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

come and you got taken that would have hurt your mother, Marco, the team, and me. What hurt me the most was you not trusting me enough to share the message.”

The tenderness in his features struck Ari. He slowly interlaced his fingers. She yearned to reach out to comfort him with a slight touch, but one touch could change everything between them. And would it be to comfort him, or to comfort herself? She didn’t like looking at that selfish side. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not enough, but I am.”

He glanced down at his hands. “I found the file you deleted and jumped on a plane. I wasn’t sure if you saw the file or not, but I knew if I told you, you would go. And if I messaged Joe or Marco, you would either convince them to go with you or figure a way to escape. So instead, I found a couple hired guns and came myself to see if I could find Reed.”

“You came to save Reed.” Ari straightened. Every time she thought she knew Patrick, he surprised her.

“I’m not completely selfless. This gave me a good look at our enemy as well, and…” With a frustrated sigh, he turned away, dragging a hand through his dark hair. “I’ve been talking to Joe and Marco, and we’re to meet up with them as soon as possible. Marco is not thrilled with you, by the way.”

Despite her intentions, Ari reached out and stilled his hand. Their heat and electricity was undeniable. “Wait. What were you going to say?”

He looked down at her hand. His gaze sent goosebumps running up her arm, and she pulled it back. How could his gaze affect her so much?

“I shouldn’t.” His words came out in a whisper.

She wasn’t going to push him.

He ran a hand through his hair again and stood up, pacing in front of the bed where she sat. Finally, he stopped in front of her. “I know you have a boyfriend, and my team always comes first. But you’re right, you have the right to know how I feel. I care for you. More than I want to admit. While I’m willing to do almost anything for my team, somehow with you the lines get blurred. I’m willing to risk my team for your boyfriend because I know it would make you happy. And maybe with him in the picture, whatever this is between us would fade.”

“This feeling…” She stood in front of him. It would be stupid for Ari to try to deny the feelings between them, but she loved Reed, would always love Reed. It felt like the deepest betrayal to even admit anything between them.

Before she knew it, Patrick’s hands cupped her face, and he kissed her. A wave of warmth flooded her body, a body that ached to be loved and comforted, a body that wanted him more than she was ever willing to admit. She reached for him, but as fast as it started it ended.

He stepped back. “I’m sorry.”

Her legs continued to hold her up, but she couldn’t feel them anymore. What did she just do? A cold realization seeped back into her reality. “I can’t betray him.”

“I know.” He glanced down, “and I need to focus on the team, especially with everything going on. But you wanted to know. Not telling you has been eating me up inside, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit that you are a bit of a distraction.”

Ari reached out, then realized what she was going to do and stopped, dropping her hand. She would have liked to blame the effects of the drugs, but it wasn’t true. Her body had a mind and a desire, neither easy to subdue.

Patrick had saved her and her family, but it wasn’t just that. His bravery, his commitment to creating a better world, and his selflessness to everyone around made Ari admire him, and maybe something more. She had to remind herself there wasn’t anything in her future but Reed.

“I’m going out to grab supplies. Be ready to leave in an hour.” He reached for a jacket and left without a second glance.

Touching her lips with one hand, she sunk onto the bed. A cold empty feeling took over as she glanced around the small apartment. Maybe it was the right decision, but it didn’t mean it hurt any less.

As they boarded the tram, an awkwardness settled in between them. They traveled through the night. A landscape covered in darkness. Ari leaned back in the chair, watching the world fly by as sleep eluded her.

How did she get here? From a poor girl in the Americas, to riding through Europe in the middle of the night with an attractive and powerful man. It sounded like some VR program that her old friends from school would run. She was no longer that innocent girl.

She had a strength in and out of the VR that she owed mainly to Niomi, and even Patrick. Sadness pressed down on her as she thought of Niomi.

Turning, Ari found Patrick still awake as well. “What happened to Niomi back at the cafe?”

“Who’s Niomi?” Patrick asked.

“My old trainer. The woman with the silver hair.”

“Oh, her? She was in the middle of the fight for some time. She looked injured, but not down.”

“Oh.”

“You still worry about her, after everything she did to you?”

Ari had gone through a lot with her trainer. “If it wasn’t her, it would have been someone else. And behind all her tough exterior, she taught me a lot about how to take care of myself.”

“You must not have been listening on the day she taught hostage negotiations. You don’t just give yourself up and hope for the best.”

“But she tore into me pretty good about what an idiot I was for showing up.”

“Good. Someone should.” He kept his voice down. “What was their excuse for not having Reed? I followed them to you and didn’t see him at all.”

She looked