Page 127 of Heist

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“And you’re sure he’s not going to be here?” Austin asked Lance as they drove up the path to Solitaire the next day.

“Austin,” he said quietly. “You’re about this close to getting a spanking and you clearly need a lesson in trust.”

Her face flushed with embarrassment. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ve given you my word that he’s not going to be there. I have no reason to lie to you and I find it offensive that you feel the need to keep asking.”

She dropped her head and twisted at her seatbelt. “I’m sorry. The thought of seeing him just hurts so much that I guess I’m projecting.”

Lance squeezed her shoulders. “I know, sweetie but I’m starting to think you need to cut him a little slack. I’m not saying he handled things well, but you clearly have some trust issues of your own that you need to work on. Again, not making excuses for the guy but I am suggesting that you take a long hard look at yourself.”

Austin sighed. Lance was ever the teacher and mentor and she didn’t like that he was probably right. “Can we maybe not talk about this for a while? I’ve cried so much the past week. I don’t think I can handle anymore.”

They spent the rest of the drive in silence. When they were pulling up to the door, she gave him a funny look. “You wouldn’t really spank me, would you?”

He put the car in park and pulled the key out of the ignition. “Are you still a house submissive?”

She nodded.

“And as long as Patrick isn’t here, I’m your trainer, so yes, unless you withdraw consent you bet your ass, I’ll spank you if you fuck up. So how about you don’t fuck up?”

For some reason, that made Austin giggle. “I’m pretty sure I fucked up the day I gave in to Eli’s request.”

Lance just shook his head. “Get your ass inside and take a damn nap,” he said as he opened his door. “My suite is yours for the weekend. I’m bunking in one of the cabins.”

Austin trudged up the stairs and past the door to Patrick’s suite. A possessive part of her was jealous that someone else was staying there this weekend. She’d come to regard it as her room as much as it was Patrick’s.

When she stepped into Lance’s green suite, exhaustion hit her. A glance in the bathroom mirror before she climbed in the shower confirmed Lance’s declaration that she looked like shit. A nap suddenly sounded like the best idea ever.

A frantic knock at the door pulled her out of a restless sleep.

When she opened the door, Lance was there with a phone in his hand. “Jax did it,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

“He did what?”

“I didn’t do anything,” she heard a voice say from the phone in Lance’s hand.

She reached out and plucked it from his hand. “Hi Jax, what didn’t you do then?”

“Tim Reyes is confessing to being paid to frame Patrick. I came to Canada to interview him. At first, he wasn’t saying anything at all, but he called me crying and blubbering about the money being gone. Whoever was paying him decided to cut and run and left a few nasty notes on their way out. Our pal Tim wants to turn himself in before someone else does it for him.”

Austin stumbled back into the suite, the phone still to her ear. Lance was right behind her and helped her into a chair.

“Just breath,” he told her, a hand on her shoulder.

“Is this enough that the police will as the D.A. to drop the charges?”

“It’s impossible to say for sure, but my bet is yes. Me and Tim are on a plane back to New York now. I just ducked into the bathroom to call you. I already sent Lance everything digital Tim had so you can look at it.”

Austin squeezed her eyes shut and focused on breathing for a minute. “And you’re sure you didn’t bully him into a confession? I need this to be airtight.”

“I’m sure Austin. I honestly thought I was going to come home empty-handed, but I think whoever paid Tim got spooked when I showed up. I need to get off here. Call Patrick.”

When the line went dead, Austin sagged against the chair. “What do I do now,” she whispered, unable to think straight.

Lance laughed. “You’re the attorney. It’s already after five on a Friday. You’re going to have a hard time getting charges dropped until Monday, right?”

She nodded. “Right, but I still need to prep Victoria. Will you call him for me? I don’t think I can.”

Lance smoothed a hand through her hair. “Sure. What do I tell him if he wants to talk to you?”

She blew out a breath. “Tell him I’m not ready yet. But tell him we’ll have dinner soon. I just need some time.”

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