207|Distance

The meeting with the bankers and accounting firm went on longer than Austin had anticipated, and by the time he saw his team off and headed to bed, Marybeth was fast asleep.

He took Orlando to her room, tucked her in, and did a quick security sweep of the house before turning in for the night.

He was almost drifting off when his phone screeched on the nightstand. He grabbed it quickly and left the room, careful not to wake Marybeth as he shut the door.

"This had better be fucking good! Do you know what time it is?" he snarled into the phone as soon as he hit the answer button. Piper was the last person he expected to hear from; he assumed she'd deal directly with his handlers.

"The cop is awake," she informed him.

"When did he come to?" Austin asked, relief sweeping through his body as he sank onto the coffee table in the living room.

"About an hour ago. His room is still under lockdown, but my colleagues said he'll be okay."

"I need more than that—"

"I'm sorry," Piper cut in quickly,