240|Of Villains And Heroes

It began to rain soon after Austin's chat with Marybeth, and the gentle showers held steady for some time.

Ordinarily, the soft pattering sounds of raindrops sliding down the windows would have sent Austin straight to dreamland. But not tonight. His much-needed shuteye remained elusive. It wasn't totally unexpected, though. After all, he had too much on his plate. Too many plans to execute. And too many thoughts churning in his head, so much so that not even a hit of nicotine could fix a fraction of his problems like it usually did.

Exhausted at last from staring at the vaulted ceiling for the better part of the hour, Austin kicked off the bedsheets and dragged himself out of bed, resigning himself to working through the night.

He padded to the living area and dumped his laptop and a handful of files on the large office desk in the living area.

Running his fingers on the smooth Acacia wood, he stood there awhile, contemplating the untouched complimentary bottle of champagne. He could