No Escape by Julie Moffett
Chapter Six
Lexi Carmichael
We got a decent night’s sleep on the plane. The chairs reclined enough to make it feel close to a bed, and holding Slash’s hand, I slept harder and deeper than I thought I would. Knowing me and planes, I was surprised it worked. I must have been more exhausted than I realized. More importantly, there were no nightmares. I guess an automatic-packing Santa in real life was enough for my subconscious.
Unfortunately, it took hours to get through customs. Thankfully, our driver waited for us at the airport. After a three and half-hour trip to the coast, we finally arrived at the ferry station, where a boat was waiting to take us to the island. We were originally supposed to have arrived early in the afternoon, giving us several hours to rest and get ready for dinner. But after all our unanticipated delays, we’d arrived just as dusk was falling. Worse, I still had to endure a boat ride, which I would not enjoy, because I get seasick. I just hoped if I did hurl, it wouldn’t be all over myself right before I met Slash’s parents.
Slash knew what I was thinking. He took my hand as we got out of the car and squeezed it. “It’s going to be a quick trip over, and you’ll be fine.”
Easy for him to say, as travel didn’t seem to adversely affect him. Still, I didn’t reply, because I didn’t want to worry him, especially knowing my little black cloud was hovering.
We gathered our suitcases from the car and rolled them toward the boat. The captain, I presumed, loaded them onto the boat for us and then instructed us to walk a small plank to board. I followed my mom and dad onboard, ignoring the lap of the water against the hull.
Slash stayed on land for a minute, checking the car and making sure we hadn’t forgotten anything. While standing on the deck next to the captain, I decided to practice my Italian.
“Buona sera. Grazie per averci aspettato,” I said. Good evening. Thank you for waiting for us. Or at least that’s what I hoped I said.
“Piacere mio,” he responded.
I was pretty sure he’d told me that the pleasure was all his. He then asked me something else, which, I think, was why we’d come to Italy. I wasn’t sure exactly how to answer, but I tried to do my best to tell him we were coming for a wedding.
He looked at me a bit strangely and then grinned. “Divertiti.”
I had no idea what that meant, and he walked away after that, so I’d have to ask Slash later for a translation.
Mom and Dad had gone below deck, but I was staying on the deck for the bracing breeze and in case I needed to lean over the side and empty my stomach. Slash stayed outside with me and didn’t ask why I didn’t go below. He already knew.
I watched in silence as we pushed off from the dock. The boat’s motor thrummed louder as the boat picked up speed, and water crested against the hull. I felt the first turn of my stomach and a bit of nausea. I gripped the railing, willing it to pass. Slash came up behind me, putting a hand on each side of me, holding me steady. I relaxed back against him, thankful for his calm presence.
“Tell me something else about the castle,” I said, wanting him to keep my mind off the water.
“That you don’t already know? You researched the island as much as I did, except I’m not as worried about the snakes as you are.”
“Hey! Did you check my browsing history?”
He laughed. “No. Just an educated guess. I figure you also researched local spiders and various insects, too. Come on, tell me I’m wrong.”
He wasn’t. He knew me better than I cared to admit. Even though I’d spent significant time in a jungle and a rain forest, I hadn’t bonded with any of the reptiles or insects.
The boat had started to move at a decent clip now, and the wind whipped my hair into my eyes. Slash stayed as solid as a rock behind me.
“The island is small, just over seven kilometers, or four and a half miles, from point to point,” he said. “It contains beautiful, ancient trees, foliage, and flowers, not to mention dangerous cliffs and drop-offs, from which, given your tendency toward tripping, I intend to keep you far away. As you’ve likely already uncovered in your research, there are two kinds of venomous snakes present on the island, Vipera aspis and Vipera berus. The statistical probability that you will come across one of them on the island is less than .000003 percent. But even if you did and were bit by one, their hemotoxic venom is much less dangerous than, say, the neurotoxic venom of a cobra. So you can stop worrying about that.”
“Ha. Just because I know the stats doesn’t make me feel any better.”
He chuckled. “Anyway, the castle is the only significant building on the island and is powered by generators. In addition to the purportedly elaborate escape rooms, the castle supposedly has a ballroom, pool, library, game room, and a beautiful garden, as well as several guest rooms, bathrooms, and staff quarters, all of which have been renovated and made available to Zachetti’s personal guests.”
“Have you ever seen a photo of Dante Zachetti?” I asked. “I searched online but couldn’t find a single photo of him or his father anywhere.”
“No. As I mentioned before, the family is extremely reclusive,” Slash replied. “In fact, I’m still surprised he agreed to host us.”
“It had to be something Father Armando said,” I mused. “I can’t think of why else he’d agree, and why he’d refuse payment.”
“It is odd,” Slash mused. “I don’t think Father Armando knows Zachetti, and I don’t believe Zachetti is a practicing Catholic. If he is, he keeps it very low profile. Anyway, I don’t see why he’d feel he’d have to agree to inviting us. But you never know. Perhaps we’ll find out when we get there.”
“Perhaps. Regardless, we must thank him, since Gio is beyond excited at the prospect, and he thinks you’re responsible for it.”
Slash didn’t offer further comment. I couldn’t see the dock anymore, so I tried to keep a fixed-point stare on the horizon, which is supposed to help with nausea. But other than the faint glow of the moon and the lights from the boat, it had become almost entirely dark on the water. I couldn’t see anything to focus on. “Maybe there’s a catch, Slash. Zachetti sponsoring the entire wedding party seems less like altruism and more like there’s something in it for him. What if there are some weird conditions we don’t know about?”
Slash’s arms tightened around me. “If we’re uncomfortable in any way, we leave. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
The wind whipped my hair in a frenzy around my face, and the spray of the water misted us, so several strands plastered to my cheeks. I was certain to arrive looking like something the cat dragged in.
“There’s the castle,” Slash said pointing.
In the distance, atop a large rise, I could see lights shining.
“That’s Castrum Augustus,” he said.
As the boat moved closer, I got a better look. The structure loomed above the jagged cliffs, lights dotting the windows. Below the castle the red and green twinkling of buoys in the water signaled the safe path to the shore, or at least I hoped it did. The boathouse and dock came into view as we rounded a small outcropping. The boathouse and dock were lighted by several overhead lights positioned so they wouldn’t interfere with the pilot’s night vision. It was too dark to see much else beyond the pools of light at the dock and the dim pearls of luminescence that likely marked the path up from the boathouse.
We sensed rather than saw the breakwater and low cliffs on either side of the boat as we headed for a small dock. Behind us, we could hear the crashing of the waves on the looming cliffs, where huge sprays of water smashed violently against the rocks. There was a lone figure waiting at the dock, and as we got closer, he grabbed a tethering rope that was tossed to him by the captain. As we were maneuvered closer to the dock, my parents came up from below. Once the boat was secured, the captain illuminated the deck with overhead boat lights and prepared to transfer our luggage ashore.
“Good heavens, Lexi,” my mom said when she saw me in the harsh white boat light. “What happened to you? Was it raining out here?”
I tried without success to smooth down my hair. “No, Mom. The sea was a little rough and we got sprayed. I’m fine.” Since I’d gone the entire ride without hurling over the side even once, I considered the trip a full success, despite the current state of my hair and clothing.
Slash helped the captain and the man waiting at the dock unload our luggage. After our suitcases stood side by side on the dock, the captain informed us he’d be returning to the mainland and would come back for us in three days. Slash spoke with him for a minute, then unfastened and tossed him the tether as the boat pulled away, turning off its overhead lights.
As we watched the boat disappear, Slash turned to me. “So, what did you say to the captain earlier?”
“Nothing much. I practiced my Italian on him. I greeted him and said it was a beautiful evening.”
“Anything else?”
“Well, I think he asked me what brought me to Italy, and I told him I’d come for a wedding.”
“How exactly did you say that?”
I thought back for a moment. “Sono allupata.”
Slash choked and then started laughing. “No wonder.”
“No wonder what? What’s so funny? Did I say it wrong?”
“You told him…you were horny.”
“What?” I stared at him in horror. “No way I said that. Is that really what that means?”
“That’s really what that means.” Slash laughed again. “No wonder he told me to enjoy myself.”
“Ugh! I’m never speaking Italian unless you’re around.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Your Italian has improved quite a bit. Mistakes are a part of learning a new language.”
A voice spoke behind us. “Benvenuto.” The man who’d been waiting at the dock, holding a large lantern and wearing a gray trench coat, greeted us. He looked to be about sixty years old with a nicely trimmed mustache and shock of gray hair. “Welcome to Castrum Augustus. My name is Lorenzo Conte, and I’m Mr. Zachetti’s butler. Shall we get your luggage into the van? The castle, as you can see from here, is just a short distance, but it’s quite cool out here with the wind blowing.”
We introduced ourselves before helping him pile our stuff into the van. I watched him stagger a bit with one of Mom’s suitcases, but with a little help from Slash, he got it inside the van and somehow managed to close the back.
Mom and Dad had already seated themselves in the van, and Slash helped me in before climbing in behind me and closing the door.
“We’re quite pleased you’ve arrived at last,” Lorenzo said as we drove away from the dock. His English was tinged with a British accent. “You’re the final guests. I was dismayed to hear about your travel delay but hope we have allowed sufficient time for you to change clothing and refresh yourselves before dinner is served promptly at seven o’clock in the dining room.”
I glanced at my watch. I needed a lot more than forty minutes to repair my appearance, as well as mentally prepare myself for meeting my in-laws and the rest of the guests, but I wasn’t going to get it. A panicked glance at Slash confirmed he knew what I was thinking.
He patted my knee in sympathy. “Grazie,” Slash told him. “We’ll make it work.”