The Vampire's Mail Order Bride(27)
“Leave your house? I’m aghast.” Hugh smirked. “Where do you want to go?”
“Europe. Asia. Anywhere that isn’t part of Didi’s domain.”
“You want to look for Evangeline.”
Sebastian changed the subject. “About this woman…do you have feelings for her?”
“It’s too soon to call whatever’s happening feelings, but she definitely affects me.”
“That’s too bad. Sounds like it might be too late for you to stop the natural order of things then.”
“Natural order?”
“You fall in love, she breaks your heart, you suffer.” His brother capped the whiskey bottle. “But if you’re not going to give Didi the amulet back, you’ve got no choice but to go along with it and at least make a decent show of things.”
Hugh stood. “That’s what I was afraid you’d say. Bloody lot of good you are.”
“Just don’t marry her.” Sebastian turned back toward the windows. “That’s when the hell really begins.”
Delaney didn’t wait for Stanhill to open her door. She jumped into the car as soon as he came to a stop.
He twisted to face her. Something unspoken clouded his gaze. “How did it go?”
She stared at the enormous manor house she’d just left. “It was…interesting.” She met his eyes. “Mrs. Ellingham is a woman with a very clear idea of how things should go, isn’t she?”
He nodded. “Yes. And it’s almost always in her direction.”
Delaney laughed softly. “I’m glad it’s over.” She looked closer at him. “Is everything okay?”
He hesitated. “Why do you ask?”
“You seem not quite yourself.”
“Everything’s fine. Let’s go home, shall we?” He turned around and threw the car into drive without waiting for her answer.
He was quiet the rest of the way home, so she used the time to check news on her phone. Still no mention of a body, but there were more texts from Russell and Samantha, both asking where she was and if she was okay.
Delaney deleted both messages.
When they got back to the house, Stanhill unlocked the side door that went through a mudroom and into the kitchen. He waited for her to enter then shut and locked the door behind her.
Weird, but not that weird. “Is Hugh home?”
“No, he’s at his brother’s.” Stanhill leaned against the granite counter top. “We need to talk.”
She’d been headed upstairs, but his words stopped her. “We do?”
He nodded, pulled out his phone and turned it around so she could see the screen. “Who’s D. James?”
His caller ID had shown her real name when she’d called to be picked up. Fear dried out her mouth and turned her tongue to dust. “I can explain…” She could. If she didn’t lie. And she was so tired of lying.
“I’m waiting.” The slightly scary gleam in his eyes strengthened her resolve
She pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table. Just in case her nerves caused her knees to buckle. “I’m D. James. Delaney, actually.”
She took a deep breath, but already the act of coming clean was easing her mind. Whatever the consequences, she’d face them. She explained everything—about the shooting, about stealing the file, about hiding out from her mobbed-up boss.
Stanhill’s face remained virtually unchanged through her story. He was clearly angry. And protective of Hugh. When she was finished, he nodded. Then, after what felt like an hour but was probably four or five seconds, he said, “I see.”
The two words sounded like a death sentence. She stood, unable to make eye contact. “I’ll go pack my things.”
“Why?”
She looked at him. “Aren’t you going to tell me to leave?”
He shook his head slowly. “No.” He came over and sat at the table. “What you did, you did out of self-preservation, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Can’t fault that.”
She sat back down. “You can’t?”
“Your boss sounds like a dangerous man.”
“I had no idea until I saw him with that gun.”
“And you’re not here to hurt Hugh in any way, are you?”
Her brows pulled together. “Not at all. I swear it.”
“What else do you know about him?”
Was this a test? “He’s wealthy. Guarded. And a little secretive. But I guess a lot of wealthy people are like that.”
Something worked through Stanhill’s brain. She could see it in his eyes. “Then I see no reason why you can’t stay.”
Her mouth came open a bit. “Really?”