Page 44 of Sam's Salvation
“Possibly, but that encompasses more than just SIS officers. This is a joint investigation.”
“I know. And I also heard your boss’s voice on those messages. She sounded genuinely concerned. It could be she’s just a really great actress. But it could be that she’s not involved. We need to determine that, because we need an ally from within your agency that we can trust.”
Audra chewed on her bottom lip. “Going to London would mean we could sus her out.”
“Exactly.”
“But how do we get there? I mean, I have my passport, but my face is all over the news.”
A cheeky smile slid over Sam’s face. He glanced at Dean and Max.
Max crossed his arms, grinning. “We might know a guy.”
Nineteen
The warm breeze whipped around her as Audra stepped out of the car onto the tarmac at the small regional airport just outside of Las Vegas. A small commuter plane sat in front of the hangar. The engines made a high-pitched rushing sound that made it hard to hear much else. The pilot was already in the cockpit, getting them ready to go.
“Ready?”
Audra looked at Sam, who’d come around the car to her side. She nodded, tipping her head closer to his so they could hear each other. “Who is this again?”
“His name is Jim. He’s a friend of a friend.”
“Ah. Yes. Ezra. The guy you all know. I’m still not convinced he exists.” After they’d decided to go to London, Max and Dean had disappeared, only to come back an hour later with flight details to get her and Sam across the Atlantic that night. Every time one of them had a question about the trip, Max—or Dean—disappeared to call Ezra. She wasn’t sure why they didn’t just call in her presence.
“He does, I promise.” With a hand on her back, Sam steered her toward the airplane.
Audra eyed the stairs to the cabin with trepidation. She hadn’t tried more than a couple of steps since she injured her hip. It hadn’t been a pleasant experience.
“Take your time.” Sam gripped her hand, the other still on her back.
She squeezed his fingers, thankful once again that he was here with her.
Holding his hand, she started up the steps, clutching the railing with her other hand. Between him and the rail, she was able to take most of the pressure off her thigh muscle and make it to the top with little problem. Ducking through the doorway, she glanced at him with a smile. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
“I’m glad you’re healing. I didn’t think it would happen so quickly.”
“Me either. A lot of what I have is muscle pain from getting tossed around. There isn’t much actual damage, other than the massive bruise.”
“Good.”
They made their way into the cabin and sat down across from each other in the plush leather seats. Audra was thankful they weren’t on a commercial jetliner. While she felt decent, thanks to the painkillers she’d been routinely downing, hours upon hours cramped into a tiny, stiff airplane seat would have been agony.
“Hello, folks.”
The pilot emerged from the flight deck, smiling as he paused just inside the main cabin. “I’m Jim. We’re about ready to take off. There are snacks and drinks here, if you want anything.” He pointed to a set of cabinets to his left. “Help yourselves. Do you have any questions for me?”
Audra glanced at Sam, who shook his head at the pilot.
“No,” he said. “We’re good. Thank you for taking us on such short notice.”
“Not a problem. I owed Ezra a favor, anyway. If you need anything during the flight, use the intercom there.” He gestured to a panel beside their seats. “I’ll try to make things as smooth as possible. There’s a bit of rough air over the Rockies, but after that, it should be fine.”
“Great, thank you.”
Jim nodded. He moved to the door and pulled up the metal stairs, stowing them away, then pulled the door in and locked it. Once the plane was secure, he went back to the flight deck.
Audra got up and walked to the mini-fridge, taking out a bottle of water. She glanced at Sam. “Do you want one?”