25. Thea
THEA
“What happened?” I ask.
“Wick…fell,” he says, his eyes fixed forward. “He was high off his ass. I had a hard time getting through to him.”
“Getting through to him about what?”
He looks at me, his eyes wild. “About corroborating your story, Thea. About making sure the silver sneakers the detective thinks are the be-all and end-all of this investigation are a big red herring. But I can’t deal with him right now. Right now I just want to make sure you’re safe and sound.”
I don’t buy the story Aus is telling about Wick falling down, but I couldn’t give a flying fuck right now. He’s the least of my worries. What started as a tiny pinprick of annoyance has blossomed in the last few hours to existential dread.
And Aus, who barely knows me from Eve, has taken it upon himself to help me out.
I don’t have to stay at his house. I could call someone from work. I have some old friends who live nearby who would be willing to put a roof over my head for a few nights. And God knows I can afford a few nights in a hotel.
But I choose Aus.
Because there’s something truly wonderful about him.
I can’t quite put my finger on it.
But if I can’t be in my own bed tonight, I want to be in his.
Every feeling I had last night when I went home with Wick, every feeling telling me to run the other way as far as I could…
I don’t have those with Aus.
I have the opposite.
My gut is telling me to be with this man. To do everything in my power to stay under his protection.
That with his help, I’ll end up back home.
Back where I belong.
There’s no place like it.
“Thank you,” I murmur. “Thank you for giving me a home tonight. Dodo too.”
He reaches over, caresses my cheek with his right hand. “Like I said, I want you safe and sound. That’s what matters more than anything else right now. If you’re with me, I know you’ll be safe.”
I don’t ask Aus if he’ll let me share his bed. If he doesn’t offer it, I’ll sleep on the couch. He’s a gentleman and would probably insist I take his bed while he sleeps on the couch.
Funny. That’s what Wick offered as well.
He’s not a terrible guy, despite what Aus says.
But he’s also right. I don’t really know him.
Aus clearly can’t stand the guy.
But he’s kept him around the Jade Sanctum. I wonder why.
I hope Aus asks me to sleep with him. At the very least to make sure he can protect me the whole night through.
But it’s more than that.
His cock burning through me could be the very medicine I need after such a crazy day.
“Home sweet home,” Aus says as he parks into a spot in the alley behind his apartment.
The brick building is older, dusty, with wrought-iron fencing lining the perimeter. Aus guides me out of the car through a courtyard to the front door of his building. He pulls out a key and jerks it around inside the keyhole.
“It never works the first time,” he explains as he twists the key around. Finally the latch loosens and he opens the door. I walk inside, and he gestures to a set of stairs. “I’m on the third floor, apartment five. But the Roman numeral five, so it’s a V.”
“Got it.”
Dodo begins purring as I walk up. I’ve had her long enough to know it’s a nervous purr. “Shhh, Dodo. It’s okay,” I whisper. “Aus is a good man. He’ll make sure nothing happens to us while we’re here.”
“Damn straight I will,” he says from behind me.
We reach the third floor and saunter to the apartment marked “3-V.” Aus puts the key in again, and again it sticks for a second. “It’s a little messy, but I obviously didn’t know I’d have company tonight.”
“I couldn’t give less of a fuck how messy your place is, Aus. You welcomed me at a moment’s notice, and it’s the sweetest thing a man has ever done for me.” I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him on his cheek.
It’s warm. So warm.
Just like all of Aus Waverly.
He’s warmth…and heat.
He grins after I kiss him and then turns toward his door, turning the knob. “Open sesame.”
I walk in behind him.
It’s not bad. Aus’s place is a converted loft space with exposed brick walls.
To the left of the front door is an industrial-style kitchen with stainless-steel appliances, and to the right a cozy dining nook.
Two gray couches—well-worn but good quality—populate his living area along with a shelf full of colorful books.
I pick one from the shelf at random. On its cover is a black-and-white photo of a man pulling a rabbit out of a hat.
“The Tarbell Course in Magic, Volume One.” I narrow my eyes. “Are you into magic?”
“I was a magician in Vegas before I came to Chicago to help run the Jade Sanctum.”
“You were? That’s incredible.”
He crosses the room, takes the book out of my hands, and replaces it on the shelf.
“It was another life. Those Tarbell books are the bible for magicians. I used to read them cover to cover all the time.” He sits down on the couch.
“It’s been years since I even looked at them.
Strange how life turns out so differently from how you planned it. ”
“True.” I sit down next to him, lay my head on his shoulder. “Thank you again.”
“Any man with an ounce of decency would have offered you a place to stay.” He turns toward me, lifts my chin.
“If only every man were as decent as you,” I mutter.
He chuckles lightly. “I’m glad they aren’t.”
Then with a tip of my chin, he brings my lips to his.