Emma Darcy: The Outback Marriage Ransom

‘You can always pay me back whatever you think you owe me after you get a divorce,’ he dropped into her fretful silence.

‘How will I manage a divorce if I’m…?’

‘I know just the guy who can do that for you. Don’t worry about it, Lara. Mitch will nail Gary Chappel to the wall so there’ll be no comeback from your ex-husband.’

She shook her head incredulously. This was all happening so fast—promises being held out that she desperately wanted to grab. ‘Are you sure about this?’

‘Absolutely.’ His dark eyes glittered with more than determined purpose as he stepped forward and picked up the envelope she’d laid on the table. ‘This photograph will be used to gain fair compensation for what you’ve suffered at Gary Chappel’s hands.’

She stared at him, and the feeling that she’d had about Ric Donato as a teenager came flooding back—a driving, unstoppable force. But he had been stopped then…by the police for stealing a car.

No need for him to steal now. He had the wealth and power to make him unstoppable in any enterprise he chose to take on. With that recognition, hope grew in Lara’s heart. Rightly or wrongly, she did trust him. Whatever the risk, his offer was worth taking. At least she should try it.

She scraped her chair back and stood up, adrenalin shooting new energy through her. ‘I’ll go and get ready.’

Decision made.

He nodded, acknowledging it, approving it. ‘Bring nothing more than an ordinary handbag, Lara. Purse, driver’s licence, what you’d normally carry on an outing. Okay?’

She was acutely aware of the sense in that instruction—nothing to suggest a final departure. ‘I’ll only be a couple of minutes, Ric. Wait here for me?’

‘Yes. You can put your sunglasses on again.’

She did, then amazingly she found herself smiling at him, the heady promise of freedom lifting her heart. ‘Thank you, Ric.’

He smiled back. ‘I always wanted to be a white knight coming to the rescue of a fair damsel in distress. It feels good to be at your service, Lara. That’s enough for me.’

It was a reassurance that she was safe with him.

He wouldn’t demand anything of her.

Maybe fairy stories could happen in real life, Lara thought light-headedly, hurrying off to get a bag. Though she couldn’t see Ric Donato as a white knight. More a dark prince.

But dark was good when it came to hiding.

If he could keep her safe from Gary, he would indeed be a prince.

THE minutes ticked by, every second excruciatingly long for Ric. He paced up and down the patio, willing Lara not to change her mind, not to give in to a burst of panic over her decision. He kept checking his watch. Time was critical. If someone had reported his visit to Gary Chappel…if he came home…a face-to-face confrontation before they could get away might scuttle everything.

Footsteps coming…

He moved to meet them, his whole body wound tight with tension.

Lara…wearing a brown shoulder-bag now and carrying a hat. ‘Ready,’ she declared, determination in her voice, and with a slight lilt of excitement.

‘Let’s go,’ he said, and there was not the slightest hesitation from her, much to Ric’s relief.

The housekeeper was in the foyer. She looked anxiously at the two of them. ‘Mrs. Chappel…?’

‘I’m just going out for a while,’ Lara answered, heading straight for the front door. ‘We won’t be long, Mrs. Keith.’

The housekeeper beat her to the door. ‘Mrs. Chappel…’ It was a plea for Lara to reconsider.

She knew what went on here, Ric thought, and didn’t like it. He laid a hand on the housekeeper’s shoulder, drawing her gaze to his. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll look after her.’

She shook her head slightly but stepped back, letting them go without further protest.

‘It’s a conspicuous car, Ric,’ Lara remarked fearfully as he loaded her into it.

‘We won’t be in it for long,’ he assured her.

It was good to get behind the driver’s wheel and fire the engine up. He had Lara in his custody now and nothing was going to stop him from flying her to Gundamurra. The temptation to leave in a burst of speed was strong, but the wiser course was to drive sedately, watching for the watchers.

He was no sooner out of the private driveway to Chappel’s mansion, than a grey sedan, parked at the kerb on the street, started up and pulled out, quickly catching up to the Ferrari, sitting just behind it. A male driver, wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.

Ric had no intention of shaking him. That was better done when the follower least expected it. At the first red light, he used his car phone to contact his office at Circular Quay. It only took a few moments for Kathryn to come on line. He spoke to her as he drove on.

‘Kathryn, I’m heading back to the office. I have Lara Chappel with me and I need your help. Clear your desk for the next couple of hours, grab your bag and car keys and be waiting for me in the basement car park. We should be there in about ten minutes. Okay?’

‘I’ll be standing by, Ric.’

‘Tell your secretary you’re off to a business meeting with a magazine editor and won’t be back until after lunch.’

‘Will do.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Who’s Kathryn?’ Lara instantly asked, her hands curling in her lap, clearly apprehensive about anyone knowing what they were doing.

‘Kathryn Ledger. My executive assistant in the Sydney office. She has both my confidence and my trust.’

‘Is she the one who bought the photo?’

‘Yes.’

Lara took a deep breath. ‘I take it we’ll be switching cars.’

‘Necessary. Don’t jerk around in your seat to look. We’re being followed by a guy in a grey sedan.’

The hands curled into white-knuckled fists.

Ric wondered just how many escape attempts had been thwarted. And punished. Irrelevant, he told himself. That was the past. He had to secure Lara’s future.

At the next red light, he punched out the numbers for Bankstown Airport and made contact with the guy in charge of Johnny’s Cessna.

‘Ric Donato. I’ll be taking Johnny’s plane on a flight to Bourke. Can you get it on the tarmac with a flight plan lodged as soon as possible, please. I should be there in an hour or so.’

‘I’ll do my best, Mr. Donato. Want some refreshments on board?’

‘Yes. There’ll only be two of us.’

‘No problem.’

He heard Lara take another deep breath. ‘A private plane?’ she asked tentatively.

He nodded. ‘It belongs to a friend of mine. I have the authority to take it any time I want. Johnny’s in the U.S. He won’t be using it for a while.’

‘You can fly?’ An odd wonderment in her voice.

He threw her a confident smile. ‘Don’t worry. I have a pilot’s licence and I’ve logged thousands of hours in the air.’

‘Bourke…?’

‘First stop. We’ll get you some clothes before moving on.’

‘I don’t have much money with me. But I do have credit cards. If Gary doesn’t…’

‘No. No credit cards. You can be traced through using them. I’ll supply the money. Consider it a loan.’

She didn’t protest.

Ric was glad she had the presence of mind to take in the ramifications and not make any fuss over the plan he was still formulating. He was getting quite a buzz from it. Reminded him of his years in war zones when fast action and planning on the run were critical for survival. Lots of adrenalin rushes in those days. This was a different kind of battle but a battle nonetheless. Lara’s life was at stake.

No doubt in his mind on that score. The black eye, the gut-wrenching weeping, the expressions of utter despair…that was more than enough to put Ric in fighting mode. The evidence of the guy following them sealed the truth of what Lara had told him. The Vaucluse mansion had been a prison and Gary Chappel deserved to lose his wife.