Page 28 of Sam's Salvation

Sam leaned against a tree and stared out at the yard. Birds chirped and leaves rustled. “This is nice. You don’t see a lot of green space in Vegas.”

“Yeah. I got lucky there was a unit for lease here. The other one I was looking at didn’t have nearly as much shade.”

Several minutes passed before Audra shifted and took a step toward her condo. “I think we’re safe.”

Eyes and ears open, Sam followed her through the back gate into her yard, wincing as the hinges squealed.

“How do you plan to get in? Did you have your keys with you?” He didn’t remember seeing them, but it was possible she had it on her somewhere.

“No. But I don’t need them,” she said as they reached the back door.

“What? Why—” He stopped when she shifted a cover on the plate beneath the doorknob to reveal a keypad. “You have electronic locks?”

“Pretty neat, huh?”

“Aren’t you afraid they’ll get hacked?”

“No. I have a security system inside with a different code. Even if someone got through the door, they’d only have thirty seconds to enter the second code. It’s not enough time for them to pop the panel off, connect their decoding device and get the correct code.” She typed in the door code. The lock clicked and she opened the door. “This unit has a battery backup, so even if the power’s cut to it, it’ll still sound the house alarm.” She walked to a beeping white box on the wall just feet from the door and typed in a second code. “There. All safe.”

“Good. Let’s get your stuff and get out of here. I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary.” He shut the back door and locked it.

“Me either.” She walked through the kitchen and into the living room, then up the stairs. Sam followed close on her heels.

“Ignore the mess,” she said as they entered the master bedroom.

Sam glanced around. The bed was rumpled and clothes littered part of the floor. He wouldn’t call it a mess. It looked lived in.

She crossed to the closet and shoved a rack of dresses aside to reveal a panel on the wall. Audra grasped the small knob and opened it. Inside sat a small safe. She spun the dial back and forth, then turned the handle and opened the safe. His eyes widened as he caught sight of what was inside.

“Please tell me SIS gave you that money.”

She took it out, along with a red passport book, then glanced at him. “Some of it. Most of it’s mine. The op pays most of my living expenses. I’ve been withdrawing a portion of my paycheck every month and setting it aside for the last two years. Just in case.”

He shook his head in disbelief and reached for a small suitcase stashed on a shelf. “You spy people are built different.”

“It’s common sense, Sam.” She picked up several pairs of pants and followed him out into the bedroom to deposit the items on the bed.

He unzipped the case. “Go grab more clothes. I’ll pack these up.”

She nodded and walked away.

Sam stared at the cash. There had to be twenty grand or more there. He reached for her passport and opened it, surprised to see it was a British passport. “Angela Brackley?” He sat down on the bed, staring at the booklet. She’d used his last name for her secret alias?

She smiled at him as she returned with an armload of shirts. “I guess you could say you made an impact.” She set the load of clothes down and sat next to him. “That passport means safety to me. I wanted a name that made me feel safe.”

“My—” He stopped and clenched his teeth as the words stuck. “How—” He broke off again and growled. “Dammit.” The words were right there, but they refused to come out.

Audra laid a hand on his thigh and squeezed. “Yes. You make me feel safe,” she said, understanding what he was trying to say.

Sam closed his eyes and inhaled a breath through his nose, trying to calm his emotions. Being agitated or highly emotional always made the brain block worse. Staying calm was the key to being able to speak. Usually. Fatigue played a part too. But he wasn’t tired. Just shocked.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. She stared back, a small, concerned frown putting a crinkle between her eyebrows. He smoothed it away with his thumb. “I’m glad.” Leaning forward, he kissed the spot he’d just smoothed. Soft tendrils of her hair tickled his face. He let his touch linger for a moment, then pulled back. “I hope I can live up to that.”

“You already have just by showing up. I didn’t know where else to turn, so thank you.”

Sam touched her temple and the fine, silky hair there. “You’re welcome, Aud.” He hoped fate wasn’t done intervening in their lives. He wasn’t ready to tell her goodbye.

A soft beep reached them. Audra’s gaze sharpened, and she looked toward the door.

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