The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride (20 page)

Hugh glared at his rook. “Are you implying I forced her?”

“Not at all, just that she seemed like the type to want some sort of commitment first, and we all know that’s not your style.”

Hugh sat at the table. “Maybe I’ve changed.”

Stanhill barked out a laugh. “I doubt that.” He calmed. “Are you saying you’re committing to her? That marriage is on the table?” He sat up a little. “That you would turn her?”

Hugh bought some time by drinking his coffee. “We’ve agreed to have that discussion when the time comes.”

“Well, you have made progress.”

Hugh watched Captain. The cat was not a delicate eater. “Speaking of progress, when did the cat start eating off the Wedgwood?”

Stanhill flipped his paper back up. “You’d better not break her heart.”

Hugh sighed and drank his coffee. He would never intentionally hurt Delaney, but he still couldn’t see agreeing to turn her into a vampire. If it came to that.

Three rapid knocks sounded on the front door.

Stanhill put the paper down. “I’ll get it.”

He returned a moment later with Sheriff Merrow in tow. “Coffee, Sheriff?”

“Sure.” He took a seat at the table across from Hugh. “Did some digging on Delaney’s boss.”

Hugh nodded. “And?”

“He’s bad news. Racketeering, tax evasion, money laundering…and at least two suspected murders for hire, but they haven’t been able to nail him on anything. He’s like John Gotti, a real Teflon Don.”

Hugh’s gut clenched at the thought of a villain like that after Delaney. “Damn. She could very well be in danger then.”

Stanhill put a cup of coffee in front of the sheriff. Concern bent Stanhill’s brows, but he said nothing.

Merrow nodded. “If this guy finds out where she is, yes.” Merrow shook his head. “I don’t want to cause panic, but Bridget had a couple of out-of-towners at the bar last night and—”

“You told Bridget?” Merrow’s sister, Bridget, ran Howlers, a very popular local dive bar. The name was rather tongue in cheek seeing as how she, like both her brothers, was a werewolf, but the place was a Nocturne Falls landmark.

“I wanted her to be on the lookout since she gets a lot of traffic.” He drank his coffee. “Like I was saying, she had a couple of fellows in last night from New York. They paid cash, so she didn’t even get names.”

Hugh frowned. “I’d imagine New Yorkers aren’t that uncommon.” He also didn’t want to cause Delaney any unnecessary stress.

“No, but these guys were asking if there were a lot of other New Yorkers in town. Where they hung out. Where was the best place to catch a Yankees game on TV.”

Warning bells went off in Hugh’s head. “You think they were looking for Delaney?”

Merrow shrugged. “Don’t know, but it’s worth keeping an eye on them. I’ve asked Bridget to look through her security cams and see if she can find clear pictures of them. Just in case. Either way, thought you should be aware of this possible situation.”

The thought of Delaney in trouble made him want to chew nails. “I can protect her.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Merrow said. “I also don’t really want to do the paperwork on a double homicide.”

“I promised her we’d go to the Panic Parade.”

Merrow took a thoughtful breath. “Doubtful they’d try something in a crowd, but keep her close.” He drained his cup and stood. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll let you know if I find anything else out.”

Hugh got to his feet. “Maybe it’s nothing, but Piper knows Delaney’s full name and that she came here to hide out. Julian said last night that Piper made it clear to him that she’s ‘out for Delaney,’ for what that’s worth.”

Merrow rubbed a hand slowly over his mouth. “I hate to stir that pot if I don’t have to.”

Hugh nodded. No one liked to cross the Hodges. They loved to get their revenge in print. “I’ll talk to Julian. See if I can get something concrete.”

“Or…” Merrow’s brows lifted. “You might want to talk to Piper yourself. She may tell you more than she told your brother. And at least it wouldn’t be secondhand.”

“You know what you’re asking me?”

Merrow nodded and headed for the door. “I’ll let myself out. Call me after you’ve seen her.”

Hugh groaned as the door shut. He looked at Stanhill. “Piper.”

Stanhill put Merrow’s cup in the sink. “It’s for Delaney.”

Hugh grabbed his coat. “That’s the only reason I’d do this. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

The only male in Delaney’s bed when she woke up was Captain. He stared at her from the other pillow, judging her in the silent way of cats. She propped herself on her elbows and wrinkled her nose at him. “Be quiet. I’m a grown woman. I can sleep with whoever I like. And I like Hugh.”

In fact, she liked him a
lot
.

Captain licked his chops and burped a sulfurous, fishy cloud at her.

“Ew. What have you been eating?”

He put his head down and closed his eyes.

“Fine, go to sleep. Your stinky cat breath isn’t enough to ruin my mood.” Not when she and Hugh had reached a mutual agreement about giving a relationship an honest try.

She kissed him on the head then lay back down and grinned as a sense of nutty wonderment filled her. She was in a
relationship
with a
vampire
. She put her hand to her throat, but the dragonfly was gone.

Bolting upright, she started patting the sheets. Crap. If she’d lost that…then she saw it on the nightstand. A simple ivory note card was propped next to it.

She snatched it up and read.

Had an errand. See you soon. Miss you already.

-H

She read it again, still smiling. “Miss you too,” she whispered to the note. She looked over her shoulder at Captain. “Your mother is gone, you know that? Gone hard.”

With a laugh, she hopped out of bed and climbed into a long, hot shower that felt almost as good as last night. Hugh had been nothing short of amazing. Sweet, tender and utterly devoted while somehow dominant and demanding at the same time. He’d left her exhausted in the most pleasurable way possible.

She rinsed the shampoo from her hair. No wonder Piper hadn’t wanted to let him go.

A few more minutes of luxuriating under the hot spray and she got out, wrapped herself and her hair in towels, then tried to figure out what to wear. Her clothing options were getting more limited by the day. She ended up pulling on jeans and a T-shirt.

If she was going to stay here, which she was, at least for a few more weeks, she needed more things to wear. She hadn’t spent a dime since she’d gotten here so she could spare a little bit. Maybe she’d drive into town and check out the boutiques she’d seen.

She grabbed her purse and headed downstairs. She poked her head into the kitchen. “Stanhill?”

No sign of him. Maybe he’d gone with Hugh. She checked a few other rooms, but couldn’t find him. She went back to the kitchen and left him a note, promising to be back in an hour or two.

The drive into town wasn’t bad, but parking took her longer than expected. Finally, she snagged a spot and hit the sidewalk. The streets were busy, probably because of the parade tomorrow. Signs were posted showing the parade route. That would be fun.

She walked past the park. The gargoyle at the fountain was telling jokes to the kids gathered around. She stopped for a moment as the realization struck her that the gargoyle was pretty real and not animatronic, like she’d first thought.

On the other side of the park was one of the little clothing stores she’d seen. She stopped in and poked around, but the styles and prices were a little too upscale. “Is there a secondhand store in town?” she asked the clerk.

The woman nodded. “A block down and turn right. It’s across from the Tombstone.”

“The Tombstone?”

“The newspaper building.”

“Oh, right. Thanks.” The newspaper Piper’s family owned. Delaney followed the woman’s directions and found the shop easily, but did her best to ignore the building on the other side of the street. A chance meeting with Piper was not on her agenda.

The store’s selection was great, and she had an armful of selections after only a few minutes. Jeans, a few tops and a new sundress, plus a vintage candy mold she didn’t need but couldn’t resist. She paid and, bag in hand, left the little shop behind.

She stopped outside the door and stared.

Hugh was leaving the Tombstone building. What errand had he been doing, exactly? She could just make out the image of the woman watching him from inside the lobby. Tall, blonde and unmistakably Piper.

Betrayal gut-punched her. This was shades of Russell all over again. And after what had happened last night…she shook her head. She was jumping to conclusions.

Hugh got in his Jaguar and drove off. He didn’t look happy. That might be a good sign. If he’d just had a happy meeting with Piper, he’d have a smile on his face, wouldn’t he?

None of that erased the sick feeling in her belly. She walked slowly back to her car, her thoughts continuing to spin out possibilities. Maybe Piper had called him about something. Maybe she was trying to blackmail him over Delaney’s real identity. Except her real identity was basically public knowledge now.

Forcing herself not to freak, she drove back to Hugh’s and went inside.

He and Stanhill were in the middle of a heated conversation in the living room. The last thing she heard was Hugh saying, “I don’t want to tell her any of this yet.”

That didn’t sound so great. She walked in, not caring if she was interrupting. “You don’t want to tell me what?”

Hugh looked relieved to see her. “There you are. You shouldn’t have gone into town alone.”

His concern wasn’t nearly as touching as it should have been. “Why? Because I might see you meeting with Piper?”

He frowned, then shook his head. “No, but about that—”

“Yes, please explain. I’m dying to know why you didn’t tell me you were going to see Piper. I thought we were going to be honest with one another now? Especially after we just slept together.” She dropped her bag on the floor and took a seat on the sofa, kicking her feet up on the coffee table and settling in.

Stanhill made for the door.

She pointed at him. “You. Stay.”

He cleared his throat and took a seat in one of the occasional chairs.

Hugh sighed. “Our sleeping together had nothing to do with me going to see her. Not directly anyway.”

“Then why’d you go?”

“Because she threatened you.” His eyes took on a predatory gleam. “And I am
not
okay with that.”

“What?” All traces of frustration vanished from Delaney’s gorgeous face. “What do you mean she threatened me? How?”

Hugh sat near her on the sofa. “First things first. I know you’re mad I went to see Piper.”

“No, I’m mad you went to see her without telling me and that I had to find out about it on my own. But maybe that’s just my own insecurity talking and maybe I don’t have a right to that with you. Not yet.”

“No, you do. I know your last boyfriend cheated on you. I am not that man. Nor will I ever be.” He never wanted her to feel betrayed again, especially not because of something he’d done.

“Even better.” Her smile broadened. “Now tell me about Piper threatening me.”