‘No!’ She launches herself at him, knocking him into the cabinet, sending glasses and bottles crashing to the office floor. I flinch, but my legs refuse to carry me across the office to intervene. All I can do is watch in shock as Miller tries to restrain her flailing hands as she screams at him, scratches and begs. ‘You can’t! Please!’
The signs of Miller’s frightening rage are all in the room with us, his puffing chest, wild eyes and sweating form. I hate to think what damage he could do to a woman. I despise Cassie, I hate everything about her, but even I am worried for her.
Miller’s about to take leave of his senses.
I drop his shirt and run across the room, disregarding the danger I may be putting myself in. I just need to make him see me, hear me, feel me. Anything to divert him from the direction I know he’s headed.
‘Miller!’ I shout, reluctantly accepting this will never work. I yelled at him repeatedly outside Nan’s to no avail. ‘Fuck!’ I curse, standing close, watching the frantic wrestling of arms. Cassie is crying now, her perfect hair looking rough and messy.
‘Don’t you dare leave me,’ she wails. ‘I won’t let you leave me!’
My eyes widen in alarm. There’s more than business between these two. She’s flipped her lid, and while I’m fearful for her, I’m quite concerned for Miller, too. Those nails are like claws and thrashing all over him while he tries to seize her and she continues to scream persistently. She’s deranged and Miller’s heading that way, too.
I try to catch Miller’s eye, try time and time again to reach and touch him, but each attempt has me retracting to avoid being caught by a flailing limb. Panic starts to eat me alive but before I can figure out my best move, Tony comes crashing through the door.
His dramatic arrival pulls my attention away from the scrapping of bodies but doesn’t interrupt Miller and Cassie. ‘Tony, do something!’ I plead, swinging back towards them, feeling helpless and small. ‘Miller, stop!’
I reach out when I see a clear path to his torso, my body moving closer, desperate to stop them. ‘Livy, no!’ Tony bellows, but his tone doesn’t stop me. I’m getting close, I can reach him, but then the most searing sting spreads across my cheek, sending me flying back on a painful yelp, my hand instantly cupping my burning face and tears stabbing at my eyes.
The blow to my face sends me all disorientated. ‘Shit!’ I find nothing to grab to steady myself, and instead give up on the inevitable, letting my body crash to the floor.
Everything blurs around me – vision, sound – and pain flames the flesh of my face. I try to shake some clear thoughts back into my mind, or at least gain some straight vision, but it takes the feel of strong hands on my shoulders to bring me back into the room.
It’s silent.
Deadly silent.
I look up and see traumatised blue eyes scanning my face, eventually settling on my burning cheek. Cassie is by the drinks cabinet, tremors of shock riding through her body and a look of apprehension on her flustered face. She takes shaky hands to the bottle of vodka and skips pouring a glass, instead taking the neck of the bottle to her lips. I’m not certain who struck me, but after a few seconds of watching Cassie through blurred vision, I quickly conclude it’s her, and she’s now bracing herself for . . . something.
‘Tony?’ Miller’s voice is rampant with rage.
‘I’m here, son.’ Tony moves in, looking down at me with sorry eyes. I feel stupid, a burden and weak.
‘Get that bitch the f**k out of my office.’ Miller sweeps me up from the floor and cradles me in his arms before turning to face Cassie. She’s nearly polished off the whole bottle.
‘I can stand,’ I protest, my throat scratchy from my scream of alarm.
‘Shhhh,’ he soothes quietly, pressing soft lips to my temple, all the while keeping burning rings of fury on Cassie.
She’s wary and shifting drunkenly, but she still carries that air of superiority. ‘She shouldn’t have got in the way.’ She dismisses the whole incident easily, gulping down the rest of the vodka.
Tony moves in and takes Cassie’s arm. ‘Let’s go,’ he orders, removing the bottle from her hand and slamming it down.
‘No!’
‘Get her out!’ Miller yells. ‘Get her the f**k out before I kill her!’
‘You wouldn’t hurt me!’ she laughs. ‘You couldn’t!’
Tony starts pulling her to the door, but she doggedly fights him off. She’s relentless. ‘For crying out loud, Cassie! Sober up and sort this shit out later.’
‘I’m fine!’ She wriggles from Tony’s hold and staggers over to the desk, plonking herself down in Miller’s chair. I may have only just got my clear sight back, but I definitely don’t mistake her flip a scowl in my direction. Even now? She’s just clobbered me one, attacked Miller, and she’s still all hostile. Can she not detect the aggression radiating from every refined pore of my part-time gentleman? Is she stupid? ‘Give me a f**king break,’ she grumbles, reaching up to the intricate cross that’s always decorating her neck. She fumbles with it, cursing under her breath.
‘Cassie,’ Miller warns. I can feel his chest heaving double in pace under me. ‘Don’t.’