Chapter 33
Sam met Dean and Max out back of the club. Audra was nowhere in sight.
“You know where she went, right?” Dean asked.
“I do. Let’s go.” He jogged around the side of the building to the street, signaling a taxi. The three of them squished into the backseat.
“Paris Hotel.” Sam leaned forward. “Quick as you can. There’ll be a good tip in it for you.”
“Yes, sir.” The driver pulled into traffic.
“What the hell was she thinking?” Max asked. “This isn’t the plan.”
“I don’t know.” Sam swiped a hand down his face. “She’s always liked to go her own way. It’s part of what makes her so good at undercover work. She can think on her feet. But this—” His words hadn’t stuck this time. They’d just left. He didn’t know what to say. They’d agreed to bugging the girlfriend in the hopes Simon and Geoffrey would talk in front of her. No one had ever mentioned absconding with the woman.
“Moran’s going to be really unhappy now,” Dean muttered.
That was no lie.
The cab driver wove in and out of traffic, making the little Focus’s engine whine as he accelerated. Sam was impressed, though. The guy had some skills behind the wheel. In less than ten minutes, they were pulling up to the Paris entrance. He handed the man a wad of bills and patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
The man took the cash, a look of surprise on his face. His gaze met Sam’s. “You need a ride elsewhere, you call Denton.” He picked up a card from the cupholder and gave it to him. “I take you anywhere, man.”
Sam took the card and offered him a smile. “Thanks.” He slid out of the car, pocketing the card.
“Where are we going?” Dean asked.
“The connector between Paris and Horseshoe. There’s a creperie there. It’s where I met Audra when I came to town.” He jogged past his friend and went inside.
They waded through the smoky casino and hurried past the crowded restaurants. In the corridor, it was quieter. Sam saw the sign for the restaurant. “There.” He glanced into the seating area. At the back sat two blonde women.
His heart rate slowed. They were safe.
Anger at what she’d done took over. He marched into the café. “What were you?—”
Her hand in the air and the pleading look in her eyes stopped him. His gaze flicked to the woman across the table from her. She held a plastic fork and was busy cutting off a chunk of the ham and cheese crepe.
Sam’s anger died. Woman was stretching it. Beneath the makeup, there was a softness about her features that said she was just a girl.
He glanced at Max and Dean. Their faces held much the same realization.
Gathering chairs, they pulled them up to the table, flanking Audra. Sam didn’t want to scare the girl by surrounding her.
She lifted her head, her eyes going wide as she took them in. “Um, Amber? Who are these guys?”
Audra offered her a soft smile. “These are my friends. They’re here to help too.”
The girl set her fork down. “I think I should go.”
“Please stay.” Audra touched her hand. “Let us explain? I promise we’re not here to hurt you. You’re safe.”
Indecision and a hint of fear lit the girl’s eyes. Sam tried not to look intimidating, but wasn’t sure if he succeeded. He wanted to know what was going on, and those thoughts made him frown.
“Please?” Audra said again.
After a moment, the girl nodded. “Okay. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go.” Despair colored her voice. Sam saw tears gather in her eyes.
“Love, look at me.” Audra’s voice was soft, but firm.
The girl lifted her head to look Audra in the eye.
“You said I looked familiar.”
The girl nodded. “You do, but I can’t place you. My brain’s all fuzzy. I can’t think straight.”
Sam fought to keep the glower off his face. He wanted to strangle Simon Powell with both hands.
“How about if I talk like this?” Audra slipped into her American accent. “And tell you to imagine me with dark hair. We had dinner about two weeks ago. With Simon, his brother, that woman you were with tonight, and Liam Brogan.”
It only took a second for recognition to light the young woman’s face. “You’re Liam Brogan’s fiancée.” She glanced at Sam, Dean, and Max, then frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m not really Liam’s fiancée.” Audra slid back into her normal voice. “Well, technically, I was, but I never intended to marry him. My name is Audra. I’m an undercover operative. These men are friends of mine, helping me to clean up the mess my op has become.”
The young woman blinked twice, slowly, then laughed. “You? You’re a cop? Get real.”
“Actually, I’m a spy.”
The woman laughed harder. “Oh, come on. Seriously?”
Audra just stared at her. Sam didn’t blame the girl. It all sounded rather far-fetched.
Slowly, the woman’s laughter died, and her eyes widened as she took in Audra’s serious expression.
“Wait. You’re serious? Like double-oh-seven stuff?”
Audra cracked a smile. “Not quite, but yes, I’m telling the truth. What’s your name?”
The girl frowned. “You said you knew me.”
“I do, but no one introduced us that night.”
“Oh. I’m Poppy.”
Audra’s smile widened. “It’s nice to meet you, Poppy.”
“Um, you too, I guess. So, what do you want with me?”
“We need your help.” Audra glanced at Sam. He gave her a quick nod, and she turned to Poppy. “Does Simon ever talk business around you?”
Poppy’s expression closed, and she shrank in on herself, looking even more like a scared child. “I try not to listen. He thinks I don’t understand but—” She stopped, shaking her head. “It’s hard not to when you yourself were forced to do things you didn’t want to do.” She picked up her fork and toyed with her food. “I try not to think about that.”
Max muttered something under his breath Sam couldn’t understand. By the dark look on his face, though, he agreed with whatever it was.
“That’s okay.” Audra laid her hand over Poppy’s again. “We won’t ask you about any of that. We need to know what Simon and Geoffrey are up to. We know they traffic drugs. Is there more than that?”
Poppy speared a piece of ham, then pushed it around in the sauce on her plate. “Yeah. They get girls. About once a month. Simon doesn’t like to leave me at home. I go pretty much everywhere with him. Even if I just stay in the car.” Her face crumpled. “I was one of those girls. He—he decided to keep me.” She burst into tears.
Audra looked at Sam, anger simmering in her eyes as she got up and moved around to Poppy’s side. She draped an arm around the girl. “I’m so sorry, love. I know it doesn’t make up for the past, but you’re safe now. We won’t take you back there.”
“We should probably get out of here.” Dean glanced around.
Sam concurred. They hadn’t drawn much attention, but that could change. The creperie wasn’t all that busy. A woman sobbing, even in Las Vegas, would make people concerned.
“Come on, Poppy. Let us take you somewhere you can get cleaned up and get a good night’s rest, okay?” Audra stood, tugging on the girl to bring her to her feet.
Poppy nodded against Audra’s chest. “Okay.”
They walked toward the main corridor, Dean and Max at the lead. Sam trailed behind Audra and Poppy.
“I need you to lift your chin up and try to act as normal as possible, love. We don’t want to attract unwanted attention. Can you do that for me?”
Poppy sniffed. “I’ll try.”
“Good. We’ll get you safe and warm and you can have a good cryfest in the shower, okay?”
Poppy cracked a smile. “Okay.”
The group traipsed back through the casino. Sam fished out the card the cab driver gave him. “Guys, let’s find a secluded corner for a minute. I need to make a call.”
Audra frowned, but didn’t question him.
He dialed the driver.
“This is Denton.”
“Denton, this is the guy you just dropped off at the Paris. Can you come back? And with a bigger car?”
“Yes, sir. Give me twenty minutes.”
“Make it fifteen and you’ll get a bigger tip.”
“I’ll see you in twelve.”
The line clicked in Sam’s ear, and he chuckled. Someone needed to put that guy on the racing circuit.