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

or so rested in his middle section and face. His jaw wasn’t as chiseled as inside VLEX, but he was still attractive. His kind gray eyes greeted her with excitement.

Her stomach ached with dread and guilt. She had hurt this man maybe more than anyone. Would her next step help or hurt him more?

Reaching for her, he wrapped her up in a big hug. “You look nothing like I imaged but still so beautiful.” His heavy accent laced his words, but he spoke in English.

Uncomfortable with his embrace and not able to hide in the program, she stepped back. Even though he felt like a good friend after all the time they spent together, he was still under the notion she was someone else.

She motioned to the table. “Sit, please. We need to talk.”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “What’s wrong, Kari?”

Guilt felt heavy in her stomach, and Ari didn’t want to answer to that name.

“You are Kari, aren’t you?” His confusion turned to apparent concern quickly.

She was surprised he connected the dots so quickly, but also grateful. Motioning to his seat, she waited until he was seated. “I’m not Kari. I’m sorry, but I thought you would want to know about her.”

Bewilderment flash across his face. “What about her?”

Glancing down, Ari noticed his restless fingers picking at a napkin on the table. “There’s no easy way to say this. Kari hasn’t been inside VLEX for months.” Before he could react, she continued with her story of how she was hired by a company to impersonate Kari, and how Ari didn’t know where Kari was or what happened to her.

By the time she finished, Antoine strangled the napkin in his hands, staring at Ari with a strange mix of rage and concern. Finally, he poured himself a tall glass of wine and drank half of it. Looking up at her, his expression was hard to read. “Did they kill her?”

“I was told that she was alive, but I don’t know if that is true. I had a friend check Kari’s house, and she was no longer living there.”

He glanced away, quiet. Ari recognized that painful ache deep in his eyes, because it mirrored just how she felt. Maybe she did deserve to be alone after all the pain she caused this man.

“Why?” His words came out as a whisper barely heard over the roar of nearby conversation.

“Why what?”

“Why are you here telling me this? Why did you keep up the whole character with dating me inside the VLEX? And how did you pull it off? The skins are permanent inside VLEX.”

“Not for someone like me.” For the first time, she wasn’t afraid of what she was, but ashamed. “I’m telling you now because I wanted to make it right.”

“The only way to make it right is to bring me Kari.”

The thoughts that had been swirling in her mind formed into the start of a plan of how to find Kari and take care of what she needed for Emil. “I don’t know if I can, but I’m willing to try.”

She gave him a moment and resisted the urge to comfort him. Hugging him would be natural as she thought of him as a friend at this point. But he didn’t know Ari, he only knew Kari.

His gaze turned steely. “How can you fix this? If she’s not home, where would she be? She may be dead.”

“I’m hoping I can find someone else that knows her, family, friends that would know where she would be. Thing is, I don’t have a way to get back inside.”

He glared at her under his long lashes. “Is this some sick joke? You tell me my girlfriend’s possibly dead, and the only way you can save her is by using my credentials to get inside.”

“No.” Looking back at the conversation, she had to admit he had a point. It didn’t look good. But getting inside would give her the resources she needed. “I just… look.” She leaned forward, elbows on the table. “I don’t need your credentials, I just need a way inside. I left the company I worked for. They, along with a government or two, are searching for me. My skill set is… very unique inside. Give me twenty minutes, that’s all I need.”

He finished off his glass of wine. “How dumb do you think I am?”

“I’m sorry. I’m trying to make this right. I’m caught up in something bigger than I imagined. But believe it or not, I care about her. Always wondered about her. That’s why, I couldn’t break you two up. I have access to her files and hope they have some information on her family and loved ones. If you want to find her, I will help. I will do whatever I need to make this right. And I can give you my personal information or whatever you need to trust me.”

He stared at the empty wine glass in his hands for a minute, the heavy silence full of unspoken pain and emotion. Shame ate at her as she watched his empty expression.

“Okay.” He finally lifted his gaze. “I’ll give you twenty minutes. If you get caught, I’m saying you broke in and stole access. I won’t go down for this.”

“Of course. Antoine,” she waited until he met her eyes, her own emotion fighting to get free, “I’m so sorry. I want you to know that.”

He shook off her hand. “No. You don’t deserve any sympathy or forgiveness until I have her back.”

“That’s fair.” She couldn’t deny the mistakes she made, which were many. “The sooner we get in, the sooner we get her back.”

Chapter 41

The sun had settled behind the mountains and darkness settled in the valley as they boarded the tram. They needed to get to Antoine’s office back in town. Only a few silent passengers littered the car, making for a quiet ride through the dark of night.

Buried deep in thought, Ari wondered exactly where Kari was. Did she have some type of illness, or maybe