Calculated Entrapment

by K. T. Lee

  “That’s hard to imagine.” He shot her a wry look.

  She gave him a hip check and he caught her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “You always this friendly with witnesses?”

  He looked her square in the eyes. “Never, actually. I prefer to work with a small team from the CIA or alone, if possible. I had some misgivings about including you.”

  “You don’t say.” She took another sip of her coffee, maintaining eye contact. She didn’t move away and he didn’t move his hand.

  “It came from a place of not wanting you to get hurt if that helps.”

  “I kind of figured that out.” She looked up at him. “That’s why I didn’t kick you out of my house.”

  Joey snorted. “Giving me a hard time usually makes you feel better. Why isn’t it helping this time?”

  “We’re missing something.” Stefanie shook her head. “I don’t know what and I don’t know how bad it’s going to be. It’s a terrible feeling.”

  Joey placed their coffees on the kitchen counter and pulled her close. She rested her head on his chest. “I don’t like it either, but if someone doesn’t run into the burning building and put out the fire, people could die.”

  Stefanie looked up and considered his face, his unshaven jaw, and the crinkles at the corners of his eyes. She kissed him on the cheek. “Yes, I would definitely invest in you.”

  “Thank you?” He raised an eyebrow.

  Stefanie picked up her coffee mug with two hands and stared into it. “Well, the feelings I have for you are, objectively, irrational. They are too soon, too fast, and too intense. But in my previous job, I spent a lot of time researching the potential of various technologies. Every now and again, I’d find one where the team was awesome, detail-oriented, and creative. They’d have something that was impossible to fully quantify in a spreadsheet. We’d do the math and make sure it made sense financially, but at the end of the day, it just felt right. Every time my company placed a bet on those teams, we’d win. Usually big. So, I’d bet on you.”

  “That is, without question, the nerdiest way anyone has ever come on to me. I could get used to this.” Joey sighed. “So, let’s tackle this morning, then we’ll figure out how we invest in each other.”

  Stefanie got ready for the day, the process feeling a bit surreal. She had a small ankle holster she purchased for her weapon but rarely used. While she practiced enough to feel theoretically prepared to defend herself, her heart pounded at the thought of actually needing it. She slid the weapon into the holster and hoped she wouldn’t have to use it. It was mind-boggling how many laws their “customers” had broken just to get their delivery of nuclear waste into the building.

  Soon, Joey and Stefanie were ready and walking to the car. Joey drove, both of them quiet for most of the drive. He pulled into an open garage door in a large building by the harbor and the door closed behind them. When they got out, they were greeted by Cam, Quinn, Alexis, and Waffle. She studied Quinn and grinned. “You did great.”

  Quinn fluffed her brown hair, styled and colored to perfectly match Ree’s. Her makeup had shaded features on her face to minimize facial features that were different than Ree’s and there were definitely some small prosthetics involved to get the disguise just right. Stefanie looked at Cam, who now looked more like his brother. “It’s gotta be weird for you, right? I mean, your girlfriend looks like your sister-in-law.”

  Cam shrugged. “It is weird. But I watched her do it. I know it’s my girl under all that makeup.” Cam’s changes were more subtle. A change to the color and the way he styled his hair was all it took.

  Alexis was the only one in their group who seemed completely comfortable. She was dressed in track pants and a running shirt, and Waffle wore a vest with reflective stripes. She looked no different than any conscientious jogger might. Waffle’s bright energy matched hers. Alexis straightened her visor and pressed a button on her watch. “Okay, it’s almost time to do another sweep. I have a tracker on our friends’ cars, so you should get early warning they are on their way.”

  “Did you figure anything out, staying at the hotel?” Stefanie gave Waffle a quick pat and he took his focus off the door to the outside for just a moment to give her an appreciative look and tail wag.

  Alexis’s mouth set in a line. “I’m not sure. The three of them were at breakfast this morning but not sitting together. I couldn’t get close to them without raising a few eyebrows. Our teams have been searching call and email traffic and we’re sure something is up, but they’re using ciphers we haven’t been able to crack. So, stay alert.”

  “We posted new photos of Ree and Parker at the Golden Gate Bridge on social media, so we’ve done our part at least.” Quinn ran a hand through her hair.

  Joey crossed his arms. “Do we have our snipers out there, just in case they want more than a conversation?”

  Cam checked his watch. “Yeah, they’re all in position now. I’ll let them know to look out for any scientist carrying a weapon.”

  “You mean, besides this one?” Joey gave Stefanie a little nudge.

  Cam grinned. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Stef, I keep forgetting you aren’t Ree. You’re armed, right?”

  Stefanie nodded.

  “You okay with that? I don’t want someone using your weapon against you if you have any doubts about it.”

  “I weighed the risk.” Stefanie pushed back the fear rising in her stomach. “I think it’s smarter than going in unarmed. Plus, your guy here tested me pretty good when we first met. I think I passed his test.”

  Joey nodded his approval. “I’d hire her.”

  “Just don’t get too distracted.” Cam gave Joey a knowing look.

  Joey rolled his eyes. “No way. You are the last person on Earth allowed to give me that lecture.”

  Quinn made a joke about summer camp that went over Stefanie’s head and Alexis pulled out a toy for Waffle. “We’re going to do our sweep. Do me a favor and let the snipers know I’m coming.”

  “You’re wearing a vest, right?” Quinn caught her by the arm.

  Alexis nodded. “You?”

  “Absolutely. Handing out two more to Joey and Stefanie in a minute.”

  Alexis looked Quinn up and down. “Good. Take care of Stef, okay? Dmitri’s team has already put bullets in two of us. Let’s not make it three.”

  * * *

  Stefanie kept checking her watch, but time refused to speed up on her account. However, eventually, the door to the outside opened and Alexis and Waffle entered. Waffle was holding his tennis ball but not the toy Alexis used when he found something explosive. Stefanie breathed a sigh of relief. “Good news, I hope.”

  “No news is good news.” Alexis shrugged. “We loaded the replacement parts on your boat and checked the whole thing with the help of some friends from the Coast Guard.” Alexis pulled a small wristwatch out of her pocket and gave it to Stefanie. “Quinn’s already got one of these, but you might need it. It’s a Geiger counter. It’s extremely sensitive and will detect small amounts of radiation that exceed any background amounts, in case they’re bringing any other surprises with them.”

  Stefanie accepted the device, only trembling a little as she put it on. “Thanks. Earpieces?”

  Cam opened a box and gave one to each of them. “Full disclosure, we’ll be able to communicate on the ship, but we’ll be out of range of the rest of the team shortly after leaving the harbor. Also, the ship isn’t that big. If something bad happens, yell for help. We’ve also got Coast Guard vessels nearby and they’re ready to jump in if needed.”

  “Last chance to back out.” Joey looked over at Stefanie.

  Stefanie put her hand on her hip. “No way. Let’s go.”

  Just like that, the small team headed to the harbor, chatting congenially about the OEG’s projects. Stefanie felt, once again, like she was back on stage in high school, saying lines that someone might care about, but didn’t mean much to her. When she reached The Dog House, she relaxed a bit. This was the jo
b she signed up for, and if she wasn’t using it to catch the people trying to dispose of nuclear waste off the California coastline, it would be a pleasant way to spend a morning. To avoid any potential questions, she sent Cam and Quinn to another part of the boat to wait while she and Joey greeted the consultants. One of Cam’s friends was driving – how they’d made that arrangement, she hadn’t been told and she didn’t ask. She just observed their silent greeting when they’d come aboard. He’d come down to introduce himself as Ike, then returned to the bridge of The Dog House. A handful of others she didn’t recognize as OEG employees were already on board to help operate the ship. They didn’t introduce themselves.

  The three consultants boarded the boat and she greeted them individually. Fredrick looked quite a bit worse for the wear and was actively covering his mouth like he was going to be sick. He nodded at her. Oliver came behind him, greeting her with a pleasant hello. He was followed by Tony. She greeted Tony warmly and let him know his cargo was on board, gesturing to the ROV platform on the back of the sub. He seemed relieved. Something about it didn’t sit right. If he knew he was sharing space with nuclear waste, why would his stress be so low? Did he not know what was in his cargo? Or maybe he was happy to have gotten away with it. Stefanie fought a shiver. Since he had led his team in their first meeting, perhaps he would engage in a little small talk. “So, have you had a pleasant stay in California?”

  Tony nodded seriously. “It’s been a really productive trip. Thank you for getting us on the schedule so quickly.”

  “Cole did a lot of the hard work.” Stefanie waved a hand as if their herculean efforts had been nothing. Tony got a funny look on his face, but she couldn’t quite place it. Joey had split off with Oliver, while Fredrick was leaning on a railing, clutching his forehead. She leaned in discreetly. “Fredrick looks as if he doesn’t feel well. There is a basket of anti-nausea medication below deck.”

  Tony looked over at his coworker. “I’ll let him know – he keeps to himself a lot.” He looked around to make sure no one would hear. “He was actually late getting here – I think he’s more nervous than he let on when we first came to visit you guys.”

  “Do you guys not work together much?” Stefanie tilted her head.

  Tony shook his head. “No, we actually just met in person the first time this week. We work for a global company and this is a new initiative for us. Honestly, we’re just here to make sure you all were up to the task, which you are, and to make sure our cargo gets delivered. We’re really more project managers on this than anything else.”

  Stefanie spotted Cam and Quinn talking to the captain of the boat and decided to keep Tony talking. “Have you been to San Francisco before? The Bay Area is lovely – I hope you had time to see the sights.” Her voice sounded strained to her, and she hoped he’d chalk it up to job-related jitters.

  “Oh yes, I’ve been here a lot.” Tony checked his watch. “Are we waiting for anyone else or can we proceed?”

  Stefanie forced a smile. “We can be on our way. Just give me a second to see if the captain is ready.” She walked over to Ike. “Our passengers are ready – are we waiting on anything to leave?”

  Ike looked towards the helm. “No, ma’am. We’ll be off in a jiffy.” He lowered his voice. “Our equipment doesn’t show they’re armed, but a couple of them had locations on their person that came up inconclusive on our scan. Assume Tony has a weapon on his ankle and his friend Fredrick has something in his pocket.”

  “Great!” Stefanie smiled pleasantly and put a hand on Ike’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime, ma’am. And we’re off.”

  Stefanie whispered, “Everyone got that?”

  Joey answered quickly, over the earpiece. “Got it. I’ll keep an eye on them. Don’t let yourself be anywhere alone with them, okay?”

  “Deal.” Stefanie walked along the outside of the vessel, one hand on the railing. She walked around Fredrick again, and he moved closer to the railing to give her space to pass without looking at her directly. She silently checked her watch. No radiation detected. She’d give a million dollars, if she had it, to have Waffle by her side right now for moral support. She approached Tony, who was looking over the railing to examine the equipment that ROVer 1 would soon deploy. He gestured to the protective cover, now covering up their deception. “The cover? Can you remove it for our final inspections? I’m afraid my customer was quite specific.” Fredrick lifted his head from the ledge to watch their interaction.

  Stefanie’s heart began to thump in her chest. “I would, but we apply a waterproof seal by dipping the entire assembly. It’s much cheaper than custom seals, and if we break it, we’ll have to cancel our trip.” She turned to face him. “I am so sorry. I thought you understood from our conversation. It was spelled out on the form.” Stefanie hoped her lie would be enough. Rarely did their customers read the forms as thoroughly as they claimed. “I can ask the captain to turn around if you need to inspect it.”

  Tony looked past her, then shook his head. “Oh no. That’s not necessary. We will proceed.”

  Joey’s voice buzzed in her ear. “Give him some space. Ike, watch him. See what he does next.”

  Just as they left the harbor, Stefanie heard Alexis in her ear. “Team, Waffle smells Dmitri. He’s here, somewhere. Do not return to the dock until we find him.” Her voice crackled. “Repeat, do not come back into the dock until we locate him. We need some time to check rooftops.”

  “Roger that.” Ike smiled easily as he navigated the boat out of the harbor. Stefanie’s heart thudded in her ears and she skimmed the deck of the boat until her eyes fell on Joey. Her racing heart slowed, just a little. Dmitri was onshore and they had his team. They had separated the lock and the key.

  Stefanie paused at the railing for a moment to catch her breath. She would be the one deploying the submarine and research platform when they arrived at their location. Cole would have kittens if he knew she was doing it with no backup crew to watch the perimeter cameras, but she’d have to ask for forgiveness later. She turned to shimmy down a small set of stairs to the area below deck. When she reached the bottom, she startled at a touch at her back. A moment before she heard his voice, she realized it was Joey. “You scared me.”

  Joey whispered. “Sorry. How are you doing up there?”

  “Good.” Stefanie’s heart pounded. “Something seems off with Fredrick. He looks way worse than just seasick.”

  Quinn’s voice came through the earpiece. “On it.”

  Soon, Quinn joined them. “Fredrick didn’t light up on my sensors, so he doesn’t have any bugs on him. He was leaning over the railing when I walked by. You’re right – he looks really ill. When do we get to the drop off location?”

  Joey checked his watch. “Another forty-five minutes. I’ll go up and make sure our equipment is ready to deploy. Stefanie, you keep mingling on deck and see if you can figure anything else out. We should be out of range of Dmitri now if he’s trying to snipe us from shore.”

  “You got it.” She tipped her head towards the main deck. “Want to come with me, Sis?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Quinn flipped her hair behind her with a flourish.

  When they returned to the deck, Cam was drinking from a travel mug of coffee and answering questions from Tony and Oliver, while Fredrick kept his eyes trained on the horizon, a classic tactic to manage seasickness. Stefanie looked at Quinn, who gave her a meaningful look in return. Hopefully, Fredrick didn’t realize the ships in the distance were their allies in the Coast Guard. They felt alone, but they weren’t, truly.

  Stefanie walked up to Cam, who was playing the part of Parker. It took her a second to remember that she couldn’t call him by name, and she caught herself just in time. “Hey, Parker. Enjoying the ride?”

  “For sure.” Cam smiled easily and turned to brace his back along the boat’s railing. “You’re going to have to explain to me what those boxes do again, using small words.”

  T
he two consultants standing nearby looked on with interest and Fredrick finally pushed himself off the railing to join them, still half-focused on the horizon. Stefanie smiled at the group. This part, she could do. “Of course. Our normal platform can hold all kinds of measurement equipment – seismometers, sample collectors, communications equipment, custom sensors. You name it, we can do it. Today, our customers are bringing custom, proprietary measurement equipment, and we’re delivering it to an appropriate testing location.”

  Cam lifted his travel mug of coffee in her direction. “Well, if I ever have to do measurements on the bottom of the sea, I know who to call.”

  Finally, Fredrick spoke. His voice was hoarse, and he sounded like he was in pain. His accent was a little thicker than she remembered it, but perhaps it was because he wasn’t feeling well. “And Parker, what do you do for a living? Do you also work for the Oceanic Exploration Group?”

  “No, sir. I’m just along for the ride. We were in town visiting Stefanie and she was kind enough to invite us. My wife, Ree, had some ideas on where she might be able to help with future developments and wanted to see everything in person. I hope you don’t mind us coming along.”

  “Of course not.” Tony waved his hand. “And Ree, what is it you do?”

  Quinn took on Ree’s animated disposition, the one that appeared when she talked about her work. The impression was spot on. “I usually study rocket engines, but I specialize in materials. When Stef said they were working in such a harsh environment, I wanted to see what types of coatings they were using to protect their delicate sensors. I have a special interest in difficult environments.”

  “Like the end of a rocket nozzle.” Tony pulled a business card from a small leather wallet. “We do a lot of design work for a variety of clients. Let me know if you want to collaborate.”

  Quinn slid the card into her pocket after looking at it politely. “That’s nice of you. So, your team does more than marine research?”