“At least fill me in after.” Nash gave a long-suffering sigh. “And I’ll see if I can build you something.”
Joey checked his watch. “How long will it take you?”
“A day or two. I need to find the equipment, install, test, tweak. You know how it is.”
Joey looked at the equipment knowingly. “Well, then. You better get to work.”
23
Finally, Quinn was in San Francisco. Her time in the office hadn’t been wasted, however. She had been quietly spreading information online about Ree’s fictional upcoming trip in case Dmitri was looking for it. There was an art to making it seem authentic. Quinn’s boss, the Director of Special Operations, had been careful about how and when she engaged, asking her to do as much quiet electronic work as possible to minimize the risk. She’d dutifully complied so that she could actually get to the good stuff. And now, she was here.
Cam parked their rental car in front of Joey’s house. Normally after such a long flight, Quinn would feel at least some fatigue, but this time, her adrenaline was a lot stronger than her jet lag. Quinn pulled her suitcase out of the trunk and followed Cam to Joey’s front door. A moment later, Joey opened the door and they filed inside.
Soon, the small team was seated around Joey’s kitchen table. Joey looked at both of them, then at the door. “Was I supposed to tell Stefanie you were coming? I thought you’d reach out to her.”
“I thought you didn’t like having a civilian on your investigation.” Quinn eyed him.
“I didn’t.” His mannerisms were nonchalant, which instantly sparked Quinn’s curiosity. “But she’s been a real asset.”
Quinn studied Joey until she felt a gentle elbow from Cam, who gave her a wink. “I’m glad to hear it. Let her know we’re here, and until she gets here, we’ll just fill you in on what we’ve learned.”
Joey held up one finger and sent a message to Stefanie. When he was finished, he put his phone on the table. “Hopefully, it’s some good news.”
Quinn tilted her head back and forth. “I’m not sure if it’s good news, but we’ve lost Dmitri. No trace of him electronically or in person for two days.”
“Did we push too hard? Is he going underground so we find a way to blame Cole?” Joey crossed his arms. “It wouldn’t be the first time one of his people took the fall for him.”
Cam exchanged a look with Quinn. “Hard to say.”
“Is Ree okay? Someone still keeping an eye on her?”
Quinn tapped a hand on the table. “She should be. I’ve been leaving a false trail online to show Ree working in the Bay Area this week. She and Parker are staying at an FBI safe house near downtown Chicago. Matt is covering her classes and coming to work armed. Just in case.”
“Did you get his hitman to talk? He tell us anything more?”
Cam rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s been cooperative, but he doesn’t know anything beyond that Dmitri was working with a code-named spy who seems to have vanished.”
The doorbell rang and Joey jumped up to answer it. Quinn watched him carefully and a small smile formed. She’d been worried about him, but his stress had been nudged to the side by something else entirely. Stefanie gave him a warm smile and then looked past him. Quinn gave her a friendly wave. “Hey, Stef. How are you holding up?”
“Okay, I guess.” Stefanie walked over and gave her a hug. “Any news?”
Cam nodded. “We’ve confirmed the team of consultants that met you haven’t left town. They’re staying at a hotel about ten miles away, but they haven’t left the building much. We haven’t been able to trace any of their contacts, but one of them keeps asking the front desk if a package has arrived yet. We’re keeping our distance, so we don’t tip them off.”
“But is all this really about monitoring our submarines? Are they already doing it? What is the team doing if Cole already dropped some of their equipment in the water?”
Cam held up a hand. “Okay. That’s a lot of questions. I’ll try to answer them in order. Maybe. Maybe. Not sure.”
Stefanie snorted. “While technically answers, those are not really helpful.”
“It’s the best we’ve got, Stef.”
Stefanie harrumphed. “Well, for the record, I think Nash is on our side. He called his brother to make sure we were legit. I’m going to owe him a whopper of an apology when this is all over.”
Cam nodded with understanding. “If he’s not working with Dmitri, he’ll understand. If they try to slip anything else onto the boat, Quinn and I will both be there to watch them. If Dmitri is going to use it as an opportunity to go after anyone, it’ll be Ree.”
“I thought you said she was hiding out in Chicago.” Stefanie’s gaze darted between them.
Quinn smiled. “She is. I’ll be playing the part of your sister this weekend. Cam will go as Parker.”
Stefanie turned her head to one side, studying Quinn. Quinn wrinkled her nose. “I know. I’ll be dying my hair and wearing makeup. I won’t be an exact replica.”
“I was actually thinking of your safety.”
“Oh. Well, that’s above your pay grade.” Quinn tossed her hair.
Stefanie frowned. “Am I getting paid? I definitely thought this was a pro bono situation.”
Quinn chuckled. “Fair point. It still holds that it’s above your pay grade since your pay grade is your generosity.”
“So, is Alexis coming? Where is she, by the way?”
Cam gave her a conspiratorial smile. “Right now, she is working with the San Francisco police department to check your customers’ hotel for drugs.”
“There are drugs involved now?” Stefanie lifted an eyebrow.
Quinn
