Chapter 27
“Welcome back.” Dean opened the hotel room door with a grin. “Did you miss us?”
Sam rolled his eyes and motioned Audra to precede him inside. “Not really.”
Dean pouted. “That’s a knife to the heart.”
Audra tossed him a smile. “Ignore him. He’s being grumpy. We got stuck in middle seats on the plane.” She would have preferred they flew back on the same plane they took to London, but they’d have lost a full day waiting for Ezra to come get them. And her body had healed significantly while they were abroad. She could handle the cramped flight back to Vegas much better than the week before.
“You didn’t have to cram your six-foot-two-inch, two hundred-fifteen-pound frame into that tiny space for eleven hours. My back hurts.” He pressed a hand to the small of his back.
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry.” Her journey hadn’t exactly been comfortable; the seatbelt bit into her hip for most of the trip. But she hadn’t been squished like he was.
He flashed her a smile. “You can rub it later.”
Her cheeks flushed as an image of his bare backside wandered through her mind. More and more, she wanted to touch him. She wanted him to touch her. It was no longer a question of if it would happen. It would. As soon as her body was well enough—and it was close—she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from climbing his tall, muscular body and begging him to take her.
Disguising the need flooding her veins, she rolled her eyes, then turned away. She looked at Dean and Max. “What have you two been up to while we’ve been gone?”
“Plenty,” Max said, taking the hint to change the subject. “But we don’t have much to show for it. We’ve been tailing Donny and Patrick Callahan. It doesn’t seem as though they’re doing anything out of the ordinary. Except, did you know they live in the same house?”
“Really?” Audra frowned thoughtfully. “No, I didn’t.” Maybe Patrick wasn’t involved at all. It was Donny’s initials on the ledger. And Donny was the one to call her, concerned.
“Maybe they’re lying low right now. Until things die down a bit.” Sam sank into the desk chair.
“That’s what we were thinking,” Dean said. “If we’re going to get anything on them, we’re going to need to flush them out. Make them make a mistake.”
She pushed the thoughts of whether one or both brothers were involved aside for now. “So, while we were waiting on our plane, I called the FBI agent in charge of the case against the Brogans. Dominick Moran.” Audra perched on one of the beds. “Dee told us Theo never turned over the USB drive I gave him. I figured Dom was unaware as well, so I wanted to catch him up. He said Liam’s been in a tizzy since I left. The few informants they have that have any dealings with the Irish mob said Liam put out a bounty on me. He wants me brought to him alive.”
“Well, that’s something, at least,” Max said.
Sam snorted. “It doesn’t make it any better. Alive doesn’t mean unharmed.”
“No,” she said. “But it gives us an opening.”
“What do you mean?” Dean frowned.
“So, I had a lot of time to think on the trip over here. What if I went back voluntarily?”
“Hell no.” Sam leaned forward, the fierce look of a warrior on his face.
She held up a hand. “Hear me out. He still doesn’t know who I am. He thinks Theo was my lover. What if I go back and tell him I’d lost my memory? That I left the hospital because I was scared and not thinking clearly.”
Sam got up and paced to the window. “Aud—” He stopped and ran a hand through his dark hair.
“I know it’s risky. But we need to get to the Callahans. I don’t know if we can do that outside of the organization. I know I can’t. They’ll recognize me.”
“What about the guy who saw us running from your condo? You thought he was Irish mafia. He’d have gone back to Brogan and reported what he saw. How do we explain your association with me?”
She bit her lip. “Bodyguard my father hired. I can say that he heard about what happened to me and hired someone to find me. You tracked me down and took me to my condo to get clothes, then we saw that guy and got spooked.”
Sam sighed, and she could see in his eyes that he didn’t like the plan.
“Look, I know it’s not perfect, but it doesn’t need to be. It just needs to get me back into the fold. And only long enough to plant some trackers and maybe a couple of bugs on Donny and Patrick.”
“I can get that stuff,” Dean said.
“Not helping,” Sam growled. “And what if they know your true identity? That was one of our theories, remember? That Theo was offering info to them in exchange for a payout.”
“Right, but we don’t know for sure. It’s a chance we need to take. You guys can wire me all up and stick close. If things go ass over teakettle, you can bail me out.”
“Hold up.” Max waved his hands. “What if there’s a better way?”
Three sets of eyes turned on him.
“How so?” Dean asked.
A corner of Max’s mouth lifted, and a speculative glint entered his eyes. “I’m a wealthy man. What if I’m looking for something only Brogan can offer? Audra, I’m sure you can help me figure out what would pique his interest. We could put me there in your place.”
She tipped her head. Aspects of Liam’s business ran through her mind. One particular part stuck. Something she hadn’t given much thought to before now, but it might work. “There were two men. The night I got hit. I went to a business dinner with Liam. We met with the Powell brothers. Simon and Geoffrey. Simon gave me the willies. Anyway, they run a distribution network in Vegas. I didn’t get much out of them at dinner. It felt more like Liam was feeling them out. At home, later, I looked them up. They have several wholesale warehouses in the city. Like a mini Amazon.”
Sam crossed his arms; a curious frown settled on his face. “You think they’re running stolen goods?”
“It’s possible. If they want Liam’s business, it’s highly unlikely they’re legit.”
“So, we need to dig deeper into the Powells,” Max said. “Find out why they want to partner with Brogan.”
“Or why Brogan wants to partner with them,” Dean said.
Max tipped a finger toward him and nodded.
“I can go back through all the intelligence I’ve gathered on Liam’s organization. See if I can find a hole they could fill.”
“Sounds good,” Dean said. “I’ll call Asher and have him run background on the Powells. Can you bring that intel here? If we all go through it, it’ll happen faster.”
“I already have it. I stored everything on my private server. My laptop is in my bag.” She pointed at her suitcase.
“Well, let’s start digging, then.” Dean glanced at Max. “You want to call Asher?”
“On it.” Max already had his phone in his hand.
Sam crossed to her bag and unearthed her laptop, then handed it to her. Audra logged in.
“Ash, you’re on speaker.” Max set his phone on the table between the two beds.
“What’s up?”
“We think we’ve come up with a plan to get to the Callahans. We’re going to go through everything Audra has on Brogan and find a way to get me into the fold. She thinks maybe somewhere in distribution. The night things went sideways, they met with two men. Simon and Geoffrey Powell.”
“Okay.” The sound of Asher typing came over the line. “Audra, what can you tell me about them? I need something to narrow the search.”
She blew out a breath, ruffling her bangs, thinking. “Not much. They own some wholesale warehouses in Vegas. They didn’t actually talk much business at dinner. They had some lady friends with them. One was named Celine. I don’t know about the other one. No one introduced us. She was high as a kite, though.”
“Hmm…”
“What?” Dean asked. “That didn’t sound like a speculative hum. That was a, you’ve got something hum.”
“I typed as Audra talked and found them, I think. They popped up in a law enforcement database. Let’s see here…” He paused for several moments, then let out a soft whistle. “They’ve both been arrested for drugs. Years ago. Does Brogan run meth?”
Audra’s heart rate quickened. This could be what they needed. “Yes.”
“I think there’s your answer.”
“So, it’s not stolen goods they’re running out of their warehouses,” Sam said. “It’s drugs.”
“It might be goods too,” Asher said. “I doubt they limit themselves. I’ll keep digging. Audra, can you talk to your team there and find out if the Powells are on anyone’s radar? From before, I mean. Not since you made contact with them.”
“I can ask my boss. And maybe the FBI agent in charge here.” Though she was a little hesitant to give him too much. They still didn’t know if Theo had been working alone.
“What about that friend of Brooke’s?” Max asked. “We could come at this from multiple sources. I think we’ve all learned over the years that the talking heads don’t necessarily all talk to each other.”
Asher snorted. “That’s the truth. And are you talking about her friend Finn?”
“Him, too, but I meant that sheriff who’s married to her friend. Wasn’t he FBI?”
“He was. I’ll talk to Brooke; have her talk to them. I’m not sure he or Finn will want to get involved, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. We need information. Max, I’m going to start building a fictitious background for you. We’ll fill in what kind of crime you’re into once we get a better picture of how to approach Brogan and his organization.”
“Sounds good. Give me a good name. Not something weird, please.”
Asher let out an evil laugh. “I have all ze power,” he said in an exaggerated German accent. “We’ll talk again tomorrow and compare notes.”
Max rolled his eyes. “I swear, if I end up as Boris Smelzer or something equally awful, I’m going to murder you when I get home.”
“You can try.” Asher chuckled, then hung up.
With a groan, Max scooped up his phone. “Y’all are going to have to help me come up with a nickname, I think.”
Dean chuckled. “I’m not sure what we come up with will be any better.”
“It won’t,” Sam said, coming to sit next to Audra. “Let’s start digging into Audra’s intelligence. Give Asher a guide for his name choices.”
Max and Dean grabbed their laptops.
Sam leaned closer as Audra opened her computer and logged in. “I’d log in on my phone, but the screen’s too tiny for me to do much.”
She agreed, remembering what a nightmare that had been.
“Can you give us your login info?” Dean asked. “It’ll be easier than you emailing us files.”
She bit her lip. It bothered her to give out that information, but she knew he was right. “Fine.” She gave them the IP address, then walked them through logging in. Once their computers were connected, she split the files between them.
Two hours later, Audra pushed the computer onto Sam’s lap and scooted toward the edge of the bed. “I need to move around.” Her hip still ached from the long flight and from sitting on the bed, not moving, for so long. Plus, she was thirsty. “Anyone want a drink?” There was a small store in the lobby of their hotel. She’d meander down there and get a soda or something. The break would let her mull over all the stuff she and Sam had looked through. There was something there. A pattern she was missing. There had to be.
“I’ll go with you.” Sam got up.
They left the room and wandered down to the elevator.
“How’re you doing?” Sam asked as he stabbed the down button.
“I’m fine.”
He let out a snort. “No. I can hear your mind working. And I saw your limp.”
“So my hip hurts? Sue me. I got hit by a car.” She didn’t know why she was so snippy all of a sudden. Exhaustion was part of it. And frustration, if she was honest.
“Hey.” He laid a hand on her shoulder and turned her, a frown on his face. “Talk to me, Aud.”
“I’m fine, Sam. Tired and ready for this to be over.” She forced her mind onto the files they’d poured over for the last couple of hours. “What are we missing? Liam’s got his fingers in a lot of pies, but I don’t see any holes in his distribution network. Why would he need the Powells?”
Sam’s frown deepened for a moment. She could see in his eyes that he wanted to keep talking about her and how she was doing. But he let it go with a sigh. “Let’s go over what we know.”
The elevator dinged, and they stepped into the empty car.
“He launders money through the restaurant and several other legitimate businesses.” She held up a hand and ticked things off as she went. “Drugs—of all kinds—flow through the restaurant as well. And through his nightclub. There have been a few people to disappear in the year I’ve been here, so they’re likely at the bottom of Lake Mead or some other deep body of water. Hell, he might have dumped them out in the desert too. Nevada’s a great place to dump a body.”
“Maybe he’s looking to expand.”
“To where? And into what? I didn’t get deep enough into the Powells’ business to find out their major shipping hubs. They have several warehouses in the city, so it’s not a small operation.”
“No. Hopefully, Asher can find us something there. It might be the missing piece.”
Audra sighed and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms. “Yeah.” She raised a hand and rubbed at the ache between her eyes.
Sam stepped closer. He framed her face in his hands. “We’ll figure it out, Aud. The Wagner Brigade—we haven’t failed yet.”
She raised an eyebrow. “The Wagner Brigade?”
He grinned. “It’s a nickname Edie gave us. We all ended up together down in Costa Rica one way or another because of Ford.”
She smiled back. “I like it. It’s catchy.”
“Tell that to Ford. He rolls his eyes every time she says it.”
Audra chuckled and laid her hands on his chest. “You should make t-shirts.”
Sam laughed. “He’d love that,” he said with an eye roll.
The elevator dinged again, and the door swished open. Audra pushed on his chest, but he didn’t move. “Sam. The doors are open.”
“I know.” He brushed a hand through her hair and leaned into her. “I want to know you believe me. I won’t let you down, Audra.”
The doors closed.
Her heart squeezed. She skimmed her fingers over his jaw, her own working as emotions she wasn’t ready to name flowed through her. “Even if we don’t solve this case, I know you’ll be there.”
“I meant what I said in London. I’ll move if I have to. I’m not giving up the second chance we’ve been given.”
The squeeze let go so her heart could soar. Before she could respond, he kissed her, sending her heart even higher. She was glad he wanted to stay. While they’d been gone, she’d done a lot of thinking. She was done being alone.
The doors opened again.
“Oh, sorry.”
Sam lifted his head, and Audra hid her face in his neck. Getting caught necking in an elevator was not something spies did. But Sam threw all her sensibilities out the window. He always had.
“It’s all right,” Sam said. “We’re getting off.”
Head down as she fought a smile, she followed him into the lobby. They headed for the small store adjacent to the check-in desk.
A young woman smiled as they approached. “Hello. What can I get for you?”
“I’d like a lemonade, please.” Audra pointed to the case behind the girl. “And a bag of crisps.” Prawn cocktail crisps would be preferable, but the regular salty kind would do too. She probably should get some protein of some kind, but she really didn’t care. She wanted comfort food.
“Make that two of each,” Sam said.
Audra glanced around the lobby while he paid. It was surprisingly busy. There were a couple of families with young children, several couples, some teenagers, and a handful of businessmen passing through. Las Vegas was hopping even off the Strip.
“Aud.” Sam touched her shoulder with the cold lemonade.
She turned and took the bottle and the bag of crisps. “Cheers.”
“Do you want to stay down here or go upstairs?”
“Let’s walk around a bit. I’m still stiff from the plane.”
They headed outside. Even though it was close to a hundred degrees, the sun felt nice. She tipped her face to the sky and soaked in the warmth.
Hand-in-hand, they wandered the perimeter of the hotel. A plane roared overhead to land at the airport just a few miles away. A child’s shriek, then a splash, drew her attention. She glanced over to see several kids playing in the hotel’s outdoor pool.
Sam used his keycard and let them into the courtyard enclosure. They found a table in the shade and sat down. Audra opened her crisps and watched the kids play. A woman laughed and clapped at one child’s cannonball skills.
A lump formed in her chest. Would she ever have that? A family? Would she ever take a family vacation with her kids and watch them play in the water? Get splashed by them as they jumped off the side?
Her gaze flicked to Sam. He watched the kids too.
“Do you ever think about having a family?” Her eyes widened as the words left her mouth. What? The question was out before she could stop it.
He sat up, surprise flickering in his blue eyes as he looked at her. “In a general sense, sure. Who hasn’t?”
She swallowed and nodded, then ate a crisp as she tried to sort through her thoughts. “Do you want a family?” Her heart thumped. She desperately wanted him to say yes. Why, she didn’t know. She had never particularly wanted a family before. It’s what made her so good at her job. Why she was so committed. It was all she had. All she wanted.
But not anymore.
“I guess that depends on who it’s with. Do you want a family?”
“Depends on who it’s with.” She echoed his words back at him, then popped another crisp in her mouth. Cracking open her lemonade, she took a drink. “Family has never meant much to me. I’m a foster kid, and I bounced around every few years. I wasn’t one of the lucky ones who found a family that wanted me to be a true part of theirs. It made me a good fit for my line of work. I didn’t have any attachments. Didn’t want any.” She stopped, watching the kids again.
“And now?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t give it much thought until you showed up again.” She looked at him. “I’m still not sure what I want. But that possibility is definitely circling now. So is leaving SIS.”
He studied her for a long moment. “I will support whatever you decide, Aud. But just know, you’re stuck with me. I’m not going anywhere. Not this time. You want me gone? You’ll have to pry me out of your life with a crowbar.”
The thought made her smile. “I want you to stay. That much I’m sure of.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. “How about—” he paused, taking a breath. “How about we figure out the rest as we go? No promises. Not for now, anyway.”
Audra tucked her face into his shoulder, inhaling the spicy scent that was all Sam. “I like that. I do need one promise from you right now, though.”
“Oh?” He looked at her, a question bringing his eyebrows down over his eyes.
She lifted her crisp bag. “Find me some prawn cocktail crisps. I need them in my life.”
He laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”