Page 70 of Sam's Salvation

The next few minutes passed with excruciating slowness. Audra willed the phone to ring again, but knew it could be some time before Dom called her back. It all depended on how quickly the other agent picked up and what he knew.

She got up and finished the pastry she’d set aside and sipped her coffee. Sam, Max, and Dean made idle chitchat while they waited. They were planning a cookout for when they got back to Costa Rica. Audra hoped she’d be able to join them.

The phone rang. Dean pounced on it, putting it on speaker.

“Dom?” Audra said, walking closer.

“Yeah. So Pierce wants to talk to you now. I told him maybe.”

“Did he tell you anything?”

“Yes. Your suspicions aren’t baseless. He’s heard rumors the Powells deal in the skin trade, but they don’t have anything concrete. I think before you proceed, you need to find out more about why they met with Brogan. It could be drugs or people at this point.”

“Yeah, but the question is how?” Dean said.

An inkling of an idea struck Audra. Sam wouldn’t like it, but they were running out of options. “So, I think I have a plan.”

Thirty-Two

“You got him?”

Audra leaned over her drink and looked up through her lashes. The blonde wig she’d donned cascaded around her shoulders, hiding the small earpiece tucked into her ear. They were taking a huge risk, but if it worked, it would pay off in an even bigger way. “Yep,” she answered Dean. “I see both of them and their lady friends.”

“Everyone stay sharp. Aud, we’ve got your back.” Sam’s voice sounded in her ear.

She smiled, hiding it with her straw. Sam hadn’t liked her plan. He’d adamantly tried to talk her out of it. But once he figured out she wouldn’t be dissuaded, he’d stepped up and become wholly involved. The mission was still dangerous. One of Liam’s people could be around and recognize her despite her disguise. But she felt safer with Sam at her back.

She tossed a strand of her blonde wig over her shoulder and glanced around the room. She didn’t see anyone she knew, but that didn’t mean someone wouldn’t recognize her. In the year she’d been here, she’d risen in status as people came to know her as Brogan’s fiancée. She’d been paraded around like a prized possession at party after party. There were bound to be people who would recognize her that she wouldn’t give a second look to.

Hence her current disguise. They’d found her a passable blonde wig and some outrageous eyelashes. She’d changed her makeup too, making it much more dramatic. Alexandra was more demure. A lady. This new woman was not.

“Hi.”

Audra ground her teeth together and looked at the man who’d sidled up next to her at the high table. “I’m not the woman you want. Move along.” He wasn’t the first one she’d sent packing this evening. She knew there would be more too.

The man’s smile died. Red tinged his cheeks, but he picked up his drink and left.

She huffed after he disappeared into the crowd. “Why do men always think a woman alone is looking for a hookup?” she muttered.

Max chuckled in her ear. “They don’t. But it is what they want. Especially when that lone woman is as beautiful as you are.”

“Quit hitting on my woman, Carson.”

Audra fought another smile. “Relax, Sam. You’re the only one for me.”

“Good.”

She picked up her drink and moved away from her table, hoping that mingling would discourage others from talking to her. They’d debated sending her with Sam, but were afraid someone might recognize him if they were together. They didn’t know if the man who’d chased them away from her condo got a good look at either of them, and it was harder to change Sam’s appearance. The chances were slim, but they wanted to play it safe.

That left Max and Dean. Max needed to stay in the wings for now, so he could go in to Brogan’s operation clean, which left only Dean. In the end, they decided it was better for her to go alone in case they needed to use him for something later where she had to have a partner. They were all in the club; just staying in the shadows.

“Your woman’s on the move,” Max said.

“Restroom?” Audra asked.

“Looks like it.”

Audra changed directions, putting her on a collision course with Simon’s lady friend. “Let’s do this.”