Chapter 7
Audra hobbled into the lobby from the ED, discharge papers in hand. Her leg hurt; so did her head. She was grateful it was still dark out. The sun was likely to split her skull in two. But she was free. After the doctor left, the nurse had unhooked her from all the medical equipment and found her some clothes to wear. The baggy sweatpants and oversize t-shirt didn’t fit the greatest, but they were clean and she was covered.
Outside the ED doors, Audra glanced back and forth, looking for a taxi. A man holding a sign caught her attention. The name “Carter” was scrawled over it in bold, black lettering. She was quick to turn away. Getting into the car Dee sent was not the plan.
“Ms. Carter?”
“Dammit!” she growled through clenched teeth. Dee must have sent a picture too. She turned back and pasted a polite smile on her face. “Hello.”
“Hi. I’m Kevin. My car’s over here.” He gestured to a black sedan about ten feet behind him.
Audra nodded and walked forward. He held the door for her, and she lowered herself onto the seat.
The driver got in, then turned to look at her. “The car hire notes say to take you to the airport. Is that correct?”
Oh, bless him for asking!Now she could alter her destination. And Dee was on something if she thought Audra could get on a plane right away. She had her Apple Wallet identification on her and that was it. It was possible her boss would charter a private aircraft, but Audra would still need a passport when she entered the U.K.. “No. I need to clean up and get a change of clothes before I get on a plane. Could you take me to the Venetian, please?” It was far enough from Liam’s main operating territory she felt safe walking around long enough to get something to wear.
“Of course.” He started the car.
Audra sank into the leather upholstery and closed her eyes. Lulled by the motion of the car, she dozed off.
“We’re here.”
The driver’s voice jolted her awake, and she sat up. “Sorry.”
“No worries, miss. Would you like me to wait?”
“No, thank you. I’ll catch an Uber or a taxi to the airport.” She reached for the door handle. “And I’m sorry, but I don’t have any money on me to leave you a tip.”
He smiled. “That’s all right. It’s been taken care of.”
Well, at least Dee hadn’t slacked on the hire car. “Great.” She pushed the door open. “Have a good day.” Wincing against the pain in her hip, she got out. Without a backward glance, she went inside.
Keeping her head down, she wandered into the resort’s mall and entered the first reasonably priced store she saw. With a tight smile for the salesperson, she plucked a lavender t-shirt off the rack with the resort’s logo. They had some soft lounge shorts, too, so she grabbed a pair of those in gray. Audra topped her haul with a dark gray ball cap.
The young woman manning the register eyed her with skepticism. “You okay?”
“Fine.” Audra took her phone from her baggy sweats’ pocket. “Do you take Apple Pay?” She prayed they did, because her wallet was locked in her condo.
“We do.”
“Great.” She gave the woman a tight smile. Her leg ached, and she needed to sit. She also needed a bottle of water. Her mouth felt like she’d gone out into the desert and ate it.
Still giving her a look that told Audra she looked as bad as she felt, the woman rang up her items. Audra paid and selected the cash back option, getting enough to book a room with cash, then thanked her and left. Moving as fast as her hip would let her, she headed for the Venetian’s check-in desk.
Audra paused in front of a mirrored window and tried to tame her hair before she approached the desk. She was sure they were used to all kinds of people, but she’d prefer not to be too memorable. All she had was her digital ID—her real one—and she’d rather they not remember her name.
“Ugh, I’m a mess.” She sighed and smoothed her hair once more. “I guess that’ll have to do.” Sighing, she turned and headed for the desk.
A man smiled at her as she approached. “Hello. How may I assist you?”
Audra stretched her lips into a smile and hoped it didn’t look too garish. “I’d like a room, please. Just for tonight.” What was left of it.
“Certainly. We’re past our normal check-in window, though, and the next check-in time isn’t until three o’clock. There’s an additional fee if you’d like to check-in early.”
“I guess I’ll hang out in the casino or wander until then.” She had no intention of ever stepping foot in the room, so it didn’t matter, and she’d rather not pay the resort’s early check-in fee.
“Okay. I just need an ID and a method of payment.”
She opened her Apple Wallet on her phone. “All I have is my digital ID. My purse was stolen.” She injected a quiver into her voice and forced some tears into her eyes as she lied. It wasn’t hard. She was still upset her op had gone topsy-turvy.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I can waive the early check-in fee if you’d like?”
“Really? That would be great.” She still had no intention of using the room, but refusing his offer would appear strange.
“Of course. It’s good your phone wasn’t in your purse.”
“Yeah. It was in my pocket. I guess the mugger didn’t stop to search me after he knocked me down. I don’t remember. I hit my head and passed out.”
“Do you need anything else? I have some coupons for a free meal at several of the buffets in the area.”
“No, that’s okay. Save them for people who really need them. I still have access to my money.” She waved her phone.
“All right. I’ll hurry you through the check-in process, though. I imagine you’re ready to just drop.”
Audra didn’t have to fake a tired smile. “Thank you.”
A few minutes later, she scrawled her name over the check-in slip, and he handed her a room key. She thanked him again, then headed for the lifts.
Out of sight of the main desk, she changed direction. Dropping the key in the tall box they used for their key return, she exited the hotel. An agonizing ten minutes later, she was across the street and inside. Here, she intended to pay cash and use the room. She just hoped the Mirage check-in staff would be as sympathetic as the Venetian staff.
Taking a deep breath, she approached the desk, ready to put her acting skills to use again.
Luckily, it worked.
Exhausted, she trudged toward the lift. With every step, her feet grew heavier and her hip ached more. Her body was officially done.
Riding the lift to the third floor, she found her room and let herself inside. Audra sagged against the door, closing her eyes for a brief moment as the world faded away. For the moment, she was well and truly safe.
With a mighty shove, she pushed her fatigued and bruised body off the door and walked into the bathroom, where she turned on the water. Tendrils of steam swirled as she stripped out of her baggy clothes. In the wide mirror over the sink, she caught sight of her hip. Deep purples and blues streaked with red scratches marred her skin. She didn’t dare touch it to see if it was tender. Just moving told her it was. When she woke, moving would not be fun, but she needed rest more than she needed to stay limber.
Audra stepped into the hot shower. Water cascaded over her tired muscles, easing some of the soreness and relaxing her mind. Using the shampoo and soap the hotel provided, she scrubbed herself clean, then turned off the water and wrapped herself in a scratchy towel. Picking up her phone, she went back out into the main room, where she set an alarm for a few hours from now, then dropped the towel. She pulled back the bedcovers and slipped between the sheets, naked.
Her eyelids fluttered as she settled in. Later, she had a lot to think about. Like, who she could really trust and how she could salvage her op. And where to meet Sam that was busy, but away from anywhere Liam’s people might see her.
Right now, though, it was time to sleep. She forced her mind to blank and let sleep claim her.
Dreams plagued her slumber. Some were pleasant, like seeing Sam’s smiling face as they strolled together on a beach. Others made her heart race and startled her awake. Like the one of the car coming at her. That one jolted her from a sound sleep and left her heart racing.
When her alarm went off, she smacked at the phone to silence it and contemplated staying where she was. She could feel the stiffness in her hip that had set in while she slept.
Rolling to her side, she sucked a sharp breath between her teeth when a shard of pain stabbed her. Fire raced across her pelvis and down her thigh. “Dear God,” she muttered. First order of business after she got up and dressed was to find a shop that sold painkillers. And water. She still hadn’t had a drink.
With a groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position, then slowly stood, bracing her hands on the wall to let her muscles adjust to the new position. Muttering under her breath about stupid cars and evil people, she made her way into the bathroom, where she put on her new clothes and went through an abbreviated morning routine.
The more she moved, the more her muscles loosened, and by the time she emerged in the lobby downstairs, she could walk without the hobble. She still wanted painkillers, though.
It didn’t take her long to find a shop. She used most of the cash she had left to buy some medicine and a bottle of water. She wanted food but decided to wait; she’d get something to eat and sit down after she figured out where she was going and reached her destination. By that point, she’d be ready to be immobile for a while.
Exiting the shop, she pulled up a map of the Strip. There were several areas she needed to avoid or be vigilant in. At this hour, Liam’s people would soon be out, going to dinner before they headed to the clubs and casinos. He was no doubt wondering where she was. Whether that had translated to him telling everyone to keep an eye out for her, she didn’t know.
One thing she had going for herself, though, was she looked nothing like Alexandra at the moment. That woman wouldn’t be caught dead in the clothes Audra currently wore.
With a sigh, Audra decided the best place would be the Paris hotel. Down in its bowels between it and its sister hotel, the Horseshoe, she could hide in a dark corner and wait for Sam. Plus, there was food down there.
She opened her messaging app and texted Sam where she’d be, then powered the phone down and stripped the back off before removing the battery and stuffing the pieces into her shopping bag. Twisting her hair up, she set her hat over top and tugged the cap down.
As she left the Mirage, she dumped the phone pieces into a public rubbish bin. From here, Dee would have to pick her up on CCTV cameras if she wanted to track her down. Audra wished her luck. She’d need it.