Page 9 of The Negotiator

Garrett ignored the amusement he heard in Matthias’s voice and saw in Kayla’s raised eyebrow as he answered. “I got her a suite at the Carsley Inn.”

For a second the rest of the group stared at him. If there was such a thing as a group frown he could now honestly say he’d been on the receiving end of one. The women managed to look baffled and skeptical. Matthias clearly fought off a smile. The asshole.

“This suite...” Matthias’s annoyingly light voice trailed off. “You’ll just happen to be sleeping in it as well?”

That was enough to break Kayla’s stare. She rolled her eyes. “Subtle.”

“I can stay here.” Lauren looked around, her gaze bouncing off the walls and furniture—everywhere but at Carl and the experts buzzing around his body, collecting evidence and taking photographs of everything and everyone.

“It’s a crime scene. You have to leave for at least a short time.” Garrett wanted to get her out of there. That meant heading through the crowd outside and possibly being stopped by someone who knew Carl.

“My office—”

“Lauren.” She still wasn’t getting this, so he tried again. “This isn’t up for debate.”

Fire flashed in her eyes. “Excuse me?”

About damn time.There was the Lauren he knew. Sharp, aware and not easy to push around. The last few hours had beaten her down but she rose right back up again. Garrett couldn’t think of anything hotter.

Matthias leaned closer to Kayla but didn’t bother lowering his voice. “Watching these two work through this is going to be fun.”

Lauren’s head shot up. “This?”

The tone suggested she was not in the mood for jokes. If Matthias heard it, he ignored it. “Do I really have to spell it out?”

Kayla sighed at him. “A man is dead.”

“Right.” Matthias cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

That led them right back to Garrett’s point. He wanted to get settled in, call Wren and try to get a read on Detective Cryer’s initial thoughts on the case. First, he had to convince Lauren she needed a roommate. “Matthias and Kayla don’t live in town. You need to be close to work and available for... questioning.”

Kayla winced. “Not your best argument since I work twenty feet away from her office.”

A man could not catch a break. Garrett wanted to tell both Matthias and Kayla that he could handle this, but he was pretty sure Kayla would punch him. He spared her a quick glance before looking at Lauren again. She was the one he needed to convince. “My point is the Carsley Inn is a neutral location. We can watch over you there. I’ll be nearby.”

Matthias shook his head. “We’re finally getting to a bit of truth.”

“Shut up,” Garrett shot back.

“It’s not fun having your personal life picked apart, is it?” Matthias asked. “Having a friend all up in your dating business.”

Lauren frowned at Matthias. “We’re not dating.”

It figured that was the part of the conversation she’d focus on. Garrett couldn’t imagine what Matthias would do with that information later.

“Are you sure?” Matthias asked.

Lauren’s frown only deepened. “Wouldn’t I know?”

“Given Garrett’s skill with women? Possibly not.”

“Okay, stop. Let’s focus.” Garrett moved Lauren out of the direct path from the front door to the body as two members of the forensic team headed for Detective Cryer. Garrett tried to ignore all the activity spinning around them and focus on the woman in front of him. “Come to the Inn for a few days. I’ll ride the detective to get you back into the house as soon as possible.”

“And where will you be while all of this happens?” Matthias asked.

Garrett didn’t even look at his friend. He kept staring at Lauren, willing her to agree. “On her couch. For protection.”

Matthias exhaled. “Of course. Who wouldn’t want a finance guy as a bodyguard?”

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