“She’s feeding her fish? Why?” Misha huffs a laugh.
“Her fish sitter bolted. They up and left, and she just left her key outside her door, so Morgan had to jump in,” Grandpa continues, his voice tinged with a touch of amusement at the absurdity of the situation.
“Willow?” I blurt out, turning to Grey, seeking confirmation.
“Probably,” he mutters under his breath.
“They left? Like,leftleft?” Misha asks.
“Thank you, Grandpa,” Grey interjects swiftly, then abruptly ends the call before any more could be said.
He immediately turns back to his laptop and accesses Elysium’s server, the rapid-fire clicking filling the room.
“What are you doing?” I ask, watching him commit at least three crimes in a row.
“Checking if theyleftleft,” he replies, mimicking Misha’s earlier query with a hint of sarcasm.
“How?” Misha stands and gets behind Grey, practically hovering over his shoulder now.
“HR,” Grey states flatly, his eyes never leaving the monitor. He clicks through another tab, lips pursed. “There. He quit. And they moved out of the building the same day.”
“He quit? Does it say why?” I ask, standing.
What the hell?
“No, it only says it was by mutual agreement,” Grey replies flatly.
“Without a two-week notice? That’s weird,” I murmur, my mind racing. But it fits my suspicions. He got her project. Now he left with it.
“It is,” Grey agrees, nodding as he exits the server without leaving a trace. “It makes him the main suspect for sure.”
Misha chuckles softly, the sound oddly loud in the tense silence. We both turn to him, our scowls deepening.
“What’s funny about that?” I demand.
He grins, shrugging. “Grey’s a knight in shining armor, after all.Sir Hack-a-lot.”
Even Grey can’t help but crack a grin at that, and I realize Misha’s onto something. We might not wear armor, but watch out, Hendricks—our keyboards are our lances, and we’re ready for the joust.
TEN
We won’t makeit in time for sunrise. I mean, how could we? Hiking with two kids, their parents, Daniel and Grey, who frankly seems like he’d rather be anywhere else, requires way more prep than when it was just Amelia and me.
At least Oliver seems to be trying.
I know he isn’t an outdoorsy guy, but he was up and ready when I told him to be, with a smile on his face.
Worst of all, we have to endure the two-hour drive in Daniel’s Mercedes G-Class. Amelia sits shotgun, and the rest of us are squeezed into the back.
It’s fucking awkward.
We sit in silence. The radio hums softly in the background while Oliver naps with his head on my shoulder. Grey is busy typing away on his phone, his mood souring by the minute. I spend the ride staring out the window, reminiscing about the hikes with Amelia in Seattle while August and his family trail behind us in another Mercedes.
By the time we finally start our hike, the sun is long up, and the wind cuts sharply across the cliffs.
But damn, it’s beautiful here.
I can see why Amelia loves this hike. The view is stunning, and I can only imagine how much more impressive it would have been at sunrise.
