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Since she didn’t want to lie to them, but she also wasn’t ready to go public with the story, she hedged. “I’m a journalist. I’ve got several stories going right now. It’s probably somebody trying to silence me.”

The officer nodded and wrote something down in his tiny notebook. “We’ll need a list of those stories and the people involved, ma’am.”

“I’ll need to clear that with my editor first.”

The cop didn’t seem happy about that. “Fine. But the more you tell us, the more likely we are to find who did this.”

Carrie knew he was right, but with the number of powerful people she had seen in the Doll House, she didn’t know how far reaching this was. The police could be tainted too, so she wasn’t going to give anymore information than she had to.

In all of this, Peter stayed back, only answering a few questions. Finally, he interjected.

“I’d really like to get Miss Davenport out of here. Is it possible for her to come to a station and finish this at a later date?”

The officer agreed, and Peter looked at her.

“Pack some clothes. You’re staying with me.”

“Oh really?” she asked, putting one hand on her hip.

“Carrie, damn it. Stop arguing and pack. Get what you need for a week and let’s get the hell out of here. You’re staying with me. End of story.”

She hated he was right. It was better to stay with him until they figured this out.

In her bedroom, she pulled a duffel bag from the closet and tossed in clothes. She put two suits in a garment bag then packed her makeup and toiletries.

With an empty backpack, she went to the small desk in the corner of her living room and loaded up her laptop and a stack of notes for stories she was working on. By the time she finished packing, the police had moved outside to talk to the complex manager while they waited for a crime scene team.

Peter picked up her bags and gave his number to an officer on the way to his SUV. He was silent as he put her belongings in the back and climbed into the driver’s seat.

The silence was killing her as he started the engine with barely a glance her way. “I can just go stay in a hotel. Really, it’s not a problem.”

“Not happening. We don’t know who’s following you, and this involves me now. Until I know more, you’re stuck with me, sweetheart.” He eased the car into traffic, heading for his apartment.

It was nearly eleven by the time they made it to his place. He insisted on carrying her bags into the building and onto the elevator where they rode to his floor. She took in the marble tiles and rich brown walls, something she hadn’t noticed the last time she’d been in the building. Her face flushed with embarrassment and arousal as she remembered the way he’d taken her that day.

“Are you sure you don’t mind me staying?”

His laugh was staccato and humorless as he dropped her duffel and turned to face her. “I mind. A lot. But we don’t have a choice.” He took a step towards her, but the elevator doors slid open, and he bent to scoop her bag up and stalked into the corridor.

Inside his unit, he carried her belongings to a guest bedroom without a word. She jogged to keep up with his long strides.

“My room is at the end of the hall. There’s a bathroom across from you. I have to be back at work in less than six hours, so I need to sleep.”

“Thank you for believing me.”

“I’m not saying I believe whoever sent you this shit, but there is obviously something going on.” He pulled open the door to step into the hallway.

“You’ll need to get up when I do, so I can drop you off at your office. Unfortunately, you’ll have to stay there until I’m off. I’ll do my best to make sure work doesn’t run late.

As he spoke, her eyebrows rose.

“You want me to get up and go to work with you at six in the morning?”

“Well, I can’t let you stay here alone. Not only do I not trust you, it’s not safe for you to be by yourself.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “I have no intention of spending fourteen hours in my cubicle. I have shit to do.”

“Sorry. It’s not safe,” he said with a shrug.

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