“No. Not at all.” Ree laughed. “We all got together to play poker and exchange information tonight. Seriously, Stef, I know you feel foolish for suspecting everyone, but this guy is dangerous. If either of you even catch a whiff of Dmitri or something seems off, raise the alarm. You’ve got a whole team ready to jump in if needed, not just the bomb-sniffing dog.”
“Oh, I think that’s pretty clear.” Joey chuckled. “It took me some time to figure out that Waffle is also a people-sniffing dog. Will he work for us the way he does for you, Alexis?”
Alexis shrugged. “He’s not really trained for more than one handler, but he’s adaptable. I’ll do what I can to convince Waffle to listen to you too. I’ll teach you my secret.” Alexis spotted a tennis ball on the floor. She picked it up and gave it a squeak. Waffle stood up, ears forward. Then, still focused on the ball, he plopped into a perfect sit. She rolled it across the floor and he scampered after it, snatched it up, and began squeaking it.
Joey put his hands on his knees. “So, we’ll see you guys Saturday?”
Matt nodded. “Yep. Sit tight. Help is on the way.”
15
Despite spending the prior evening discussing the potential dangers of her workplace with the CIA and FBI at her sister’s house, Stefanie managed to get through Friday without incident. When the weekend arrived, she mercifully slept in until about 8:30. It wasn’t a complete victory, considering she didn’t need to be anywhere for another couple of hours, but it was a little later than her weekday normal. She shuffled into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. A celebratory cup of coffee, really, considering none of her coworkers had figured out that she was working for the CIA and she also hadn’t yet lost her marbles. Because apparently, on top of everything else, their little team was growing by two more FBI agents and a canine sidekick. That would definitely make it easier to fake normal.
She poured in more coffee grounds than usual and pushed a few buttons on the coffeemaker to set it for extra strong. She put her hands on her hips and attempted to wait patiently for it to brew. Her patience lasted about three seconds before she decided to scroll through the news on her phone, in the unlikely event her bizarre circumstances coincided with some major world event. When nothing fit the bill, she switched over to a basic search on what kind of science Russia was doing in the deep ocean. A big piece of her hoped Dmitri’s goals were more self-serving than they were illegal. Before her imagination could kick into overdrive, a text interrupted her search.
Busy today? Her heart skipped. She thought that she’d be getting a morning off from CIA work and she was, in fact, busy today.
She considered her reply while she filled her mug nearly to the brim, adding just a little coconut milk. She took a deep sip of the warm beverage. Then she grinned. I’m teaching a karate class. Want to come again? If she’d deduced anything from her time with Joey, it was that Mr. Security liked to be one step ahead of everyone. Joining a class where he wasn’t the one in charge wasn’t going to happen. And she’d get the brownie points of asking. It was a win-win. She took a satisfied sip of her coffee.
Stefanie’s phone buzzed. Absolutely.
She closed her eyes and managed not to laugh. He had no idea what he was signing up for. She could have a little fun at his expense and kill some time. It was a two for one. She owed it to him, really.
Two hours later, she pulled into the parking lot at nearly the same time as Joey. She got out of her car and waited for him to do the same. “You have a GPS tracker on my car?”
Joey pulled off his sunglasses, his eyes filled with good humor. “No. Do you want me to?”
For the first time in a long while, Stefanie found herself at a loss for words. “Um. I’m…not sure.” She gestured to the dojo. “I’m so glad you agreed to come! I’m excited to see what you’re made of.”
“Didn’t we already do this?” He turned his head in confusion. “I mean, I think you figured out this isn’t exactly outside of my comfort zone.”
Stefanie’s mouth twitched. “Ah, but this time, you can help me teach. Let’s go find you another one of Master K’s loaner uniforms.”
Joey followed her inside. She bowed to the other instructors and greeted them accordingly. “Hello, ma’am, hello, sir. This is my friend, Joey. He was here earlier this week and he’s volunteered to help me teach class today.”
“Nice to see you again, sir.” Master Kimberly greeted him with a bow, as she would any other student. She looked him up and down, then looked back at Stefanie. “And he has some experience teaching or he’s just trying to impress a pretty girl?”
Stefanie felt her face heat. “Definitely the first one. His background check and clearances are on file with his old gym.” Joey provided some information and he was approved in short order. Master Kimberly reached into a cabinet and pulled out a full uniform, handing it back to the bemused operations officer. “Sorry, we only have extra white belts.”
“No worries.” Joey took it in stride. “My old instructor always said your actions speak louder than your belt, anyway.”
At that, Master Kimberly turned to Stefanie and nodded with approval. After Joey left to change, her class began to trickle in. Joey returned from the changing rooms moments later, pausing to tuck his shoes in the shoe cubbies. He looked down at one of her students, then back at her. His face broke out in a full grin. He turned back to Bryson, her 6-year-old yellow belt with a serious case of ants-in-his-pants, and gave him a little fist bump.
