“Yeah, about that.” Ree turned around to look at her. “We should probably start at the beginning. First, I have stretched the truth a little where Parker and Alex are concerned.”
Stefanie lifted an eyebrow. “You are married, right? I mean, if you’re pregnant, that seems like a pretty big commitment to a cover story.”
Ree groaned. “This is so much harder than working with Cam.”
“Not for me. This is awesome.” Parker’s grin showed in the rear-view mirror, but he kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other on Ree’s leg.
Ree gave Stefanie an extra, full water bottle without breaking stride. “So, Parker and I met when a student on campus was using my lab to acquire weapons components to try to assassinate a foreign head of state.”
Stefanie had just taken a drink of water, and she very nearly spit it out. “Oh, I’m sure people meet that way all the time.”
“I didn’t realize what was happening until Parker showed up to arrest me.” Ree shot Parker a mischievous look.
Parker shook his head. “She means when I came to collect evidence.”
Ree shrugged, a sparkle in her eye. “Yes, that’s what I meant. So, once he realized I was being framed, Parker and I decided to become a fake couple, since I was in a teensy bit of danger.” Stefanie’s eyebrows shot up. If Ree was admitting she was in any danger, she must have been in a world of trouble. “Somewhere in the middle of it, we fell for each other and have been solving crimes together ever since. Parker’s brother Cam helps too, but we’ll let him fill you in on that. He’ll be there today as well. That’s a huge secret though. You can’t tell anyone that, and the FBI will make you sign some scary forms that say you’ll go to jail if you do.”
“Noted. I have no plans to end up in jail.” Stefanie took another sip of water. “I’ll sign whatever form you want, as long as I get to hear all the stuff I didn’t know about. For the record, I thought you were nervous at the wedding because you were worried Grandma was going to make an inappropriate comment using her outside voice.”
Ree laughed. “I mean, I was definitely worried about that too. Do you remember what she said to Uncle Doug about what his tattoo looked like at the last wedding?”
Stefanie cringed. “She maintains that she only said it because it was true.”
“I have to know.” Alexis leaned forward.
Ree shook her head. “Nope. It’s still early enough in our marriage for Parker to make a break for it.”
“I don’t scare that easy.” Parker gave her an incredulous look. “You also thought I’d run because you shot a suspect who was trying to kill me and that didn’t happen.”
This time, Stefanie fully choked on her water. Once she’d cleared her throat, she leaned forward, still brushing droplets off her shirt. “You shot someone?! That’s a little different than the stories you told at your bachelorette party.”
Parker pulled into a parking garage outside of the FBI Chicago office and showed his badge to an attendant. “Here we are. Let’s get you checked in.”
Stefanie reached for her things, stealing one more glance at her sister and wondering if she was truly ready to pull off the blindfold of what her family really did for a living. Ree was intense, but pregnancy had slowed her down to the speed of most normal humans. And she was working with a team that had her back. Alexis and Parker both watched her when Ree didn’t think they were looking, and Stefanie liked them both just a little bit more for it. Waffle kept nudging his nose into Ree’s hand, and she gave him multiple pats on the way in. While there would always be a special place in her heart for marine wildlife, she was also a sucker for a sweet dog and Waffle definitely qualified.
It felt like two hours but was more like thirty minutes later when the team finally settled around a long rectangular table. She signed a short version of the paperwork Ree had warned her about with a very stern representative of the FBI before getting whisked away to a conference room. A man she recognized as Parker’s brother walked in. The last time she’d seen him, he was standing up as Parker’s best man at the wedding. She rose to greet him, her experience as a businesswoman taking over despite the odd circumstances. “Cam Mitchell, I recall?”
“And my plus one.” Cam stepped out of the doorway.
Stefanie eyed the woman she had, up to a few seconds ago, believed was Cam’s girlfriend who worked in finance. Ree had talked about Quinn and Cam, but it was a little off-putting to have them all in a room together, clearly with shared experiences she knew almost nothing about. “Is Quinn also a…consultant?”
“Something like that.” Quinn reached out a hand. “Hey, Stefanie. Good to see you again.”
“You, too.” Stefanie just gave in to the moment. If she kept on being incredulous, they wouldn’t get anything done. She turned to Ree. “How many people at your wedding worked for the FBI?”
Quinn grinned. “We’re CIA. But that’s not common knowledge.”
“Of course it isn’t.” Stefanie shook her head. “Off the record, or whatever you guys say, what the heck is going on?”
Quinn pulled out numbered Manila file folders and gave them to everyone at the table, pausing when she reached Stefanie. Before she released the file, she made eye contact. “Stefanie, before we start, did they offer you an out yet?” Before she could answer, Quinn continued, “We’re dealing with
