Stefanie’s blood ran cold even as her instincts forced her not to panic. Cole, the man she was almost certain was collaborating with Dmitri, had been asking questions about Ree? She should have listened to her initial instincts, and now she needed to know what Peggy knew. A few beats later, she heard Joey in her earpiece. “Say Ree’s name if you need me.”
Stefanie cleared her throat and attempted a smile. “My sister is great. Her life is pretty low key even though she works in a propulsion lab. Apparently, working with rocket fuel isn’t as cool as it sounds. Don’t let her fool you though, breaking stuff for a living is definitely fun. And it’s probably where I get my love for all things mechanical. When did you find that out? You really do go above and beyond in getting to know the employees here!”
“It’s nothing, really. Oh, maybe a week or so ago?” Stefanie did the mental math. Cole knew about Ree before he requested that she meet with the three consultants. Her palms began to sweat. Peggy seemed not to notice. “Do you see her often?”
Stefanie shrugged and kept it vague. She managed not to wipe her sweaty hands on her pants, which was a small victory. “Not as often as I would like. We try to stay connected but sometimes work gets busy, and we don’t get the chance.” Peggy nodded with understanding but didn’t provide any more information. Time for a redirect. “Does your sheet say that you write books?”
“Oh no. That’s our little secret.” Peggy blushed. “Well, it will be when I tell you my pen name. But I would like your official form as soon as you can – it’s more formal than just me finding articles online.”
“Well, let me see what I can put together for you, okay?”
Peggy smiled. “That would be great, honey.”
“Of course.” Stefanie walked at a normal speed back to the labs, cursing silently in her head the whole way. Joey’s Nonna would have used her wooden spoon on the back of Stefanie’s head if she could read her thoughts. Well, it wasn’t so much coherent thoughts as it was the f-bomb, on repeat.
Joey met her at the door. “Hey, I’ve got to get going. I hope it’s okay if I leave a couple of minutes early.”
Stefanie made a show of checking her watch, just in case her observant coworker was watching. “Me too. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Joey flipped his car keys in his hand. “Until tomorrow.”
When Stefanie pulled into her driveway, she spotted Joey in his car in the street. When she parked, he got out of his car and followed her in, shutting the door behind them. Finally, with some measure of safety, panic set in. Stefanie fought to breathe. “It’s my sister. This is about my sister. I knew it and I talked myself out of it. It’s Cole and maybe even Peggy. But she’s so sweet and what–”
Joey put a hand on her arm to cut off her runaway thoughts. “Hey. It doesn’t matter. We’ll watch them both. You made a breakthrough. This is a good thing, not a bad thing.”
“I didn’t figure anything out. I just talked to Peggy.” Stefanie whirled around, tears in her eyes.
Joey cocked an eyebrow. “What exactly do you think my job is?”
Stefanie sniffed. “Giving me a hard time?”
Joey winked. “That comes for free.” He took a step closer. “You’re deflecting. This is okay. Good, even.”
Stefanie’s eyes flashed. “Good? Why is any of this good? Finding out that the spy planted at the OEG is especially interested in my sister’s personal information? That my life’s work ultimately resulted in putting my sister in danger? This is good?”
“Okay, before I end up permanently on your shit list, hear me out.” Joey put his hands up. “Then, if you’re still upset, we’ll put on some pads and work it out at the gym.”
A knock on the door interrupted their verbal sparring match. Stefanie let Alexis and Waffle in. “Nice work, girlfriend.” Alexis gave her a high five. Stefanie returned it woodenly and led them to the kitchen. “Matt’s on the first flight back to Indiana to help Parker keep an eye on Ree. We’ve already started background checks on Peggy, but I think if she’s working for Dmitri, she wouldn’t be that transparent. My guess is she’s too trusting, not a co-conspirator.”
Joey gave her a look that said, “See?”
Stefanie harrumphed. Waffle took that as a cue to nudge his head under her hand. “You were a very good boy today.”
“What, the dog gets positive reinforcement while you practically breathe fire at me?” Joey lifted his eyebrows.
Alexis looked between them with suspicion and Stefanie quickly recovered. “Sorry. You speak better English than Waffle does.”
Waffle thumped his backside onto her foot, leaning into the pet. Alexis quipped, “I don’t know. Some days, I swear he understands me.” She eyed Stefanie curiously. “Why were you breathing fire at your bodyguard?”
Stefanie cringed.
“Oh. Sorry. Not helpful?”
“I put Ree in danger. And I left a decent, well-paying job only to point a spy right at my sister!” Stefanie put a hand to her forehead. “Oh, and I detected his transmitter on my phone but let Cole talk me out of thinking it was a problem. I can’t believe I fell for it.”
Joey eyed her. “So, to recap. You took a job offer at your dream company, listened to your boss’s answer when you asked him a question, and that makes this…your fault?”
“You forgot the part about putting my sister in danger.”
“Your sister is tougher than you’re giving her credit for.” Alexis leaned on the kitchen counter. “Her working with the FBI and the CIA in her spare time put her in the crosshairs,
