He began to speak in Russian and Stefanie was willing to bet it was laced with curse words. He spat on the floor, fire in his eyes. “You are an evil woman. Filled with lies.”
Quinn leaned down to look him in the eyes. “My lies keep people from dying. Your lies are indiscriminate and dangerous, like an out-of-control fire. You killed my friend. You tried to dump nuclear waste in the ocean and take out my team. You didn’t care who you hurt or exposed in the process.”
“Ah, you always thought you were so clever,” Dmitri snarled. “It doesn’t matter. I have diplomatic immunity. You can’t hurt me.”
Cam crossed his arms. “That’s not what your diplomat friends told us when we said you were a problem. They assured us you wouldn’t cause further harm. As a gesture of good faith, we have a signed memo giving us their assurances that if you intended to harm our interests, your immunity would be revoked. Give the camera a big wave. I want to make sure they get a good look at you when we show them the footage.”
Like many bullies, once he was good and cornered, Dmitri’s true colors bubbled to the surface. His eyes were unpleasant at best and murderous at worst. Stefanie left the room, recovering her breath, before he could fuel any more of her nightmares. Joey followed her up the stairs, where she leaned against a wall of the ship with her eyes closed. She felt Joey’s hand on her wrist and she slipped her fingers through his. After a few moments, she opened them and he smiled. “You were amazing in there.”
Stefanie laughed, but it bubbled up almost in a hiccup from her nerves. “You mean I didn’t die.”
“No, I mean you helped us take down a really dangerous man we’ve been chasing for far too long. Thank you.” Joey kissed her on the cheek.
She leaned his forehead against his until they heard footsteps. She shook her head. “Oh. Wow. Not here. Okay. Whew. What’s next?”
Joey tugged on her hand and they went to the main deck. They found a cadre of Coast Guardsmen on deck already, leading Dmitri’s consultants off the ship. Their eyes were wide and mannerisms compliant. They would have to answer some questions, but if the surreal conversation below deck was any indication, they had been pawns. Cole, however, was a different matter entirely. He had a lot of explaining to do, if they ever found him.
Joey gave Ike a thumbs up and he returned it without leaving the helm. In a scene that could have been from a movie, Quinn and Cam led Dmitri onto a small Coast Guard boat. The rest of the crew followed behind until only Joey and Stefanie were left on The Dog House with Ike at the helm.
“Need to sit down?” Joey gestured to a bench. “Being a badass can be exhausting.”
Stefanie laughed, but it was hollow. “No, my body is still going a million miles an hour. Let’s stand at the railing. We headed straight back?”
“Yep.”
“Am I losing my job?”
Joey grimaced. “Not sure. We’ve got a team going to Cole’s house. Our sources say he’s still in town. I’ve got a feeling that Dmitri just handed us a star witness for his trial Stateside.”
“So, Nash and Peggy?” Stefanie ran a hand through her hair.
Joey frowned. “Dmitri didn’t mention them. My educated guess is that Nash and Peggy were like you, caught up in the crossfire. If we’re wrong, we’ll know it soon. Dmitri won’t hesitate to sacrifice his people for his own benefit.”
Stefanie leaned on him, just for a moment. “We’ll help Nash and Peggy find jobs if they need it, right?”
“Even if the CIA can’t, I’ll try to help out. They deserve it.”
Stefanie sighed and gazed out to sea, feeling the promise of her dream job slipping through her fingers. “What on Earth am I going to do?”
“You’ll figure it out.” Joey pulled her hand into his. He paused, then took a deep breath. “And if you want, we’ll figure it out. Maybe, if you stay at the OEG, you can even talk your management into working from the East Coast every once in a while. There’s a whole ocean over there that could benefit your customers.”
She studied his earnest eyes, feeling his rough hand over hers. “That’s the story, huh?”
Joey lifted a shoulder, his voice deepening. “If you want it to be.”
Stefanie startled at Quinn’s voice in her earpiece. “Toughen up, Joey, and tell Stef how you feel. Cam told me to turn off my earpiece and I almost did. Good thing I didn’t. I’m stepping in to save you from yourself. Do it quickly, because I’ll be out of range in five minutes.”
“Thanks, Quinn. Turning off my earpiece now. I’m, um, I’m on my cell if it’s an emergency.” Stefanie burst out laughing and Joey flushed red.
Quinn muttered, “I’m trying to save you from an emergency.” Joey made a point of turning his earpiece off and Stefanie did the same, still grinning. Ike gave them a salute from where he was standing.
Stefanie’s grin stretched wider. “I don’t think privacy is an achievable goal at this point.”
“No kidding.” Joey snorted, looking out at the ocean. “I’ll lay it out there.” He turned to her, his good humor reflected in the laugh lines on his face. “I like you. A lot. I’d like to see you, even though you live across
