Betrayal - Fern Michaels [37]
Kate pushed the Off button on the remote and tossed it across the room. “Damn those bastards! How did they find out?” she shouted, knowing there would be no answer. Those newshounds made her sick! Did they realize what they were doing when they reported stories like this? It ruined lives! If this was known locally, Kate couldn’t imagine what the media in Naples would be like. Something told her Debbie had a hand in this. It would be just like her to try and gain publicity for Don’s firm from this tragedy.
The woman had no scruples whatsoever.
Sleep was the last thing on her mind. Kate checked her to-do list one last time before settling in Alex’s recliner with the Stephen King novel he’d been reading only a few nights ago. It brought her a little closer to Alex, knowing his eyes had focused on the same words she was reading. When her eyes grew heavy, she laid the book aside and dozed. She was due at the airport at six in the morning. She hadn’t bothered setting the alarm. She knew sleep would be fitful at best.
At four, she made a pot of tea, took another hot shower, and waited for the taxi to arrive. She hadn’t wanted Gertie to drive her to the airport. She needed to be with the dogs. At five-thirty a horn blared. Kate’s taxi had arrived. She was dressed and ready. With one last look over her shoulder, she left the only home she’d known for most of her life.
She gave the taxi driver her luggage and got in the backseat for the ride to the airport. There was no traffic at that early hour, so she arrived at the airport with time to spare. Because she was flying in a private plane, she went to the general aviation area to wait for her pilot and his crew. She and Alex had hired this crew before, so Kate felt comfortable and safe. The weather report was perfect. If only she were flying somewhere exotic with Alex at her side. Then she might actually enjoy the flight. But there would be no pleasure in this trip.
“Mrs. Rocket?”
The pilot and his copilot.
“Yes? Oh, good morning, Joe.” She couldn’t recall the copilot’s name.
“Trent Walker, ma’am.” The young copilot shook her hand.
“Trent, call me Kate.”
“We’ve got to preflight the plane. If you want to go ahead and board, it’s fine. Candy Lee is getting coffee and muffins for the trip. She’ll be here any minute,” Joe explained to her.
“Sure, that’s great.” Kate wondered if they’d heard last night’s news. She hoped they hadn’t, but if they had, it was already too late. The damage to Alex’s reputation was complete. Anything she said or did at this point wouldn’t make a difference. She went out to the tarmac and climbed up the small pull-down steps, entering the plane. She sat in a plush seat with plenty of leg room. A headset lay on the seat next to hers. She knew this was rude, but she didn’t want to talk. She grabbed the headset, placed it over her ears, and adjusted the music to something light and soothing. She waited for the preflight inspection to end, at which time she’d have to sit up for takeoff.
Chapter 11
Kate woke up surprised to find she’d actually fallen asleep after takeoff and that the flight had passed so quickly. She removed her headset and prepared for the onslaught ahead. She prayed the local media hadn’t gotten wind of her arrival. The last thing she wanted was to face a mob of reporters.
Gertie had called ahead and arranged for a rental car with maps and the keys for the house so Kate could go there first thing. She needed to unwind. James would be arriving that afternoon to go over their strategy. Kate needed to be sharp and alert for the ordeal she and Alex would have to endure for the next few days, maybe even weeks. She prayed it would soon be over. She wanted their life back. Oh, she knew it could never be as it was before, but maybe now it could be even better. A tinge of doubt clouded her thinking. In order to escape her negative visions of the future, Kate grabbed her carry-on and