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“Oh, she’ll do more than that,” Vivianne smirked. “Hugh will have her rewrite the whole thing. We’ve all read your manuscript, Charlie. It’s so full of boring details about how the real police work and cliche ‘good cops’ lusting after innocent female victims that it’ll put the public to sleep. By the time Hugh’s done with it, not a single word will be yours.”
“But I don’t want that!” Charlie yelled. “I want you to publish my own book, the one I’ve been working my arse over for the last ten years. Hugh, if you don’t let me write my own book, we’ve got a serious problem.”
“My only problem,” Hugh shot back, “is why you’re making a fuss when I’m offering you a big wad of money and a chance at stardom. You weresupposedto keep these deals quiet, so the other participants wouldn’t complain that I was playing favorites.”
“Youareplaying favorites,” Vivianne pointed out. “The only reason you haven’t offered pretty little Mina the same deal as Christina is that you’re terrified of her brawny boyfriend. And what about Donna? Surely you’ve noticed that she’s attractive? She has tits and an arse, after all, which is all a woman needs to tempt you—”
“That’s enough now,” Donna scolded. “If you must know, Hugh has told me that he wants to publish my history of Meddleworth as part of a new non-fiction line.”
It was then that I noticed how close she’d moved her chair to Hugh. She was practically sitting in his lap.
“But what about me?” Christina’s voice wobbled. “What about all the promises you made to me? You said I was going to be the next literary star!”
“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Vivianne scoffed. “You haven’t changed at all, have you, Hughey? Do you want to enlighten the girl, or should I?”
“Vivianne, don’t start—”
“Dear, sweet,naiveChristina, the contract you signed on your knees isn’t for the six-figure publishing deal you dreamed about. It’s to be a servant for hire as one of Red Herring’s ghostwriters. You’ll write books for men like Charlie over here, who, let me guess, has already signed a contract.”
“How do you know?” Charlie demanded.
“But…but…” Christina spluttered, jerking to her feet. “But Hugh,Isigned a contract for my book. You said that if I went to bed with you, you’d get me to the top of a bestseller list.”
“I did promise that,” Hugh said. “But I never said it would be your name on the cover.”
“What did you just say?” Killian stormed around the table. “You coerced an innocent young woman into bed with you to make a contract behind my back?I’mher agent. I need to vet every contract. You’re playing with fire, Briston.”
“She didn’t take much coercion,” Hugh bit back with a brittle laugh. “Your little girlfriend might appear timid, but she’s been bouncing on my cock since the moment I arrived at the estate.”
“I’m going to kill you!” Killian roared.
“Not if I get there first!” Charlie jerked from his seat.
A great gust of wind slammed against the house, rattling the windows and shaking the lightbulbs in their ancient sconces.
“I really do think that everyone should calm down…” Donna said. “We can take a break, maybe have some food, and return when we’re a little—”
She broke off with a scream as all the lights went out.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Someone cried out in shock. Another person yelled angrily.
For me, the effect wasn’t as dramatic as it was for the others. Some of the contrast in the room disappeared, but the bright flames had already dominated my vision, and now they stood even brighter. Every part of the room not in the fire was a dark, fathomless shadow.
I gripped Oscar’s harness tighter as fear ballooned in my chest. I was still on edge from the argument and threats that had erupted before we were plunged into darkness.
It’s just a power cut. It’s nothing to be worried about.
Shadows moved in front of the fire – silhouettes against the leaping orange wall. It seemed that everyone was moving about. Oscar and I were the only ones not on our feet.
Oh, and Hugh. I could clearly make out his silhouette still sitting in his chair. And someone bending over him, but I couldn’t see who.
“What’s going on?” cried Vivianne.
“Someone’s playing a rotten trick on us,” Charlie snarled. “I’ll find the little punk and—”
“It’s not a trick,” Donna said calmly. I couldn’t tell where any of them were standing. The room was so large and cavernous, and the wind outside so frightful, that I couldn’t match voices to shadows.
