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

Garret’s room at first, formulating every diatribe she wanted to spew at him, but as she approached the turn off to her brother’s dorm, she changed her mind. As much as she wanted to rip Garrett apart, she didn’t have time to deal with their past. Her assignment came first.

So, instead she found herself in front of her brother’s door. Pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment, she tried to push back the killer headache looming behind her eyes. Lights flashed onto the back of her closed eyelids. She had been staring at her computer for too long.

When she finally knocked, Reed answered barefoot in a pair of pajama pants. His thin yet muscular physique stole her words for a moment. She hadn’t seen him shirtless since they were kids swimming in the community pool. He had certainly grown up.

Avoiding his gaze, she looked past him for her brother. “Is Marco here?”

“No, he’s doing homework in the lab.” Reed opened the door for her to enter. “What’s wrong?”

Ari stepped inside and pulled out her tablet. “I hate to bother you, but I have a ghost on my computer.”

“What? A key logger?” Reed took her tablet drive from her hands and hooked it into his system. “Do you know who placed it?”

“Not sure. Maybe Garrett.”

Reed’s shoulders tightened, and lines creased his face. “If so, I’ll talk with Garrett.”

Ari wondered just how much Reed had heard about what happened at the party. Gratefully, she’d taken care of the bruising already with the first-aid kit. Yet, her face warmed with embarrassment. “If you can’t fix it, I may just kill him.”

“It might take an hour or so to fix, but feel free to kill him.” He glanced up and his face softened. “Pull up a chair, and we’ll see what we can find.”

Ari grabbed an extra chair and sat next to Reed at the desk. “Thanks so much. I can’t afford another bad grade. I was hoping Marco would be here. I hate to bother you.” Ari couldn’t seem to stop her nervous rambling.

“It’s not a problem.” Reed placed a hand on top of hers.

Ari froze and stared at his hand. The touch sent a warmth through her body, settling in her stomach. It went beyond comfort to something else entirely. She fought the romantic notions that threatened to carry her away.

Their gazes met, speaking more than either could have said, and he took his hand away. “Ari, really, it’s not a problem. I’m glad you came. I can have it fixed in the hour.”

“Me too,” she said softly.

Reed sat up stiff in his chair and his fingers flew over the keyboard. “What is this?”

“What?”

“This can’t be.”

Frustrated at his lack of communication, Ari leaned forward to look at the screen. “What can’t be?”

“Your key logger. The person recording your every stroke you make ...”

“What?”

“Nothing.” He quickly closed the computer and stood up.

“That wasn’t nothing.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the hall.

“What is going on, Reed? Is this all Garrett?”

He shut the door behind them. They stood inches apart as she searched his face for an answer.

“It’s not Garrett?” She waited for the answer.

He glanced down the hall. “It’s the school.”

“The school?”

“Yes. I knew they watched our online access, but they normally don’t watch individual students.”

“Why would the school be watching me? Maybe because of my grades?” Her thoughts traveled to Advisor Williams who had been coming to her classes and keeping a close eye on her, and all of a sudden it didn’t sound so farfetched. What worried her was Reed coming out in the hall to talk, and how he whispered only inches away from her.

Worry creased his brow. “Not sure. I can’t remove it without alerting them though. You need to be careful of what you do online or even say. I’m not sure how far they went.”

A cold chill traveled up her spine, and she tried to rub her arms for warmth. “This can’t be real. Why would they bother?”

He shrugged. “I’ll ask around, but until we have more answers, please be careful.”

She nodded and glanced down the hall, realizing she’d never feel comfortable at school again.

Chapter Fourteen

Ari spent the next two weeks focused on her school work, memorizing code, learning about art design and so much more. On her weekly chats with her mother, she almost admitted that she enjoyed the program, except she couldn’t. Not with the school watching her every step. She tried to ignore it, but the idea of someone spying on her set her on edge. It forced her to be more determined to finish the program. Two more years felt like forever.

As midterms approached, Tessa and Ari spent hours studying, surfacing only to eat and shower. With two days left until her tests, Ari thought her brain might explode.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Ari stood, trying to stretch out the massive kink in her back.

Tessa let out a sound that was half moan, half yes, then clicked off her computer. “I need a break. I think I’m going to break out the chocolate stash in my closet. We deserve it.”

“I won’t argue.” Ari stood and grabbed a couple of drinks from their fridge. She handed one to Tessa and plopped down on her own bed.

Tessa tossed a package to her, brownies. Ari’s mouth watered as she set the timer. Less than a minute for steamy fresh brownies. Her mouth watered in the wait.

Tessa took a long drink. “Are you going to The Grid this weekend?”

“No.” Most of the campus had been planning parties after midterm tests. The city was a popular tourist spot, often catering to the students. Ari didn’t have the money to go and was still trying to figure out what happened to the cryptos she lost. The bank said they were looking into it.

“Want to come with me?”

“Sorry, no money.”

“My parents own a condo there. It wouldn’t cost a thing,” Tessa offered.

Ari stalled, knowing that there would be other expenditures besides housing on the