Page 40 of Hollow Code
"We’re coming." Zadie didn’t bother moving.
Neither did Gideon.
"Don’t let me stop you." Wynn pushed off the doorframe, and Zadie could hear her laughing all the way down the corridor.
"If I don’t go to dinner, someone’s going to have something to say about that." Gideon rubbed the back of his neck. "And if I go, I have a feeling everyone’s gonna have something to say about what Wynn just saw."
"Oh yeah." Zadie stood, brushing her hands across her thighs. "We might as well get it over with.
Chapter Nine
Gideon stretched his legs under the coffee table and let the cold beer rested against his palm. The sofa cushion dipped where Zadie sat beside him with her legs crossed. She inched close enough that her knee pressed against his every time one of them shifted.
The family room settled into conversation Gideon hadn't experienced in nearly two months. They talked about normal things. The weather. The news. Even sports. They teased each other much like a family would—lighthearted, fun, and with a sense of love and belonging. It was as if they weren’t living in a bunker like ghosts.
Coulter had killed the overheads and turned on a floor lamp in the corner that threw long shadows across the bookshelves and the half-finished puzzle on the table.
"Not to be a gossip, but I’m not the only one who’s wondering about the two of you." Wynn pointed a finger at Zadie and wiggled it toward Gideon. Wynn had started out leaning against the large sofa but maneuvered herself to Darwin’s chair.
He'd made himself comfortable in the other recliner with a glass of red wine, his socked feet propped on the coffee table.
"We have a history." Zadie folded her arms.
"You just met." Scout was cross-legged on the floor with her back against the bookshelf, which seemed like an uncomfortable choice until Gideon noticed she'd positioned herself with a clear sightline to both exits. "And now everyone finds you kissing in corners like teenagers."
Gideon lifted his beer and took a big swig. He kept his focus on his feet. Nothing like being the new kid and being in the hot seat. This wasn’t anything more than good old fashion razzing. Team members pushing each other’s buttons. "Darwin knows I spent months trying to get Hopper to meet me in person."
"Right. Gaming." Coulter raised one hand and wiggled his thumb as if he were holding a controller. "I’ve never understood why grown adults would want to play kids games all day."
Neve and Coulter had claimed one of the recliners—Neve in the seat, Coulter on the arm with his ankle crossed over his knee and a bottle of beer resting on his thigh.
"Like any hobby, it’s a community of like-minded people," Gideon said. "Everyone needs a release. Some people go to the gym. Others go to the shooting range. And we took to gaming. A lot of programmers and computer engineer types do."
"I’ve always thought that sometimes gamers take it too far, especially the ones that go to those fan conventions and dress the parts," Neve added.
Wynn grinned. "Gideon and Zadie brought fantasy land to the real world."
"Okay. You’ve had your fun." Zadie waved her hand. "It’s time to move on and talk about something else, like maybe how to breach ORACLE."
"Isn’t that what you were supposed to be discussing when I walked in on you kissing?" Darwin asked.
"For what it's worth," Gideon said, "I plan to continue discussing ORACLE at every opportunity."
Zadie closed her eyes. "You're not helping."
"I wasn't trying to."
Wynn laughed hard enough that Gideon suspected Kane could hear it from the medical wing.
Gideon leaned back into the sofa. He’d walked out of Hyperion two months ago and disappeared from his life. He had no contact with anyone he’d once called a friend. And now, he was in a room full of people who were teasing him about kissing a woman whom he’d admired—even if he hadn’t known it was actually Zadie. That was a bit of a mind fuck.
He trusted Darwin. He trusted Zadie. Therefore, he put his life in the hands of their team.
Coulter tipped his beer toward Scout. "For the record, I want everyone in this room to know that the ditch this morning was not my fault."
Scout laughed. "It was a drainage culvert, and I told you to go left."
"That’s not how I remember it." Coulter lowered his chin.
