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I was hardly paying them any attention, focused on Andrew, who shrieked his fury so loudly we all had to cover our ears.

“Andrew. Try to remember!” I called. “Try to keep control.”

“Why are you talking to it? Kill this thing!” Gerald demanded of us, eyes wide.

I had to wonder if Gerald actually dealt with many ghosts while running a ghost business or if he truly just let others do the work for him.

Andrew smashed the dresser, elongated claws nicking the flooring and leaving deep grooves.

Gerald fired again, but it hardly affected Andrew. It only made him angrier. He slashed out at Gerald, missing him by mere inches over and over again. It drove him crazy. It made him spiral. I could see the despair in him. The ache to get the vengeance he was rightfully owed.

“Stop shooting at him!” I yelled as Gerald fired another shot at Andrew.

“Then do something,” Gerald growled at me.

“Why should we do anything? Seems like his beef is with you, Ger,” Ryan said.

“Well then I’ll keep shooting at it.” Gerald pointed his gun at Andrew again. Anger met fear, and Andrew threw himself bodily toward Gerald who screamed as he stumbled back, gun firing aimlessly. It missed Andrew by an inch just as he hit the salt barrier and fell to the ground.

Gerald’s eyes widened. He looked around, mouth opening and closing as he realised what was happening. His eyes landed on Ted, narrow and angry.

“You!” He pointed the gun at Ted. A shadow materialised between them, shielding Ted from whatever blast Gerald planned to send his way. “This is a setup!”

“It was,” Ted said. “But it didn’t work, so…” He bent down and flipped the corner of the carpet, wiping out the salt line, destroying the protective circle we were hiding behind.

“Ted!” I gasped.

“Run,” he said.

With the failsafe we had put in place gone, Ryan grabbed me and tore out of the room behind Ted.

“What are you doing?” I gasped as we ran. “This isn’t what we agreed on!”

“We need to sell it,” Ted growled, not noticing Popty trailing him. “He’s not going to give in to anything we want unless he’s had a close call. And we couldn’t risk him noticing that Andrew couldn’t reach him. He’s too sharp.”

Screams and crashing noises erupted behind us.

“But we promised Andrew we wouldn’t let him do anything he’d regret,” I growled, trying to shake free of Ryan’s hold and run back.

His grip was iron.

“RYAN!” I yelled with all my might, and that got him to stop. He faced me and I set my jaw. “I’m not letting him do something he’ll regret. If he kills Gerald he’ll never come back from it.”

Ryan scratched his eyebrow in agitation, glaring over at Ted and an anxious Popty, who was bouncing like a ball behind him. “Fuck,” he swore under his breath before grasping my hand and running back the way we’d come.

My heart was racing as we rounded the corner and saw Gerald on his back, covered in blood with Andrew perched above him.

“Andrew!” I called. “Remember your friends. Your life here with us. Remember you’re kind underneath the anger.”

He shuddered and stopped, arm in the air.

“Do what needs to be done to be free,” I said. “But not something that steals you from yourself. Or from us.”

It was enough time for Ryan to slide in and grab Gerald, hefting the man up under the arms. “Move, asshole.”

Andrew screamed in fury as Ryan guided the limping man out of the door.

“I believe in you,” I said to Andrew sincerely before I followed them.