Page 31 of Sam's Salvation

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. “Aud?—”

“I’m right, and you know it.”

He let out a soft growl. “I’m not sure what difference an hour away will make.” That’s really all he was asking for. He just wanted to be a city over, where they were away from all the major players.

“You know how fast these situations can change. It makes sense for us to be here.”

She wasn’t going to back down. He could see it in the set to her face. “Fine. But I want at least one of my team to come up and help. We need more eyes.”

“If that’s what you want, that’s fine.”

“Good. Because that part is non-negotiable.” He picked up his phone again.

Thirteen

Audra stared at herself in the wide mirror over the sink in the hotel room they’d rented just off the Strip. She might have argued they should stay in the city, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be somewhere Liam’s men could stumble upon her. The airport hotels were too close, so they’d moved.

She tipped her head, examining her battered body. Dark purple bruises colored her hip and the top of her thigh. The area ached, but not as much as she thought it would. Mostly, it felt like a badly pulled muscle. The fogginess in her brain bothered her more than her hip. That would probably change as the days wore on. Once she didn’t feel like she was swimming through a swamp, the ache would register more. The pain would increase as it healed too. She knew that from experience.

She touched her hair. Her dark brown, almost black tresses were a stark contrast against her pale skin. She didn’t normally have a lot of color, but she was ghostly white. Her body was struggling right now.

Having had enough of staring at her bedraggled appearance, she turned and reached for her clothes. The room spun, and she lost her balance. Crashing into the counter, she slapped at it, trying to stay upright. Her hand hit the toiletries and sent them flying. They hit the floor with a clatter. Her lipstick rolled into the corner and her hairbrush skittered across the tile and banged into the toilet. Sam’s deodorant ricocheted off the bathtub.

With a groan, Audra lowered herself to her knees and pressed her forehead against the cool granite, desperate for the room to stop spinning. The urge to puke hit her hard.

“Audra? Are you all right?” Sam’s voice carried through the closed door.

Too busy holding last night’s dinner down, she didn’t answer.

“Aud? Answer me, or I’m coming in.”

She opened her mouth to call out and immediately closed it again as her stomach rebelled further. She knew her injuries would catch up with her eventually. For the last two days, she’d been running on adrenaline. That was gone now.

The door opened.

“Oh my God. Audra.” Sam sank down next to her, his warm hand landing on her bare back. “What happened?”

Audra swallowed and attempted to speak. “Dizzy.” She knew she should feel some embarrassment over the fact she was naked, but it wasn’t anything Sam hadn’t seen before.

“Come on. Let’s get you off the floor.”

The hand on her back slid around her side. She hissed as he touched the bruise over her hip.

“Sorry.” His hand rose, grazing the underside of her breast.

That sent different signals along her nerve-endings that weren’t unpleasant. The zing didn’t last, though. Her dizziness and the ache in her leg pushed it away.

Sam stood, bringing her with him. Audra sagged into his side as the world spun again. She clutched a handful of his black t-shirt and closed her eyes.

“I’m going to pick you up.”

He shifted at her side. She felt his hand slide along the backs of her thighs, then lift at her knees. In seconds, she was cradled against his broad chest.

“Okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” she croaked, not daring to nod. She stared at his jaw, hoping it would help her head to stare at a fixed point up close.

He carried her through the doorway and into the main part of the hotel room. A moment later, he laid her on her bed and tugged the comforter up over her body. Audra sank into the soft mattress, closing her eyes again, and let her muscles relax. After a minute of stillness flat on her back, some of her nausea eased.