The three consultants boarded the boat and she greeted them individually. Fredrick looked quite a bit worse for the wear and was actively covering his mouth like he was going to be sick. He nodded at her. Oliver came behind him, greeting her with a pleasant hello. He was followed by Tony. She greeted Tony warmly and let him know his cargo was on board, gesturing to the ROV platform on the back of the sub. He seemed relieved. Something about it didn’t sit right. If he knew he was sharing space with nuclear waste, why would his stress be so low? Did he not know what was in his cargo? Or maybe he was happy to have gotten away with it. Stefanie fought a shiver. Since he had led his team in their first meeting, perhaps he would engage in a little small talk. “So, have you had a pleasant stay in California?”
Tony nodded seriously. “It’s been a really productive trip. Thank you for getting us on the schedule so quickly.”
“Cole did a lot of the hard work.” Stefanie waved a hand as if their herculean efforts had been nothing. Tony got a funny look on his face, but she couldn’t quite place it. Joey had split off with Oliver, while Fredrick was leaning on a railing, clutching his forehead. She leaned in discreetly. “Fredrick looks as if he doesn’t feel well. There is a basket of anti-nausea medication below deck.”
Tony looked over at his coworker. “I’ll let him know – he keeps to himself a lot.” He looked around to make sure no one would hear. “He was actually late getting here – I think he’s more nervous than he let on when we first came to visit you guys.”
“Do you guys not work together much?” Stefanie tilted her head.
Tony shook his head. “No, we actually just met in person the first time this week. We work for a global company and this is a new initiative for us. Honestly, we’re just here to make sure you all were up to the task, which you are, and to make sure our cargo gets delivered. We’re really more project managers on this than anything else.”
Stefanie spotted Cam and Quinn talking to the captain of the boat and decided to keep Tony talking. “Have you been to San Francisco before? The Bay Area is lovely – I hope you had time to see the sights.” Her voice sounded strained to her, and she hoped he’d chalk it up to job-related jitters.
“Oh yes, I’ve been here a lot.” Tony checked his watch. “Are we waiting for anyone else or can we proceed?”
Stefanie forced a smile. “We can be on our way. Just give me a second to see if the captain is ready.” She walked over to Ike. “Our passengers are ready – are we waiting on anything to leave?”
Ike looked towards the helm. “No, ma’am. We’ll be off in a jiffy.” He lowered his voice. “Our equipment doesn’t show they’re armed, but a couple of them had locations on their person that came up inconclusive on our scan. Assume Tony has a weapon on his ankle and his friend Fredrick has something in his pocket.”
“Great!” Stefanie smiled pleasantly and put a hand on Ike’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, ma’am. And we’re off.”
Stefanie whispered, “Everyone got that?”
Joey answered quickly, over the earpiece. “Got it. I’ll keep an eye on them. Don’t let yourself be anywhere alone with them, okay?”
“Deal.” Stefanie walked along the outside of the vessel, one hand on the railing. She walked around Fredrick again, and he moved closer to the railing to give her space to pass without looking at her directly. She silently checked her watch. No radiation detected. She’d give a million dollars, if she had it, to have Waffle by her side right now for moral support. She approached Tony, who was looking over the railing to examine the equipment that ROVer 1 would soon deploy. He gestured to the protective cover, now covering up their deception. “The cover? Can you remove it for our final inspections? I’m afraid my customer was quite specific.” Fredrick lifted his head from the ledge to watch their interaction.
Stefanie’s heart began to thump in her chest. “I would, but we apply a waterproof seal by dipping the entire assembly. It’s much cheaper than custom seals, and if we break it, we’ll have to cancel our trip.” She turned to face him. “I am so sorry. I thought you understood from our conversation. It was spelled out on the form.” Stefanie hoped her lie would be enough. Rarely did their customers read the forms as thoroughly as they claimed. “I can ask the captain to turn around if you need to inspect it.”
Tony looked past her, then shook his head. “Oh no. That’s not necessary. We will proceed.”
Joey’s voice buzzed in her ear. “Give him some space. Ike, watch him. See what he does next.”
Just as they left the harbor, Stefanie heard Alexis in her ear. “Team, Waffle smells Dmitri. He’s here, somewhere. Do not return to the dock until we find him.” Her voice crackled. “Repeat, do not come back into the dock until we locate him. We need some time to check rooftops.”
“Roger that.” Ike smiled easily as he navigated the boat out of the harbor.
