Page 41 of Shadowed Agenda
“Were you able to get ahold of Hector?”
“He’s on his way.” Drake pointed to Baldy. “What happened?”
“He held Regan at knifepoint. Threatened her.”
Drake’s blue eyes turned icy, and he looked directly at the cowering man. “We’ll discuss his lack of manners at the end of our chat.”
Drake came from a family of six. He was the only boy and the eldest in the family. If Regan thought Pavlo was overprotective, she hadn’t seen Drake with his sisters.
“Hector will want a statement. Where can he find you?” Drake asked.
“That depends,” Pavlo said and turned to Regan, still standing several yards away. “Is your tetanus shot up-to-date?”
“He cut her?” Drake murmured, and Pavlo nodded his head.
“Yes,” Regan shouted back. “My elderly neighbor’s kitten was stuck in a tree in her backyard two months ago. Poor thing was terrified. While rescuing her, I got a few deep scratches, and the doctor gave me a booster. I couldn’t remember when I’d had my last one.”
“My hotel suite,” Pavlo answered Drake. “I want to look at the nick on her neck.”
“I’ll wait until the two of you are gone and call Hector,” Drake said. Baldy shifted, and Drake stared at the guy. The man froze. “If he knows what’s happening, he’ll tell me.”
Pavlo ran a hand up and down his neck. That was the problem. He may know nothing. If the guy was hired, Pavlo bet all arrangements were made with a burner cell and cash payment through a luggage storage company. The cost of a small suitcase and storage was a small price to pay for anonymity.
“Baldy had a friend waiting for him on a motorcycle,” Pavlo said.
“I’ll ask Javier to track him on the traffic cameras. We may figure out where he is.” Drake glanced at Regan. “A piece of advice from a friend. Calm down. She’s scared. Don’t let your anger at letting the guy on the motorcycle get away scare her more.”
Pavlo ran his hand through his hair again and nodded. Drake was right. The five of them, Drake, Javier, Cade, Seb, and himself, had been through hell together. They knew each other as well as they knew themselves. Pavlo was angry with himself for letting the second guy get away. Regan had enough to deal with right now. She didn’t need to add his anger to her pile of worries.
He clapped Drake on the shoulder and joined Regan. “Drake is taking care of things here. He’ll call Hector. Our detective friend will try to keep the incident out of the papers. Hector will want a statement, but he can come up to your suite for it.”
Regan nodded her head, and her trembling increased. Pavlo placed his arm around her shoulders and tucked her into his side. The shock of what had happened was settling in. It surprised him she could still stand, given everything thrown at her over the past two days.
“I always have a first aid kit handy. Let me take care of your neck.”
“Okay.” It was barely a whisper.
“Once Finlay’s announcement hits the Internet, you shouldn’t be in danger,” Pavlo said, hoping he was right.
Regan shook her head. “The guy told me they’re watching me, and I’d regret backing out at the last minute. It’s not over.”
Chapter nineteen
Reganclosedhereyesas the elevator doors slid shut. Pressure pushed down on her chest, and she gasped for air. The tip of the knife biting into her neck and the rancid breath of her attacker flashed through her mind.
Pavlo wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. He bent his head, his lips brushing against her ear. “Don’t let the bastards behind this control you. Fight your fear. Slow breath in and slow breath out.”
He repeated the mantra, and Regan drew a painful breath in and then exhaled. Slowly, tension drained from her body, and she was no longer struggling for air.
“Thank you,” she said as the computerized voice announced their floor.
“Let me look at your neck first,” Pavlo said as they walked down the hallway. “Is that Finlay sitting in front of your suite?”
Her new friend sat cross-legged, her back against the door and a computer on top of her jean-clad legs, typing away. Regan had forgotten she’d promised to meet her after breakfast.
Finlay closed the laptop and stood. The smile on her face vanished, replaced by a look of horror. An audible gasp spilled out of her half-opened mouth. “What happened to the two of you? You’re both a mess.”
“One of the Senator’s supporters. He wanted to warn me what would happen if I didn’t follow through with the book signing.” It was all Regan had the strength to say. She needed to sit down, have a cup of coffee, and review everything that had happened. Right now, it was a blur.