And it was those three things that were going to get him out of this situation now, if he could just slow down and think. With Cassie gone, and able to ID the killer, it posed a great deal of concern to his benefactor, and he was not a man who would be pleased with failure. That was why he’d been chosen for this unpleasantness. Clint Buckholt’s death was supposed to be a quick affair, the result of unpaid and growing gambling debts, and Cassie’s protection—with her being under his control, and the subsequent rooting out of the killer, was supposed to be his fast-track ticket to an office in DC. Now he was stuck, in the desert, with no witness, and two of the finest law enforcement officers off on what was sure to be a hunt to find the killer to keep Cassie safe. Mack Jefferson was the key. Austin could see the protective streak that had served him so well on the job now encompassed Cassie. Where he went, she was sure to be with him, and it would be just like she was still officially in his grasp.
