Hard Wired Trilogy DeAnna Pearce (if you give a mouse a cookie read aloud txt) 📖

“True. Why waste time with questions?” She joked and took another bite.

After they’d emptied their plates, Reed leaned back in his chair. The falling sun peeked through the clouds, pulling out the golden strands in his hair. “So how is work going?”

Ari was pulled out of her animal watching. “Yeah, work.” She set down the fry she was holding and reached for a drink, unsure of how to answer. “Well, Niomi seems happy with my progress as she’s not complaining as much as usual.”

“That’s a good sign.”

Nervous, Ari played with a napkin. “I guess… things are just changing.”

He leaned forward. “Good change or bad change?”

She shrugged, the knot in her shoulders tightening. “I won’t know until it happens.”

“No use to stress until it happens, right? Then if it’s not working out, you can talk to Niomi.”

Ari bit her bottom lip. Yes, she could talk to Niomi, but it didn’t mean Ari’s job would change. She’d committed to VisionTech for five years. Her contract didn’t leave a lot of wiggle room when it came to her role in the company. She didn’t want to worry Reed though. “You’re right, why worry about something that hasn’t happened yet?”

“True.” He pulled a long thin box from his pocket and pushed it towards Ari. “I made something for you.”

“Really?” She reached for the box, intrigued. Since Reed was an artist, it could be anything. She opened the box and found a necklace with a beautiful light blue stone, wrapped in silver wire. The silver hugged it, swirling artistically around it. “It’s amazing.”

“You like it?”

“I love it.” She pulled it out to put it around her neck.

“There is a surprise with it as well. Here let me.” He reached for the necklace and turned it over. “It’s made from a lace blue agate stone, and in the back I put a small drive.”

“A drive?”

He pulled the drive from the back, it was smaller than her pinky nail. “I know you’ve been missing home and your friends. So, I put all your pictures from home on it. Your brother helped with this too. This way you can keep the memories close to your heart.”

Emotions tightened her throat, making it difficult to speak. “Thank you. I can’t think of anything more perfect.”

He put the drive back in and helped her put the necklace on, the cold stone comforting on her chest. She stood, wrapping him in a hug. She was so grateful for his thoughtfulness. “How can I ever repay you?”

“You don’t have to.”

She pulled back ignoring the happy tears pooling in her eyes. “I can pay for dessert,” she offered, joking as it wasn’t anything close to what he did for her.

He smiled. “Did I ever tell you how much I love you?”

“Not lately.”

He leaned forward and brushed a kiss on her lips, soft and sweet. “Let’s see what you order for dessert before I tell you,” his eyes held a light sarcasm.

“You doubt my judgment?” She narrowed her eyes.

“Never. You did pick me after all.” His cheesy smile warmed her soul.

Chapter 8

Sunday rushed past in a blur of emotions as she spent several hours poring over the pictures Reed gave her. Cherishing every memory also brought on a bout of homesickness. One that even living in paradise couldn’t cure.

Monday appeared before Ari could straighten out her concerns about the mission. Since Kari went into work 8am VLEX time which was 3am Ari’s time, she skipped her normal routine and headed to her VR lab first. She didn’t bother with breakfast as she didn’t think it would stay down. She tugged on her new suit as she entered the lab, her necklace laying on top.

“Glad to see you early for once.” Niomi didn’t bother turning around, remaining focused on her screen.

“Good morning to you too,” Ari replied.

“Take a seat. I’m waiting for the green light to send you in.” Niomi glanced her way. “Nice necklace. Reed’s doing?”

“Yes.” Ari lowered herself in the chair and leaned back but didn’t want Niomi to sidetrack her with mention of jewelry. “What do you mean by green light?”

“That’s Kari’s access to the VLEX and will be open for us to use. You remember everything? Her passwords?”

Ari tried to believe that Kari gave VisionTech her passwords. “And Kari will be where?”

“Think of it as a vacation day.”

“Won’t she notice when she comes back to work the next day?” Ari didn’t like the way Niomi was being vague.

“Look, Ari.” Her trainer turned to stare down at her. “I don’t know the specifics, that’s not my department. Most likely, she’ll be transferred to a different VR that mirrors her real life. Or maybe she really will be sick. I just do my job and ask that you do the same.”

Biting her lip, Ari clicked the cable into place in the bottom of her neck. She pushed away the worry that maybe she made the wrong decision all those months ago. Her stomach churned as she thought about the real Kari.

No, I can do this. Ari was ready. Niomi had pushed her hard to make sure she was ready. While waiting for Niomi, the silence ate at her calm facade. Every dark thought of what could happen flashed through her mind. By the time Niomi turned around, Ari’s hands were clenched against the arm rests.

“Okay. Ready?” Niomi glanced down at her hands. “You’ll be fine in there.”

Ari nodded.

“Remember your training. If you must manipulate the code, move quickly afterward. Don’t blow the cover. You’re Kari, no matter what.”

Ari closed her eyes, the darkness welcoming her. It took effort for her to open them, entering a whole other world. Squinting against the bright light, she tried to get her bearings. She sat behind Kari’s desk. The dark brown walls made the room appear small. One wall held a moving picture, a lighthouse during a storm. The smell of fresh-cut flowers permeated the office. Lilacs, Kari’s favorite flower, were arranged in a vase near the