Dmitri tapped his finger on his desk and once more reviewed the notes Andrei had sent before he went dark. Andrei was no longer in the picture, which was unfortunate, but no great surprise. Dmitri still had a key player who working for him on foreign soil. It would be enough.
Dmitri settled into his comfortable chair. This time, he would take deliberate, calculated steps that would move his plan forward without risk of discovery. He took one look at the notes, then skimmed his monthly email from his source in California one more time. For the first time in a long time, he smiled a genuine smile. Focused on the technical elements of the operation, he’d nearly missed a golden opportunity that had dropped right into his lap. It was far from too late, however. In addition to proving his worth, he could now take the revenge to which he was so thoroughly entitled.
When Stefanie arrived at the OEG building for work, she skipped her office and went straight to the lab. She did not possess the patience to do anything except mechanical tasks. Despite her bravado with Ree and Parker, she’d spent the night tossing and turning, considering which of her coworkers might have nefarious intentions. Cole had been there for only a few months longer than she had. He seemed polished and business savvy, but thinking of him as a spy went a step too far. He wasn’t around enough to be spying on her. She thought Nash had her back when he told her about the job – was he just looking for someone who trusted him and might look the other way? Was he Dmitri’s spy? He knew more about their equipment than anyone else. She shook her head. It was impossible that everyone at the company was out to get her. She’d be safest if she just ignored her own internal speculation until she had more information. Parker and Ree had merely asked her to keep an ear to the ground, not conduct an FBI-worthy investigation single-handedly with no training. Revisiting the prior evening’s conversation wouldn’t build research platforms.
Stefanie began to make modifications to the prototype she’d been working on with Nash, looking a little closer at everything that she normally would. Okay, she’d managed to not think like a spy for the five minutes it took for her to put her purse down and find the right tools. Nothing in the assembly seemed out of the ordinary. Stefanie clicked another sensor into the assembly, then pushed her safety glasses up atop her head.
While Ree was most worried about Stefanie’s safety, she wasn’t the only one in the building at risk. However, she was the only one in a position to do something about it. Really, landing this job had been a stroke of good luck, not bad luck. There was no need to be anxious yet. She rummaged through a drawer for the correct size wrench and startled at a knock on the door.
Stefanie wiped her hands on her jeans and turned to see who was stopping by for a visit. Her manager, Cole, was leaning against the door jamb. Stefanie smiled, forcing back her surprise that he was in the office when he said he’d be traveling. Her heart began to pound. Plans changed, flights got delayed. Twenty-four hours ago, she would have thought nothing of it. Cole had no way of knowing she’d been talking to the FBI, did he?
She forced a smile onto her face, pushing back her nerves. “Cole, nice to see you again. I thought you were on a trip this week.” She blurted out the words before she realized how suspicious they might sound. Quickly recovering, she reached out a hand to shake his, a moment too late realizing the problem with her snap decision. “Sorry, there’s probably still a little grease on my hand.” Well, that went smoothly.
Cole smiled broadly, nearly instantly putting her at ease. His manner was warm when they had first met and today was no different. While other employees at the OEG wore jeans and trendy t-shirts, Cole was dressed formally in trousers and a button-down shirt. “No need to apologize. Grease sounds like progress to me. If you can handle updates to management and prototypes in the same week, I know I hired the right person. Oh, and my trip got canceled. We were able to handle our discussion remotely, so I can be here this week. The company saves a few dollars and I might actually get caught up for a change. What new innovation are you designing for us?”
Stefanie relaxed a fraction. “In the spirit of full disclosure, this design isn’t entirely mine. Nash gave me instructions to replicate what you all had already done, and I just tweaked it a little. I like that you’re using so many different methods to collect data, particularly considering these things are sitting at the bottom of the ocean.”
“Ah, yes.” Cole nodded. “I got your request to build additional prototypes and I’m going to take a look at it. I think you make a strong case and the amount of time and dollars is relatively small.” He rubbed his clean-shaven chin. “I’ll need details about what you plan to do and which platforms you’ll be using.” He turned to leave, then snapped his fingers. “Oh, I meant to tell you. After you left for the day,
