In the seconds when he’d followed her down the stairs, he’d made up his mind. He wouldn’t let her go back to New York. Screw the fact that she was human. She was his. He needed her, and he could make her happy. He knew it deep down in his heart.
He caught Ricky exchanging a look with Thomas who nodded. Neither one of them had ever seen him in such a tender exchange with a woman. Samson planted a soft kiss on the top of Delilah’s head, not caring what his friends thought of his behavior.
“Delilah, tell me what you know about this man. He was the one who hired that guy who attacked you.”
She suddenly stared at him, her eyes wide in disbelief. “John? John hired that thug?” She looked up at Thomas and Ricky who nodded.
“Yes, it was him. Who was he?” Samson asked again.
“You should know who he is. He works for you.”
“For me?”
“He’s an accountant at Scanguards,” she announced, looking back and forth between Samson and his friends.
TWELVE
Samson sent Ricky and Thomas off to investigate the murder of the accountant. They would also review background checks of John and anybody he worked with at Scanguards. Amaury remained at the house with them.
“I think it’s pretty clear that it wasn’t John’s idea to harm you. He was obviously working for somebody, and this somebody killed him,” Samson stated.
“But why would somebody want to harm me? I only met him a week ago, and I don’t know anybody else here in San Francisco. I have no enemies,” Delilah protested.
“And this person knew we were onto him, don’t forget that,” Amaury interjected. “And got to John before we could. Isn’t that telling us something?”
Samson nodded. “That’s right. Whoever it was, he didn’t want us to interrogate John and find out who’s behind this, or what this is about. Can you think of any reason why he or anybody else would want to hurt you?”
The thought that somebody else was still out there, wanting to hurt the woman he desired so deeply, tore at his heartstrings. If anybody as much as harmed a hair on her head, they’d have to deal with his wrath. It would be ugly.
“I’m only here for the audit, nothing else. I’m used to people not being too happy to see me, but that doesn’t mean they want to harm me.”
“Then it has to do with the audit. It’s your only connection to John and to San Francisco. It’s the only explanation. Has the audit produced any results?” Samson was curious.
She shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing unexpected, at least not so far. I’ve had problems getting to some of the supporting documentation for some of the issues I’m looking into, but I still have till Wednesday, so I’m sure I’ll figure out what’s wrong.” Delilah seemed very confident about her work. “I’ve always found whatever there was to be found.”
“Is that your reputation? Is that why New York hired you?” Samson let his eyes sweep over her small form. Was she some kind of super sleuth? Would she also figure him out soon? How long did he have until she’d discover his secret? How long till she’d run screaming from his house?
“That’s all I do. I don’t do regular financial audits. I only work on special investigations. If somebody is cooking the books, I’ll find it. I’ve already found a few indications that somebody is defrauding the company. I just have to confirm who is behind it.”
There was an air of confidence about her, almost pride. He believed her instantly. If she said she’d find it, she would. Of course, this also meant, he himself had to be extremely careful and quickly come up with a strategy of how to tell her what he was. He had to tell her that he was a vampire, because he wasn’t going to let her leave.
“Take all the time you need—I’m extending your contract indefinitely.” This would take the time pressure off him. Wednesday was just too early.
“Can you do that?” Delilah looked first at him and then at Amaury. “Can he do that?”
Amaury smirked. “He’s the boss. What he says, goes.”
“You make me sound like a tyrant.” He gave his friend a scolding look. “I assure you, I’m nothing of the kind. But being the boss does have its perks.” Samson smiled at her. “You can work out of here. My office is at your disposal. You’ll have universal access to all files, not just for the San Francisco branch, but all our branches. Whatever information you need, I can get it for you.”
“That won’t be necessary. I can work at the downtown office. Besides, I need the box of transaction documents I had John get for me. I’m not done with it yet. It’s still at the office.”