“No doubt, on a scholarship. Surely, he can’t afford the tuition,” Larry said with a snide smirk.
Katherine matched his smirk. “More proof that he’s a hell of a lot smarter than you. Without your daddy’s money, you wouldn’t have even been accepted into the University of Chicago.”
Larry’s bloodshot eyes went dark.
Her instincts warned her to get out of the bathroom.
Katherine shoved his chest, but he didn’t move. Instead, he grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the wall. Panic rushed over her as his fingers pressed her flesh. She struggled to breathe, but not because he was choking her. She was having a panic attack. Larry’s touch was taking her to a dark place.
“Please,” Katherine gasped, clutching his fingers. “Please, don’t touch me.”
She wanted to fight, but she was frozen in place. Her brain couldn’t force her body to act, and she could feel herself getting lightheaded. Her vision blurred, and she was beginning to see red spots. Her body went limp, and the only thing keeping her on her feet was Larry’s hand around her neck. Suddenly, she no longer had even that.
Katherine fell limp to the floor and did her best to rise onto all fours. She inhaled a deep breath and blinked until she could focus. She pushed her hair out of her face just in time to see Joseph Storm slamming Larry’s face into the bathroom sink.
Larry let out a loud yelp and fell to the floor in a puddle.
With no more thought to Larry, Joseph turned around and lowered to his knee. When he reached out to touch her shoulder, Katherine jumped and slapped his hand away.
Joseph retracted his hand and held both hands up in surrender. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Katherine nodded. “Sorry.”
She swiped a tear from her face and used the edge of the wall to help her stand.
“I’m fine,” she said through a shaky breath.
With a worry in his eyes, Joseph reached out slowly to help.
“Don’t,” Katherine warned, raising her hand. She willed herself to her feet. Once she had secure footing, she pushed off the wall and scurried out of the bathroom.
Chapter Four
JOSEPH
After countless winding roads, Joseph pulled into the driveway of the Chase family’s Bolling Brook mansion and stopped at the intercom. Since it was after midnight, he was hesitant to push the call button.
Katherine had run out of Nate’s house in a hurry, leaving her purse behind. He could easily have given her purse to her friend, Laverne, but he didn’t. Instead, he talked Laverne into giving him Katherine’s address.
He wanted to lay eyes on her. The terror in her beautiful eyes when he’d tried to touch her had left him more than concerned. Understandably, Larry’s behavior was deplorable. But after seeing Katherine cowering on the floor like a child, he believed there was so much more going on. There was definitely something bubbling beneath the surface.
Joseph wasn’t going to lay eyes on her by staking out her driveway, so he pushed the button. After about a minute, a woman answered in a groggy voice. “Can I help you?”
He cleared his throat. “Joseph Storm to see Katherine.”
“Joseph Storm?” The woman repeated his name like she thought he was lying.
“Yes, Joseph Storm.”
“Joseph Storm, it’s 12:17 PM.”
Joseph looked down at his watch. “I’m aware of that, ma’am. I’m returning something that belongs to Miss Chase. If she’s not available, I can try again at another time.”
After a brief pause, the woman on the other end instructed him to stand by.
He waited patiently for four minutes. After that, as he contemplated leaving and reached up to put his 75 Ford Maverick in reverse, the gate opened.
Joseph drove through the gate and rounded the circular driveway until he pulled up to the front door. Before he could get out of his car, the door opened. Light from inside the house illuminated the walkway, revealing a female silhouette.
