Page 64 of Shadowed Agenda

“Notice anyone with a red baseball cap?” Pavlo asked and scanned the street again.

“He was in the group of four,” Finlay said.

They needed Hector to check out the red baseball cap Baldy had lost in the hotel lobby. Pavlo would bet it was part of his gang’s identity. The gang members they were dealing with were cocky. The guy in the middle of the crowd hadn’t bothered to ditch the ball cap. He was rubbing in Pavlo’s loss.

“I hate running. I’m more of a Pilates, kickboxing kind of girl.” Finlay straightened, her breathing more regular. “Any idea where they took Regan?”

“They probably had a ride waiting,” Pavlo said as they walked down the block. “It worked once. Why not repeat it?”

She nodded, then shouted Regan’s name.

Pavlo watched Finlay. For a moment, the emptiness that Regan had unknowingly filled within him returned. He wanted to run down the street yelling and screaming her name, hoping she’d call out to him. That wouldn’t get her back and would only let the puppet master know Pavlo was losing. He had to separate himself from the pain and focus on the mission, or he’d be a liability to the team.

Cade’s fiancée had coffee mugs made for their office. The logo read…If, at first, you don’t succeed, you’re not one of us.She was right. They were Shadow Defense. They never lost.

Finlay walked down the block calling out Regan’s name. She stopped and bent over a cardboard box beside a shop wall.

“You’ve found something?” Pavlo asked, joining her.

She held up Regan’s cell phone.

“They pitched her phone as they walked past,” Pavlo said and slipped the cell phone into his pocket. They had no way of tracking Regan. “I’m betting a car was waiting further down the block.”

Finlay placed her hand on his arm. “We’ll find them.”

“Javier can check the traffic cams along the streets,” Pavlo said as they exited the alley and headed back the way they’d come. It wouldn’t take long. They’d recently hired someone with Javier’s skill level. More skilled if Javier’s suspicion that the twenty-four-year-old woman was deliberately holding back was correct. They’d kept Vala’s background well hidden. Knowing they’d hired a criminal would make certain team members twitchy.

Some businesses would have security cameras facing the street. They could use them to narrow the kidnapper’s escape route if necessary.

“Drake is meeting us by the LinkNYC kiosk,” Finlay said. “He went to get his rental. He figured we’d need it.”

They saw Drake pull into a parking spot as they rounded the corner. Pavlo ran to the SUV. Finlay followed at a much slower pace behind him.

Pavlo heard the locks pop open as he reached for the door. Drake relocked the doors immediately.

“Finlay is coming with us,” Pavlo said as Drake signaled to join the steady stream of traffic.

Drake didn’t reply.

“Hey!” Pavlo could hear Finlay shout as she ran toward them.

She grabbed the passenger handle and tugged. “Are you kidding me?” Finlay banged on the window. “Open the door, Drake. I’m coming with you.”

Drake pulled away from the curb. There was a loud thunk. It came from the back fender. Finlay had said she’d liked kickboxing.

With her hands on her hips, she stood on the sidewalk, glaring at the SUV as Drake pulled into the traffic.

“She’s pissed,” Pavlo said.

“She’s a reporter,” Drake replied.

Pavlo should have expected the response. Drake should have listened to himself when he’d told Pavlo to put the past where it belonged—in the past.

“How’d you lose Regan?” Drake asked as he switched lanes.

Pavlo ran over Finlay’s description of the crowd that whisked Regan away and then backtracked to give Drake a detailed description of Emmeline’s kidnapper and the car.

“They ditched her cell phone,” Pavlo said, running his hands through his hair. “They had transportation waiting.”