Parker winked at Ree when she turned away from helping Josh to look at the door. Ree greeted him with a huge smile, which was a bad sign. Generally, she was happiest to see him when she was legitimately upset. Given the importance of their cover, he crossed the room to give her a quick hug, running his hand lightly down her back as he pulled away. He had to appear affectionate but professional, as Ree would never allow a boyfriend to paw all over her at her workplace.

  “Hey, hon. How is your afternoon going?” Parker asked.

  “Good. I had lunch with another professor and now I’m just trying to learn what all the students are up to.” She swept her hand towards her students and, in a louder voice, continued, “Although I have to be careful with this group. They may end up taking my job when they graduate. I’m looking at you, Shayla.” Shayla looked up to beam at Ree before getting back to work on her project.

  Parker handed Ree a large cup of coffee and pulled a small piece of her favorite dark chocolate out of his jacket pocket. She took the cup from his hand and her eyes softened when she spotted the chocolate. The distraction was short-lived as Ree’s eyes darted to the file he’d brought in. He glanced at their audience and shook his head slightly.

  “Since you’re here, Parker, maybe we can ask if anyone is up for talking to you about your research. I mean, if you have time?” Ree looked at the file again.

  “No better time than now,” Parker replied. He really wanted to spend some quality time with Simon and the two other students who weren’t present, but striking up a conversation with Simon the minute he walked in seemed especially unwise.

  “Since your article is about women, Shayla would be a great resource if she’s willing to talk to you…” Ree offered. Ree tipped her head towards Shayla, who was still focused on her work.

  When Shayla heard her name, she turned to look at them, placed her hands on her hips, and asked, “Alright, you two. What are you planning over there?” Impeccably dressed with her trademark bright scarf and boots, she both looked and acted like a woman with confidence in spades.

  Parker explained his idea, and Shayla was happy to oblige. Parker didn’t have to pretend to be interested in her story and enjoyed taking notes while they talked. She had been encouraged by free-spirited parents to pursue whatever she wanted, and she decided to be an artist and an engineer. She’d been told by a well-meaning guidance counselor that those two professions didn’t go hand in hand but refused to believe it. She loved to point people to her favorite professor at the university who had Ph.D.’s in mechanical engineering, art, and music. After their discussion, Parker summarized the handwritten notes he had taken so he could transfer them into an electronic document. Even with the ubiquity of technology, he still preferred to take interview notes by hand, since a laptop or tablet obstructed his surroundings.

  While talking with Shayla, Parker noticed that Josh seemed preoccupied, unaware of the other students until he bumped into them while working. He was wearing jeans that were clean and unwrinkled but worn around the pockets and hems. He, at first glance, appeared to be less efficient than Simon, who had opened his machine and was drilling holes. However, after glancing over at Simon’s workspace every few minutes, he saw less progress than he would have expected. That was certainly one explanation for why the other professors wanted Ree to deal with Simon. Telling someone they weren’t working hard enough wasn’t a job that anyone lined up for.

  After Shayla returned to her work, Parker pulled out his laptop to transcribe his notes, carefully angling the well-hidden camera on the front to take in as much of the lab as possible. Though an excellent typist, he pecked at the keys slowly to buy time. He picked up his phone and sent a text message to Alexis to send a message to Ree so that it didn’t look like they were communicating. Ten minutes later, Ree was leaning over his computer, asking to read his work and shooing him away so she could read it in peace. He wandered aimlessly around the lab and kept asking her every couple of minutes if she was done yet, as an impatient boyfriend might.

  * * *

  Simon watched Dr. Ryland’s boyfriend pester her and rolled his eyes. Such simple problems these people faced. He would need to wrap up his tools and take a break if they were going to keep this up. Just as he was ready to give up and come back that evening to complete his true purpose, they decided to leave. Finally not under the watchful eye of the professor assigned to help him, he could inspect his components. He was running out of time to make sure everything would be ready when he received his final shipment.

  * * *

  Ree and Parker held hands all the way back to the surveillance van for the benefit of any onlookers, even though they hadn’t seen anyone. Parker jumped into the driver’s seat and Ree in the passenger’s. The doors slammed shut, and Ree stated, “Well, that was a bust. And I thought I was getting the day off?”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. But, I’m not sure it was a bust,” Parker replied, driving a few blocks away so they could all sit in the back of the van to discuss at length. He parked the van, and Ree and Parker walked through the small door into the surveillance quarters.

  Mike pulled up the feed from Parker’s laptop and spoke after less than a minute of watching it at double speed. “That man is pretending to work.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time someone did that,” Alexis added.

  “Whoa, slow down guys. Who was pretending to what?” Ree asked.

  Mike pointed to the screen. “Simon was acting like he was working when he wasn’t. We think it’s him, the British guy –”

  “Beckett?” Ree offered.

  “Yes,” Parker said. “Or Nicky. She works odd hours in the secure lab. You haven’t met her yet.”

  Ree studied the video. After a minute, she let out an uncertain breath. “Okay, so we’ve confirmed that Simon is a slacker. That’s hardly news. His project isn’t that hard, and with his smarts, it shouldn’t be taking him that long.”

  Ree thought back to the times she’d been alone in the room with Simon. He had clearly resented her intrusion, but was he dangerous? Or just lazy? It wasn’t the first time she’d worked with someone who didn’t know they needed help. The team kicked around more ideas but didn’t have enough evidence to make a conclusion either way. It was only 4 p.m., and without meaningful answers, they dropped Ree off at her house. The team had guessed correctly that Ree didn’t have the stomach for more investigation that afternoon.

  The following morning, Ree went into the office without any tasks from her FBI handlers, so she could focus her actual job. For the first day in what seemed like months instead of weeks, she could finally relax. Ree hummed while she calibrated some measurement equipment. She looked up from her task when she heard cheerful voices coming down the hallway. When she recognized the woman chatting with Matt as Alexis, her shoulders fell at the prospect of doing FBI work on her “day off,” but her disappointment quickly turned to amusement.

  Beckett walked away from his workstation and spread his arms wide at Alexis’s entrance like they were old friends. “Alex! Another football match this afternoon at two on the quad if you’re in.” Beckett gave Alexis a high five and kicked the air to make his point.

  “I’m not sure, Beckham – you schooled me yesterday night on the last goal, and I have some getting even to do. Sure you’re up for the challenge?” Alexis placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

  “What are you two up to?” Ree asked.

  Beckett hooked his arm around Alexis’s neck. “Lex here challenged me to a game of football in the quad yesterday, and we had a good match, yeah?”

  “Yeah, I think he just fakes the accent so the girls will swoon over him and the guys will think he’s an engineering version of David Beckham. Good thing I know better.” Alexis hip checked Beckett and used her free hand to poke him in the ribs.

  “So, 2 o’clock, then?”

  Alexis sighed as if humoring him was a huge chore. “Fine Becks, but beers are on you if I get a goal. Two beers if it’s a nutmeg.”

  “What’s that?” Ree asked.

  Alexis shrugged. “When you kick the ball between your opponent’s legs and score a goal. You know, a nutmeg.”

  Beckett clutched his heart as if wounded and basked in her attention. “Do you hear this girl? My ears hurt just listening to her foul mouth. For that, Lex, I’ll have to take you to school today.” With a wink, he turned back to his work.

  Ree bit her lip to hide her surprise at the new personality Alexis had adopted. She had gone from Ree’s focused student to the vivacious girl competing with a guy who clearly wanted to get to know her better. Impressive.

  After Beckett left, Ree looked at Alexis, eyebrows raised. Alexis grinned, unwilling or unable to say more. If their narcissistic soccer player was guilty, he was toast. Alexis had him practically eating out of her hand. Mike had taught Ree how they looked for signs of someone using a cover identity, so if Beckett was faking his jock persona with any skill, it would take some time for Alexis to crack it. Somehow, Ree felt like Beckett was exactly as he seemed, but it was Alexis’s job to prove it, not hers.

  * * *

  After a slow morning of menial lab work, Alexis checked her watch. It was showtime. She grabbed her duffel bag and ran to the bathroom to change into athletic pants and a loose shirt. She figured Beckett for the type of guy that would “accidentally” run into her various girl parts, but the previous evening when she’d dropped in on their soccer match, he’d been entirely appropriate, which was a pleasant surprise. Scarlett had singled him out based on the narcissism and told her a few other red flags to watch for as she spent time with him. So far, he actually just seemed like a guy with a decent moral compass, a healthy ego, and a big mouth. Beckett thought she was coming out to play soccer and talk trash, but in reality, she was headed out to play a little mental chess. Good thing that was actually her favorite game. Flipping her head over to pull her hair into a ponytail, she checked the mirror to make sure she was put together, left the bathroom, and jogged out to the quad.

  As she approached the field, Beckett was juggling the ball and cracking jokes with his buddies. When he spotted her, the soccer ball flew a little further and he juggled the ball more quickly, throwing in a few headers for good measure. He hadn’t made a pass on her, but Alexis got the feeling that if she told him she wanted to change teams away from the boyfriend she’d fabricated, he wouldn’t try and convince her otherwise.

  “Save it for the field, Becks,” Alexis said as she jogged past him. She looked over her shoulder to catch him staring at her backside.

  “If I intimidate you, you may concede anytime. I’ll take that pint whenever you are ready to admit defeat.” That was about all he had time to say until she darted in, stole the ball and passed it to another one of his friends across the quad. Then the game got started in earnest. It was a friendly game with plenty of trash talk, a lot of easy jogging between plays, and a few goals from both Alexis and Beckett.

  Alexis’s phone chirped a few times during the game. As they were wrapping up, she jabbed at it angrily until Beckett approached. “What do you say in England? My boyfriend is an arse. You still up for that pint?”

  “Absolutely.” Beckett dropped his arm around Alexis’s neck, pulling her close as he recounted his heroics from the game.

  Alexis broke contact to grab her bag from the sidelines but stayed close to Beckett until they reached the bar. She ducked into the bathroom to send a message to Parker and Mike. Reaching into her bag, she popped in her earpiece and went back to play her part. So far, this guy was fun to play soccer with, but he was otherwise boring her out of her mind.

  An hour later, Beckett was still talking. And talking. Alexis spun a bottle cap on the bar, willing him to stop. Initially, the thrill of the chase kept her interested in his conversation, but as it became obvious that he wasn’t their guy, the game began to grow old. She’d been ready to ask the questions Scarlett had given her, but Beckett’s personality had rendered them unnecessary.

  When he picked up some change for the waiter who dropped it, it was the last straw. Too polite and willing to help other people he didn’t know. Despite his obvious desire to make a move on her, he had enough self-control not to push the issue. He didn’t fit their profile at all. If those observations weren’t reason enough, he simply didn’t possess the attention span to be ruthless. She tapped her ear absently, and her phone beeped on cue. She made a fuss over typing a message to her boyfriend, dropped some money on the bar, and slugged Beckett on the shoulder.

  “Thanks for the company while I cooled off. I'm going to go meet up with Jordan so we can work things out. He’s an idiot, but I love him.” Alexis grinned, knowing Jordan Sykes, her favorite analyst, would probably be reading a transcript later. It was a little game she played to keep herself on her toes and Jordan would pull some prank back. It really was the simple things in life.

  “Congratulations,” Mike said dryly, as Alexis got back in the surveillance van. “I don’t think I could have stayed awake. When does that guy take a breath?”

  Alexis laughed. “Don’t think it’s him?” she said sweetly.

  “No,” Mike replied, blinking hard. Alexis made a call to Jordan to provide an unofficial assessment on their subject. She’d fill out the paperwork later but wanted to keep him focused on their most promising leads. Ree stared at the van door, lost in thought.

  After Alexis ended her call, Ree turned to Parker. “That was quicker than we thought. Is there anyone else we could maybe try to clear? Like Ivan and Joanna?”

  * * *

  Parker winced. “The problem is, Ivan is in charge of all three of our suspects. We can’t evaluate the likelihood of his knowledge until we know who or how many of them are behind this. Sorry, we just can’t let your friends off the hook yet.”

  Ree’s face fell. As a peace offering, he pulled out the file he’d intended to show Ree back at the lab. Ree studied the missile bodies and photos of typical control and guidance systems, running her finger along the details and asking questions until it was time for her and Alexis to go back to her house.

  With Beckett off the list, the team of analysts back at the Bureau was getting more information on Simon and Nicky. Alexis hadn’t had any luck getting close to Nicky Steadman. She had a prickly exterior and would barely acknowledge Alexis’s presence in a few of her attempts to socialize with their suspect. As an authority figure in the lab, Nicky would at least be willing to talk to Ree. Despite Parker’s discomfort with the plan, he’d agreed to let Ree approach Nicky the following day alone so that they didn’t spook her.

  As extra insurance, Parker asked Alexis to spend some time that evening coaching their newest team member on how to ask questions from a hostile party. They were way outside of a typical investigation, but Ree was holding it together so far and assured them she could handle it. Hopefully, she was right.

  20

  After weeks of arriving on campus later than usual, Ree went into the lab at sunrise, as was her preference. The FBI somehow knew Nicky would be there and felt there was a good chance she would be there alone. Ree was dreading meeting Nicky on a number of levels. Professionally, Nicky had a reputation as being tough to work with. Her attitude and defensiveness whenever someone offered to help her were both ever-present and counterproductive. In the context of trying to find the person in their midst who was willing to hurt other people, her personality traits transitioned from a professional annoyance to potentially dangerous.

  Ree sighed, then pulled on her big girl pants and walked into the lab, hoping to see Nicky and get this over with. At first, she thought that Nicky wasn’t there until she heard a loud pounding noise coming from a machine in the back of the lab.

  Ree approached Nicky with her purse still hanging on her shoulder, taking slow steps to give her time to figure out if Nicky was as angry as the banging suggested. It was hard to gain respect as a new hire or student in any field. You could take one of two approaches – you could understand that this was reality and stick with it until you wore down your skeptics, or you could get bitter. She suspected Nicky took the latter. However, unlike Simon, Nicky seemed to be doing hard manual labor. Of course, she also could just be beating the crap out of a machine. Perhaps she was doing both. While Alexis and Mike had coached Ree on how to talk to a potential suspect, their advice on what to say was quickly forgotten as she focused on the other part of the interrogation they warned her about – making sure she wasn’t backed into a corner. In addition to banging on the machine with the large wrench and hammer, Nicky threw in the occasional colorful nickname for the piece of equipment she was trying to fix or destroy. Between clangs, Ree cleared her throat to get Nicky’s attention.

  “Excuse me, Miss Steadman? Do you have a moment?”

  Nicky sent her a withering look as she pulled up from the machine with the wrench in her hand, hooked her finger into her belt loop, and said, “Not right now.”

  Her anger hit Ree like a physical wall. Ree took one involuntary step back. Okay, Nicky wasn’t going to make it easy for her. Normally, she would have let her cool off or intervened on her attitude problems, but given the circumstances, she would have to plod forward.

  Ree stuck out her hand, and said brightly, “I'm Dr. Ryland. I’m new to the lab and have heard good things about you. I wanted to come to introduce myself.” It was only a small fib. She had been told that Nicky was smart, it just was always followed by a “but”.

 

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