Mind Code (Coded Connections Duet #2)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Misha

The aroma of cafeteria spaghetti wafts through the air as we sit at our usual table. My nose wrinkles, and I wonder if it will taste as mediocre as it usually does.

Grey sits across from me, absently twirling his fork in his pasta, his eyes distant and unfocused. I can almost see the gears turning in his head, still trying to solve our impossible puzzle. Oliver and Amelia are over by the food counters, deliberating about what to eat.

The guys and I spent all morning trying to figure out where Hendricks went without having to hack into the government database. Hours of brainstorming, researching, and hitting dead ends have left us all feeling drained and irritable.

“This would take two seconds if you’d let me,” Grey mutters, breaking the silence. His voice is low, but there’s an edge of impatience in it.

He’s not used to following rules he didn’t set.

I lean in, my gaze steady as I reply in a low, firm tone, “We can’t do that. If somebody finds out, we’ll be locked away as fucking criminals. ”

“Nobody will ever find out.” Grey huffs, his eyes narrowing. His gaze is full of determination and the confidence that comes from years of successful hacks. But this time, the stakes are too high.

“Can you guarantee that?” I press, holding his gaze. I need him to understand the gravity of what he’s suggesting. But he just sighs, his fork stilling in his hand. “Grey, man. Okay, fuck what happens to us. But can you picture Oliver in a fucking prison? Or Amelia when they charge her for aiding and abetting?”

The images flash through my head—Oliver’s kind eyes dulled by prison bars, Amelia’s brilliant mind wasted in a cell.

Not going to happen.

“You guys wouldn’t go to prison. If anybody would be locked away, it would be me,” Grey states, seemingly frustrated.

“You don’t know that. I don’t know the laws, and I would like to keep it that way.” My hands clench under the table, betraying my own frustration.

This is all a big pile of shit.

“Amelia has a whole damn family of lawyers that could bail her out,” Grey counters, taking on a defensive edge.

The mere mention of Amelia’s family sets my teeth on edge. “And you would risk her getting back into their claws because of that?” I snap back, unable to keep the anger from my voice.

“Grandpa is a lawyer, too, you know,” Grey adds. I can see the conflict in his eyes, the desire to protect Amelia warring with his need to resolve the situation for her.

“That is so not the point,” I say, shaking my head. I have to take a deep breath, trying to center myself. We’re all so on edge because this has never happened before .

We’ve never had a situation we couldn’t solve with brainpower.

“Fine, we keep it as a last resort, but damn, I’m so close to crossing that fucking line because, honestly, I don’t know where else to look,” Grey admits, leaning back in his chair.

“Me neither, but maybe we need to take a step back and think about something else for a minute. Maybe when we get back to it, we’ll see the issue. We had that happen so often with Jamie.”

“You do that,” Grey mutters, clearly still agitated. His tension is visible in the tightness of his shoulders and the way his fingers drum restlessly on the table.

“Speaking of Jamie, we probably should get back to it, man. I don’t know how long Elysium will tolerate us pushing the deadline after we told them we would be quicker at first,” I remind him.

“ I don’t give a fuck about them. If they don’t want him, we take him somewhere else or launch him ourselves. But I’m not going back to work before Amelia has hers back,” Grey declares, his voice filled with a fierce determination that both impresses and worries me.

“That could lead to heavy and expensive repercussions,” I point out.

They could have us by the balls for using them like this without being able to get their share of the money. The thought sends a chill down my spine, but I can’t deny the appeal of Grey’s suggestion.

“We earned enough money over the years here, and I don’t care if I have to spend it to buy us out. We can live at Grandpa’s until we bring Jamie to the market, and after that, we’re millionaires anyway. Would you care? Paying the fee?” Grey asks, his eyes searching mine.

I shrug, thinking about how I wouldn’t be able to send money to my parents for a few months. But I’ve already bought them an apartment, and they’re in a good place now, so they wouldn’t suffer too much. And he’s right—when we launch Jamie ourselves, we’ll have a way bigger piece of the cake. We didn’t start out that way because we needed Elysium’s resources. But now…

It’s risky, but when has that ever stopped us?

“If it’s only a fee and not legal action. No, it wouldn’t. I spent years of my life living off ramen. I don’t care about doing it again as long as we’re together,” I say, a grin spreading across my face.

Grey smirks. “Oh, shut up. You love ramen.”

“I love you , bro,” I say, giving him a playful nudge.

“Stop the sentimental shit… we’re in public.” Grey huffs, but there is amusement in his tone. I give him puppy dog eyes, making him roll his. “Love you, too, idiot,” he mutters.

“Knew it,” I tease, shoving a heaping forkful of spaghetti into my mouth.

Yep, mediocre.

Amelia and Oliver walk over to our table, their fingers intertwined. Oliver’s balancing a tray with two sandwiches, and they both have this dreamy, far-off look in their eyes. They settle into their seats, then Oliver passes Amelia her sandwich. She blushes and murmurs a soft thank you, making Oliver’s ears turn a brilliant shade of red. I can’t help but grin.

Holy shit.

Could it be what I think it is?

I flash a knowing smile at Grey. “Looks like yesterday’s late-night snack was cherries.”

Grey furrows his brow, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Are you having a stroke?” I tilt my head not-so-subtly toward the lovebirds. Amelia’s sitting right next to me, but she only has eyes for Oliver. “What in the world?” Grey asks, clearly not picking up what I’m putting down.

“Amelia popped Oliver’s cherry,” I announce with a grin, just before Amelia’s hand connects with my upper arm with a pretty forceful slap for her.

Ouch.

“Shut up,” she hisses, but I catch the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Damn, I was spot-on.

I lean forward, trying to get a better look at Oliver. His ears have progressed from red to full-on fire-engine crimson, but there’s a smug little smile playing on his lips as he unwraps his sandwich.

“Well… congratulations?” I offer, feeling a bit out of my depth. “Should we… go out for dinner to celebrate?”

Amelia shoots me a quizzical look, and I can’t resist reaching out to cup her cheek and plant a quick peck on her lips. “What? I’m just a proud boyfriend-in-law.”

Grey’s eyes narrow as he focuses on us. “Are we that kind of official while beta testing?”

Amelia’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

Grey gestures vaguely. “I don’t know. This. PDA. By all of us. Here. ”

“Aren’t you comfortable with it?” Amelia asks, a hint of concern in her voice.

That would be new.

Grey lets out a dry laugh. “Baby, I would lay you over the table right here, right now. I’m asking for your sake.”

I would be right along with you, brother.

Amelia takes a deep breath. “I’m… we’re together, right? Even if I need a little time with the trust part.”

Oliver reaches for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We are. ”

“Very much together,” I chime in, feeling a warmth spread through my chest.

Grey’s voice is low and intense. “You’re ours. ”

A smile blooms across Amelia’s face. “Then yes. Not to fucking in the workplace, but yes to PDA with all of you. People talk anyway. Let’s give them a reason to.”

I lean in, pressing a soft kiss to Amelia’s temple. “I’m so proud of you, Bug,” I murmur against her skin.

And I truly am.

She’s come so far. From hiding in the shadows to proudly showing off who she is and who she’s with. It’s a beautiful transformation to witness.

Amelia turns to Grey, curiosity in her eyes. “So, is that the reason why you didn’t come and tell me what to eat? Check my food? Because you didn’t want to make me uncomfortable? That’s new.”

I snicker, knowing full well that’s not the reason at all.

Grey just smirks down at his spaghetti. “No.”

“So what is it? Are you mad at me?” Amelia presses.

“No.”

“Did you finally realize that I’m capable of checking my own food?” Grey huffs out a laugh, and I see Amelia’s frustration growing. “Grey,” she exclaims, exasperated.

Oliver decides to put her out of her misery. “Grey arranged for us to have a peanut-free cafeteria at Elysium. He went as far as basically blackmailing the management to erase all nuts in the food here.”

Amelia’s jaw drops. “You did that?”

Grey shrugs, trying to play it cool. “Not a big deal.”

But it was.

Oh, it definitely was.

It almost killed him to do that favor for the CEO’s daughter, hacking into her school’s grade system to help her pass her finals. He hated every second of it, but he did it anyway.

For her.

Because that’s what we’d do for this woman. All three of us.

We’d move mountains, drain our bank accounts, and risk everything we’ve worked for over the past five years just to keep her safe and happy.

Amelia stands, determination in her eyes, as she makes her way to Grey. She pushes his chair back and settles herself on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. Leaning in until their foreheads touch, she whispers, just loud enough for me to hear, “Thank you for keeping me safe.”

Damn.

Those words have to be like catnip to Grey, and I have to bite back a smirk as I watch him freeze. He takes a deep breath, his voice low and husky as he responds, “You’re welcome, Princess,” before capturing her lips in a kiss.

I notice a few people watching them, including Amelia’s boss, whose gaze makes me feel uneasy. But as I turn back to see Grey and Amelia still lost in their kiss, I smile to myself.

Let’s give them something to talk about, indeed.