Page 10 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
‘Let’s go,’ Gunderson said.
As much as Brody was down with that idea, he wasn’t ready. They were missing one important detail. His jaw set as he stepped to the bed. He fluffed the covers and looked underneath them. He wasn’t going to leave without them.
‘Hey,’ Morgan snapped.
Brody ignored him as he searched alongside the bed. He found what he was looking for under the nightstand. A little scrap of black silk. Jenny’s panties. He swept them up and jammed them into his pocket. He was not leaving that kind of evidence behind for anyone to use.
‘That video,’ he said, his voice clipped. ‘Anything beyond the breaking and entering portion is not to be used.’
Morgan slowly cocked his head. ‘I just collect the evidence. It’s up to the DA how to use it.’
Brody heard the ‘fuck you’ in the answer, but he didn’t give a shit. Genieve was on that tape. Incidentally, so was his client. He was going to get it back, one way or the other.
The detective met his stare. ‘Ms Hart,’ he said calmly. ‘Do you need a ride home?’
The vein in Brody’s neck bulged. ‘I’llget her to safety.’
The detective’s eyebrows rose.
Think of it what he would, they were done here. Without a word, Brody turned. For once, his client picked up on the message he was sending. With his arm around Genieve’s waist, the senator guided her out of the hotel room. Brody walked at their side as they headed down the hallway. Cops, hotel staff and a few hotel guests stopped to watch. Gunderson was talking softly to his date, apologising to her and asking if she was truly all right.
Brody’s gaze dropped down to where the senator was caressing her hip.
‘You,’ he snapped at a man in a green jacket that matched the carpeting.
The manager stepped back, sensing danger.
Brody reached into his pocket. ‘The senator appreciates your people providing aid tonight, but you need to assure me that your hotel values discretion as much as they do their guests’ safety.’
He handed the man a large folded-up bill. ‘Because we both know it was your lack of security measures that let those men into that room.’
He teased the bill away. ‘The room of a US senator and hisgirlfriend.’
The hotel manager nodded like a bobble-headed doll. ‘Yes. Yes, sir. We understand each other perfectly.’
He tucked the money away, and Brody caught up with his problem client just as the doors of the elevator were closing. He stopped them and pushed them back open. ‘Wrong way.’
They followed him down to the other end of the hallway to the freight elevator. It was quiet and out of the way, but the ride down was tense.
‘Brody, I—’
‘Not here,’ he said sharply. He and the senator would have lots of words about this later, but not here.
They arrived on the ground floor. Avoiding the lobby, he led them to the side entrance to the hotel. The car he’d called for the senator was waiting at the curb. ‘That’s for you, Samuel.’
Gunderson rubbed his hand up and down Genieve’s side, tucking her up close. ‘Let’s get you home, darling.’
‘No.’ Brody caught her by the elbow, and her big green eyes turned on him. ‘She’s with me.’
Gunderson’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
‘Go home and don’t take any calls,’ Brody instructed. ‘I’ll contact you in the morning with instructions on how to handle this.’
The senator nodded. The moon had lowered on the horizon and his hair looked grey now instead of silver. His adrenalin was waning and the stress of the night showed in the drooping set of his shoulders.
He patted Genieve’s waist. ‘Brody knows best, darling.’
Brody drew her away. ‘My car’s down here.’
