Chapter 22
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.
She winced as she got out of her chair. “Yeah. Can we try Asher when we get back to the hotel? The last time we talked, he said his program was nearly done with its analysis.”
Sam nodded. He held out a hand to her. She laced her fingers with his. They tossed their coffee cups in the trash and headed for the Tube station. A quick trip under the river to the stop by their hotel, and they were soon back in their room.
Audra sat on the bed, her legs outstretched. Sam pulled up the desk chair and sat as he dialed Asher.
“Yo. How’s the surveillance?” Asher asked when he picked up.
“Dull. Do you have anything? We need a lead,” Sam said.
“Not exactly.”
Sam glanced at Audra. Her frown matched his.
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“My program is nearly done. I know it’s taking forever, but I had to do some research. I fed it virtually every map out there, as well as the names of every known Irish mafia associate I could find. Another couple of days and I think I’ll have some results. Once it’s done analyzing all the data, I’ll feed it some more parameters to narrow down the options. We’re getting close. But I have a source for you. Someone who can hopefully get you some info.”
“Oh?” Sam sat a little straighter.
“Yeah. And don’t be mad—I’ve known this woman awhile. I didn’t tell you about her because I didn’t want to put her in an awkward position. But you’re right; we’re running out of options.”
“Who is it?” Audra asked.
“Her name is Jocelyn Richardson. She’s a cybersecurity specialist with SIS.”
Audra scooted forward, the expression on her face turning incredulous. “You know someone in SIS—someone trustworthy—and are just now telling us? We’ve been sitting here for four days waiting for my boss to do something!”
“I know. But like I said, involving Jocelyn puts her at risk. I didn’t want to do that unless we didn’t have another choice. You guys can’t stakeout Ms. Thompson forever. Jocelyn will understand.”
Audra huffed. Sam met her gaze. He didn’t like it either that Asher had sat on this, but he understood. He could see in her eyes that she did too.
“How do we contact this woman?” Audra asked.
“You don’t. I talked to her earlier today. She’s gathering intel on Thompson and your handler. When she has something, she’ll contact you. I gave her Sam’s number.”
Audra pressed her lips together.
Sam covered her hand with his. “Okay. We’ll continue with the status quo until then.”
“Sounds good. I’ll let you know as soon as this program spits something useful out. Keep me in the loop with what you hear from Jocelyn.”
“Will do. Thanks, Ash.”
“Yep.” Asher hung up.
Audra groaned and flopped onto her back on the bed. She covered her face. “If we’d known about her when we landed, we could have already moved on this. Instead, we’ve spent the last four days twiddling our thumbs.”
“His reasoning makes sense, Aud.” Sam laid a hand on her belly. “This woman is probably putting her career on the line to help us.”
She brought her hands down to cover his. “I know.” She sighed. “I’m just frustrated. I want answers!” She sat up and climbed off the bed to pace to the window.
He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “How about we relax tonight? No internet searches, no talk of the case. Let’s go to dinner. For a real date.” His heart thumped as he said the last few words. He wasn’t sure how she’d feel about making their relationship official. They’d shared a few kisses the last few days; she knew how he felt about her. And he’d slept with her in his arms every night. But they hadn’t talked about what it all meant for them as a couple.
She turned in his arms, resting her hands on his chest. He palmed her hips, holding her in a loose embrace. “Dating is not wise. Not at this stage,” she said.
“I don’t think it ever will be with us. But I don’t care anymore. It—we—are worth whatever struggles we have to go through to make this work. The way we feel—it hasn’t changed in ten years. That has to mean something. Right?”
She sighed and pressed her forehead against his chest. Lifting her head, she looked at him. “It does. But I—” She broke off with a quick headshake. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Sam frowned, tipping his head as he wondered why she’d think that. “Why would I get hurt? You planning to break my heart?”
A slight smile crossed her face. “No. I meant physically. Being with me could be dangerous.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You do remember what I used to do for a living, yes?”
“And it almost got you killed. I don’t want that to happen again.”
Sam let out a soft exhale. “Audra, whether I put myself in harm’s way or not is my decision to make. I’d rather run the risk and have you by my side than go back to Costa Rica and try to forget that you’re out in the world without me. I’m done doing that. Fate’s given us a second chance, and I don’t intend to squander it.”
She searched his gaze. He let her. He had nothing to hide. Almost from the moment he showed up to help, he’d been all-in on being together. He wasn’t about to return the gift fate had given him.
“It won’t be easy,” she said, her fingers drifting higher to toy with the ridge of his collarbone.
Heat traveled over his shoulder and raced up his neck, sparking a need that made his scalp tingle. “Probably not.”
“There will be times we won’t be able to contact each other. Sometimes for weeks or months.”
“I know.” Though with the friends they both had, he figured there would be a way around that. He leaned closer, ready to end this conversation.
“I’ve been single a long time, and I’m pretty stuck in my ways.” She tipped her face up.
“Me too.” He dipped his head, an invisible force pulling him in.
“We might?—”
“Stop talking.” He closed the gap and fused his mouth to hers, unable to hold back any longer.
A soft whimper escaped her as he delved into her mouth. Her hands skated up over his shoulders to wrap around his neck, turning the tingle racing over his skin into a steady hum. Sam shifted his hold, drawing her into his body. A wash of need flooded him, heating his muscles and making him want to lay her down on the bed and peel off her clothing.
But his mind knew her body wasn’t ready for that, so he ignored the hum vibrating him down to his bones and forced his body to heel. Gentling their kiss, he lifted his head.
Her lashes fluttered for a moment before she turned her liquid chocolate eyes on him. A slight wrinkle formed between her eyes. “I know why you stopped, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
He offered her a crooked smile and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. “No. But one day, you won’t be all beaten up.” His gaze heated. “Then there will be no stopping.”
She pulled his head down and kissed him again, then just as swiftly pulled back and pushed him away. “Let’s go eat. We both need the distraction.”