“Will my sister be in more danger than she is now if I don’t help?” Stefanie kept a hand on the folder.
Quinn’s mouth set in a line. “Possibly. This man coordinated the successful murder of a CIA officer and has attempted much more.”
Stefanie wiggled the file loose from Quinn’s grip. “Then you should probably let me take a look at this so I can help protect Ree and that sweet baby she’s carrying.”
“I’m not helpless.” Ree eyed her sister.
“I know, Sis.” Stefanie put a hand on her hip. “But, even I, an untrained marine biologist, have read enough spy novels to know it’s harder to work undercover if you’re puking as much as you are.” Parker’s mouth was carefully still, but the corners of his eyes held a little bit of mirth at Stefanie’s newfound confidence. Stefanie placed the file on the table and rubbed her hands together. “I’ve also read enough spy novels to know that when the gathering is this big, with this many caveats, it’s going to get interesting.”
Quinn gestured for them to open their folders. “Everyone in this room has gone up against Dmitri with varying levels of success. We’ve included summaries of each operation we’ve conducted under code names. Dmitri truly believes in his endeavors and thinks he’s helping his country, regardless of what anyone says to the contrary. I probably don’t have to tell you that’s what makes him dangerous. Their diplomats have assured our diplomats he won’t cause trouble. This team has kept him from ascending into more power and has thwarted his most dangerous schemes. However, we’ve all seen enough to be worried if he’s working on something else. Even with multiple teams working to stop him, Dmitri has killed a CIA operations officer, blown up a rocket, kidnapped a vaccine scientist, and his hitman shot both Alexis and myself. And that’s just in the last year. Worse, my injury happened when one of his spies visited Ree’s front porch looking for more information, so Dmitri has gotten too close for comfort for all of us.”
“Does he know where Ree lives now?” Stefanie swallowed hard.
Parker put a hand on Ree’s. “We don’t think so.”
Stefanie ignored her racing heart. She just had to focus on the facts, organize them into a to-do list, then tackle it. One step at a time. She forced a light tone. “Any good news?”
Alexis leaned forward. “We stopped his hitman a couple of months ago. That’s huge. Since our government talked to their government, Dmitri has been quietly demoted. We can only assume he was also reprimanded for his role in operations we’ve been assured were not government-sanctioned. I have no doubt they’re telling the truth. Dmitri’s operations were a little too sloppy to come from the top. He’s running out of people willing to work for him, so if we find the sleeper agent he planted at the OEG, we’ve got a chance to stop him.”
Stefanie thumbed through the file, buying time so that they didn’t hear the nerves in her voice. “That’s good, right? That means he’s not there personally, so we just have to find a sleeper agent?”
“I don’t want to scare you, but we need to take this pretty seriously.” Parker exchanged a look with Ree. “What Dmitri lacks in finesse or on-the-ground resources, he makes up for in his single-minded focus. While he’s lost some of his teeth, his motivation to cause harm and prove himself will have likely increased. He doesn’t care about collateral damage. It’s not an incentive, nor is it a disincentive. It’s easiest to think about him as a gambler who truly cannot quit when the chips are down. It’s not even a conscious decision for him – he just won’t let it go. So, even if it’s just one person, we need to be careful.”
“It seems like you know much more about him than I ever could figure out.” Stefanie shifted in her seat. “What do you need me for?”
Cam, who had been silent up to this point, made eye contact. Stef had only met him a few times for wedding-related events. Each time, he’d seemed like someone with a healthy amount of confidence. Today, however, uncertainty had snuck into his expression. “For starters, we need you to be our eyes and ears at the company. Especially right now, we are going to be very careful and deliberate about how we engage you. The Oceanic Exploration Group hired multiple new employees during the timeframe when we aren’t sure of the sleeper agent’s whereabouts. We’ll need you to keep an eye out for someone asking strange questions. We need to figure out why Dmitri is so interested in the company.”
Quinn crossed her arms. “And I don’t want you to go up against him alone.” She turned to Alexis. “Alex, I know the FBI didn’t want to bring anyone new into this and you’ve been talking to my teammate at the CIA pretty regularly lately. What do you think about bringing him in further?”
Alexis considered. “He’s smart. Detailed. Don’t know him personally but seems like a decent guy. What is your opinion?”
“I think he’s good people. He’s invested, obviously, but so am I. He’s up for it if you all give the go-ahead.” Quinn leaned back in her seat.
“I think he’s our best option.” Parker looked at Stefanie. “Do you have the budget for a lab assistant?”
Stefanie shook her head. “Not exactly.”
Ree took a sip of herbal tea. Unlike Stefanie, who was treating herself to her third cup of coffee of the day – she didn’t often go for a third cup, but a girl could only take so much – Ree was limiting her caffeine intake. However, she had a non-coffee-induced twinkle in her eye. It was the
