Oliver hesitated. “Mr. Woodford is a very private man.”

“I see.” It seemed he would remain tightlipped about his employer.

He served breakfast, and she started eating quietly. The food was just what she needed to get her energy back.

“He’s a good man. You’ll be good for him; he needs somebody like you.”

Her ears perked up. “What do you mean?” Oliver didn’t know her. How would he know whether she’d be good for Samson?

“Sorry; I’ve already said too much.” He went back to silently cleaning the counter. Delilah noticed the large cracks in the granite as if somebody had hit it with a hammer.

“What happened there?”

Oliver flinched. “Faulty material. Cracked when there was a little earthquake. I’ve already called for a replacement.”

Half an hour later, Delilah sat in the back of the limousine, with Oliver driving toward the financial district. As they approached the building in which she worked, he turned to her.

“I’ll have to figure out where I can park. Which company do you work for?”

“Scanguards. It’s on the twentieth floor. I can meet you up there if you need to find a place to park.”

Oliver raised his eyebrows, then drove straight into the garage of the building.

“That won’t be necessary.”

He was let through when he showed the security guard an ID. The guard mumbled something Delilah couldn’t understand and pointed toward an area of empty parking spots. He pulled the car into one marked “Scanguards.”

When they reached their destined floor and entered the lobby, the receptionist greeted her with a smile.

“Good afternoon, Miss Sheridan.”

“Good afternoon, Kathy.”

As Oliver followed her, Kathy stopped him. “Excuse me please, who are you here to see?”

Oliver turned. “I’m with Miss Sheridan.”

She gave Delilah a look.

“Yes, he’s with me.”

“Would you please sign in?” Kathy pointed to the guest book with a pen, and Oliver complied.

She smiled at him when he returned her pen after signing. “Go right in.”

Delilah walked to the desk the company provided for her. As soon as she reached it, with Oliver following her closely, she caught John’s look. He stared through the glass enclosure of his private office, seemingly surprised to see her. He immediately stalked out to meet her.

“I was wondering what had happened.” John’s tone was accusatory.

“I wasn’t feeling well this morning,” Delilah lied. “Everything’s fine now.” She sat down and booted up the computer.

Only now John seemed to take notice of Oliver.

“Can I help you?” His tone was even curter than when he’d spoken to her. She wondered whether he’d gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

Oliver shook his head. “I’m here with Miss Sheridan.” He didn’t volunteer any more information.

“Who is this, Delilah?”

She looked up from her desk. “He’s here to accompany me.”

“Excuse me? We can’t just have all kinds of strangers go in and out of the office. I’m afraid your boyfriend will have to stay outside.”

Delilah bit her lip. Obviously Samson hadn’t thought of this. Oliver couldn’t stay by her side all day while she worked. What had he been thinking?

“I’ll handle this,” Oliver offered.

He pulled out an ID and waved it at John. As soon as he looked at it, John felt the blood drain from his face and gave Oliver a stunned glare.

“Fine,” was all he could press out.

So she had called in the cavalry and gotten protection from the top. A bodyguard from Scanguards! And one at the highest-clearance level. It meant he could gain access to anywhere within the company. How had she managed to get this kind of preferential treatment? She was only an auditor. None of the auditors before had ever gotten their own bodyguards assigned. This was not good.

When Delilah hadn’t shown up at work first thing in the morning, John had already been licking his chops celebrating, thinking the man he was beholden to had made an attempt on her life after they’d spoken on the phone. Apparently that wasn’t the case. How hard was it to get rid of a little auditor?

John knew that now it would be virtually impossible. If she was protected by a Scanguards bodyguard, there was nothing he could do. They were the best-trained bodyguards available in the nation. It was rumored they were even better than the Secret Service. He cringed at the thought of having to tell the man who was controlling his life at present that she’d acquired a bodyguard. He wouldn’t be pleased. He’d be furious, and nobody knew what he was capable of.