Wetherton was somewhat ordinary in the looks department, though that in itself didn't mean anything. Some of the ugliest spuds in the world had beauties far and wide eating out of their palms, simply because of the wealth these men had, or because of their sheer, magnetic power. But from what she remembered of Wetherton, the man possessed neither of those qualities.
So why the bevy of beauties? And how come it wasn't reported in the papers? Hell, any politician cheating on his wife was big news, let alone one doing the horizontal tango with a bevy of them.
"Will the press buy our sudden appearance in his life? This sort of protection is usually handled by the Federal Police, not the SIU."
"They won't question our appearance after tonight, believe me."
The dry coldness in his voice sent chills down her spine.
"What have you planned for tonight?"
"A spectacular but ineffectual murder attempt. Wetherton may be injured, and will, of course, demand our help."
"Who's the patsy?"
Stephan shrugged. "A young vampire we captured several weeks ago. He'd been something of a political dissident in life, and afterlife has only sharpened his beliefs."
And Stephan had been feeding his madness, aiming it toward Wetherton. Meaning this plan had been burning in his mind for some time. And that the picture was bigger than what he was currently admitting.
Goose bumps ran up her arms, and she rubbed them lightly.
Perhaps the vampire wasn't the only patsy in this situation.
"I gather the vamp will die?"
"He murdered seven people before we captured him. This death is merely a delayed sentence."
"What if he escapes?"
"He won't."
She shifted in her chair. "If Wetherton is up to anything nefarious, it's doubtful I'll be privy to it."
"No. There will be certain times you'll be sent from the room. This is unavoidable. To counter it, you'll bug the room."
"Most federal buildings have monitors. The minute a bug is activated an alarm will sound."
"They won't detect the ones we'll give you. The labs have specifically developed them for this sort of situation."
And no doubt developed a means of detecting them, too.
"How long do you think I'll be guarding Wetherton?"
Stephan shrugged. "I can't honestly say. It could be a month, it could be a year. Parliament doesn't form again until the middle of next month. By then, the two of you will be such a fixture no one will comment."
By then, she hoped Wetherton would reveal his secrets and she could get on with her life. Spending months in Canberra, yawning her way through endless cabinet sessions, was not something to look forward to.
She crossed her arms and stared at Stephan. He returned her gaze calmly. The uneasy feeling that he wasn't telling her everything grew.
"You're doing this to get back at Gabriel, aren't you? You want him to care."
"I'm doing this because no other agents have your particular range of talents. Your ability to detect evil could be vital in this case."
No lies, but not the exact truth, either. She sat back, feeling more frustrated than when she'd first entered his office.
Wetherton was not an option she really wanted, but what other choice did she have? It was this, or put up with endless hours of mind numbing paperwork in the shoebox.
"How do I keep in contact?"