Chapter 23.1

'Well, the man who accompanied me home is Mitch Tyler, the barrister who settled it for the daughter-in-law.'

That raised Jeremy's eyebrows. 'What was he doing with you?' 'Making sure I wasn't accosted by Gary Chappel of the nursing home

Chappel family.'

He looked stunned by this news. The shock was swiftly followed by alarm. 'Why would Gary Chappel want to accost you?'

His alarm lifted a considerable weight from Kathryn's heart. Jeremy really did care about her safety.

She proceeded to tell him about the photograph that had turned up on the computer this morning, her boss's reaction to it, his subsequent action in going to Vaucluse and masterminding Lara Chappel's escape from her situation, her own part in evading the pursuit vehicle and driving them to Bankstown Airport.

Jeremy looked aghast as she recounted what she had done to help. 'Ric Donato involved you in this madness?'

She frowned. 'I don't consider it madness to rescue a battered wife, Jeremy.'

'A black eye is not necessarily a battered wife,' he argued.

'Well, it is to me,' she retorted hotly. 'And it wasn't only that. He was having her watched, followed…'

'Maybe for good reason,' Jeremy shot back at her. 'What if she was cheating on him?'

'She was frightened of him, Jeremy. And grateful to Ric for…'

'This is Gary Chappel's wife we're talking about,' he almost shouted, then rose from the table in obvious agitation, pacing around, too disturbed to remain seated. 'Does he know about your part in this?'

'Not about driving them to the airport. But he did come into the office after they'd gone, demanding to know where they were.'

'And you didn't tell him?'

Kathryn paused to take a deep breath, feeling shaken and confused by Jeremy's reaction which was terribly off-key to her. 'No. I didn't tell him. I wanted Ric and Lara to get safely away. And let me tell you, he's a very scary man,' she added more strongly.

'It's only natural he'd be angry,' Jeremy instantly excused.

'It wasn't just anger. It was…' How to describe the sense of vicious and malevolent threat? 'Mitch Tyler says Gary Chappel is a psychopath and I believe him,' she blurted out.

'Right!' Jeremy snapped. 'So it comes down to you having to be protected from him.' He glared furiously at her as he added, 'From the man who's going to be my biggest client when I start my new job next week. I'll be his financial adviser, Kathryn. In charge of the Chappel millions, if not billions. He is a huge part of our future.'

She stared at him, seeing how very much he cared about this connection, realising it came ahead of anything else. Jeremy would deal with the devil if there was a big enough reward in it. A chill started in her bones and seeped through her, raising goose bumps on her skin.

'I presume he got your name while you were blocking his pursuit of his wife,' he ran on. 'And the fact you're Ric Donato's executive assistant.'

'Yes, he did,' she answered flatly.

'My fiancée.' He threw up his hands as though she'd committed the worst possible evil. 'That's great. That's just great!'

'The solution is perfectly simple, Jeremy,' she heard herself say. 'I can stop being your fiancée.'

'Oh, don't be ridiculous!' he tossed at her, his eyes glittering with the need to find a different option. 'First off, you'll have to leave that job, distance yourself from Ric Donato instantly.'

Her jaw started clenching. 'I won't do that.'

He sliced a dismissive gesture. 'You don't need it. Once I start working as a partner in this business, we'll be on easy street for life. You can be a lady of leisure.'

'I like my work, Jeremy. And I won't walk out on Ric when he has to be somewhere else.'

His furious pacing jerked to a halt as an idea struck him. 'Where is the somewhere else?'

'I don't know yet. Mitch Tyler advised him to get out of the country as soon as possible. Ric said he'd contact me about his destination before he flew off.'

'With Lara Chappel?'

He'd seized on that so fast, Kathryn paused, her instincts warning her she shouldn't give Jeremy this information. He'd use it. He'd use it to somehow further his connection with Gary Chappel, work it to get some advantage.

'I don't know,' she replied, watching him from what felt like a long distance. A very cold distance.

'Where are they now?' he demanded. 'I don't know that, either.'

'You drove them to Bankstown Airport,' he bored in.

'And left them there. I had to get back to the office.' She was glad now she hadn't mentioned Johnny Ellis's private plane. Bad enough that she'd given out the airport clue.

'But Ric must have told you what he had planned.'

'No, he didn't. He said the less I knew, the better. And he trusted me to cover his tracks, Jeremy,' she said very pointedly.

'What Ric Donato wants isn't important,' he stated with breathtaking arrogance.

'It is to me,' she bit out.

Again her feelings and her position were summarily dismissed. 'We give Gary Chappel the information he wants. All we can get that will help him.' He actually grinned as he added, 'In fact, that's the best protection for you, Kathryn. He certainly won't think of harming you under those circumstances.'

Loyalty to her employer didn't matter.

Giving Lara up to an abusive husband didn't matter, either.

This man—the man she had planned to marry—had no sense of morality.

None at all.

Money was his God and he'd serve it, regardless of who got hurt.

His eyes narrowed. 'Best that you do keep working for Ric. Gives you the inside track on what moves he makes.'

'Better still if I'm not your fiancée, Jeremy,' she said with icy precision. 'Then you have no connection to anyone involved in Lara Chappel's escape from her rotten husband. You're free and clear of it.'

'No…no…we can use this to our advantage.'

'Your advantage. Not mine. And I won't be a party to your plan which I find absolutely obscene.'

'Kathryn—' He felt vexed impatience with her attitude '—you don't understand how power works.'

Oh, yes, she did. There was power for evil and power for good and Jeremy and Mitch Tyler were at opposite poles of it. Black and white.

She took off the flashy diamond ring, set it on the glass table, rose from the shiny black chair, looked Jeremy straight in the eye and without the slightest hesitation, declared, 'Our engagement is over. I don't want to be attached to you anymore, Jeremy. And believe me, you'll be better off not mentioning any of this to Gary Chappel. You might end up biting off more than even you can comfortably chew.'