Vedrana arrived at Chauncy’s Bar and Grill close to the Ohio Valley Nuclear Reactor. Based on the research the hacker known as Freeman had provided, she was looking for a man in his late twenties, overweight with glasses. Vedrana was dressed in formal business attire, and she had unbuttoned her blouse, revealing ample cleavage. A man fitting her target’s description was sitting at the end of the bar near the wall. She caught quite a few looks as she removed her thick coat. She squeezed behind her target and took her time hanging her coat on a nearby hook. The man shifted in his seat at the bar. He appeared to be enjoying his sandwich and beer, but he stopped eating when she was close. Vedrana took a seat with a barstool between them. She leaned over the bar to fetch a menu. The man reached it before she could.

“They don’t have enough menus at the bar, allow me,” the man said, handing her the menu.

“Thank you,” Vedrana said as she touched the man’s hand.

He jumped.

He’s attracted to me—I will use that against him, Vedrana thought.

She browsed through the menu. Every menu item seemed to have the word “fried” in it. She saw nothing that appealed to her. A man with many stains on his shirt and a dirty towel in his hand came over.

“Identification, please,” he said.

Vedrana opened her purse and handed him a Romanian passport.

“It says here that your twenty-first birthday is at the end of November, almost a month away. Sorry, you will need to sit at a table instead.”

“Come on, Joe, it’s not like she asked for a beer. She wants to eat lunch without waiting for a table,” her target said.

The bartender looked conflicted for a moment.

“You’re supposed to be twenty-one to sit at the bar, but since your birthday is so close, I will let you have some lunch, but no drinking.”

“Fine, just a club sandwich and a ginger ale, please,” Vedrana said.

The bartender left without acknowledging her order.

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“Don’t worry about Joe,” her target said, “he’s a good guy. He got busted a few years ago for allowing underaged drinking.”

“Thanks for saying something, I don’t have time to wait for a table. I need to get back to work,” Vedrana said.

“Haven’t I seen you here before?”

“Yes, I come in with my girlfriends, but today I’m alone.”

“My name is Ambrose. It is good to make your acquaintance.”

“My name is Gwenneth,” Vedrana said.

“What a lovely name. I noticed you are not from around here. What brings you to our corner of the world?”

“I have an interview scheduled with a man at the power plant. I’m hoping to secure an internship.”

“I work there as an operator. Right now I’m a level two, but I’m up for a promotion to level three soon. Who are you meeting with at the plant?”

Vedrana pulled out her smartphone and pretended to pull up an email. She felt Ambrose’s gaze.

“I’m meeting with Cole Lewis.”

“I know Cole, he’s real smart. He went to the University of Michigan and graduated with honors.”

“I’m attending the University of Pittsburgh, about an hour's drive from here.”

Moments later, the bartender placed the most disgusting club sandwich Vedrana had ever seen in front of her. The fries were dripping with grease. About halfway into the meal, Vedrana moved the plate then emptied the contents of her bag on the bar.

“Where is it?” Vedrana said in a frantic voice.

“What’s the matter?” Ambrose asked.

“My resume and project are missing.”

“I’m sure Cole has that in electronic format.”

“My resume, yes, but he doesn’t have my project. I was hoping to impress him with it. I’ve done so much work in the field, and now it’s gone.”

“Is there a way I can help?” Ambrose said.

“I have the project and resume on this flash drive. Is there a copy shop nearby?” Vedrana said as she removed the drive from her purse.

“I don’t think so . . . But tell you what. I’ll take it to my office, then print it out for you. What time is your appointment?”

“At two p.m.”

He looked at his watch.

“Plenty of time,” he said. “I’m going to leave now—meet me in the parking lot of the plant in an hour?”

Vedrana gave Ambrose a prolonged hug. She pressed her body against his and said, “Thank you.”

Ambrose froze at the sudden contact.

An hour later, Vedrana pulled up the Ohio Valley Nuclear Reactor. She checked in at the guard shack, got her visitor badge, and then proceeded to the guest parking area. A few moments later, she noticed Ambrose leaving the facility with some papers in hand.

“Ambrose!” Vedrana said.

“I printed both files, but a bunch of extra stuff printed with the project file. It looked like random characters, so I recycled them. Let me know if the pages are intact.”

She leafed through the papers. He watched her every move.

“It’s all here—thanks, Ambrose.”

She gave him another hug.

“Hey,” he said, “maybe we can grab a drink sometime, if . . . you want.”

I have him now!

“I would like that,” she replied. “See you around, Ambrose.”

He smiled, then walked back into the facility.