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

here.” He wiped at some blood at the corner of his mouth. “Damn, that guy could hit.”

“Sorry. You okay?”

He shrugged then winced. “I’ll survive, but I have a feeling neither one of us will be fine unless we get off this garbage pit of an island.”

Next to their hotel, they found a store with food and supplies.

“Why don’t you go to the room to rest while I get something to clean you up,” Ari offered.

“No. I’m not leaving you alone anywhere on this island. I’ll be fine.” His eye looked horrible, but at least it wasn’t swollen shut.

“If you say so.”

They walked in to the store, which smelled heavily of bleach. Tall metal rows of supplies and food filled the store. They roamed up and down the aisles which resembled more a pawn shop with scattered items than proper store. They found a first-aid kit, then continued down the row.

“What do you think of that?” Reed pointed to an old computer. “They can’t be asking much for it and if I can get it to work, we can connect with Tessa.”

They left in such a hurry that they hadn’t had time to grab any of their electronics, though Ari wouldn’t have trusted VisionTech’s stuff anyway.

“Check it out. It may be worth it. I’ll try to find something edible.” Ari headed to the next row, while Reed dusted off the computer.

It was slim pickings for healthy recognizable food, but she grabbed a couple of items. Her hand stung from where the broken pipe cut her. She’d need to glue that up so she didn’t catch some crazy disease on this island.

On the shelf over, some hair dye caught her eye. She had always loved her long brown hair, especially when her mother would play with it and braid it for her. But she’d be willing to part with it, if it meant she could see her mother again. She grabbed the box and some scissors and went back to Reed.

Reed had the computer in his hands. “Let’s see if we can afford it now.”

The man sat behind a clear barrier and spoke through a microphone. “That’ll be 100 cryptos.”

“You have to be kidding me,” Reed said. “You couldn’t do anything with this old junk.”

“Then why do you want it?”

“I said you couldn’t, not that I couldn’t. I’ll give you 50 for everything.”

“90,” he countered.

“75. We’re doing you a favor.”

“Deal.” During this whole encounter, the man behind the desk appeared completely bored, not even a reaction to Reed’s swollen eye. Reed paid the man in island coins. A nearby computer converted Reed’s coins to the correct currency, and they left for the hotel.

The word hotel was a bit of a stretch. The room held a simple single bed and bathroom, and everything else looked like leftovers from a street sale. The plus side was it had a lock and gave them both a moment to breathe. They had to wait until the following day before they could get their IDs, and it would be a few hours after that before they could catch a ride out of here.

Sitting on the bed, Ari cleaned and sealed the cut on her hand, and counted how much money they had left. They would have to stretch things a bit. They had been lucky Reed had as much as he did. Growing up in the slums, he tended to keep a backup. Ari had grown up in the same neighborhood and would have done the same, but never saw cash on the island. VisionTech never had her wanting for anything. She trusted that sense of luxury like a pig fattening up for the butcher.

Reed exited the bathroom and somehow his face looked worse. His eye had doubled in size and turned to a dark bluish color. He had put his pants back on but left his shirt off. Normally she would have taken a moment to fully enjoy shirtless Reed, except for the colors blossoming on his torso.

“I have a cut on my back I need you to glue.” He turned showing a large gash that started on his side and continued around his back.

“My God, Reed.” She bit back the urge to cry. Reaching out, she stopped short not wanting to touch him. “When you picked up the first-aid glue, I didn’t think we’d use the whole bottle.”

He smiled. “Please don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

“Deal.” Tears swam in her eyes as she reached for the small first- aid kit. She cleaned and sealed the wound on his back, then turned to sit in front of him. She worked on the small cut on his temple. “I’m so sorry, Reed.” Her voice hitched as she dabbed ointment on the wound.

He reached for her hand, waiting until she met his gaze. “Don’t. They did this, not you. We’re in this together, right? From your first day at the academy, I knew if given the chance I’d never leave your side. I don’t regret a day of it.”

“Really?”

“Really.” He tried to grin, but it soon turned into a grimace. “Ouch.”

Emotions and warmth flooded her body, and she knew if she didn’t do something, she’d end up crying or trying to kiss him. Which would hurt him, with his lip cut up like that.

“You up to contacting Tessa?” Ari turned to the used computer on the table. It was an older computer, older than the stuff they got at home, with a large screen and basic keyboard. An actual keyboard with keys. “If that thing can contact Tessa.”

“Hey, don’t doubt my skills. We may not be playing elves in her game, but I should be able to send her a message.” He stood and picked up his shirt. Moving slowly, he put it on.

“You didn’t have to put it on for my benefit,” Ari said.

“I wanted to make sure my virtue remained intact.”

She laughed. “I’d hate to ruin your virtue.”

“Truthfully, I don’t think I could ruin it right now if I tried. It hurts at a