The Vampire's Mail Order Bride

“You’re not going to a motel. So long as you swear you’re not lying to me about anything else, I see no reason you and Captain shouldn’t stay here.”

Her mouth opened slightly. “You mean that?”

He nodded.

“I swear I’m not lying to you about anything else.” The honesty in her eyes confirmed that.

“Good. I do have one condition for you staying here.”

She raised her brows. “And that is?”

“I expect you to stick to our pact. Thirty days.”

She frowned. “Is that why you want me to stay? So you don’t lose your inheritance?”

“I don’t care about the inheritance. I don’t need it.” It wasn’t the truth anyway, which was ironic considering he’d just asked her if she was lying about anything else. His omissions were far greater than hers.

He paused. And added to the lie. “I just want to make my grandmother happy.” Actually, he just wanted keep his amulet. But the idea of Delaney leaving seemed far worse than losing his ability to daywalk.

He hesitated. That wasn’t the only reason he wanted her to stay. “I also don’t want you to get hurt.”

Her mouth bent in the smallest of smiles. “Thank you.”

“I’m going to call Sheriff Merrow.”

The smile vanished and alarm bracketed her eyes. “Why?”

He took her hand, reveling in the warmth of her skin. “Because I want to make sure you’re not in any danger. You said you called the cops, but their apparent lack of response concerns me. This is a murder we’re talking about.”

“I know. Something should have happened by now. I’ve seen no report about a body. Maybe Rastinelli didn’t really shoot that guy.”

“No body. No evidence. That could explain the lack of action.”

“They have some evidence. I sent them the video I took.”

“Then your suspicion about Rastinelli having a man on the force is very likely correct. Even more reason to talk to Merrow about this.”

Plus, it never hurt to have a werewolf in your corner.

Delaney gave Captain a kiss on the head and inhaled his sweet kitty smell. “We dodged a bullet there, Cappy.” Which was a totally apropos statement considering the circumstances.

She was relieved that the truth was out. Hugh had handled it far better than she’d expected. Of course, he still needed her or he’d lose his inheritance. She was okay with that. She was using him. He might as well get something out of the deal.

His decision to call the sheriff on her behalf was unexpected. And caring. It made her feel even worse for lying to him in the first place. Maybe she’d find out from Stanhill what kind of sweets he liked and whip him up a batch of something. It was the least she could do.

“Delaney?” he called upstairs. “Sheriff Merrow’s here. We’re in the library.”

She left Cappy on the bed and ran down the hall. “Coming.”

When she got downstairs, Stanhill was serving coffee to a beast of a man barely contained in a cop uniform. Sheriff Merrow’s resting face looked permanently unimpressed. His thick dark hair was on the long side of short. Probably as long as he could get away with, being a sheriff. She guessed if he smiled, he’d be pretty handsome. She also guessed smiling wasn’t big on his list of things to do.

Hugh introduced her. “Delaney, this is Sheriff Hank Merrow. Sheriff, this is Delaney James.”

Sheriff Merrow nodded and put his coffee on the side table as they all sat. “Mr. Ellingham tells me you witnessed a murder?”

“And recorded it.” She explained everything she’d seen, heard and captured in as much detail as she remembered, including her less than satisfactory call to the Brooklyn PD. “That’s really all there is to it. Anthony Rastinelli, my boss—”

“Ex-boss,” Hugh corrected. “You’re not going back to work for him.”

She nodded. “That’s for sure.” She looked at the sheriff. “He’s never done anything to frighten me before, but seeing that side of him scared me to death.”

Sheriff Merrow nodded. “I’ll find out everything I can about the man. Has he tried to contact you?”

“No—actually, yes. He texted me. Offered me a promotion.”

Merrow snorted. “Anyone else tried to contact you since you’ve been here?”

“One of the girls I worked with at the restaurant, Samantha. She said if I didn’t show up, Rastinelli was going to call the cops. And my ex-boyfriend.”

“Your ex texted you?” Hugh’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes. But I haven’t responded to any of the texts.”

“Good,” Sheriff Merrow said. “I’d like the contact information and full names for those people as well. I’ll need a copy of the video, too. Wouldn’t mind looking at the texts, either. If this Rastinelli is involved in some kind of crime syndicate, you have no idea who’s on his payroll.”

The idea sent a new shockwave of fear through Delaney. “Wow. I never even thought about that.” She stood. “I’ll run upstairs and get my phone, then I can give you all that info.”

Hugh and Sheriff Merrow both got to their feet as she left. She flew up the stairs and grabbed her phone, then hustled back down. It was nice to have powerful men like Hugh and the sheriff get all proactive about helping her out. It was a new feeling, and one she liked very much.