Kate

Chapter 2 (Continued)

'Miss Dalton, nothing I say can ever prove how sorry I am. But it's been a long time and I promise...' He pauses for a few seconds before looking back up at me, his brows raised. 'What I'm telling you is the truth. Mr Dalton knows what happened; he knows I never meant to get caught up in it.'

I shake my head, opening my mouth to respond, but he hurriedly continues.

'There's no way he would have hired me if not,' he finishes, before slowly holding out his hand.

Is he serious? I scowl at it – and him. 'Stay away from me.'

He continues like I haven't said a thing. Like he isn't a criminal. 'Let me introduce myself properly... My name's Leo Howard. Your father wanted extra drivers. Ian put out an ad, I applied, they looked into my background, and here we are.'

'He clearly didn't look hard enough. And I didn't ask for your life story,' I reply curtly.

Turning back to the grand hotel, I wonder if Oliver can get me home. Although... the likelihood of getting in and out without my mother spotting me is slim.

'Get out of here,' I add, not sparing him a glance.

'I can't do that, Miss Dalton,' he answers.

'Of course you can't,' I scoff. 'What are your plans then? Drop me home and take the car? Or maybe my jewellery first?'

Leo's expression hardens, as though he's finally letting my words sink in. Good.

'It'll be better for you if you walk away,' I warn.

Leo smiles – actually smiles at me. Surprised, I suck in a deep breath.

'I can't do that. My job is to ensure you get home safely.'

'You're as far from safe as I could imagine,' I counter. I'll just endure my mother's wrath. It's worth it... isn't it?

I falter after three steps, unable to come to terms with the idea so late in the evening. Plus, my toothbrush is already in the damn car.

'It's cold,' he calls after me.

I roll my eyes. 'I'm warm.'

'It's going to rain.'

'My skin is waterproof.'

Surprisingly, he falls silent, and I stay where I am, arms crossed.

The low hum of Leo's voice soon startles me, and I snap my head around to look at him. He's pacing the tarmac behind the car, phone glued to his ear. What is he doing? Within seconds, he's striding towards me, an old device in his outstretched hand. I take three steps backward.

'Ian wants to talk to you,' he says.

I kiss my teeth, unable to summon up the words to express how angry I am at this situation. Scowling at the smug idiot, I snatch the phone and raise it to my ear.

'Ian,' I greet. 'What's going on? Do you know who this is?'

'Katherine, Leo explained everything to us last week. He didn't do anything to you back then; it was the... other people he was with.'

My mouth drops open. He can't be serious. 'He did enough,' I snap.

Ian sighs. 'Katherine, a good chauffeur is hard to come by.'

'A criminal is not a viable candidate,' I retort. I can feel Leo's glare on my back but ignore it, wanting him to hear every word.

Shuffling sounds come from the other end of the phone before my dad's voice travels down the line. 'He's not a criminal, K,' Dad murmurs. 'And he's the only person available to take you home.'