Conor glanced at her before he turned his attention back to the traffic. In no time, they were at her building. Dan was on duty, which was some relief. He looked at Emily with concern.

“You’re very pale, Ms. Williams. Anything I can do?”

“No, thank you, Dan. I’m fine.”

“No, she isn’t. I’m taking Emily to stay at my place for a few days. In the meantime, my security people will be visiting her apartment. I want you to give them access. I also need you to tell them if you have seen anyone suspicious hanging around.”

“You in trouble, Ms. Williams?”

“Just a little problem, Dan. Please don’t worry about it.”

“I will help your friend’s people. Anything you need you just ask, you hear me?”

“Yes, Dan, but try not to worry. I’ll be okay.”

Emily glowered at Conor but didn’t say a word until he closed the apartment door behind them and they were alone.

“Did you have to do that? Dan had a heart attack last year. He doesn’t need the stress.”

“He’s just doing his job.”

“You could have been nicer to him. You just walked in here and ordered him around.”

He gave her an impatient look but had the grace to also look a little ashamed.

“Sorry, I’ll apologize. I didn’t mean to do that but I got to be honest with you, Emily, I want to catch this scumbag myself and batter him. What type of dirt bag threatens an elderly lady and a young woman?”

“I don’t know.”

He took a step toward her, looking at her all the time before he took another step. He had her in his arms and brought his head down to hers before her brain would engage. His lips met her forehead in the sweetest of kisses.

“I will look after you. I promise.”

The sleepless nights she had endured since the threats had started were making her vulnerable. She couldn’t think straight and it was nice to know someone had her back. She’d been so worried, not wanting to put Jason or Carrie in danger yet not knowing who else to turn to. For once in her life, she felt totally safe and protected. It was an awesome feeling.

“You don’t need to take much. We can always come back for anything you forget. We don’t want to alarm your gran.”

She stood with her back against the door. He was so kind to think of her grandmother. Her emotions were all over the place—one minute she was terrified of what could have happened and the other she was thrilled that he seemed to return her feelings.

“All done,” she said a few minutes later, stepping out of her room with a small suitcase packed to capacity.

“You got your toothbrush?”

She nodded.

“Good, because I hate sharing.”

Shocked, she glanced up at him to see his eyes twinkling. He smiled and she smiled back.

“Thank you, Conor.”

“You’re welcome, but somehow I think I have done very well out of this arrangement.” He took her bag and then waited while she did one more check before locking her front door. They walked down the stairs in silence where Dan was waiting for her.

“Dan, I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to tell you how to do your job, I was just worried about Emily.”

“No need to apologize, sir. It’s nice to see someone taking care of our Ms. Williams. Emily, if you need anything, you call me, okay?”

“Thank you, Dan. I’ll be home soon.”

She gave him a hug and he returned it.

“Come on, let’s go,” Conor said, holding his arm around her protectively as he walked her to his car. Again he held the door open and shut it for her. He had lovely manners. Emily was sure her grandmother would approve. But what would she think about a guy turning up to take them both away for a while? A guy Emily had only known a couple of days.

“How did your meeting go?” she asked, not out of nosiness but wanting to talk about something else.

“Amazing how news hit the street so fast, isn’t it? I guess I should be used to it. We offered three months salary as a severance package. Quite a number took the offer.”

“I guess you had already decided who you want to get rid of?”

“Yes. We had, but unfortunately a few of them didn’t take the hint. They will, though.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Steven and his guys are going through all their computer files as we speak. My guess is a couple of our less stellar employees will have issues on their drives. Emily, you were right.”

Surprised, she glanced at him.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw. But the good news is that those games are now history. As of five o’clock last night, the games have been shut down. We are refunding all purchases and our servers have been closed down or are in the process.”

“Wow.”

“You’re surprised? But it was your idea.”

“It was a suggestion, but I never thought you would follow through on it.”

“Really, Ms. Williams? That wasn’t the impression you gave me that night.”

She smiled at his teasing.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For listening. I knew they were bad, but I didn’t really expect you to actually play the games and see for yourself. I like the fact you can admit when you’re wrong. But I am a little puzzled as to how you got here in the first place. My guess is that you don’t usually buy companies that you don’t thoroughly investigate.”

“You would be right.”

“It’s no secret that Sunny Studios had a totally different name in the gaming world. Slimy Studios being one of them.”

“Lovely. Here I am rescuing you and you’re sitting there pointing out how stupid I was, how I missed the obvious issues.”

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean…you’re teasing me again, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am. Sorry, I can’t help it. You fall for it every time.”

“Just you wait. I’ll get you back one day.”

He smiled as he concentrated on the traffic. She studied his profile as well as his finely chiseled cheekbones and chin. He could have been a model.

“What happened this time?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, with the purchase of Sunny Studios. Why were you so distracted?”

His facial expression changed but not before she caught a glimpse of pain. Something horrible had happened and he didn’t want to tell her.

“Forget about it, Conor, you don’t have to explain.”

“I am rather embarrassed.”

“Honestly, don’t worry about it. Everyone makes mistakes.”