Page 36 of Shadowed Agenda
“He’s stashed it here,” Walker said. “I didn’t see him carrying anything when he left the suite.”
Drake darted out of the bathroom and returned a few seconds later. “It’s in one of the laundry bags, under the room’s extra blanket. He’s an idiot if he thought that was a good hiding place. The CSI techs will need to check for trace evidence. They may even get a print.”
“Sorry guys, I need to update my boss,” Walker interrupted them. “I’ll have to station one of my team members in the suite while I’m gone. I can only give you five more minutes.”
“Tell your boss we’ll call it in,” Pavlo said as he holstered his gun. “We know someone on the force who will keep this under wraps. Neither our client nor your hotel wants the publicity.”
“We appreciate the help you’ve given us,” Drake said. The walkie-talkie’s squawk cut off anything else he might have said, and Walker moved into the living area, issuing orders as he walked away. Drake started tapping on his cell phone. “I’ll ask Javier to contact Hector and tell him what we found. He can also update him on the case.”
Pavlo didn’t answer. He moved closer to the mirror. The guy had used his fingers when painting the message. He wouldn’t have needed to wash his hands if he’d used a glove. Pavlo examined the letters smeared onto the mirror.
“We got him,” Pavlo said, pulling out his cell again. Drake looked up from his cell phone. “Fingerprint.” Pavlo pointed to the spot on the mirror and took a few shots of the print pressed into the red paint.
“Pavlo.” Pavlo turned at the sound of the strangled word.
Regan stood in the doorway. She held up her cell phone. The word Emmeline was smeared red across the screen. Someone had sent Regan a photo of the guy’s handiwork.
Her expression grew hard as she looked at the defaced mirror. She turned on her heel, and Pavlo followed.
“Wait,” Pavlo said, darting after her. She was going to get Emmeline and run. He caught her hand before she could leave.
“Let go of my hand, Pavlo.” Her voice was curt and abrupt.
“Regan, you’re making a mistake.” He spoke in a gentle, reassuring tone to ease her panic. “They don’t know where Emmeline is. You’ll lead them right to her.”
“You don’t know if they’re watching me,” she said and strode out of the suite.
“My gut says there’s more to this than a simple private book signing. Everything has been off from the start,” Pavlo said, following her to the elevator. He allowed the voice nagging at him that something was wrong to speak. He’d deal with the consequences later. “Don’t take this the wrong way. You’re just not important enough for anyone to make this big a fuss over.”
Regan stopped and glared at him. Yeah, she was taking it the wrong way.
Way to go, Barislov.
“We have a PI watching the cottage. He reports in every hour,” Drake said, approaching them. “I have a surveillance team arriving tomorrow morning. They’re good. They won’t let anything happen to Emmeline.”
“When you don’t attend the Toastmaster’s lunch meeting tomorrow, whoever is responsible for this will know you’ve run. No telling how they’ll react,” Pavlo said. “You’re not thinking this through.”
He winced as her frown deepened.
Strike two.
“I am thinking it through. Mackenzie is looking after four kids. She has enough trouble looking after her own three. I can’t trust her to do the right thing if Emmeline’s in trouble. I’m picking Emmeline up and bringing her back with me. The fans will love meeting her.” Regan paused and fixed him with a withering gaze. “And so will Mrs. Aster. Insult me again, Pavlo Barislov, and you’ll find out how much damage a pointed Louboutin can inflict on your man parts.”
Pavlo laughed, but hisman partscringed.
“All I’m asking is that we think this through and have a…” he hesitated. He was about to receive his third strike. “A better plan.”
Yup, that earned him another one of her withering looks. He took a step back so he wasn’t in kicking range. Drake smirked.
“Your sister won’t be happy if you show up this late,” he said, grasping at straws.
This time, the frown wasn’t directed at him. Regan hadn’t considered her sister’s reaction.
Pavlo knew he had won.
Chapter seventeen
Reganwasnormallyamorning person, used to waking up at five a.m. to write for a few hours before Emmeline awoke, but another night of fitful sleep left her drained.