Just a touch of a button closed them all quickly, but since they had been installed, Austin kept them pulled up, leaving the windows completely open. It gave him such a sense of peace and normalcy to be able to look out and see nothing but wide open flat lands. Austin couldn’t wait to get out of the sweaty, dirty clothes he’d worn all day. He tracked a small trail of dirt across his marble floor as he made his way to his bathroom. He peeled off his jeans and dropped his underwear, kicking both aside once he hit his bedroom door. The t-shirt made it close to the hamper in the bathroom. Austin had let the decorators come in and finish the house over the last two days. He’d stayed discreetly hidden, tucked away in the barn. He’d also scheduled the local grocery store to deliver once a week. They left his order at Mike’s trailer every Friday. His Spanish, non-English speaking, senior citizen housekeeper apparently had one of his hands bring it down to the house. Mike hired the housekeeper before Austin ever arrived, swearing she had no clue as to his identity and would absolutely keep things quiet.
