Chapter 39
Audra kept her gaze on the screen, watching Donny interact with another man she didn’t recognize. “Stay with him, Dean.” She scanned what she could see of the room, looking for Patrick. She didn’t see him, but she couldn’t see everything.
“You got it,” he muttered. Munching on his hors d’oeuvres, he walked around, getting into conversations with several people, but keeping his camera aimed at Donny.
She saw Simon approach and hit the intercom. “That’s Simon. Can you get close enough to hear their conversation?”
Dean excused himself from his current conversation and walked to an empty table nearby, snagging another drink from a server as he went. The last one had ended up on a table still full. They’d all pretended to sip the expensive liquor, getting new drinks on occasion to eliminate suspicion.
“Nice crowd, Simon,” Donny said.
“Thanks. We got… blood.” The audio cut out as Simon turned his head.
“I noticed. Quite a few new faces.”
“We had a good-sized crop of girls this time, thanks to you. I don’t know how you did it with Brogan breathing down your neck.”
Donny scoffed and took a sip of his drink. “Liam’s an idiot who can’t see the forest for the trees. With the cut I get from tonight’s sales, I’ll have the backing to take over. I’ve got the hits lined up on him, his bitch of a mother, and my annoying brother. I just need the cash.”
Simon slapped him on the shoulder. “I still can’t believe you want to take out your own flesh and blood.”
“He’s too far up Siobhan Brogan’s ancient ass. He’d never follow me, and that makes him a liability.” He lifted a shoulder, then raised his drink to his lips. “It’s just business.”
“That answers whether Patrick’s involved.” Audra shook her head.
Someone called Simon’s name.
“If you’ll excuse me?” Simon backed away.
“Of course. We’ll talk again later.” A smirk graced Donny’s face. “I might negotiate a slightly lower fee for one of those girls back there.”
Simon grinned. “Take your pick.”
Dean lifted his drink. “I’m going to be sick.” He took an actual swig of the alcohol, then set the glass down and got up. “Can we bring the cavalry in now?”
“Soon,” Moran said. “Money needs to change hands. Then we’ll call it.”
Dean growled softly.
“Smile,” Max said. “You look like an ogre.”
“Good. Give me a club, and I’ll beat all these sickos.” He huffed a sigh. “Sorry. I’m done now.”
“Who’s Simon talking to?” Sam asked her.
“I don’t know. No one I recognize.”
The meet and greet portion of the evening went on for another twenty minutes before Geoffrey got up in front of everyone with a microphone. Audra listened as he laid out the ground rules for the auction.
“Those of you who’ve been here before know the rules, but we have some new faces tonight, so I’ll lay them out for you. There aren’t many. My lovely ladies here are distributing numbered paddles. Raise it to bid. The women up for auction will appear on this screen.” He pointed up, and a screen dropped down from the ceiling. “All transactions will be done immediately after the close of each round of bidding, and all sales are final. None of the women will be released until the auction is finished. At that point, you may collect your merchandise. We have several rooms beyond the lounge where you may have some time alone with them, or you’re free to leave. The rooms are first come, first served.”
Audra wrinkled her nose and glanced at Agent Dorset. “We need to get people in place now, so we can get in there before any of those girls are harmed.”
Jessica nodded and reached for the phone.
Tuning her out as she circled the wagons and fed the entry team the warehouse layout, Audra paid attention to the auction, taking notes of names Geoffrey mentioned as the men bid and matching them to a paddle number. He was making their job too easy.
It took over an hour for him to go through all thirty-seven women. The moment the last buyer paid, Jessica gave the signal for the team to move in.
Audra pushed the button to communicate with all three men inside. “Get ready.”
Muffled flash-bangs erupted, both outside the van and through Max, Dom, and Dean’s microphones. A murmur went through the crowd.
Movement near the bar caught Audra’s attention. Donny was heading for the rear exit. She hit her intercom button, connecting her to Dean. “Dean. Donny. Door behind the bar.”
“I see him.”
The camera image shook as Dean hurried after him. Sam’s screen wobbled as well. Max was on his heels.
“I’ll watch the Powells,” Moran said. “Go.” The brothers and Celine were heading for the curtained entrance.
Another bang sounded, this one inside the warehouse. Several of the women in the room screamed. A few of the men yelled that it was time to leave, even as the group scattered.
Dean and Max went through the door after Donny. The man glanced back, his eyes widening as he saw them.
“Callahan, stop!” Dean started after him.
Donny took off at a run.
Dean cursed. “I can’t run in these damn shoes. Stop, you bastard!” Despite his words, he ran through the warehouse at a good clip.
Audra slammed her fist on the arm of her seat. “Dammit! I want to be in there. I should be.” She kept her eyes on the screen. The picture bobbed wildly as Dean ran, growing darker as they went deeper into the warehouse.
“Where did he go?” Max asked.
“I’m not sure. You go left. And be careful.”
“You too.”
They split up.
“Do you see anything?” Audra asked Sam.
“No. Shelves. You?”
“The same. Bloody hell! He better not get away.”
“I’ve got movement on the backside of the building.” A new voice cut in over the radio that sat in front of Jessica. It was someone from the entry team. “Single male. Gray suit. Running northbound.”
“That’s Donny. He’ll have to hop the fence to get out.” She hit the intercom that let her talk to all three men. “Guys, he’s outside.”
“Copy,” Max said.
A unit replied that they were on their way over. Seconds later, a state patrol car raced past their van and around the corner.
Both Max and Dean’s cameras lightened as they made it out of the building.
“Dean, do you see him?”
“No. Audra, does anyone have a visual on him?”
She relayed the message to the entry team.
“Negative,” came the reply. “He ducked behind some ISO containers and I lost him.”
Audra shoved her chair back. She reached for the box containing the comm units and grabbed an earpiece and button mic.
“Aud, what are you doing?” Sam frowned up at her from his seat.
“Going after him.”
“Max and Dean will find him.”
“No. This is my op. That bastard isn’t getting away.” She stuffed the earpiece into her ear and stuck the small mic on her collar.
“Aud—”
“You can’t stop me, Sam. You’re welcome to come along, but you can’t stop me.”
With a curse, he got up. “Give me the box.”
She handed it to him, then headed for the door.
“Audra, would you wait?”
She hesitated a couple of seconds while he scrambled to take out a set of comms. Once he had both pieces, she stepped out of the van and took off to the north. A few moments later, she heard the thud of his shoes on the pavement, and he soon caught up to her.
“Babe, slow down. You need to keep your head about you.” He grabbed her wrist, slowing her. “We can’t go into this without a plan. It’ll get us killed.”
She sucked a breath in through her nose, his touch grounding her some. “You’re right. We need to approach with caution.” She shook her hand free. “When we get there.” She took off running again. Her hip twinged, but she pushed through it. It was just pain. The joint was sound.
They rounded the corner and passed the end of the scrapyard’s fence. It butted up to the taller chain link fencing surrounding the Powells’ warehouse property.
Sam activated his mic. “Max, Dean, we’re outside to the north. You see him?”
“No. It’s a maze in here,” Max said.
“Let’s find an opening and get inside. We can help search.” Audra began walking, pushing on the chain link at each pole they passed to see if it was loose.
At one of them, the fencing pushed inward. “Here.” She hooked her fingers over the metal and shook it. “I think it’s loose enough we can get under.”
Sam bent down and grabbed near the bottom, pushing it up and in. “Go.”
Audra slithered under the fence. On the other side, she grasped the metal and leaned back with all of her weight, pulling it back as far as she could so that Sam could get his larger frame under it.
His shirt caught, but he made it under and freed himself.
“You all right?” she asked.
He nodded. “Let’s go.”
They crept into the yard with cautious steps. Sirens blipped in the distance and angry male voices carried through the night air. The raid was in full swing. She hoped Moran was all right and had stopped Simon and Geoffrey from getting away.
“Jesus, Max was right. This place is insane.” Sam glanced from side-to-side as they entered the sea of ISO containers.
“We need to split up.”
“No way. I’m flypaper on your backside, sweetie.”
She huffed a laugh. “Nice imagery. But seriously, we’ll cover more ground separately. And I’m armed.” She removed the gun from her waist holster and held it at her side. The FBI had allowed her to carry a weapon, but refused it for Sam and his team since they were civilians. She knew they didn’t need them to capture someone or protect themselves. They were just as deadly barehanded.
“Doesn’t matter, babe. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
She sighed. He wasn’t giving in. Instead of wasting time arguing, she waded deeper into the containers. “I am a trained operative, you know,” she whispered as they came to a junction.
“Yep.”
“And I can take care of myself.”
“I know. Which way are we going?”
Audra ground her molars together. Damn stubborn mule.
Scuffling to their left drew her attention. Sam shifted on his feet. He raised a finger to his lips and tipped his head toward the sound. She nodded. Raising her gun, she led the way.
A flash of gray appeared between two containers. They hurried forward, but were forced to take cover when a bullet pinged off the metal above Audra’s head.
“Damn, that was close.” Sam activated his mic. “Dean, Max, we’ve got him. Near the north fence.”
“Coming,” Dean said.
“Sam, you go around. I’ll come up from this side. We’ll box him in.”
“No.”
She groaned. “Will you stop with the macho thing? I have the gun. If anything, I should be asking you not to leave. But I know what you can do with those hands and feet. You don’t need a gun. Donny’s going to get away if we don’t split up.”
His jaw worked. “Fine. But Aud—” He stopped and shook his head. “I love you. Be careful.”
She kissed him quick. “I will. I love you too. Now go.” She nudged his shoulder.
With a long look, he disappeared around the other side of the ISO container.
Audra drew in a deep breath, steadying herself. She rolled her shoulders to loosen the tension and crept forward on the balls of her feet. Silence reined in front of her. Where had he gone?
She reached the end of the container and swung around it, gun raised.
Nothing.
Moving forward, she glimpsed Sam coming up from the other side. She shook her head, then continued forward clearing space after several more shipping containers. She strained to hear any sound over the police presence at the warehouse.
A muffled whisper reached her. She stilled, then glanced back, looking for Sam. He wasn’t there. She knew she could reach him on the comms, but didn’t dare try. If that was Donny whispering, he’d hear her.
Audra slunk forward. The whisper grew louder, but she couldn’t pinpoint it. This deep into the containers, sounds echoed wildly.
“Get your ass here now!” came a fierce whisper.
Back against the end of a container, she listened, but didn’t hear anymore. She thought it had come from her right, but couldn’t be certain. Edging forward, she peeked around the side. The aisle was empty.
A click sounded behind her. She froze, recognizing the sound of a hammer being drawn back. Slowly, she turned.
Donny stood there, a revolver in his hand. His eyes widened slightly as he saw her face, then he grinned. “Hello, Alexandra.” He moved closer. “Though I don’t think that’s your real name. Who are you, really?”
Muscles stiff, she faced him stoically.
“Don’t want to talk? That’s okay. You can come with me, and we can talk back at my place. I’m sure you’ll be more willing to open that pretty mouth there. Drop the gun.”
She held on to it.
He sighed. “Don’t make me shoot you. It’d be a waste of a pretty face.”
When she still just stood there, he raised his gun. “One.”
Audra’s jaw worked.
“Two.”
She glanced to the side, hoping Sam would come around the corner.
Donny tsked. “Don’t make me say three.”
The words were light, but an edge of steel ran behind them. Audra dropped her gun.
“Good girl. Let’s go.” He motioned her forward.
She kept her feet planted.
Donny’s face turned hard as stone. He stalked forward. “I’m not playing this game with you all night.” He grabbed her arm and stuffed his pistol into her ribs. “Move.” With a hard shove, he pushed her forward.
“You don’t need to do this, Donny.” She slipped into her American accent. From the question in his voice when he asked her name, she didn’t think he knew she was an undercover operative. He didn’t know who she was. There was still a chance she could sweet talk him into letting her go or simply making a mistake.
“Yes, I do. You know too much, and I have questions about?—”
A quick burst of gunfire sounded from the warehouse, interrupting him. Her heart rate sped up. That wasn’t good.
Donny pushed her forward again, moving more quickly now. “I’m not even sure how much you do know. Just that you know enough. Why are you here, anyway? Have you been following me since I offed your lover in the park? That’s what he was to you, isn’t it? Your lover? You know, that weasel blackmailed me for a lot of money? I stole it all from Liam, but still. The audacity. But I took care of him. I thought I’d taken care of you too. But then your picture showed up on the news the next morning.”
They reached the edge of the field of ISO containers. Audra moved her eyes side-to-side, looking for anyone on her team. Where were they?
Donny pushed her into the open and toward the fence that was now only meters away. “Liam was very upset to learn you’d betrayed him. He put a price on your head, but you’d vanished like a vapor. Are you here to take revenge for your dead lover?”
“Audra! Where are you?” Sam’s voice echoed through her head.
She wanted to call out to him, but didn’t dare. Instead, she decided to play along with Donny. “How did you know he was my lover? We weren’t near each other at the park that night.”
“I saw him at your house. He liked to sit outside and watch you. Just like I did.”
Her eyes widened. Was Donny the one who took all those pictures?
“Liam was such a pansy when it came to you. It was obvious to everyone with eyes that you didn’t want to be with him. And you manipulated the hell out of him so you didn’t have to let him take you to bed. The men started to look at him like the weak man he was. A man who lets a woman lead him around by his dick. I wouldn’t have let you do that.”
“Why did you trash his house? What purpose did that serve?” she asked.
“I needed the evidence he had. Wasn’t much point in killing him if the cops found pictures of me with that underage girl he blackmailed me with.”
They reached the fence, and he pushed her against it, leaning into her back. She felt the hard ridge behind his fly on her butt. She tamped down the urge to puke and clutched the chain link. If he gave her half a chance, she’d destroy his bollocks and stick his gun into his own ribs. Hers ached as he pushed the weapon deeper.
“I should take you right here, but the risk is too great.”
“Max! Dean! Do you see her or Callahan?”
Both men answered in the negative.
A car with its headlights off rolled through the parking lot across the street. She looked left and right. Where were the police? A state patrol officer had come down here earlier. A federal agent was supposed to be parked behind the warehouse property, watching the rear. Had they gone to help their colleagues?
“There’s our ride.” He pulled her away from the fence.
A few yards down, he pulled a section aside and pushed her through. Audra glanced back. If she used her mic and called for help, what would Donny do?
Kill you, dummy! her subconscious mind yelled.
For the first time, an edge of fear skated down her spine. She was on her own.