Soon, he was easily following the form they were teaching, and Stefanie’s curiosity morphed into an open appraisal. They paired off into sparring partners, and she chose him. He fought a smile. No wonder Quinn liked her – she faced her curiosity head-on. She reached out a hand to shake his. “I’m Stefanie. Are you new here?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her what he hoped was an easy smile. “My name is Joey. I just moved to the area and Master Kim said I could join the class.” Before she could ask any more questions, they were instructed to bow to one another and begin.
Joey decided before they got started to take it easy on Stefanie. She’d had a long weekend of traveling, been hit with a lot of information she didn’t expect, and probably wasn’t entirely prepared to go up against someone with his experience. Just as he was getting ready to deliver a gentle tap to her stomach, he was startled out of his plan by a kick to the protective headgear the facility had provided. He flinched at the impact, then chuckled. Stefanie’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, you thought I was going to take it easy on the new guy?”
Joey laughed and the game was on. While he couldn’t exactly use all of the techniques he’d learned at the Agency, she was an even match for him in a gym. And unless he’d misjudged her, she didn’t want someone to take it easy on her. He upped his game and she laughed. After she scored another point on him, he scanned the class. Everyone else was moving just a little slower, and he realized she’d picked him out for some healthy competition. They were both fully grinning when it was over. Soon, the class finished and was bowing out. He left to change out of his uniform and put it in the washing basket, but when he came out of the changing area, she was gone.
Stefanie drove back home with a smile on her face. If she wasn’t in the middle of all of this FBI and CIA nonsense, her heart might have even been pounding a little. While fully confident in the workplace, she had no idea how to hit on a guy. Considering the circumstances, she settled for a sparring match. Yeah, that checked out. She didn’t know how to flirt, so she delivered a roundhouse kick to his headgear. She sighed. Joey looked to be about the same age as her and was very easy on the eyes. His light brown eyes held intelligence and good humor and he walked with the kind of confidence that was impossible not to find attractive. Good thing her inner chicken high-tailed it to her car. Otherwise, her sister would have needed to run a background check on the first guy she’d had a spark with in ages. When he realized that he had underestimated her, she expected him to be annoyed. Instead, his grin lit up his whole face. She put a hand on her heart. Okay, it was pounding a little bit. Maybe the new guy would stick around, and she’d have a chance to ask him out when this was all over. She pulled into her driveway and locked her car. She shook her shoulders out to loosen them. The CIA was sending someone this week and she needed to keep a clear head.
Joey returned to his new place to clean up, then drove to an address on his GPS. It was time to admit to Stefanie that his introduction in karate class was missing some pretty key details. After their sparring match, he felt infinitely more comfortable bringing her in on the case. It was nice to know they’d have a healthy chance of getting along. It wasn’t required, but an easy working relationship definitely made the job easier. Joey pulled up to a small, well-maintained bungalow. The windows were easy to reach from the ground level. The door was solid, but the locks were old. He could pick them without breaking a sweat. It was a surprise she didn’t have more security. Well, that’s what he was here for. Joey sighed, then knocked on the door.
Stefanie opened the door the width of the security chain. Her mouth dropped into an “O.” “Hey, Joey. What are you doing here?” All of the goodwill she’d shown him earlier evaporated in a heartbeat. Joey mentally kicked himself for being such an idiot. He’d been so focused on the mission that he hadn’t realized showing up at her house unannounced after meeting her at karate would make him look like a creepy stalker. Stefanie swallowed hard and looked behind her. Ah, so she kept a weapon close to the door. Okay. Coming here unannounced might have been dangerously stupid, not just regular stupid. She held up a finger. “Actually, give me a second.”
Stefanie shut the door and he sent a quick message to Quinn, asking her to call Stefanie with his information, keeping it more vague than he probably should have. He didn’t need her to think he’d screwed up until he was sure he’d actually screwed up. Hopefully, Quinn was close to her phone. He took half a step back so he could duck behind a porch post if Stefanie pulled her gun on him. A full minute later, Stefanie returned to the door, looking at her phone. She opened the door fully, but this time, her glare was the opposite of her friendly greeting at their first meeting. She flipped around the phone. “That him?” He noticed the earbuds in her ears – he couldn’t hear what Quinn said back. “Yeah. It’s a good thing you called. I was about to call the police on
