eyes. Even if they weren’t biologically related, they were a trio of seriously good-looking men.
Stefan lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I’ve been waiting to meet the woman who has completely captured my brother’s heart. I hope we’re able to find some time to talk this weekend. I’ve heard so much about you, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.”
I grimaced inwardly. I had no idea what Slash had said about me, but I worried whatever it was, I wouldn’t be able to live up to it.
After that, the faces, cheek kisses, and hugs became a blur. Stefan introduced me to his girlfriend, Alessa Thorne, a pretty, blonde woman in a black cocktail dress with a British accent. We chatted for a minute before Father Emilio Armando, a Vatican cardinal and the man Slash considered a second father, stepped forward to give me a kiss on each cheek. He was dressed in a black cassock with red trim and buttons, in what I presumed was casual wear for a cardinal. His eyes twinkled happily when he saw my shocked expression.
“Surprise!” he said.
It may not have been appropriate protocol when dealing with an important Catholic cardinal, but I threw my arms around him in a big hug. The gesture was unusual for me, but Father Armando was special.
“What are you doing here?” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I blushed. When I’d made the reservations, we were told only twelve guests were permitted. After consulting with Gio, we’d whittled down the guest list to just the wedding party and my folks when Vittoria’s parents weren’t able to make it until the actual wedding. Although I was genuinely glad Emilio was here, it also meant we had thirteen guests. I hoped that was okay with Mr. Zachetti, because there wasn’t much I could do about it at this point.
“I’ll tell you later.” He grinned but didn’t offer any further explanation, and he moved on to talk with Stefan.
I’d come to the end of my rope in terms of social overload when I found myself face-to-face with a pretty woman in a dark-green gown. Her long, dark hair had been braided and hung down her back. Even without introduction, I knew at once she was Slash’s adopted mother, Juliette. She looked much kinder in person than in my dream.
“Lexi, at last,” she said softly. “How wonderful to meet you.”
Slash somehow materialized at my side, slipping his arm around my waist, and leaning forward to kiss the woman on both of her cheeks. “Mama, I’d like you to meet my Lexi.”