‘Clo, you need to chill. Go and have a bath or something,’ Johnny said, pushing her on her back towards her bedroom, seeming to forget that the only bath in the chalet was in Kit’s room.

Ari ran up the stairs in giant bounds.

She turned back to face him. ‘Johnny – that was bad,’ she hissed, her eyes wide.

‘I know.’

‘We should never have let him go out to that.’

‘We did our best to stop him. There was nothing more we could have done.’

‘But this happened because of us!’

‘Maybe,’ he nodded. ‘But if what those things Amy said about him are true . . . then he’s not really deserving of anyone’s sympathy.’

Clover stared at him. ‘Do you think they are?’

Johnny squirmed. ‘I wish they weren’t. But I don’t think anyone would deny he’s capable of it. Would you want to be Ari right now?’

She sighed. ‘It’s all such a mess.’

He looked at her quizzically.

‘What?’ she asked.

‘I don’t know,’ he shrugged. ‘I guess I thought you’d be more . . . pleased. This is a shock for us all . . . but it isn’t a million miles from what we came out for, either. We may not have a confession of why he did what he did to Cory, but we can get the inside track on this story. You can bet your bottom dollar Ari’s up there right now telling him to do a sit-down with you and get his story on the record, for once and for all. He’ll never have a better opportunity than this. It’s all out of his hands now. If he stays quiet, he’s ruined. He won’t be competing for anyone or anywhere – ever again.’

He looked back at her, seeing how wide her eyes were, how rapidly she was blinking.

‘Julian’s going to have to cut ties with him now, of course. He has no choice. It’s been one disaster after another. He’ll be a laughing stock if he continues to back him.’ He patted the wall. ‘Bye-bye lovely chalet . . . Kit’s about to lose a lot of perks.’

‘I think perks are the least of his worries,’ she murmured. She pulled off her heels, feeling the burn in her feet, and paced anxiously. ‘What do you think’s happening up there?’

‘Kit’s going ballistic and Ari’s trying to calm him down,’ Johnny said flatly. He ran his hands through his hair and gave a weary sigh; Johnny wasn’t cut out for drama. ‘I could do with calming down myself. That was bedlam. Want a drink?’

‘Yes. I’ll get it—’

‘No! You stay put. I don’t want Kit seeing you yet. It’ll only make a bad situation worse. I’ll go.’