Page 33 of Spies without a Face
Lucas and Zoe often went undercover together for investigations, but this wasn’t an investigation. It was my social life. Off limits.
Then again, I did have a slight hand in pairing the two of them up. They’d get a pass tonight but would hear about it tomorrow.
I met up with Austin near the bar. “Ready?”
He glanced down at me with heat in his hazel eyes. “I am.” He extended his arm, and I looped mine through his. “I think you’re right about this all being pre-planned. I told Lucas that we’d be driving you home. He said, ‘Oh, it makes more sense that Zoe drives me home since we live together.’”
“Did he sound convincing?” I asked.
“Like a bad actor who can’t resist looking at the camera.”
I laughed. “Sounds about right with his shenanigans. He likes to pull them but can’t keep a straight face. Then again, he rarely does.”
As we approached the exit, Austin stopped. “Wait, I haven’t handed in my envelope.”
I tipped my head. “Is there someone you met tonight who you want to see again?”
“I’m looking at her right now.”
My pulse kicked up a notch. “Then we’re all set.” I took his envelope and chucked it along with mine into a trash bin. They wouldn’t have the satisfaction of pairing us up through their date-night hijinks.
We walked toward the exit. Before we left, I turned over my shoulder. Lucas, Zoe, and Nova popped up in a window leading into the kitchen. When they saw me, they dropped like scurrying mice.
On the drivenorth to Salem, my nerves returned, and my legs twitched. What was it about Austin that could make me tremble like a schoolgirl near her crush. I shouldn’t get giddy around a man who was at least ten years my junior. He would have been in diapers when I was in school.
I turned to him. “Do you think this is strange?” I motioned between us. “After all, I’m much older than you.”
“Not at all.” The sincerity in his expression back the confidence in his tone. “Does it bother you?”
I closed my eyes. He was right, and I shouldn’t let it get to me. “I tell myself it does, but I wonder if it’s an excuse.”
“About what?”
I swallowed. “Not to get close to anyone.”
We stopped at a red light, and he turned to me. “Why not, Pandora?”
I pursed my lips. Why was I going down this path? I didn’t want to reveal the heartache of my past, especially since Marius had returned from the dead. So, I left it broad. “Because people lie and hurt you.”
Austin’s gaze lingered on me before he faced forward and accelerated on the green light. “I know they do.”
I adjusted in my seat. He was bothered by something—or someone—himself. Although I didn’t want to get into my past, curiosity pushed me to probe. “A woman?” My limbs tightened at the idea of him being hurt.
“Technically, yes.”
“Oh.” His haunted expression stoked more compassion inside me. “Did she break your heart?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t mean romantically. I meant my mother keeping this entire side of me a secret for so long.” He placed his hand back on the steering wheel. “It’s my biology. Part of my identity. She shouldn’t have kept what my father was from me.”
“I agree,” I said, somewhat relieved he wasn’t talking about romance. “But I’m sure she had her reasons.” I cocked my head. “Maybe she was trying to protect you.”
He grunted. “That’s how she explained it.” His jaw twitched. “But I don’t know if I can accept it. It seems like something I should haveknown.”
“You’re right, Austin. I’m sorry you had to find out the way you did.”
“Me too.”
Neither of us said much as the Doors’ “The Spy” faded out and we headed onto the highway.
