Page 72 of No Escape

I peeked out the door again and saw Vittoria turning down the hallway. Gio wasn’t with her. Either he was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs or he’d been delayed by someone. I closed the door as quietly as I could and pressed back against the door, my heart pounding.

“Hide.” I breathed.

Mia and Alessa dove into the bathroom, closing the door. Before I could move, I heard the doorknob rattle. I darted to the side of the bed, the farthest away from the door, scooted myself under the bed, and lay still.

Vittoria shouted Gio’s name from the other side of the door, and it occurred to me that she must not have been able to find her key since Mia had stolen it. She yelled his name a few more times. Apparently, he couldn’t hear her, because her footsteps faded, presumably as she went to find him and get his key.

That was my cue to leave. As I wiggled out from beneath the bed, I heard the bathroom door open, light footsteps, and then the room door open and close. Mia and Alessa must have made their escape.

I had just gotten to my knees and crawled around the bed when I heard voices approaching the door.

Oh, no! Too late.

I dived back under the bed just as the door opened and the light snapped on. Vittoria and Gio were talking in Italian until they stopped abruptly. There was a gasp, some possible swear words, and then a lot of laughter. Vittoria said something to Gio, and I heard his footsteps heading for the door and the door open and close.

Vittoria said something to herself, perching on the side of the bed and laughing some more. I figured she must have read the sign. Minutes later, the door opened with a cacophony of voices as the other guests presumably crowded into the room to get a look.

I just hoped no one looked under the bed.

There was a lot more laughing and shuffling around before I finally heard my dad ask, “What’s that sign say?”

Gio translated, and the room erupted into laughter again. There was more talking and joking until finally it seemed as if things were winding down.

I started to think that I was going to survive this disaster, when I felt a sneeze from the dust under the bed coming on. I tried all sorts of techniques to suppress the sneeze, including reciting various math theorems. It seemed to be working, when suddenly I sneezed so hard, I hit my head on the underside of the bed.

The room fell deadly silent, until the bed skirt was abruptly lifted. I saw Gio’s face peering at me. “Lexi, what are you doing under the bed?”

Obviously, there was no good answer. I crawled out from under the bed, barefoot, my hair a mess, my green dress covered with dust. “This isn’t what it looks like,” I said, my cheeks burning. I tried to brush the dust off my dress, to no avail.

“Lexi?” my mother said in surprise. “You’rea part of this?” I couldn’t tell if she was appalled or impressed, and there wasn’t really any way for me to ask.

Tito stepped forward, slapping me on the back and laughing. “Ha, ha, ha. So,youwere the trickster behind this joke,jah? Good on you. Never knew you had such a wicked sense of humor. Excellent work on the sign, too. Your Italian is impeccable.”

Gio stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. “You didn’t write that sign, did you, Lexi? Who helped you?”

I glanced at the door, but Mia and Alessa were nowhere to be seen. As I wasn’t sure of the proper protocol for throwing fellow pranksters under the bus, I said nothing. Slash leaned against the wall, his dark eyes assessing me. I had no idea what he was thinking or how upset he’d be that I’d embarrassed him and myself in front of his family.

Vittoria sidled up to Gio, slipping her arm through his. She seemed amused rather than mad, but I wasn’t always the best judge of people, so how could I be sure?

“Confess now, Lexi,” she said with a smile. “Who else helped you?”

“I… I—”

“I did.”

I blinked in surprise as Slash stepped up next to me, putting an arm around my shoulders. “Lexi helped me. But you surprised us by returning to your room so quickly.”

“I’m pregnant,” Vittoria said, cupping her stomach. “I have to go to the bathroom…a lot.”

There was more laughter, but I stood staring at Slash in shock. Had he just covered for me, Mia, and Alessa?

Gio said something in Italian and good-naturedly punched Slash on the arm while Stefan mussed up his younger brother’s hair. Slash didn’t seem to mind, and everyone seemed so cheerful, I thought maybe all was okay.

Maybe.

But just to be on the safe side, I kept my mouth shut.

Their merriment was cut short when Juliette stepped forward, tugging on Slash’s ear. Her eyes narrowed, but I thought I saw a twinkle in them. “Romeo, is it kind to tease your little brother on his forthcoming nuptials?”

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