Page 16 of Shadowed Agenda
“We can discuss it at the hotel,” he said, returning his credit card to his wallet. Regan had been too focused on Finlay to notice he’d taken care of the bill. “Along with Finlay’s whispered comment regarding Wyndham.”
Regan tilted her head as Pavlo stood. He’d seen Nicholas and the redhead.
“I didn’t expect my evening to end with a dire warning,” Regan said as Pavlo pulled out her chair.
“How did you expect it to end?” Pavlo’s voice was low and gravelly as he nodded to Niguel. The man was chatting with a large group of patrons celebrating a birthday.
“With a bubble bath and soft music playing instead of static from a baby monitor,” Regan blurted out the honest response.
Pavlo chuckled and placed his hand on the small of her back as they left the steakhouse. Heat stole through her body at his touch.
A normal reaction for someone who hadn’t had sex for… well, years.
Regan needed to focus on something other than Pavlo’s hand resting on the thin fabric of her dress—like her sister’s reaction to having paparazzi camped out at the cottage.
Chapter eight
Oilandwater, Pavlo reminded himself as he sat on an armchair in one of the lounging areas scattered through the hotel lobby. He watched Regan standing in front of the bank of elevators.
He expected the discussion he intended to have with her about letting Shadow Defense help her not to go over well. There were two things Pavlo had learned about Regan Christenson during the past fifteen hours. The woman was fiercely independent, and despite the unexpectedly pleasant evening they’d spent together, she annoyed the hell out of him.
Pavlo wanted to spend a few minutes watching the lobby to see if he could spot anyone sent to watch for the two of them. He’d told Regan he’d meet her in her suite in a few minutes. Pavlo observed the people milling around as he speed-dialed Javier.
“I saw a video clip online of the shark frenzy you steered Regan Christenson through,” Javier said without preamble when he picked up.
“At least half the mob wasn’t legit reporters,” Pavlo said and quickly brought Javier up to speed.
“I thought Isla was too clever to get tangled in Senator Aster’s affairs,” Javier said. “His extremist supporters are on every law enforcement agency’s watch list.”
“I’m certain Isla has an angle,” Pavlo said. “She’s pushing the private book signing.”
“I finished both background checks you asked for,” Javier said. He’d switched to speakerphone as they’d talked, and Pavlo could hear him clicking away on his computer. “You know pretty much all there is to know about Nicholas Wyndham. Everyone’s still in the dark about the identity of his original backers. The few names thrown about are men you don’t want to get involved with. I wish my FBI contact had thrown me that tidbit before we signed the man on as a client.”
All five had hesitated to take on Wyndham as a client. There’d been warning bells, but in the end, the pros outweighed the cons in their move into international corporate security systems. It was a public face that allowed them to keep their private military contracts low key. They’d agreed to monitor Wyndham’s activities. They’d terminate his contract if they spotted anything that crossed the line.
“Regan claims their divorce was mutually agreed upon,” Pavlo said as he watched Regan enter the elevator. “She left before her daughter was born and claims Wyndham has had nothing to do with Emmeline personally or financially.”
“I pulled up the divorce agreement,” Javier said. “It’s tight. Something Wyndham’s lawyers would draw up. Full of legalese that I suspect has loopholes for Wyndham’s advantage, not Regan’s. She left without a cent. It looks like she didn’t put up a fuss.”
Pavlo wondered whether she knew about Wyndham’s backers. It would explain Finlay’s whispered warning to stay clear of Nicholas.
“I checked her financial records. She can’t afford us,” Javier continued. “Most of her money goes into paying off the loans she takes out for her daughter’s surgeries.”
So, the heart condition Finlay referred to was serious.
“Figure out what she needs, and we’ll take care of costs,” Javier said. “I’ll see who I can send to watch your six. Stay sharp.”
“Always,” Pavlo replied and hung up.
It wasn’t the first time Shadow Defense Security had helped people who couldn’t afford them. They’d located their office in Javier’s hometown, Ridgeton, Montana. It had only been the five of them when they’d started their private military company. The Ridgeton community supported them as they grew, and they gave back whenever they could.
Regan would see it as charity. Pavlo would have his hands full convincing her to accept their help.
Pavlo took the stairs two at a time. For once, Isla had listened to him and booked suites below the fifteenth floor. Anything higher became a workout.
He swung the stairwell door open and stepped into the hallway.
Regan’s blue dress stood out against the taupe walls. A man loomed over her, backing her into the wall beside her hotel suite. He looked up as the stairwell door swung shut, turned, and ran for the stairwell at the opposite end of the hallway.