extending her hand.
Ennis had a strong handshake, bordering on rude, but he smiled charmingly as he clenched down. “Miss Arthur? Please, call me Ric.”
The brunette squeezed back just as hard. “Fine, Ric, then call me Stephanie.”
“Stephanie.”
The brunette noticed a little smile on his face as he repeated her name back to her.
They sat and the waiter poured from a teapot that had been steeping on the table. The waiter then correctly sensed that the pair needed a moment before ordering.
When he was gone, the brunette said, “Thank you so much for meeting with me today.”
Ennis replied, “Honestly, you are exactly the type of person we’ve been trying to recruit to take our company to the next level, to make it the preeminent corporate intelligence firm in Europe.”
“I would love the opportunity to put the analytical skills I learned in my ten years with the National Security Agency to good use.”
Ennis smiled again. “I have no doubts that your skills will come in useful.” He poured sugar into his tea as he continued. “I’ve read your CV, but you haven’t read mine. So . . . I’ll fill you in. Born in San Diego, I was in the Air Force—intelligence, of course—four years, made captain but picked up a noncombat injury that forced me out. Went back to college, got a master’s in applied intelligence at Georgetown, was recruited by the CIA. Spent a decade in different operational postings, then made the leap into corporate intelligence. I’ve been over here with Shrike International Group for three years now. I’m proud of the work we do, and let’s just say my bank account isn’t complaining.” He winked. “We pay a hell of a lot better than the U.S. government, not that that will come as any big surprise.”
Stephanie nodded at this as she sipped her tea, then asked, “What can you tell me about the work itself?” She had a distinctive Minnesota accent; her CV stated she was born and raised in Minneapolis.
Ennis, in contrast, was one hundred percent Southern California. “You will remain here in Berlin. Our office space is down in Potsdam, but you’ll never see it. Your work will be done remotely.”
“Remotely?”
“Yes. If we bring you on board, you would be working out of a suite here on the fourth floor.”
Stephanie was surprised. The Adlon Kempinski was a five-star hotel. Were they really going to make it her office?
“But . . . why not put me at headquarters?”
“We try to keep our operation more horizontal than vertical. You’ll work for me. Other than technical support personnel, it’s doubtful you’ll meet anyone else at Shrike Group.” He added, “It keeps threats to a minimum.”
“Threats?”
Ennis regarded the younger woman a moment. “The work we do is sanctioned by the nations in which we work. But this work does pit us against certain bad actors. Criminal organizations. States whose actions our clients are attempting to understand. That sort of thing. We face cyber threats, electronic surveillance threats, we even have some human intelligence threats our countersurveillance desk has to keep an eye out for.”
Stephanie placed a hand over her chest, a look of mild surprise. “You make it all sound very cloak-and-dagger.”
Ennis laughed at this. “I’m sure you can handle it.” He paused, then said, “NSA at Fort Meade? That’s like working at corporate headquarters. With Shrike Group, it will feel to you like operating in the field. It’s faster-paced, and yes, there is some intrigue involved. Goes with the territory.”
“And what about Shrike Group’s clients? Who are they?”
Ennis held a finger up. “You will never know who our clients are, but you will also never have a doubt about your mission and its morality. Our clients are most interested in the things many Fortune 50 companies are concerned about. Terrorism, crime, and the like. Your targets will be the same targets the United States has around the world. Despots, criminal organizations, enemy states.”
Stephanie said, “Okay, the client list is protected, I can respect that. But what about the targets? Specifically, Ric, who will I be targeting?” With a smile she added, “If I get the job, I mean.”
“If you get the job, your target could be anyone or anything related to private sector security. We hope to expand our client base very soon, so we need people with a wide range of talents. At the outset, however, your target will be the Islamic Republic of Iran. Our clients are energetic in protecting themselves from that rogue state.”
Stephanie’s confident smile only grew.