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Fuck.
I force myself to my feet, lunging at him with a desperate cry as he swings. I manage to duck the impact of the club, and tackle him, crashing back against the desk. We go sprawling to the ground, and he loses his grip on the club.
Suddenly, there’s a pounding on the door. “Avery!”
It’s Sebastian!
Richard is distracted for a split-second, and I look wildly around for a weapon.
There. I see a letter opener gleaming on the rug. I dive for it and bring it up in a wild slash across his face.
“You bitch!”
Richard lets out a howl, as the blade catches his cheek. Blood sprays, and he stumbles back.
“Sebastian!” I scream. I turn and try to run for the door, but Richard hurls himself after me, tackling me to the floor.
His weight is suffocating, pressing down on my damaged torso, and I struggle to get free, but Richard is too heavy. Too strong. He grabs my wrist and pries the letter opener from my grip. I hold on tight, flailing desperately, but he suddenly bites down on my hand, and I instinctively flex in pain, releasing the blade.
Richard has it to my throat in an instant, the sharp edge pressing into my skin.
“I hope he was worth it,” he growls, pressing harder. Drawing blood. “I thought you hated him, too. Now you’ll die for him.”
Oh god.I wait for the killer slash, but then there’s a deafening crash, and Sebastian hurtles into the room, breaking the door from its hinges.
“Avery!” he yells, dragging Richard off me, before he can land the final blow.
Thank God!
But my relief is short-lived, as Richard turns his fury—and the blade—on Sebastian, slashing wildly at him as the two men crash across the room.
“Sebastian!” I cry, terrified, watching them fight. It’s a blur of limbs and blade, and even though Sebastian is stronger and more agile, Richard has madness in his eyes.
“Why the fuck can’t you just STAY DEAD!” Richard screams, launching himself at Sebastian with a howl. The men stumble back, crashing straight into the glass wall. The windows shatter, and give way, and I watch in horror as they teeter there on the ledge.
“Sebastian!” I cry, diving after them. I grab his arm just in time, managing to swing his weight back—
As Richard plummets to the stone terrace below.
He lands with a sickening crack, and screams erupt from the partygoers, panicking at the sight.
Richard lays, splayed there on the ground. Eyes wide, and empty. Body crumpled.
The man is dead.
23
AVERY
“I’m fine!”I protest, trying to brush away the attentions of a paramedic. It doesn’t take long for the party to be shut down, and the place flooded with police and ambulances. Now, people are milling around outside, gawking at all the drama, as a medic tries to tend to me in the back of an ambulance. “Really, don’t worry about me.”
“Of course they’re worried,” Sebastian looms over us, scowling. “You’re black and blue.”
“It’s just bruising,” I reassure him, wincing as the paramedic straps a bandage to my injured ribs. “They’ll heal soon enough.”
“She’s right,” the paramedic agrees. “There’s nothing for it but rest. No more encounters with any golf clubs,” he adds, straightening up.
“Believe me, she’s staying on strict bed rest,” Sebastian vows. “I’m not letting her out of my sight.”
