Page 68 of Shadowed Agenda
They had planted a bomb in Pavlo and Drake’s vehicle! Regan had to warn them.
Her old cell phone.She’d put it in her pocket before she left the hotel. She had a way of warning them, but there was one flaw in the plan, and it was a big one. Thepower onsound would give her away. Regan was positive it had been muted when she’d checked the battery’s power level. She habitually kept it on mute so it didn’t wake Emmeline when she napped.
She slid her hand under her blouse and into her jeans pocket. Shifting the books on her lap with her other hand to cover up her movement, Regan pushed the power button. The silence in the car was undisturbed.
There was no way of knowing if the cell phone was on. Regan prayed it was as she closed her eyes, visualizing the screen, and tapped text. All she needed to do was type one word.
Bomb.
Her finger tapped out the word.
When Pavlo had typed his number into her cell phone, he’d put it on speed dial. She’d thought it cocky. Now, she thought it was the one thing that would save his life.
Regan visualized the numbers on the screen and tapped seven, then hit send.
Chapter thirty-two
“You’reonspeaker,”Pavlotold Javier, anxious to hear what he’d discovered.
“Senator Aster and his wife flew into New York late last night. It was a last-minute decision. They’re spending the day at their cottage at Oak Lake. They haven’t canceled their hotel booking. Their staff has been told they’ll return to New York City in the morning and use the hotel as their home base. They have an anniversary celebration scheduled for Saturday night.”
“Whoever is pulling the strings moved up the timeline. Whatever they have planned is going down now,” Pavlo said. His gut said it was a hasty decision. They hadn’t counted on Shadow Defense becoming involved.
“We can assume they’re taking Regan to the Senator’s cottage,” Javier said. “Our guys from Europe just arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base. Once they’ve got their gear, they’ll head directly to the cottage and be on site within forty-five minutes.”
“We’re about fifty minutes out.” Pavlo could see a gas station up ahead. The GPS had marked it as the halfway point to Oak Lake. “Have the local police checked on our team?” Pavlo asked.
“They can’t locate their car. They’ve checked nearby streets. The GPS tracker shows it at the sister’s property. They have a three-car garage. The police think it’s in there.”
Pavlo exchanged glances with Drake and thought about the shack they used for their annual fishing weekend getaway. Regan’s idea of a cottage was vastly different from theirs.
“The property to the east has a direct line of view into the kitchen. They stationed an officer inside. She’s reported seeing a man.”
“Mackenzie and the three kids should be the only people in the house,” Pavlo said.
“Vala figures the kidnappers are headed back to the cottage.”
“Makes sense,” Drake said to Pavlo, and Pavlo nodded in agreement.
Pavlo had heard Emmeline screaming for her mother when he’d broken the kidnapper’s car window. He didn’t think they knew what to do with a hysterical baby. They’d trusted Mackenzie to look after Emmeline without revealing they were present. Returning to the cottage so she could care for the child made sense.
“The police would like to wait for the two of you to arrive before they decide on a course of action. There are procedures they have to follow, but they’re willing to work with us.”
Pavlo told Drake to push the speed limit more. The men who had Emmeline would be strung tight after putting up with her crying. They’d take a moment to relax after they handed the baby to Mackenzie. Reboot. That’s when Pavlo wanted to hit them.
“You mean the police want us to bust in first and take the blame if something goes south,” Drake said as they passed the gas station.
It was empty. No one was gassing up. A man sat on a bench in front of the building, enjoying the summer sun. A rusted-out truck sat at the side of the lot.
“I thought I just said that,” Javier chuckled. Shadow Defense had been down this road several times in the past.
“Who owns the car we’re following?” Pavlo asked as a text message notification popped up on his cell phone. He didn’t recognize the number. He’d check it once they finished the call.
“Stolen. No surprise. It belongs to an elderly couple. No one would have noticed it was missing if Vala hadn’t sweet-talked their security guard into checking on the car.” There was a pause, and they could hear Vala’s voice in the background. “Gotta go. Vala may have found something.”
“Someone sent me a text message. I don’t recognize the number,” Pavlo said as Drake maneuvered a sharp curve. He tapped the screen.Shit.“Bomb!”
Drake hit a pothole as he swung the SUV onto the shoulder.