“Me? No, damn it. Wish I’d thought of it, to be honest, but once he told me about his past, I knew I couldn’t because he’d know it was me. But IbelievedUncle Nevio when he told me he’d leave me the bank accounts and the journal so I could destroy them. It was Rudy and Viola who were blackmailing him.
“Uncle Nev knew it was them all along, and he damn well paid them—that I can’t understand.” Bradley shook his head, and his expression darkened. “The damn journal’s around here somewhere—and I can’t find it, so the whole damned place is going to be torched. Can’t take the chance it’ll be found. I’d hoped to track down the numbers of his bank accounts in Switzerland…but your damn girlfriend wouldn’t tell me that either.” He brought back his foot and, before Gideon could react, rammed his toe viciously into Fiona’s still body.
Gideon’s vision blazed red, and he caught himself just before making what would have been a fatal move toward Forth—for the gun was still pointed at his abdomen.
“Now, now, Nath…I didn’t realize you had a temper like that. Why don’t you just—”
Forth didn’t finish his sentence, for all of a sudden, another whoosh ofsomethingblasted by them.
It was stronger than before, palpable and cold, and it ruffled their hair. The strong, sudden scent of roses was accompanied by a faint moaning, whistling sound.
“What thehellis going on?” Forth whirled, and Gideon took his chance, surging toward him.
Forth turned in that split second, swinging his gun, just as Gideon slammed into him. As they fell, Gideon banged his head on the edge of a heavy table, and heard the clatter of the gun as it tumbled to the floor.
They rolled, crashing into tables, chests, and other furnishings. Lamps, figurines, and metal vases tumbled to the floor as they fought in the shadowy light.
Pulling to his feet after a particularly vicious blow to his face, Gideon staggered into a table and closed his fingers around the heavy metal Buddha.
As he turned to face his attacker, holding the statuette close to his body, he found himself facing the barrel of the gun once more.
“Say goodbye to your girlfriend, Nath,” said Forth, tightening his finger on the trigger. “I promise to take good care of—”
The lights went out, plunging the shop into total darkness. Gideon didn’t hesitate, taking advantage of the surprise darkness to dive behind a large china cabinet.
The sound of the gun’s retort filled the space, echoed in the open area above...then, silence.
Gideon silently shifted backward, trying to keep his breathing soft and silent.
It was so dark…dark enough that he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. Then he noticed two tiny lights glowing from the back of the shop, and Gideon felt his body numb as the lights moved, coming closer…and then he recognized them as belonging to the cat, Gretchen. She was stalking them, moving toward them, her glowing yellowish eyes fixed, unblinking, in a manner that made the hair on the back of his neck rise again.
His attention whirled to the front of the shop when a light suddenly blinked on…then off…then another came on…then off…and then another and another.
Gideon gaped at the display, and, in the dim light, saw Forth staring at the blinking lamps. Even in the soft glow, he noticed the other man’s jaw sagged in shock, and he could make out the gun hanging uselessly by his side.
One light stayed on, and all of a sudden, the moaning sound returned, along with another blast of wind—this time as though it were coming down the stairs from the second floor. It was as loud as a train, roaring and terribly cold, and beneath it that eerie moaning noise.
“What’s going on in here?” Forth shrieked, his eyes wild.
A crash splintered the air, and Forth jumped, whirling around and fired in the direction of the noise, the sound metallic and sharp compared to the horrible moaning sound. He shot again, and something near the front of the store exploded into pieces.
Gideon stood there, frozen in fascination and horror. His hands had gone clammy and his heart raced as he wondered, too, what was happening—but whatever it was had served to distract Forth. Gideon gripped the Buddha statue, hefting it gently in his hand as he slowly edged his way closer to his assailant.
Suddenly, all of the lights went dark. He heard the other man’s gasp, then Gideon jolted when Forth fired his gun into the silence.
Then, nothing. It was dark—black—and silent and cold…very cold.
And the smell of roses was very, very strong.
Gideon thought he heard a whimper from the other man, but he did nothing but tighten his grip on the statue and edge closer: silent and slow and using the furnishings for cover.
The air moved. Something cool brushed past Gideon, then past Forth—who gave a low shriek.
Then all at once, every light in the shop blasted on at full brightness. Gideon saw the frozen, terrified look on Forth’s face before everything went black again.
The sound of heavy, short breathing rasped in the air, grating in the silence. A stale smell permeated the room, growing stronger and closer over the essence of roses, filling Gideon’s nose with such horror that he wanted to choke. It didn’t smell rank or putrid…it just smelled cold and stale anddead.
He drew in a deep breath through his mouth, trying not to smell it, and trying to remain calm. A soft groan from somewhere in the depths of the shadows alerted him to Fiona’s movements—he could sense her not far from him on the floor, and Gideon carefully stepped closer to her. He felt her shift against his foot just as the roar of wind came through the room again. This time, it was a tornado: violent and vicious, loud and cold.
