Abby felt as if all the air in the room was sucked away as, with a vicious tug, Nicola tore free of Alistair. She stepped aside and Abby watched in disbelief as Alistair, robbed of one victim, turned his eyes to another and he took a swing at Cash.
Then two things happened at once.
One, Cash easily caught his uncle’s fist in his hand, twisted his arm, twirling Alistair so his back was to Cash and then he jerked Alistair’s arm up forcing him to emit an ugly grunt of pain.
Two, Vivianna Wainwright materialised in the air above Alistair, her dress and hair drifting and snapping about her. Her eyes, cruel and filled with venomous hate, were on Alistair.
As the room went entirely still, Vivianna opened her mouth and screamed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Showdown, Part One
Vivianna’s scream filled the room and with it mingled other terrified noises, muted shrieks and urgent voices.
Then, moving as one, the crowd shifted, panicked, toward the door.
Except Abby, Jenny, Mrs. Truman and Kieran who all stood frozen staring at the scene in front of them.
And Nicola, Fenella, Suzanne and Honor who were gazing wide-eyed up at Vivianna.
And finally Alistair and Cash, both immobile, heads tipped back, Alistair’s mouth agape, Cash’s jaw set.
Then Vivianna moved.
She trailed the length of the mantel, her phantom arm out, melting through the vases and figurines it displayed. Some of them rocked, several fell crashing to the floor.
Then she picked up speed, whipping through the room in a ghostly frenzy, causing screams from the edges of the crowd who had not yet acquired escape. She shot through the light fixture hanging from the ceiling rose in the room’s centre. The fixture swayed alarmingly, the crystals jingled, dust drifting down.
After that, she darted forward, toward Cash.
Abby strangled back a scream and barely checked an urge to dash forward as Cash released his restraining hold on his uncle. He bent into him, covering his uncle’s body protectively as Vivianna descended and made a pass. Abby was so terrified, she didn’t process the fact that she saw Vivianna’s trailing skirts drifting over Cash’s body, like they were real, not through it, like they were ethereal.
Vivianna’s speed sent her through the fireplace and she disappeared.
Cash came up quickly, bringing Alistair with him. He whirled, sending Alistair flying several feet but he didn’t watch his uncle move.
His eyes immediately turned to Kieran.
“Get the women out of here,” he ordered.
“But Abby has to stay. She has to go up to the gallery.” Only Mrs. Truman would argue with a Cash Fraser who looked ready – no, more to the point he looked like he wanted to tear someone limb-from-limb.
“Kieran, get them the fuck out of here,” Cash repeated, his glance going back to the fireplace, his addition of the f-word boding bad tidings.
“Abby has to stay!” Mrs. Truman shouted.
Cash’s torso twisted and he shouted back, “She’s on the ground floor! She’s not fucking climbing steps when that thing is loose.”
Kieran was on the move, hustling Abby and Jenny toward the door and they moved with him quickly as Fenella and Honor guided a stunned Nicola in their direction.
Suzanne didn’t move. “I’ll stay with –”
Cash cut her off with one word, “Go.”
She looked at him. “Cash, I can help.”
He leaned into her and roared, “Move!”
At that, as anyone would, Suzanne moved.
They were closing in on the exit when Vivianna reappeared, forming in front of them rapidly, her spiteful eyes on Alistair. Then they swung to Abby and her gaze was so poisonous the entire assemblage skidded to a halt upon viewing its venom.
Then without hesitation she zoomed toward Abby. Fenella let out a choked scream and before Abby could take even one step back, Vivianna swept low to the floor, her body swirling around Abby’s ankles and then up.
Abby stood frozen, not because she wanted to, but because she was stuck and even though she told her legs to move, for some supernatural reason, they didn’t.
Before terror could fill her all of a sudden an arm hooked at her waist. She was jerked back and then half-dragged, half-walked backward. Cash’s arm was about her, his body tight against hers.
Vivianna stopped her swirl and hovered, eyes narrowed on Cash and Abby.
Or more accurately, Cash’s arm held protectively around Abby’s body.
Then she opened her mouth and screamed, the sound far louder and far, far, far more terrifying.
“Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!” Fenella shrieked, hands to her ears then she pointed one finger at Vivianna who had turned to her and Fenella screeched, “Why don’t you leave them alone? Why can’t you just go away?”
Vivianna’s scream stilled and she aimed a twisted smile at Fenella before she darted toward her. Abby saw Fenella’s body brace but Vivianna sifted right through her and then she turned, curling around the room.
Cash took the opportunity and moved, half-carrying, half-dragging Abby, he sprinted toward the door but Vivianna zipped in front of them and they collided with her.
Abby and Cash flew backward like they’d hit a wall, bright white and red sparks bursting from Abby’s chest as they did so.
Vivianna reeled back as well but caught herself, ready this time for Abby’s protection, and made a mad dash back toward Abby and Cash. His arm curved tighter around her, his upper body leaned into hers, forcing her forward and to the side, preparing to shield her from impact but before he’d accomplished his task, in front of them the body of a straight, tall, immensely handsome, see-through man appeared.
When it did Vivianna’s face became startled and she tried to halt her progress but she slammed into him and his arms immediately went about her, imprisoning her in his grasp.
Abby, half bent, Cash’s chest pressing heavily into her back, her head turned to the action, stared in stunned disbelief at the ghost of Anthony Beaumaris, Cash’s father, standing before them, subduing a struggling Vivianna.
He turned, his eyes on Cash, and his mouth formed one word, a word heard shimmering through the air rather than emitting from his lips.
“Gallery.”
Then he and Vivianna disappeared.
Before Abby could even begin to process this Cash yanked her up then, with a hand at her wrist, whirled her around. His fingers still around her wrist, he pulled her arm out, bent double, released her wrist, his shoulder went into her belly and she was being lifted. Once he had her in place, he began running, her torso hanging over his back, her legs down his chest.
He sprinted past everyone through the hall. Even though she couldn’t see where they were going, when she saw they’d passed the stairs she knew he was heading to the front door.
“Cash, we have to go to the gallery,” Abby cried urgently, but her voice was halting as she rocked on his shoulder.
“No fucking way,” Cash growled back, stopping after he descended the stone steps of the entry to heave open the door but Abby started struggling, writhing on his shoulder.
“Cash, your father said take me to the gallery,” she shouted.
He’d taken two steps outside when he lost control of her squirming body. She slid for a second out-of-control down his arm before he caught her. His arm under her shoulder blades, the other rounding her thighs, he put her safely to her feet.
Then he grabbed her hand and started to move.
Abby planted her feet but her shoes skidded across the stone as he pulled.
He stopped, spinning around to look at her and clipped, “Abby!”