Hard Wired Trilogy by DeAnna Pearce (smart books to read .TXT) 📕

Ari manipulated the code to have Kari hug Antoine and then when he leaned down for a kiss, Ari didn’t even flinch. She felt sick, lying to this man and to her own boyfriend. Trying not to think about what was happening, she was grateful it didn’t last long.

“I can’t stay, but I ordered you your favorite.” The edges of his lips pulled down in a pout. “I’m expected back but had to see you briefly if I could. I can’t wait until our vacation together.”

“Vacation?” Her initial surprise pulled her back into the images, wrapped in his arms with thoughts of how bad this could be.

“Yes. Remind your boss of your time off next month, okay? No excuses. It is the slow season for him, and you earned this time. I can’t wait to see you and show you my home.”

“Me too.” She lied, and prayed she’d be long gone before that happened.

“Have a good weekend, and we’ll catch up on Monday. You okay?” One of his perfectly shaped brows arched in question.

“Yeah. Just stressed.” She wasn’t as quick as she needed to be with the coding.

“Don’t worry. The season will slow down soon.” He leaned down for a kiss.

Just focus on the code, just focus on the code.

After a quick kiss, he headed off. Looking down at the table, she realized he had finished his plate, and left a plate of ravioli for her. Even though she knew her body didn’t need the food, it felt weird not to eat all day and it smelled amazing. Biting into the ravioli, she realized it was mushroom. Nasty.

She glanced around the nook of the restaurant. The low lighting and spaced out tables gave quite a bit of privacy. A young woman sat nearby with her nose in a book.

Ari turned back to her meal. With a few minor alterations, spaghetti filled the plate. She reached for some bread and dove into the pasta. She ignored Niomi’s advice that food was a waste of time and enjoyed herself.

Even though it was all fake, she savored her plate and tried to finish it off with the glass of wine. Except wine wasn’t for her. Changing it to cola, she finished it off as the girl from the table next approached.

“Thought you may want some company. I’m Hailey.” The girl gave a timid smile.

Ari froze for a brief second with uncertainty but didn’t want to cause a scene. “Sure, have a seat. I’m Kari. I don’t have long before I head back to work though.”

“Me too.” Hailey tucked a stray piece of caramel colored hair behind her ear. “Where do you work at?”

Ari didn’t think it would hurt to tell her, since Kari would probably do the same. “I’m the Presidential Aide over with the Icelandic States.”

“You work with Higgins?”

Ari nodded and took another drink. “Where are you at?”

“I’m with the European Union.”

“That must be big.”

Hailey shrugged. “I guess. I’m holed up doing data transfers and security.”

“Sounds…” Ari searched for the word.

“Boring?”

She laughed. “Sorry, I didn’t want to sound rude.”

“No worries. Most of the time it’s boring, but sometimes it’s fun to chase after the off-world hackers.”

Ari wasn’t sure who off-world hackers were exactly but didn’t want to sound ignorant.

Hailey put her elbows on the table and leaned forward, her voice barely above a whisper. “I belong to a group you may be interested in joining.”

“What kind?”

“Well, let’s just say its members don’t have to eat ravioli and wine if they don’t want to, either.”

Panic tightened Ari’s chest, making it hard to breathe. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Haley placed a hand on Ari’s wine glass, and the liquid turned clear. “You’re not as alone as you think you are.”

Ari couldn’t find the words or air to speak.

Hailey stood, her purse over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll be in touch.” She left as quick as she came.

Ari glanced around, wondering if anyone else saw that. No one was close, and those she could see were engrossed in conversation. Gripping the glass, a tingling sensation traveled up her arm. She always knew she wasn’t the only warper in the world, but to actually meet someone like her. Someone she could talk to, someone she could ask questions to? She stared at the glass, thoughts spinning wildly through her mind, before heading back to work.

Chapter 10

By the time, Ari left VLEX she wasn’t sure what she was going to say to Niomi. They went through the process of unhooking her from the machine and taking out her health patch for fluids. Black dots danced in front of Ari as she stood. Not eating real food all day took its toll.

“Are you ready for notes or do you need to eat something?” Niomi’s kind voice surprised Ari.

“No. I just want to get it over with.”

Niomi watched her with a careful gaze. “Anything go wrong in there?”

“No. Just had to watch the code of Kari making out with her boyfriend. Did you get my files?”

“Yes.” Niomi turned back to her computer. “I told you to dump the boyfriend.”

“Didn’t seem fair to Kari.”

“I forget just how young you are.”

“I have a relationship. I’d hate for someone to ruin things with Reed.”

Niomi shrugged but didn’t reply. It was hard to fight with someone who was silent, so Ari turned to her report. Her fingers danced over the keyboard. She skipped over changing the food and meeting Hailey, unsure how VisionTech would feel about it. Ari wanted answers first, to figure things out on her own before having to deal with Niomi about it. Niomi kept plenty of things to herself. Finishing her report, Ari’s thoughts went to home. Her heart ached as she thought of Marco and her mother. Even though she still resented her father, she missed him too. Not that she liked to visit him inside his virtual coma, but having the option was nice.

When Ari sent off her report, she turned to Niomi. “When do I get to visit my family