Chapter 27
Logan
“You know,” Audrey says as she stares at one of the many monitors in the lab. “We just might have to admit defeat on this one and bring in some outside perspective.”
“We’re not bringing in outside perspective.”
“Logan—”
“We’ve been at this for over a week. We know this system better than anyone. Some consultant is just going to tell us to try things we’ve already ruled out and then charge us six figures for the privilege.”
She spins her chair to face me, pulling her curls up into a messy bun that makes her look like a sexy mad scientist. When she came back from Sweden, her hair was straightened to within an inch of its life, her face was perfectly made up, and her glasses had been replaced by contacts.
But now, a little over two months later, the curls are back, the makeup is minimal, and she’s even started wearing her glasses again.
I feel like I’ve gotten the real Audrey back, the one who doesn’t give a fuck if her hair is wild or her brain is three steps ahead of the room, because she knows exactly who she is and doesn’t need to front for anyone.
She’s also wearing the blue T-shirt that says ‘Ask Me About My Feminist Agenda’ with one of her pleated tartan skirts. Mary Janes on her feet. I love this look more than any dress she brought back from Stockholm.
This right here is the woman I fell head over heels for that first day in the Carmichael conference room.
“Run me through it again,” she says once she’s finished tying back her hair. “The three benchmarks we’re failing.”
“Data isolation under attack simulation, real-time encryption verification, and cross-system authentication protocols.” I pull up the relevant screens.
“The first two are related—if we can solve the isolation problem, the encryption verification should fall into place. The authentication is separate.”
“And the FDA wants all twelve benchmarks met simultaneously, not sequentially.”
“Correct. Which is why the modular approach didn’t work—we can’t phase it in. It needs to function as an integrated system from day one.”
She chews her lip, staring at the data. “What if we’re thinking about this wrong?”
“Wrong how?”
“We’ve been trying to rebuild the existing framework to meet the new standards.
But what if the framework itself is the problem?
” She stands, pacing the way she does when her brain is working faster than her mouth.
“The original architecture was designed for the old benchmarks. We keep trying to patch it, but every patch creates new vulnerabilities.”
“So you’re suggesting we scrap it entirely and start over? We don’t have time for that.”
“No, not scrap it. But what if we...” She trails off, frowning at the whiteboard covered in our increasingly desperate diagrams.
I watch her think. This is one of my favorite things—watching Audrey’s mind work. The way her eyes go slightly unfocused, the way she taps her fingers against her thigh in an unconscious rhythm, the way her whole body stills when she’s close to something.
And suddenly, watching her, something clicks.
“Audrey.”
“Hang on, I’m almost—”
“Audrey.” I stand up so fast my chair rolls backward and hits the wall. “What if we don’t try to secure the data stream at all?”
She stares at me. “That’s the opposite of what we need to do.”
“No, listen.” My brain is firing now, connections sparking. “We’ve been trying to secure the data as it moves through the system. That’s the vulnerability—data in transit. But what if we eliminate transit entirely?”
“You can’t eliminate data transit. The whole point is real-time monitoring—”
“Real-time monitoring doesn’t require centralized storage.
” I grab a marker and start drawing on the whiteboard.
“What if each implant processes its own data locally? On-device encryption, on-device analysis. The only thing transmitted is the output—alerts, summaries, actionable information. Not the raw data.”
Audrey’s eyes widen. “Edge computing. You want to turn each implant into its own secure processing node.”
“Exactly. The attack simulations keep breaching our central server because that’s where all the sensitive data lives. But if the sensitive data never leaves the device—”
“There’s nothing to breach.” She’s nodding now, her own excitement building. “The implant becomes a closed system. The only communication is outbound alerts through encrypted channels.”
“Which we can authenticate individually instead of trying to secure an entire network.”
“Logan.” She’s grinning at me, that full-wattage smile that makes my chest tight. “That’s brilliant.”
“It might not work. The processing requirements for on-device analysis—”
“We can optimize. Compress the algorithms, prioritize critical functions.” She’s already back at her workstation, pulling up specs. “The implant’s chip has more capacity than we’re currently using. If we reallocate the processing power...”
We work in tandem for the next hour, barely speaking except to exchange data points and confirmations. It’s like a dance—she handles the biomedical requirements while I restructure the architecture, our expertise dovetailing seamlessly.
“OK.” Audrey leans back, rubbing her eyes. “I think we have something. It’s rough, but it’s viable.”
“Viable pending stress testing,” I add. “We won’t know if it holds until we throw real attack simulations at it.”
“Optimism, Logan. Try it sometime.”
“I’m optimistic. I’m also a realist. This architecture has never been deployed at scale. We’re betting on theory.”
“Theory backed by your giant brain.” She stretches. “I’ll take those odds.”
I look at the time. Almost eight o’clock—we’ve been at this all day. “We should run simulations tomorrow. Fresh eyes.”
“Agreed.” She stretches, her shirt riding up to reveal a strip of skin that makes me want to abandon the lab entirely. “I’m starving. Dinner?”
“My place?”
She smiles. “Well, you do have that giant bathtub...”
Something warm spreads through my chest. She’s been staying at my apartment every night since the dinner with my parents, only going back to her place for clean clothes or because one of her brothers invaded with donuts, coffee and loud opinions.
But even her stuff—her laptop, her clothes, her yellow toothbrush that lives beside mine—has migrated to my place, piece by piece, until my apartment feels less like a fortress of solitude and more like a messy, well-loved home. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We should definitely take a bath after dinner,” I agree.
“We’ve earned it.” She smiles, looping her arms over my shoulders—but I catch the way her eyes flick to the whiteboard one more time before she does, scanning the diagrams like she’s running one final check. Making sure we actually solved it. Making sure she didn’t miss something.
Some habits run deeper than logic.
I pull her closer, loving how easy this is now, how every touch feels like an extension of the conversation instead of a distraction from it. Her mouth lands on mine, soft then urgent, and the air instantly feels a hundred degrees warmer.
“Mmm. Do you think we’ve earned Thai takeout too?”
“I think we’ve definitely earned takeout.” She giggles, and I give her a quick kiss before we start packing up the lab.
I’m zipping up my laptop bag when my phone buzzes. Dominic’s name flashes on the screen.
“Hey,” I answer. “What’s up?”
“Just checking in.” His voice is casual, but I know him well enough to hear the undercurrent. “How are things at the lab?”
“Good. Really good, actually. I think we've cracked the security problem.”
“That’s great, man. And... other things?”
He means my parents. He’s been handling the fallout from my ultimatum—fielding their calls, managing their expectations, being the buffer he’s always been.
“Other things are fine. Quiet. They’ve retreated to the Barrington Hills estate,” I say, dropping my voice as Audrey comes within earshot. “Supposedly indefinitely.”
“Indefinitely in your family means until the next family foundation mixer. You know, your mother called me three times today.”
“Let me guess. She’s panicking I’ll cut her allowance.”
“Something like that. I told her the budget is the budget.” He pauses. “I also might have mentioned that the travel fund is under review. No more spontaneous trips to Monaco until further notice.”
I snort. “That was rather evil, but also welcome. How’d she take that?”
“About as well as you’d expect. Lots of sighing. A few pointed comments about loyalty and family obligations.”
“Tell her to take it up with me if she has a problem going forward.”
Silence lands for a beat on the other end. “You sure? I can keep running interference—”
“No. It’s time I dealt with them directly. On my terms.”
“Look at you, growing a giant set of balls.” I can hear the grin in his voice. “I’m proud of you, man.”
“Shut up.”
“No, seriously. Whatever Audrey’s doing to you, tell her to keep doing it.”
I glance at Audrey, who’s pretending not to listen while obviously listening. “I intend to.”
“Gross. Drinks this weekend?”
“Sure. I’ll text you.”
I end the call and pocket my phone. Audrey raises an eyebrow.
“Your parents?”
“They’re busting Dominic’s balls after what I said at dinner last weekend.”
“Did he tell them they don’t have to worry as long as they behave like well-mannered human beings?”
“If he did, they didn’t listen. But they’ve pushed him hard enough that he told them their travel fund is under review.”
“Oh dear. What a struggle for them.” Her words are dripping with sarcasm, but something flickers across her face—there and gone. I file it away. Audrey processes things on her own timeline, and pushing never helps.
“My mother’s idea of economizing is switching from first class to business.”
“Ah.” She crosses to me, sliding her arms around my waist. “You OK? I know you haven’t really spoken to them since…well, since that disaster of a dinner.”
“I’m better than OK. I’ve got you.” I kiss her forehead. “Come on. Thai food awaits.”