Queen of Men (King Maker 2)

His next words chilled me.

“Everything.”

I shook my head, not wanting to believe him. “I’m just a low-level auditor—”

“Who found what wasn’t meant to be found, not yet at least. You put a spotlight on a plan that was months in the making. You may have inadvertently saved me, as the culprits haven’t pointed all fingers at me yet.”

“So?” I said, not accepting the creeping sensation that raised the hairs on my arms.

“If those notes you received were from this same individual, you’re in danger.”

Now I really laughed. “How would they ever find me here?”

“I did,” he said with no hint of humor.

I shook my head and did my own pacing, a step, a turn, a step, a turn before facing him again.

“My part in this is done. I’m not a threat.”

“You could be. Come back to New York and I’ll keep you safe.”

“No way. I’m not going anywhere with you. Besides, my job is already on the line.” Though I’d probably already lost it. They were just biding time to look like they were being impartial about my part in the mess.

“I’ll hire you,” he said, looking absolutely serious.

“For what? Sex? Because if that comes out of your mouth, God help me—”

“To clear my name.”

Stunned, my mouth gaped. “What? How?”

“Follow the money just like you did in the audit. I don’t trust anyone but you to find the truth.”

Something in the way he spoke, I just knew. “You didn’t do it.”

“I didn’t. Now I have to prove it,” he said fervently. “My father has hired two different accounting firms, one to redo the audit, and one for overseeing future cash transactions.”

“My firm isn’t handling the audit anymore?” I asked absently.

He shook his head. “It was better to bring in someone totally new for both engagements.”

I understood the need for independence. An auditing firm needed to show they had nothing to gain in order to certify that financial statements were in order according to government standards. I also knew that a firm handling an audit couldn’t also be consultants like temporaries in a company to oversee accounting tasks. It would be conflicting objectives.

“Who would believe anything I would find? I would only be further discredited.”

“No one else would know you were working for me.”

I didn’t bother asking about compensation. “I can’t. Honestly, that’s best for you. You need someone who can stand up for you. I’m done as it is. I’ll be lucky to get a job as a bookkeeper if I’m ultimately fired.”

Which it looked more and more like an inevitability. I’d lost my company a client. They couldn’t keep me on.

“You can’t stay here.”

I couldn’t and not because he said it. This way of life wasn’t me anymore, not that it really ever had been.

“I have Lizzy’s place to go back to if I decide to.”

His next statement was another crushing blow.

“Your apartment has been broken into.”

Feeling like I’d been punched, I swayed. As much as I wanted to keep distance between us because my brain was cloudy enough with him five feet away, I couldn’t, because that was Lizzy’s place. Stepping closer to him, I nearly touched his chest when I reached out and said in a panicked voice, “Lizzy.”

He took my hand, and it was like my fingers had been plunged into an electric socket. Every nerve ending in my body lit up as a shiver of goosebumps trailed up my arm and through me.

He entwined our fingers and said, “She’s fine. She’s still in Chicago.”

“That’s good,” I said distractedly.

I’d talked to her yesterday, but I hadn’t been sure when this break-in happened and if she’d gone home after our chat. We hadn’t discussed her travel plans.

“It’s fine. I have a security firm getting everything fixed up.”

My first thought had been Lizzy. I hadn’t considered the damage. “What did they do?”

“The first problem is that they got in. Your building has a doorman. The only other entrance is a well-lit back door that has a hidden security camera. There are more cameras throughout the building on each floor. This guy… or girl had to know about them. On top of the fact that there is a small segment of missing footage, we never see this person enter or exit the building. They couldn’t be working alone.”

I took a step back, not wanting to believe that I was still a target. “Wait? How do you know all of this? How did you find out about the break-in or where to find me?”

As if he could sense the weight of all he’d said was pulling me to the ground, he stepped forward and enclosed me in his arms.

He smelled woodsy like pine as I relished the strength of his arms caging me in.

“You can’t go back there, not alone. Especially after they sent you black roses and spray-painted Die Bitch on your wall.”