Chemical - Post Malone

Home Sweet Home

They are in Los Angeles after 9 pm. Kitty follows Tiny and Austin off the plane with Honey bundled in her arms. There is an SUV already waiting for them and a woman who looks like she does a lot of weight training and drinks a ton of protein powder jumps out of the car and launches herself at Tiny. Tiny catches her while Austin and Kitty watch what can only be described as the most aggressively sweet kiss Kitty has ever seen. Kitty is sure they are seconds away from screaming in pain...or pleasure, depending on what they are into.

Austin takes Kitty's hand and pulls her to the car. Kitty can't take her eyes off Tiny and the woman who must be his wife. Tiny looks like he is about ready to swallow her. "Kitty, stop staring," Austin says putting his hand on the top of her head and guiding her into the car. "But, Austin, is Tiny safe? She looks like she could do some damage," she says, still looking. Austin goes down on his haunches in front of Kitty, chuckling.

"Kitty, look at me," he requests. Kitty looks at Austin for a second but then her eyes shoot back to Tiny and his must-be wife. She sure hopes it's his wife. If it's not then the wife is either already dead or doesn't stand a hope in hell against whatever those two are doing. Wow.

"Kitty!"

"What! What, Austin?" She snaps her eyes back to him, annoyed with his bossy tone. "That is Jess. Tiny's wife. She is my other bodyguard, used to be in the military, and eats lots of steamed vegetables and chicken."

"Seems she eats a lot of Tiny too."

"Gross! I did not need that visual."

Kitty's mouth drops open and points to Jess and Tiny. "What did you think they were doing? Holding hands? Wait...why do you need two bodyguards?" Kitty turns all her attention back to Austin. "Well, Kitty I have something serious to tell you. I did not tell you back in Phoenix because I was afraid of scaring you off, but," he reaches out and takes her hand, looking up at her with big round eyes and a very serious frown on his face, "I am not an actor, I am...I...," he hangs his head covering his face with the hand that's not holding Kitty's, "I never realized how hard this would be to tell you," he says.

Kitty quickly takes her hands back and moves Honey to the seat next to her and then back to Austin. "Are you in trouble? It's ok we will fix it. Just tell me, I won't be angry or scared away," she says running her fingers through his hair then cupping his cheeks and pulling his face close to hers. "Thank you, Kitty. I appreciate you having my back. Loyalty, my kind takes that very seriously," he says. My kind? What is he going on about?

"Kitty, I am in the mafia. Just a run-of-the-mill gangster, mobster, outlaw...we go by many names," he closes his eyes and sighs deeply then looks at Kitty again, "it's a lonely life...a price I pay for keeping the ones I love safe." Kitty frowns. That makes no sense. She had seen him in that cowboy movie and Luke is a fan, he knows everything about him. The mafia? Were they not master at disguises? Did Luke work for them? Wait...is that why he disappeared? But then how does he know Luke? She is confused.

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you? They call me Icebox."

"Icebox? Why Icebox?"

"Because I am as cool as ice."

Kitty looks at Austin with a frown, trying to take in what he has been saying. Then Austin's serious face slowly crumbles into a grin and then he lets out a rip-roaring laugh. The bastard. Kitty pushes him and he rolls onto his back but continues to laugh spread out like a starfish on the tarmac. Kitty wants to be annoyed but she finds herself chuckling and then laughing along with him. She had believed him for a second and that's the insane part.

She gets out of the car and stands over him. She should knee him in his balls just for good measure. But his happy face kind of makes everything else seem mundane and for a moment he looks like that 18-year-old fresh-faced boy who used to take her swimming at the lake near her house. Austin, still grinning, puts both hands out to her. She takes them but when she tries to pull him up he pulls her down and before she realizes it she is sitting straddled to him. He sits up, wrapping his arms around her waist while hers naturally drape over his shoulders.