Australia's Maverick Millionaire

by Margaret Way

  “It is indeed, Mr Templeton, bearing in mind you tried to injure me. You certainly injured my car.”

  “Well, I’m sorry about that,” Lyle said stiffly, “but you’d be insured. I was only attempting to speak to you anyway.”

  “A very vigorous way to go about it,” Josh pointed out. “You could have died that night, and it would have been your own fault. But I accept your apology, Mr Templeton. For Clio’s sake. If it had been Vince Crowley, for instance, I would have pressed charges, among other things.”

  Lyle gave a snort of disgust. “I take it you mean an act of violence? Violence doesn’t impress me.” Abruptly he stood up in a kind of affront, convinced he and Hart would always be on a collision course. “Well, I’ve done what I set out to do. I’ve extended my thanks.”

  “And very handsomely too.” Josh rose to his feet. “I’d like you to know I intend to see a whole lot more of Clio.” He suddenly realized that for all the concerns that had weighed him down, he was a far more civilized man than Lyle Templeton, who had enjoyed every advantage in life. It was an awakening of sorts.

  Lyle tried to get a grip on himself, but failed. “I never could stand you,” he spluttered, incapable of letting go of his resentments.

  “So it seems.” Josh gave a wry smile. “But Clio makes her own choices in life.”

  “It was a mistake, coming here,” Lyle fumed, full of detestation for the whole situation.

  Josh shook his head. “Not necessarily. We’ve cleared up one thing. You can’t break up the special relationship Clio and I have. She’s freed herself of the domination of the men of her family. Personally I don’t think you deserved her.”

  Hot blood rose to Lyle’s lean cheeks. “How dare you?” He had come to make peace of a sort but it was turning into rage.

  “Oh, I dare,” Josh said. “The only reason you and Leo got away with all this arrogance is because you’ve always been cushioned by money. For years you both made me feel like I was a nobody or could never belong.”

  “Well, you can’t,” Lyle burst out.

  “You’re telling me you’re a better man?” Josh gave a grunt of contempt. “I might have had a tough start, but watch and see how I finish.”

  For so young a man to be cloaked in such authority! “You have secrets, Hart,” Lyle accused. “Tell me about that other girl.” This wasn’t supposed to happen, but it was.

  “What other girl?” Josh was now on alert.

  “You know very well.” Lyle pointed an accusing finger. “The one you were alleged to have beaten up.”

  There was an ear-ringing silence, like after a detonation. “You should go. Now, I’d suggest.” Josh’s voice was very clear and strong. “I’ve never in my life laid a harsh or callous hand on girl or woman. But you could be in harm’s way.”

  Lyle felt a burning in his chest. He knew he had gone way too far. It was time to back up fast, although Hart hadn’t moved an inch. “Philippa Jones.” He threw the name over his shoulder as he hastened to the door. “Ring a bell?”

  “Get out of here, Mr Templeton,” Josh experienced a flash of rage, though his voice remained calm. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I suppose I could be wrong.” Lyle Templeton shrugged, somehow realizing deep in his heart he was wrong. Very wrong.

  “One last thing, Mr Templeton.” Josh’s anger was like a force field that surrounded his tall, powerful body. “Be very, very careful. My good name is important to me. I’m sure you passed this scurrilous allegation on to Clio.”

  Lyle stepped out into the corridor before answering. “My duty.” There was satisfaction in knowing he had scored a direct hit. “Good day to you, Hart. I can find my own way out.”

  Josh awakened before dawn. He was on the island. He’d been dreaming of Clio. Nothing new about that. It hadn’t been a good dream. Whenever he reached for her he came up against a glass wall. He had planned to bring her with him but as usual things had gone wrong. He was here to think. Plan a strategy for the future. No future without Clio and he had to take control. Lyle Templeton wasn’t the only one who had received a good shake-up. So had he. His concept of himself in many respects had changed. He had fought his background relentlessly and won. Unlike Templeton, he had been forged out of steel. Since that day in his office he had been steadily undergoing a turnaround.

  Aquarius was such a beautiful, peaceful place. The ideal place to think. He lay very quietly in the makeshift grass hut he had erected beneath a canopy of towering palms. Gradually the indigo night brightened into a pink-and-lemon-shot pearl grey. He hadn’t slept this well for days. He knew he had to overcome the tremendous feeling of hurt—damn it, betrayal—that was trying to pull him down. He should have realized Clio wouldn’t have introduced a strange woman’s name into the conversation without a reason. Her father had passed on to her a trumped-up story, no doubt originating with the poisonous Keeley. But instead of Clio coming to him and asking him straight out about it, she had tried to catch him out.

  Goes by the name of Flippa?

  He had mixed with a lot of girls in his university days—quite a few had joked around, claiming to be in love with him—but he couldn’t recall any Philippa. He would have remembered Flippa, he thought. The whole thing was a total fabrication, its cruel purpose to damage him in Clio’s eyes.

  You haven’t lost her, have you? the calm voice of reason broke in. There was no bitter indictment, no challenge. She says she loves you. For God’s sake, believe it.

  Only Clio had gone so far as to seek an admission he might have known the young woman in question. What sort of a name was Philippa Jones anyway? Nice and anonymous. Was it wrong of him to as good as threaten to throw her father out of his office? That was bound to have upset Clio. He could scarcely believe her relationship to such a man. Templeton had made no real attempt to ease the situation. His supposed gratitude was feigned. The whole thing no more than a feel-good cynical exercise. On the plus side, it had helped him enormously. Set him free.

  Breakfast was a couple of plump, scarlet-flushed Bowen mangoes. Seagulls with glittering black eyes were keeping a careful eye on him. They must have thought he was okay, because they didn’t fly away. Other birds were in the air. It was alive with their shrieking—terns, noddies, gulls. Shearwaters, a distance out, were touching the crystal-clear water as they glided and banked near the gently rolling waves of the lagoon. A pair of white-breasted sea eagles with a wingspan of over six feet flapped and soared on their upswept wings. There was an extensive fringing reef on the south and east sides of the island with innumerable gorgeous species of coral. Naturalists would love it here. Amateur fishermen, owners of boats, line fishing, no nets, would be welcome to take their catches from the island’s pristine waters. Then there would be the scuba divers, the reef walkers. A big feature would be the observatory. He had great plans. He wanted Clio to share them.

  What he had to straighten out was whether Clio had some lingering doubts. If she did, that would cut him to the quick. There was a soothing calm in this world of dazzling blueness. The strand-line vegetation, grasses and creepers, were a bright green, the coarse grass studded with hundreds of tiny yellow succulent flowers. Casuarinas, the primary colonizers, lined the strand. Pandanus trees grew further back, laden with segmented orange fruit. He looked towards the water only twenty feet away. The brilliant sunlight was causing quicksilver needles and points of light to bounce off the densely blue surface.

  He’d take a leisurely swim in the beautiful lagoon, then return to the mainland around mid-afternoon. Running his hand through his hair, he found a thick and unruly thatch full of salt. He had come over to the island in his racy little sailing yacht, Cuttaway. He loved sailing so much one might have thought it was in his blood. Clio would have visited the island many times with Leo. He had dearly wanted Clio to accompany him. Sad to say, her father’s unscheduled visit had put paid to that. Could Templeton’s detestation over time poison the situation between him and Clio? It all cam
e down to whether Clio’s love for him held up under pressure.

  Josh had reached the apartment complex, ready to drive his Porsche, repaired to his complete satisfaction, down into the residents’ underground parking area when a familiar figure rose up from the kerb and began to run towards the car, flagging him down with a wild swing of his arms.

  Jimmy Crowley.

  Instantly Josh felt the weight of worry drop onto his shoulders. He changed direction, drove ahead, pulling into the kerb but keeping the engine running. Obviously something was seriously amiss.

  Jimmy was already opening the passenger door, a bruised and battered sorry sight.

  “For God’s sake, Jimmy, what’s happened to you?” Crowley had obviously been in a fight and come off the loser.

  “Time to go, Josh,” Jimmy jumped into the car. “My dad has really blown it this time,” he said. His right eye was streaming. His left eye was red and swollen, soon to turn black. “He started hitting Mum. He’s just got to rage at her. Why is that, do you know? For once I acted like a man. Not that it did me any good. I should have taken up boxing, like you, years ago. Dad is beside himself with fury. Mum is determined to leave him. He blames Clio for Mum wanting to get a divorce.”

  “So spit it out, Jimmy.” Josh spoke harshly. “Where the hell are we going? Your place, what?”

  “No, no.” Jimmy tried to shake his pounding head, stopped with a gut-wrenching groan. “Dad has taken my car—well, his car actually—and driven over to the Templetons’. He had a lot of nasty things to say about Clio. He reckons he’s going to have it out with her. Called her a rich, interfering bitch.”

  “So the Templetons’ it is,” Josh said, very grimly, driving out onto the main road. There he put in a call to the 24/7 security firm, identifying himself then asking them to deactivate the system at the Templeton place. He had good reason to believe someone wanting to cause trouble had headed that way. He wanted access to the premises without setting off any alarm. He requested back-up.

  It was Meg who had let Vince Crowley into the grounds. So trusting! She saw Jimmy’s ostentatious car, and thought it was him. Precisely Vince’s strategy. He was certain he would never have been admitted otherwise. Meg greeted his arrival with horror but he pushed her aside roughly. “Go get Ms Templeton,” he ordered, tight-lipped with arrogance. “Go on woman. I’m not about to eat you.”

  “You’d need to eat me to get to Clio,” Meg said, stoutly holding her ground.

  It was then Clio walked from the living room into the huge entrance hall, alerted by the raised voices. Immediately she sized up the situation, pretending a confidence she didn’t feel. Calm was called for. Not a show of panic. “It’s okay, Meg.” Her voice betrayed no trace of shock or fear, though the tiny hairs at her nape and on her arms were standing up. Vince looked frightening. He was a big man, and exuded anger. “What is it you want, Vince?”

  “A few minutes of your precious time,” he grated. “Tell your housekeeper to go away. There’s no problem here. And don’t bother giving her a look to ring the police. I wouldn’t advise that.”

  Clio nodded at Meg then gestured Vince into the living room. Surely Meg would have the sense to press a panic button if help was needed. God knew, they were all over the house. “This is about Susan, I take it?”

  “That it is,” he agreed harshly.

  Meg, who was holding a golf iron at the time, spotted from the library window Josh’s Porsche driving into the grounds. She near fainted with relief. Josh would take care of this. She had immense confidence in him. She had discovered to her horror that the expensive security system was malfunctioning, or maybe she was pressing the wrong buttons. She was an idiot when it came to technology. To make matters worse, it was Sunday and Tom was out fishing with his mates. She and Clio were quite alone. But there were supposed to be many barriers.

  Very quietly Meg crept along the hall and opened the front door. Josh was striding at speed, tall and formidable, Jimmy Crowley stumbling very cautiously behind. Poor old Jimmy! Meg understood Jimmy and his mother must have had a tough time. For most of her marriage Susan would have held to the fiction underneath the bad things that were happening that her husband really loved her. She had confided in no one. Probably she believed it was all her fault. But what about the boy, Jimmy? Wasn’t it Susan Crowley’s role as a mother to protect her son? It was all too much for Meg.

  Josh signalled to her that he wasn’t going in the front door. She watched him very purposefully round the side of the house. He knew the mansion as well as anyone.

  He moved swiftly, staying low. The house seemed deathly quiet. No voices issued from any room. Where were they? He knew security would be here any minute, just as he knew every second counted. According to Jimmy, his father had been just one step away from going berserk. Crowley wasn’t here to talk to Clio. He was there to hurt her. He’d spent half his lifetime hurting his own wife. Josh hadn’t the slightest doubt he could overpower Crowley, but he wanted to be in the right position and have the element of surprise.

  The kitchen door was open. He moved through the large room equipped for a top chef then out into the corridor, pausing to listen.

  Now he could hear voices. Clio’s. An almighty wave of relief swept through him. She didn’t sound the least bit intimidated. That was Clio. She was Leo’s granddaughter after all. Plenty of guts. Then came Crowley’s florid bluster. “I’ve tried hard to keep my marriage going.” He spoke as if he were the partner who had been regularly brutalized. “What would you know about that, you smug, over-protected bitch?”

  Clio’s voice remained clear and firm. “Your wife lived in constant fear. Jimmy too. You would have made sure the worst injuries weren’t visible so people couldn’t condemn you. But they will. You’re a coward and a bully. Don’t imagine help isn’t arriving as we speak. I will not tolerate you trying to intimidate me. You got in here under false pretences. Meg wouldn’t have let you in otherwise.”

  “I was driving that idiot son of mine’s car.” Crowley’s voice was a weird combination of triumph and contempt. “Fooled the old bag easily.” He smirked.

  “Well, you’ve gained nothing by coming here,” Clio said in a clipped voice. “Rather the reverse. I suggest you leave before help arrives.”

  “I’m not moving, sweetheart.” Vince’s bitter voice curdled in his throat. “You think you can destroy my life? Get me tossed out of the firm? Make a laughing stock of me and my dad? Talk my half-witted wife into divorcing me? You have to pay. You’re the catalyst! You!” The glare was one of pure challenge.

  Clio came swiftly to her feet, recognising the blind fury. “You’ve lost your mind. Get out. I’ve already given you too much time. Your wife made the decision to leave you, even if she made it too late. I had little to do with it.”

  “Liar!” Crowley roared. The word pelted like a rock from his mouth as he sank into a pit of unstoppable rage.

  He was going to attack her. She knew it. But that would only be the start. She could see the madness building in him. Clio flinched to the side while her body snapped into action. She had to defend herself. All along she had kept her eye on the small bronze statue of a young ballerina nearby. That should knock him out. If only she could beat him to it. She was prepared to make the supreme effort.

  Where was Josh? she agonized, a prayer fluttering on her lips. Where was he when she needed him? Josh should have been here, only her father had caused more trouble, though he had vehemently denied it. Josh hadn’t been answering her phone calls. There was a reason. Josh would have saved her from this monster. She felt like screaming his name. Josh wouldn’t let Crowley get away with this. Hateful, disgusting man!

  Josh…Josh…

  However distant, her voice would search him out. She was sure of it. The bond they had struck was too strong to be broken. Josh would come for her. Only would it be too late?

  For a brief moment Clio thought she was going mad. Even Crowley froze on the spot, his striking arm upraised. She coul
d have sworn she heard Josh’s voice. Slow motion turned to high speed. Josh rocketed from somewhere behind her.

  Salvation! Her heart leapt in her breast. It was the real Josh, not a figment of her imagination. He stormed past her, launching himself at Vince with a thundering voice of wrath.

  “You sorry excuse for a human being!” For a split second Josh paused to balance himself, then his fists shot out in a dizzyingly fast flurry of punches. Vince Crowley, a big man, didn’t have the skill to block them.

  Clio watched Crowley go down on his knees, before landing face down on the carpet. Josh stood over him, looking very much like he was waiting for Crowley to get up so he could finish him off. She remembered now Josh had won boxing tournaments in his university days. He still kept in training at the local gym.

  “Josh, leave him.” Clio dashed the tears of utter relief from her eyes. She rushed to his side, getting a grip on his bronzed arm. “Leave him,” she begged urgently. “He’s not worth it.” She could feel the tremendous tension in Josh’s powerful body. Here was another serious moment to be averted.

  “I don’t know that I agree with you,” he grated. “He needs to take a real beating to know how it feels. I didn’t hit him half hard enough.”

  She tried to increase the pressure on his arm. “Josh, he’s down for the count. There’s no need to go any further. I don’t want you to go any further.”

  He swung his blond head in agitation. His hair was so thickly tousled it was forming deep waves and springing curls. He stared at her with such a blaze in his eyes. “Clio, if I hadn’t arrived he would have assaulted you.” He spoke as though he wasn’t at all sure she realized that. “He could have killed you. It wouldn’t have taken much. A woman is an easy target. This guy is capable of murder.”

  Clio didn’t doubt it. “Josh I understand that.” She held his burning gaze. “But you must let the police handle it. I don’t want you involved in any trouble.”