Cassie screamed, reeling back. It felt as if her head had split open. Shards scattered around her and she fell back against the table. Its sharp edge bruised the base of her spine.
“Stop! Wait! Just wait. This is madness. We need to calm down!” Cassie cried, but her voice seemed to come from far away and she realized that the situation had already ramped far beyond any control.
Ignoring her words, Ms. Rossi leaped at her, shouting out a furious gabble of threats. Cassie realized she had only two choices now—run, or fight back. Running was out of the question, because the other woman’s hands with those talon-like fingernails were grasping and thrusting like blades, pinning her against the table.
Cassie twisted away just in time to prevent one of the nails from stabbing her in the eye. Instead, it grazed her cheek. She kicked and fought, but she was defending herself against madness and every time she opened her eyes she saw a claw-like hand slicing toward her.
Ms. Rossi grabbed her hand, bending her finger back so hard Cassie thought it would snap. The pain was so sudden and vicious it was nauseating. Then she had her hands round Cassie’s throat and she heard herself choking, gagging, as those clenching fingers crushed her larynx and tightened around her windpipe.
Terrified, Cassie realized that Ms. Rossi was doing more than trying to subdue her; she was actually trying to kill her. Those bony fingers felt like steel, biting deep into her flesh, and she couldn’t prize them loose. Cassie felt darkness gather in the corners of her vision and blood pounded behind her eyes.
Then Ms. Rossi jerked backward and bellowed in wrath.
The death grip on Cassie’s neck loosened and then released. As Cassie dragged in a choking gasp of air, she saw that Nina had attacked her mother from behind. She’d leaped onto her back and grabbed a double handful of her hair. She was yanking it, and kicking the tall woman in her thighs and knees for all she was worth.
Cassie choked, barely able to breathe and unable to speak. Dizzily she staggered upright.
Ms. Rossi twisted round, grabbing her daughter’s dress, even as Nina pummeled desperately at her arm. With a violent shove, she dislodged her.
“How dare you!” Her hand flew out and she struck Nina hard across the face. Then she spun round, lashing out at Cassie while uttering curses and threats that chilled Cassie’s blood.
“You will not get away with this, you little bitch. You have signed your death warrant. How dare you turn my children against me and attack me in my own home. Ask anyone who has gone against me. I will crush and destroy you. Your life is over!”
Her plans to get the children out lay in ruins. Now it seemed none of them would leave the house, and Cassie could only imagine what Ms. Rossi would do in revenge.
Desperately, she grabbed at the tall woman’s arm but she was too quick. Her nails dug into Cassie’s wrist and twisted viciously.
Cassie screamed, jackknifing sideways to try and save her wrist.
“Let go!” she cried, but Ms. Rossi bore down on her wrist with all her might and pain flared as Cassie felt the joint pulled to snapping point.
“No!” Venetia cried. “Stop it! You’re the one who’s hurt us, and I hate you!”
In a fury of whirling limbs, the young girl launched herself at her mother, cannoning into her midriff and knocking the air out of her.
Cassie wrenched her wrist away. This woman was unstoppable. She needed to bring her down again, try and bang her head against the floor and this time, kick her hard enough so she couldn’t get up. Crazy thoughts spun through her mind of tying her up with one of her own belts, to give them the chance to escape.
“Get away!” Ms. Rossi shrieked at her daughter, but Venetia danced sideways, avoiding her mother’s clutching hands, and punched her stomach again so that Ms. Rossi recoiled, staggering back.
This was her chance.
Cassie lunged toward her with her arms outstretched. This was her chance to grab her neck and wrestle her to the floor.
From behind her she heard Nina shout something and in an instant, Cassie realized that their struggles had taken them all the way to the top of the tall staircase.
Off balance and with the wind knocked out of her, Ms. Rossi was teetering on the edge, her silver heel a hair’s breadth away from the first marble stair.
Cassie lowered her head and clenched her hands and lunged forward. From the corner of her eye she saw Nina, darting up to her side.
Ms. Rossi shrieked in dismay.
Cassie watched the woman tumble and fall down the stairs. She landed heavily on her back. The impetus wrenched her head sideways and her scream cut off abruptly. After that, it was like watching a rag doll jolt and roll—in boneless, sprawling silence, until she reached the bottom and lay there, unmoving.
Cassie stared at her own hands. Fists clenched, arms out in front of her.
What had happened?
Her hands were trembling violently and she lowered them, taking in the figure far below, at the bottom of the marble stairs. It looked crumpled and small.
Her head whirled and she clutched the balustrade for support even as Nina grabbed her from behind and held on with all her strength.
“Don’t fall, don’t fall,” Nina pleaded, as Cassie’s world tilted and swayed, and her hand, slippery with sweat, slid on the polished railing. She clutched it with all her strength, gasping as a wave of nausea hit her.
Her eyes were drawn to the shape at the foot of the staircase, lying so still, but she felt unable to take in the reality of the situation.
The businesswoman was stunned, wasn’t she?
Any moment now, she would scramble to her feet and this vicious battle would resume.
“Ms. Rossi?” Cassie hardly recognized the hoarse, broken whisper, rasping from her bruised and painful throat.
“Ms. Rossi? Ms. Rossi?”
As hard as she listened, Cassie could
