Chapter 43
Audra jumped at the heavy bang that echoed through the house following Liam’s shout from outside. He didn’t sound happy. She didn’t blame him. She’d be miffed too if someone she trusted tried to take her job.
But his appearance made her situation much more complicated. If Liam knew she was here, he’d rip the place apart to find her. While her hiding spot tucked behind the dryer in the laundry room right off the kitchen was a good one, it would only be a matter of time before someone found her.
“Donny! Where are you, you fucking bastard?”
The house stayed quiet.
“Fan out,” Liam said. “Find him. Start with the blood trail.”
She closed her eyes. That would lead right to him. She was safe for the moment.
A minute passed, then she heard Donny shout from down the hall, his tone more angry than panicked.
“No! Let me go! I can walk on my own.”
Several sets of scuffling footsteps grew louder as they neared the living room.
“Donny, what happened to you? Did you fall in your haste to run from the human trafficking auction you fled earlier?”
Oh, how she wished she could see Donny’s face right now. Liam was a lot of things, but forgiving wasn’t one of them. Donny had an uphill battle to regain Liam’s trust. Not that he would. He was a lying, power-hungry jackass.
“What are you talking about? I’ve been here all night. I fell. Off a ladder, putting something away.”
“Don’t lie to me, Donovan. I know you were there. You forget, I own this city. A lizard doesn’t scamper without me knowing about it.”
“Really? You didn’t know your fiancée was cheating on you. That she was scamming you.”
The sound of flesh meeting flesh reached Audra.
“Remember your place, Donny. It was as my number two. But not anymore. Not after you went behind my back to bankroll your own little skin trade ring. And don’t you worry about Alexandra. I’ll take care of that bitch in time.”
“You can do it now. I caught her.”
“What?”
“She was at the auction. Slinking around outside. I caught her. She’s in the back bedroom.”
“You have Alexandra here?”
“Yep. And you can have her if you let me go.”
“You’re in no position to bargain.” There was a short pause. “Hold him.”
Well-made dress shoes moved over the tile, the sound fading as Liam walked down the hall. Audra took a chance and stood, letting the blood flow back into her legs. They couldn’t see her from here, and she needed to not fall on her face when she made a dash for the door.
Angry footsteps returned from the hallway. “You’re a fool, Donovan. She’s gone.”
“What? She was handcuffed to a chair. And the door…” He trailed off and then groaned. “I didn’t lock it when I left to tend to my nose.”
“No, you didn’t. And the chair is in pieces on the floor. I didn’t see any cuffs, though.”
“She couldn’t have gone far. She’s probably still in the house. I didn’t hear the door or window alarms chime.”
“Find her.”
Bloody hell. Things were about to get hairy. She returned to her crouch, hoping none of Liam’s men looked too hard.
A crash sounded in the kitchen. One of the men had opened the tall closet door and pulled out the broom and mop to look behind it. She kept tabs on their footsteps. They were getting steadily closer.
The light above her lit up. She kept her eyes glued to the top of the dryer, ready to pounce.
Marcus, one of Liam’s bodyguards, came into view. His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth.
Audra sprang from her squat and plunged the kitchen knife into his throat. He gurgled and put a hand out as his legs gave way, crashing into the dryer with a bang. She backed away, pulling the second knife from her belt, and ran for the back door. It chimed as she opened it. As she stepped through, she heard shouts from inside. Her only chance now was to flee into the darkness and let the night give her cover.
Glancing back, she didn’t see the man step out in front of her. She screamed and brought her blade up as his arms closed around her.
“Whoa! Aud, it’s me!”
The voice registered. “Sam?” Her body sagged into his.
“Yeah. Come on. We need to get away from here.”
“How did you find me?” she asked as they ran around the house.
“Geoffrey Powell. He gave up this location.”
“What? How did that happen?”
“I used my powers of persuasion.”
“Oh boy.” She could imagine how that went. Not well for Geoffrey.
Sam paused at the corner of the house. He touched his collar. “I’ve got her. Get your asses out here.”
She heard his voice in her ear and smacked him on the chest. “Why didn’t you let me know you were here? I was hiding behind the dryer with a kitchen knife!”
“I didn’t know if he’d found your earpiece. I didn’t want to give away the element of surprise.”
She tipped her nose up, unable to argue with his logic. “I guess that makes sense.”
He gave a little snort and smiled. “Also, thank you for the breadcrumb. It’s how I knew you were gone and not lost in the container maze.”
“I knew it was a longshot, but I couldn’t let him take me away from there without doing something.”
“Well, it worked. It saved us a bunch of time.” He peered around the corner again. “We need to make a run for the car. Someone’s going to come around the building looking for you soon enough.”
“Lead the way.”
He clutched her bound hands and guided her around the front of the house. Two men ran out the front door. It took her only a moment to recognize Dean and Max. Together, the four of them dashed across the desert.
“We knocked out Callahan and tied up Brogan. His two goons ran out the back door after Audra,” Dean said, coming up alongside them.
A shout from behind made her look over her shoulder. A flashlight bobbed near the side of the house from where she and Sam had run. Another appeared from the other side. Neither of the men had seen the group running away yet.
In the distance, she saw a line of headlights.
“Sam, you see that?” Max asked.
“Yeah. Here’s hoping Dorset sent help, and it’s not more of Brogan’s men. We’re not going to make it over the road before they get here.”
They pulled up behind a clump of cacti. Audra’s heart thundered in her ears.
“I see light bars.” Dean shifted, rising slightly.
Max grinned. “It’s the good guys.”
The lead squad car braked hard and swung into the driveway. He hit his lights as the engine revved; the car roared toward the house. Four other vehicles followed.
Audra tipped her head into Sam’s shoulder. “It’s over. Oh, thank God.”
Sam stood up, pulling her with him. A bright smile sat on his face. “Come on. Let’s go get one of those guys to take these things off of you.” He touched the metal cuffs circling her wrists.
“Yes, please.”
Shouts filled the air as the state troopers and plain-clothes agents piled out of their vehicles, guns raised. Brogan’s men stopped and raised their hands as the law enforcement officials swarmed them.
Audra and the others hung back until both men were cuffed. In the flashing light as they walked closer, she recognized both the man in cuffs and the one who now held his arms. “Hey, that’s Moran.”
Max and Dean shared a look. Dean looked at Sam with a chuckle. “You want to talk to your buddy Geoffrey again?”
“No. Too many witnesses. Besides, I got what I needed.” He looked at Audra. “You’re okay, right? I haven’t asked.”
“I’m fine. Sore, but fine.”
He put a hand on her head and tipped it toward him, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Good.”
Max waved a hand. “Moran!”
Several officers turned, guns drawn.
They froze.
Moran paused, then lifted a flashlight and flicked it their way. A wide smile spread over his face, his eyes on Audra. “Well, I’ll be damned. You’re like a cat, Ridley. Do you always land on your feet?”
She walked up to him, smiling. “Only when I have the right people at my back.”
Sam, Max, and Dean came up behind her, forming a human shield. Moran looked at each of them, then nodded once. “With them on your side, I don’t think you’ll need to worry.”
“Nope.” She raised her hands. “Do you have a key?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Let me stuff this one into a car.” He gave his prisoner, Kieran, a small push, but the man didn’t budge. Instead, he stared at her with wide eyes.
“You’re British?” he finally said.
Audra grinned. “I’m a lot of things you didn’t know I was.”
Moran tugged on Kieran’s arms. “Let’s go.” The two walked away.
Audra lowered her wrists and rolled her shoulders. She needed a hot bath and a massage. Her shoulders ached something terrible.
She glanced around while they waited on Dominick to return. Through the open doorway, she saw two state troopers with Liam. One held his cuffed arms while the other checked his pockets.
“Hey.” She nudged Sam with her elbow, then tipped her chin toward the house.
He looked in the direction she indicated. “You want to go talk to him, don’t you?”
“Uh-huh.” She turned and smiled up at him. “You can stand behind me and glare.”
“Can I punch him too?”
“You sure are aggressive tonight.” Her smile turned naughty. “I kind of like it.”
His lips twitched, ruining the fierce expression on his face. “I get a little mean when people I love are in danger.”
“All right.” Moran returned. “Let’s get those things off of you.” He reached for her hands, a silver handcuff key in his fingers.
The metal gave way and Audra shook her wrists out. They’d be sore for several days, and she’d have bruises. But she was alive and relatively unharmed. “Cheers.”
Freed, she walked around him, Sam on her heels.
“Behave,” Moran called after them.
Passing through the doorway, Liam stilled when he saw her. Then his eyebrows slammed into a vee and red dotted his cheeks. “Bitch!”
“Such language is rather uncouth, don’t you think?”
His eyes widened at her accent. “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m the spy you willingly let into your organization, and the woman who’s brought down your whole family.”
The redness on Liam’s face increased. “Donny was right. I should have forced you to submit to me. Taught you to be a proper lady.”
Her smile disappeared, and she took a step closer. “You’d have lost something rather precious to you.” Her gaze flicked to his crotch. “And learned that this lady runs the show. It will be a pleasure to watch you rot in jail, you son of a bitch.”
From the floor by the sofa came a low laugh. Audra stepped back and looked past Liam and the cops to see Donny sitting on the floor, an officer holding a rag to his nose. In addition to the damage she’d inflicted, he now had a swollen left eye and cheek.
He looked past her at Liam with his good eye. “How does it feel to be the bitch? Sucks, doesn’t it?” Another crazed laugh followed.
Audra shook her head. She turned to Sam. “I’m done here.”
He held out a hand to her, his gaze on Liam. “Have fun in prison.”
Lacing their fingers together, Audra walked out without another glance.