No Escape by Julie Moffett
Chapter One
Lexi Carmichael
None of this was my idea. I wasn’t even sure how I got here, really. Not in London, not in a limo, and not meeting my in-laws for the very first time at a high-end, exclusive restaurant. Most certainly not bringing my parents along for our first encounter. Although I had wanted to meet my husband’s parents before our official church wedding, I’d envisioned a peaceful, low-key meeting with just the four of us in a quiet house in a quaint London neighborhood. Yet somehow, our first meeting had morphed into a swanky dinner on the Thames with my parents in tow.
How had I let this happen?
Social gatherings are not my thing, and this was possibly the most nervous I’d ever been in my life, when a weapon wasn’t involved, and that’s saying a lot. I’m just an introverted geek girl who desperately wanted to make a good impression on my in-laws. This situation brought out every single one of my insecurities. I had my mother to thank for this.
Slash, my husband, sensed my nervousness and squeezed my hand. Although he was a geek like me, he never seemed bothered by social affairs and somehow managed to keep a calm, unflappable demeanor. I envied him that.
At least the drive from our hotel to the restaurant went quicker than expected. There was very little conversation as Slash and I sat in the back facing my parents. As we arrived, our limo had to wait in line behind several others queued in front of the bevy of valet parking attendants. The attendants were being very solicitous to the two limos in front of us, and there was a small crowd of people waiting for the passengers to emerge.
A woman in a red gown got out of the first limo just as several camera flashes went off and the crowd started to jostle each other, apparently trying to get the best angle for a photograph. This happened again as the occupants in the two limos ahead of us disembarked.
“What’s going on?” my mom asked our driver, leaning forward to speak through the glass partition.
“This is an exclusive restaurant among celebrities,” our driver responded. “It’s a regular hangout for fans and the paparazzi hoping to catch a glimpse of the rich and famous.”
I felt sick to my stomach, imagining Slash’s mom and dad having to fight their way through the crowd to meet us.
Could this get any worse?
Our limo crawled forward until it was our turn to disembark. Many in the crowd continued to jockey for position to view the celebrities ahead of us. But those who lacked the best views were already turning their attention to our limo. The attendant leaned forward, peering into the tinted windows, before opening the door.
I sat closest to the door, and once it was open, I caught sight of a lovely dark-haired woman edging up behind the valet. Holding her hand was a man in a dark suit. I recognized them immediately from the many pictures I’d seen. It was Slash’s parents, Juliette and Oscar. Juliette was wearing a beautiful rose-colored cocktail dress, and she looked a bit anxious, perhaps because of the paparazzi crowding around the limo area snapping photographs. A tall, blonde woman in a glittery silver dress holding the leash of a huge, white dog with a diamond-studded pink collar appeared to be the most sought-after celebrity, as she’d been mobbed by the photographers and the cameras were clicking at an insane tempo.
“I wonder who the woman is,” Mom said, peering out the window.
“Who cares?” I groused. “They just need to make room so we can get out.”
“I wonder why she has a dog,” my dad said, his brow drawing together. “It better not be allowed into the restaurant. That thing is huge.”
“It’s a Kuvasz,” Slash said. “It probably weighs a hundred pounds. They’re widely known as the guardian breed for Hungarian royalty.”
“Lexi, get out of the car,” my mother said impatiently, waving her hand at the open door.
I slid to the edge of the seat and stuck one foot out the door, my hand reaching for the valet’s. The valet helped me to the curb and reached inside to assist my mother.
I’d just taken one step when the huge dog spotted me.
For no apparent reason, it went on full alert, immediately breaking away from the celebrity and loping toward me. The woman shouted, trying to follow the dog, but the photographers, sensing drama, began snapping like crazy, circling her so she couldn’t get free.
“Noooo!” I breathed in horror, backing away from the limo and the dog, trying to melt into the crowd. Animals and I did not have a good rapport. What did it want from me? I hoped it would lose interest if it couldn’t see me, but the dog latched onto my position like a heat-seeking missile.
It threaded its way through people before cornering me, woofing once, and leaping through the air, its huge paws landing directly on my chest. Given the combination of the dog’s weight and my backpedaling, I screamed and fell backward into someone behind me.
The three of us hit the pavement as one giant lump.
I lay there, unable to move, trapped between a stranger and a giant dog whose apparent mission in life was to lick me like a Popsicle.
I wanted to scream again, but it was too dangerous to open my mouth. I finally felt the weight of the dog removed from my body and managed to roll to my side and sit up. Slash had the dog by the collar, and the woman in the glittering dress had finally made her way toward him, shouting. Slash did not release the dog to her…yet. The dog continued to lunge at me, grinning, with a giant lolling tongue and a goofy look. Its enormous tail whipped against Slash’s thigh as if this was a game and I was the giant chew toy.
Cameras were flashing, completely blinding me. Photographers crowded around us, taking photos from every angle. Paparazzi doing what they did best.
I turned to apologize to the person I’d brought down with me and looked directly at Juliette, who’d also managed to sit up. She stared at me, eyes glassy, dress torn, hair askew.
OMG! I’d taken down my mother-in-law.
Having absolutely no context or idea of what to do in such a situation, I had to go solely off instinct. “Hi, I’m Lexi,” I said, pushing the wet, slobbery hair out of my face and thrusting out my hand. “Your new daughter-in-law.”
She looked at me, shock and horror evident in her expression.
I heard Slash’s soft voice in my ear, his hand on my arm. “Come on, cara. It’s time to go.”
What? He expected to go to dinner after this?
My eyes suddenly snapped open, my hands squeezing the soft leather of the living room recliner beneath me. My handsome Italian American husband sat perched on one side of the chair, our cute Christmas tree visible over his shoulder.
I let out an enormous sigh of relief and pressed a hand to my forehead. “Oh, thank God, I’m home. Home. The dog didn’t get me.”
“Dog?” Slash lifted an eyebrow.
“Yes.” I closed my eyes, my heart still pounding. “There was a restaurant in London, and a woman with a big dog that jumped on me…and your mother. It was awful.”
He smiled, cupping my cheek with his hand. “I assure you, there’ll be no dog at Gio’s wedding. You, and my mother, will be completely safe from an animal attack. But you do need to get ready. I just got a text—the limo will be here in five minutes.”