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

“Okay. Pass over the strawberry pie. I’ll need some stamina for this.”

After she retold her story, her stomach ached from all the food.

“What did this Hailey look like?” He kept the question light with a slight cock of his head.

She still found it unsettling. “Already told you. Pretty girl with brown eyes and hair. Unfortunately, pretty generic, nothing too unique. Why do you ask?”

He leaned back in the chair. “Just curious. It’s huge, you know. A warper that infiltrated the UN. Bigger than anything we’ve seen before.”

“I suppose, but isn’t that what we were doing, or trying to do, until I got caught?” Ari stood and began putting the food in the fridge.

“Did you remember any of the names on the list?”

Ari slammed the unit and turned to him. “I’ve answered these questions about twenty times for Niomi and whoever else she shows the recording to. You can access it if you want.”

He stood, lifting hands in the air. “Sorry. I’m just trying to wrap my brain around all of this.”

With an exhale, she tried to rein her temper in. “Don’t worry about it.”

He helped her with the food. The few moments of peaceful silence were short lived. “Have you ever seen another warper in there before? Maybe even a friendly one?”

The hair on the back of her neck prickled. This wasn’t her friend Vinh coming over to hang out and chat. His awkward behavior had a motivation, one that Niomi probably put him up to. Her chest ached at the betrayal. Her time on the island had been lonely, isolated. Vinh had been one of the few people she called a friend. She bit her lip as her emotions flew from anger to hurt, not wanting to deal with him right now.

She turned to face him, knowing she didn’t answer his last question. He didn’t deserve it. Her eyes burned with the threat of tears. “I’m really tired right now. I’m going to head to bed. Maybe we can talk another time.”

He nodded, color flooding his cheeks as he glanced away. He reached forward to hug her, which wasn’t usual for Vinh. Clinging to her tight, he turned his mouth near her ear. “You’re messing in bigger things, more dangerous things, than both of us know. Be careful.”

Chapter 27

The next morning, she woke to the rain still splattering against her windows. She could always electronically change her view but never did. The glass wall was the only contact with the outside world she had. The constant fear of becoming like her father, of losing the touch she had with reality, never left her.

Rolling over, she looked at the large screen in front of her bed. A message from Niomi flashed. She told Ari to sleep in. Trips to the VLEX were canceled. Ari was to report in after a late breakfast for training and an appointment.

Appointment?

Vinh usually dealt with her health diagnostics and other concerns. What could this appointment be? Staring at her ceiling, which was currently programmed to match the night sky outside, she failed to go back to sleep. How could she? Obviously, there were repercussions from her encounter with Hailey, but it wasn’t her fault. Or at least they didn’t know that.

Finally, she got up with hours to go until she was supposed to report. The rain still pounded, getting harder by the minute. Between the storm and Niomi’s message, the walls felt more substantial, trapping her inside. Back home, anytime it rained they would run outside and play in the street. What happened to the old Ari?

Determined to get out and do something with her free time despite the weather, she headed outside and jumped in one of the cars. She pushed the ignition, and nothing happened. She tried a couple times before Niomi’s voice sounded through the speakers.

“There is a hurricane in the area, and you think it’s time for a joy ride. What happened to sleeping in? I heard teenagers tend to do that?”

“I couldn’t sleep. And the rain’s not that bad.” At that moment, thunder shook the small car.

“It’s not safe for you to be out. Where are you going? Reed’s?”

Ari didn’t think Reed would be available. Since he got into the Art Department, he’d been putting in more hours. She wasn’t sure where she was headed, but that didn’t sound good. “The community center to chat with some friends.”

“Friends?” Niomi’s voice raised in question. Unfortunately, her trainer had the ability to review all her correspondence and knew that friends was a stretch.

“Some of the islanders, maybe Vinh if he’s around. The only reason I don’t have many friends is because I’m stuck on this side of the island all by myself. I may start searching for dolphins or mermaids as friends soon if we don’t watch it.”

Niomi gave an audible sigh over the line.

“Come on. I’ll only be gone for a minute, I’m sure you have some goons, or tracking devices to keep an eye on me.”

“You know they are all security measures to keep you safe.”

“You know I can’t be kept in a glass bowl forever. I need a life and some sanity. Talking to mermaids isn’t considered sane.” Ari knew she’d fall for the sanity line.

VisionTech main concern was Ari’s mental and physical wellbeing. A tool can’t be useful if it doesn’t do its job. She wasn’t under the illusion she was anything more to the company than that.

“Okay,” Niomi caved. “I’ll have some security out in a bigger terrain vehicle to go with you in case the storm worsens. You have two hours and don’t be late for your appointment.”

“Deal.” Ari pushed the button again, but it still didn’t start. “What—”

“Give me a minute to get security. Once they are en route, I’ll release the lock on your car.”

“Oh, gracious,” Ari murmured, hoping her trainer didn’t hear it.

It took ten minutes before she could start the car, but Ari didn’t mind too much. The trip to the community center was rough and she was glad she had