Page 49 of Sam's Salvation
The cab wove through the narrow London streets. Sam held his breath a few times as they narrowly missed sideswiping a bus or another car. This city was not built for modern vehicles. But Londoners were determined not to let that stop them. Eventually, he laid his cheek atop Audra’s head and closed his eyes, preferring not to know if they were about to crash.
To his surprise, he dozed off. The next thing he knew, the cabbie announced they’d arrived.
Sam blinked the sleep from his eyes and gave Audra a nudge. “Honey, we’re here.”
She came awake with a quick inhale and sat up. “Oh.” Yawning, she covered her mouth and looked outside. “After we check in, we need to get some coffee.”
“Definitely.” Sam pulled on the door handle and climbed out. Once they had their luggage, he paid the driver, and they went inside the hotel.
They booked a room for several nights, paying the extra fee to check in early, and stowed their belongings before heading back out into the mist. At least it was relatively warm, since it was May. “Where to?” he asked.
“Coffee. And I need a phone. We’ve put it off long enough.”
He nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s find a coffee shop, then we’ll see about getting you a burner.” He took her hand and set off down the sidewalk. They didn’t have to wander far before they found a small bakery.
The scent of fresh bread and pastries hit him as they stepped inside. His stomach growled. They hadn’t eaten much on the plane, so he was starving.
“I’m going to get a sausage roll and a pain au chocolat. I might even get a yogurt. I could eat a horse, I’m so hungry.” Audra rocked onto the balls of her feet, then back down, crossing her arms as they took their place in line.
“I’ve got you beat because I plan to eat two sausage rolls and an éclair. They look fabulous.” He could see them in the case just a few feet away. His mouth watered at the thought. He hadn’t had a decent éclair in years. Not since he was last in Europe.
The person in front of them completed their order and stepped to the side. Sam motioned Audra forward. They gave their order to the young woman behind the counter and paid. Luckily, the wait for the barista to make their drinks and heat their sausage rolls was a short one. Food in hand, they found a table and sat down.
Audra moaned as she bit into her sausage roll.
Sam chuckled. “That good, huh?”
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed this. It’s been almost two years since I’ve been back. Even before I fully became Alexandra, I was in the U.S., setting up her back story, making sure any current pictures were of me and not the actual Alexandra Burton. I couldn’t come back here. It was too risky.” She glanced around. “Even now, I don’t like being out in the open. But my cover’s already blown, so…” She shrugged.
Sam bit into his sausage roll. The savory taste of sausage warred with the buttery, flaky pastry, setting off a firestorm of flavor in his mouth. Most people would argue British food was bland. But no one could argue they didn’t have amazing sausage.
“So, what do you want to do after we get you a phone?” He took another bite.
She sipped her coffee, a thoughtful look on her face. “I’d like to stake out headquarters and Dee’s flat. Following her from HQ really isn’t the best option, but we might get lucky. Normally, she takes the Tube to and from work, but sometimes she leaves for a meeting at Westminster in a hired car. And she doesn’t always return to the office before she goes home. I don’t know if we’d be able to see her in the back of a car if she left that way. But on a normal day, we’ll catch her coming and going. And I know we can stake out her flat. There’s a coffeeshop across the street.”
Sam grimaced. “Great.”
Audra tossed him a smile. “Spy work isn’t always glamorous. In fact, most of the time it’s spent sitting around trying to look inconspicuous while you watch your target. At least with you along this time, I won’t have random men stopping to chat with me.” She rolled her eyes.
He laughed. “It won’t stop the bold ones.”
She chuckled. “True. Some people just don’t care. And that will work both ways too. I’m sure there will be a few women who take a chance at you.”
“They can try.” He sipped his coffee. “But I only have eyes for one woman.” He sent her a heated look.
She met his stare for a moment before looking down at the remnants of her meal. A soft chuckle escaped. “I don’t remember eating all this already.”
Sam grinned, stuffing the last of his croissant into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, then picked up his coffee and pushed his chair back. “Come on. Let’s go get you a phone and get this stakeout rolling.”
Twenty-Two
Grittiness made Sam’s eyes itch. Too much sitting and staring the last few days. He rubbed at them and yawned. And not much to show for all their work.
A quick glance at his watch told him they needed to head out soon. “You about ready to go?” He glanced at Audra, who sat across from him at the little table outside the coffeeshop in Dee Thompson’s neighborhood.
“Yeah, I guess.” She blew out a frustrated breath.
He knew how she felt. They’d been at this for several days now and nothing had happened. “We need a new plan,” he said as he got up.