Calculated Entrapment

by K. T. Lee

  “Okay, so what are we going to do about it? Aside from making sure we aren’t sitting ducks, obviously.”

  A jolt of inspiration, usually the kind that came with a bigger cup of full-strength coffee, shot through her. “Stef said they have a prototype research platform. I could let her know we’re both available to help out. As researchers, of course.”

  Matt wiggled his phone in the air. “Of course. And, that explains why Alex tried to bet me five dollars I wouldn’t be able to stay out of it if you told me about it. Our management must have agreed to let me know since I’m watching your back. Alex just has a way of convincing the CIA to let me help out.”

  “You are such a goner.” Ree grinned.

  Matt shrugged. “I’m not even embarrassed about that. Alex is amazing. We’ll figure it out. Just like you and Parker did.”

  Ree put a hand on her stomach. “Oh? I didn’t realize things were that serious.”

  Matt’s eyes went wide. “I was talking about the long distance. And the occasional work project. But maybe someday, more will be right for us. Right now, we’re very happy with our relationship and our dog.”

  “I thought Waffle was an employee, not a pet.”

  Matt showed her a selfie of him, Alexis, and Waffle on a hike. “Don’t tell Waffle that. The FBI says he’s Alexis’s dog until she says otherwise, and I don’t see that changing. So, I’m considering him a shared pet.” Matt tapped a pencil on his desk. “How soon can we get our hands on that prototype?”

  * * *

  Stefanie looked down at her phone. Ree had texted, this time about the prototype. She bit back a laugh. It was hardly a surprise that Ree was trying to find a way to get involved, even throwing in the offer of a bonus mechanical engineering professor. It was tempting to call for more moral support, but right now didn’t feel like the best time to make a move, considering Joey had just arrived. She added Ree’s coworker to her mental list of wedding guests she didn’t know secretly worked for a government agency. Regardless, it was nice to know how many people were willing to help her out of her predicament. She poked her head out of the office and spotted Joey listening attentively to Nash. His posture was carefully relaxed but every once in awhile he’d turn his head just past what Nash was pointing at. She leaned against the doorframe and waited for Nash to take a breath. Nash was clearly passionate about his work and incredibly intelligent. Did he know more than he was letting on? His idea to send down extra research platforms suddenly seemed a lot more suspicious. But how much damage could he do studying the ocean? Moreover, what was his motivation? Her palms started to sweat, and she retreated back to her desk, shutting the door to her office for the first time in recent memory.

  A few minutes later, there was a tap at the door. She lifted her head from her hands. “Come in.”

  Joey came in, closing the door behind him. “Whew. Nash is a talker. Hey, how are you doing?”

  “I’m fine. Just another day at the office.” Stefanie forced a smile, doing her best to wipe the traces of stress from her face. This might be a little different than her usual stress, but she’d presented her work in front of large crowds without appearing nervous. She took a moment to change her disposition before facing the CIA officer.

  Joey studied her for a moment. “Wow. That’s impressive. For the record, I’m not fooled, but I respect that you don’t want to talk about your feelings.”

  Stefanie cleared her throat. “What’d you find out?” She was proud that her voice didn’t wobble, even a little.

  “That Nash loves his job and is happy you’re here. He said the company has a handful of submarines – all remotely operated.” He turned his head. “What do you call that? A drone? A drone sub?”

  “We usually call it an ROV. It’s short for Remotely Operated Vehicle: ROVer 1, 2, 3…you get the idea. We have a couple we ship all over the world as they are needed, but we keep ROVer 1 and ROVer 2 here with us. And our local research vessel is called The Dog House.”

  “Cute. And you know where the other machines have been?”

  Stefanie turned her head to the side. “Theoretically, I guess? All of our subs have GPS, but I don’t think they record a history of their location. We have manual logs for when they’ve been taken out. It would be pretty easy to fake the location if you wanted to; they weren’t designed to be tracked. We’re lucky we own them – if we had to rent them, it’d be a logistical nightmare. Fortunately, the person who started the company began by working in research labs, so she understood the benefit of full ownership.”

  “Hm. That’s a nice arrangement.” Joey crossed his arms. “Anything special about the subs?”

  Stefanie nodded. “Oh yeah. Everything’s special about the subs. They’re crazy expensive. And the ones the OEG owns are better than any commercially available tech I’ve ever seen.”

  “Can I take a look at one of them?”

  Stefanie frowned. “I mean, you could, but it won’t be subtle. They’re kept in a storage building at a local harbor. Locked, with security cameras. They’re way too expensive not to monitor carefully. Someone would know for sure if we went there.”

  “Hm. How many people work here? The only people I’ve talked to are Nash, Peggy, and you.”

  “A couple of hundred, maybe? It’s why I was so happy to get the job. They’re next-to-impossible to get into.” Stefanie took a sip of coffee. “Luckily, they’re growing quickly.”

  Joey held up his hands. “I’m not trying to offend you, and I get that we didn’t start off on the best foot, but if Nash is the only one working for you in the lab, why do they need a middle manager?”

  Stefanie’s stomach flipped. A part of her had wondered the same thing, but she’d been so excited about her dream job, she hadn’t questioned it. “Cole said it was because management was ready to grow the company. Hiring me allows him to spend more time with customers.”

  A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Joey gave her a look and lowered his voice. “I can stop by tonight if you want to keep talking. Don’t have conversations like this outside your office. I only swept in here this morning.”

  Before she could respond to that little surprise piece of information, Joey walked over to the door and opened it. Cole gave him a curious look and stuck out a hand. “Ah, you must be the new intern. I’m Cole Davidson. It’s great to have you here.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Joey straightened his back. “It’s great to be here. Stefanie was just telling me about your submarines and your research. It’s all very impressive.”

  “Thank you. Is that why you chose to come intern with us?” Cole looked Joey up and down.

  “Yes. Nash has been walking me through all the work you do. I think the donors to my scholarship will be impressed.”

  Stefanie stood. “Joey is helping us build the prototypes Nash and I have been working on.”

  Cole studied Joey for another minute. “Good. Actually, that reminds me of why I came in here. I know it’s sudden, but I could use some help. Would you be willing to talk with a team of consultants about the company on Monday? I am out of town that day, and my management is insisting I keep my prior commitments. Still, we’ve got to have someone important to do the shake and howdy with them. They’re a multinational consulting firm. They represent customers who do a lot of work in the ocean. I think I’ve almost convinced them we are the right company for the right price. However, before signing the check, they wanted to meet the team, get a little office tour.”

  Joey’s fingers twitched, but he didn’t give her any indication that she should accept, probably because Cole was watching them both carefully. Stalling, she made a show of going back to her computer to check her calendar. When Cole looked down at his phone, Joey gave her a slight nod behind Cole’s back. Stefanie looked up from her computer with a bright smile. “I can make it work. What time will they be coming?”

  “They’re customers, so we’ll know when they get around to telling us.” Cole gave her a knowing look a
nd she gave him an understanding smile in return. “For now, just block the afternoon and when they aren’t here, you and Nash can keep working on the platforms. I’ll have Peggy handle all of their arrangements.”

  “Thanks, Cole. I appreciate the opportunity. Anything I should know about them before they show up?”

  “I’ll send you what I have, but it’s limited.” Cole pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “I’ve met with the head of the team once before. He was very easy to work with – the company knows what they’re doing. We have a waiting list, but these are the kind of folks we need to squeeze in if they can give us an ongoing commitment.”

  Stefanie’s heart began to pound. She decided to push her luck, just a little harder. Joey was in the room, after all. “Do we have to be careful, doing business with anyone based outside of the U.S.? I mean, as an American company, are there any rules I need to be aware of? We had some training at my last company about filling out paperwork on things like this.”

  “Nothing you need to worry about. Our lawyers will handle anything of that nature.” Cole waved a hand. “You focus on introducing the team and convincing our customers there isn’t a better deal in the business. They’ll let us know if there are any limitations.”

  “Perfect. Just glad I can help.” Stefanie’s heart thudded.

  After Cole left the office, Stefanie braced one hand on the table and closed her eyes. She startled at Joey’s voice. Unlike their previous interactions, where his businesslike demeanor matched hers, his voice was softer. “You alright?”

  “Yep. Still up for that meeting tonight?”

  “Definitely.” Joey cracked his knuckles. “Mind if I take that business card?”

  13

  By the time Stefanie returned to her house, she’d almost convinced herself that she had overreacted to a straightforward customer meeting. That it was perfectly normal that someone who outranked her manager pulled him away, leaving her to meet with the team. This was literally why she was hired. It couldn’t be that big of a deal.

  Stefanie put a salad together and checked the time. Joey would be here any minute. She made a face at the green leaves and chided herself for not being grateful for the healthy meal. She could really go for something a little warmer and more comforting. She hadn’t found time to make a grocery run while dodging spies and overthinking about the visiting multinational team. She still hadn’t decided if they were an excellent example of multi-country collaboration, like the International Space Station, or Dmitri making his move. Stefanie jumped at a knock on the door and for the first time in a very long time, she pulled her weapon from its locked cabinet. On the way to the door, she pulled up the security camera feed on her phone and spotted her newest friend on the front porch.

  Stefanie opened the door and Joey lifted an eyebrow. “You should know, I’d rather not get shot.”

  “I certainly hope not.” Stefanie felt heat creep up her face. “I’m just a little jumpy.”

  Joey pointed to her weapon. “Probably not the best time to have your finger close to a trigger, then.”

  Stefanie managed not to roll her eyes. “You know, before you walked in, I was reminding myself I needed to be nice to you, but now, for the life of me, I can’t remember why.”

  “Because I brought lasagna for both of us. From a mom and pop shop just down the street.” Joey grinned and held up a bag that smelled like absolute heaven. “It’s legit. My Nonna would even approve. Although, before I share it, I’ll tell you nothing is as good as her homemade pasta sauce.”

  Stefanie smiled. “I guess I better be nice to you then. Wouldn’t want your Nonna coming after me.” She let him in the house and put her gun back in the cabinet.

  “You have no idea.” Joey chuckled. “I’d face down ten drill sergeants before I’d face a disappointed Nonna Gina and her wooden spoon.”

  Stefanie quickly divided her salad into two bowls. “She sounds very special to you.”

  “She’s in her nineties and still a spitfire. She’s the best.”

  Stefanie passed Joey a salad and he slid her a takeout container. They sat together at the little bar on her kitchen counter. She took a bite of the lasagna and closed her eyes. “If your Nonna’s lasagna is better, I don’t think I could handle it. This is exactly what I needed after today.”

  Joey lifted a shoulder. “I thought we should treat ourselves. We had a breakthrough. You know these guys have to be involved with Dmitri.”

  Stefanie paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. “Do we though?”

  “It’s a last-minute meeting and only you can cover it.” Joey cleared his throat. “And the NSA sent me an alert shortly after Cole came to talk to you. Dmitri just sent an update email with a few new coded phrases to his agent on-site. Dmitri is making his move. My guess is someone wants you to take the fall for something. This is our chance to find out who in your organization wanted to keep Cole from overseeing your customer meet and greet. But first, we have to figure out how I can be near you during the meeting.”

  Stefanie put her fork down on her plate. “I’m sorry, you’re planning on attending? Why would I bring an intern to my important meeting?”

  Joey swallowed and took a sip of water. “You shouldn’t go in alone. Who knows what they want?”

  “In a conference room, in broad daylight? What if I went in, by myself, and you’re just outside? It’s just a business meeting. What could happen? We can prep everything this weekend, set up any surveillance you like. You can be close, but I’ll handle it. The last thing I want to do is scare off legitimate customers.”

  Joey blew out a breath. “After a day of watching you run your lab and field phone calls, I agree you can handle the pressure. But this could be a setup. And if I put too much surveillance equipment in place, they’re going to quickly realize that Stefanie Ryland isn’t just a talented scientist, she’s also collaborating with the CIA. Then you’re at risk.”

  “You’re buttering me up.” Stefanie eyed him. “I’m not that important. I didn’t even know what was going on until last weekend. And do you really think they’d make their big move in an office building in San Francisco? Wouldn’t they at least trick us into coming into international waters or something? After all, we are the marine corps.”

  Joey snorted. “That is such a bad joke. And Nash is so incredibly proud of it. He dropped it into conversation one more time after you left.”

  Stefanie grinned and for that moment, her time with the CIA officer felt easy. That was…unusual. “What if we set up in the conference room with the glass door? You could pass by occasionally and see that I have things in hand. And you could have recording devices in the room so you could listen in.” Joey looked towards her gun safe. “I saw that.” She eyed him. “Are you worried I’d go in armed or that I wouldn’t go in armed?”

  “I’m not sure.” Joey sighed and poked at his lasagna. “Listen, it’s one thing when I put myself at risk, but I’ve been trained for it. You have no idea what these guys really want. Or who they really are.”

  Stefanie narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t been trained in marine biology. Or oceanography. Or on our prototypes. You know nothing about this company. It needs to be me. You’ll blow our cover in a heartbeat. And come on, what are the odds these guys work for Dmitri? Cole is always busy. That’s hardly news.” Joey rubbed the back of his neck. He finished his food and rose to clean up their mess. He reached for her food and she put a hand over it. “You don’t need to do that. I’ll handle it.” Joey kept his palm out. She sighed. “Yes, I heard that. I may have some trouble accepting help.”

  “And needing to be in charge of everything?”

  “Says the pot to the kettle.” Stefanie handed over her dinner mess. “Also, I think you mean to say I am an excellent leader. Thank you. I appreciate the compliment.”

  Joey laughed and put away the dishes. He leaned against the counter. “You’re a good egg, Stefanie Ryland. Let’s get you some practice on the gun range tonight. T
hen, once you’re good and tired, I’m going to try to convince you again that putting me in the room is a good idea.”

  Stefanie saw a playful sparkle in his eyes and almost lost her breath. A tough guy who took himself too seriously was merely a pain in her backside. But a tough guy who appreciated the challenge was something else entirely. He was neatly ducking all of her assumptions. “Alright, give it your best. I just don’t want to see you sulk when you lose.”

  “I don’t sulk.” Joey crossed his arms.

  Stefanie gathered her bag and retrieved her weapon from the cabinet. “Hm. That’s not what I recall of your first night here.”

  “I wasn’t sulking. I was concerned for your safety.” Joey lifted an eyebrow. “Because of my excellent leadership skills.” He winked and she did an excellent job pretending not to be affected.

  They continued to banter on their way out to the car and Stefanie felt her shoulders relax a little. Forming a team was something she’d done dozens of times; these were just different circumstances. They were just having to work together more quickly than she expected, and she wasn’t driving the metaphorical bus. She’d show Joey she knew what she was doing. Then, once the tough guy was reassured that he wasn’t sending in an incompetent pseudo-agent, he’d let her drive.

  She slid into the driver’s seat and he joined her in the passenger’s seat. He looked around the vehicle and Stefanie looked at him before turning the key. “Coming to conclusions based on my car?”

  “I have no idea what you mean.” Joey gave her a look of wide-eyed innocence.

  “It’s a little messier than usual.” Stefanie shook her head and pulled out of the driveway, managing not to look around too much. Still, she spotted a protein bar wrapper in the cup holder and a sweatshirt in the back seat.

  “That definitely wasn’t what I was thinking. I’m impressed you keep it so clean. I thought I was the only one that was that fastidious with my car.”