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Chapter TWENTY-FOUR
Austin
“3909Cedar Creek Drive. About five miles north,” muttered Austin as he closed the door of the sedan, settling into the backseat beside Casey.
The driver nodded and put the car in gear, slowly rolling away from Templeton Manor in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Casey’s head drooped against the window, her eyes closed. In the darkness of the car, Austin reached over and clasped his hand around her balled-up fists in her lap. At his touch, she turned and smiled.
“Some wedding, huh?” She yawned. “I swear if I ever get married, it’s City Hall for sure.”
Nausea stirred in his gut. The L.A. parking garage swirled in his mind, the prospect of returning to the scene of the crime rattling around in his exhausted, conflicted brain. He swallowed. “Really? No big party?”
The headlights from a passing car illuminated her face. “I mean, well maybe just a rooftop bar with Old Style or something.” She squeezed his hand and grinned. “Oh! The Cubs won! Eight to four...”
Mitch owes me a hundred bucks.
“A playoff team in the making.” Austin pulled his hand from hers and tucked a curl behind her ear. His fingers trailed the length of her arm, grazing the fabric of her dress along her waist. “Ouch!”
“What?”
He held up his index finger, a pinprick of deep-red blood oozing out.
Casey grinned. “To be fair, I did warn you about the pins.” She pulled his finger to her mouth and dragged the tip of her tongue across the tiny wound.
A twinge gripped him low in the abdomen as she sucked gently on his finger. “That reminds me,” she whispered. “The wedding’s over... feel free to rip this dress off me when we get home.”
A smile consumed his mouth as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek. Catching the eye of the driver in the rearview mirror as the car rolled into the driveway, Austin handed a twenty-dollar bill over the front seat.
The driver winked. “Thanks, buddy. Enjoy your night.”
Austin smirked and closed the door. Following Casey up the porch steps, he punched in the code and entered the house. His fingers fumbled for the light switch in the dark foyer before the chandelier brought the space to life.
“I have to pee so bad!” Casey stumbled away to the powder room.
Kicking off his shoes, Austin sank to the bottom step of the staircase and rubbed his toes. With a sigh, he propped his elbows on his knees and let his head sink to his hands, his palms meeting his forehead with a thud.
