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

Ari didn’t have time to read the lengthy file, especially where Niomi and the director would quickly notice. Glancing at the two still arguing, she pulled out the small drive in the necklace and slid it in Niomi’s computer. The file would have been protected for outside copying or transferring the file, but hopefully not her old school hardware. Adrenaline raced through her veins as she quickly shifted over to copy the files. Nervous fingers flew over the keyboard as she tried to silence the keystrokes.

“She’s only seventeen!” Niomi’s voice raised to a new level.

Yanking her hands back she turned to find them looking at her. She tightened them in the lap, unable to think up anything plausible to say in the moment. “Want me to come back?”

“No,” The director’s lips were drawn into a tight line. “I’m done here.”

As he walked out, Ari glanced at the screen. The file had copied. She turned back to find Niomi facing the door and pulling a hand through her hair. Ari yanked out the drive and jammed it in in her pocket before standing up.

“I’ll head out of here, Niomi. I’m sorry, my timing sucks.” The drive felt heavy in her pocket. She itched to race out of here and read through it. But on what? VisionTech watched everything she did. She’d worry about that later as she headed out. “We can talk later.”

“No. Stop.” Composure returned, Niomi faced Ari. “You have a right to know what we were talking about, or some of it at least.”

Truly curious, Ari paused. “What happened?”

“I recommended a longer suspension.”

“What?” Niomi always seemed to push the mission, the goal before all else. “Why?”

“Because of what I just told the director. You’re seventeen years old.”

“Oh…” Ari didn’t know how to take that.

“Don’t get me wrong, Ari. I think you’re intelligent, capable, and talented beyond belief, but you’re still a kid. You need to be dating your own boyfriend, not figuring out how to break up with Kari’s lover.”

Ari let out a breath. She never saw Niomi as the protector, just the person who pushed her to constantly be better. Thoughts spun together in Ari’s mind.

“Didn’t you ever wonder why we worked on self-defense so much?”

“I thought you loved to torture me?”

A sly smile pulled up on Niomi’s bright red lips. “At times, yes. But for the most part I wanted you to be able to protect yourself in and out of the program. Growing up alone as a woman in this world is tough. And a major thing you lacked when you came to me was confidence.

“You may be able to do all the missions VisionTech asked of you, but it doesn’t mean you should have to. I asked them to extend your suspension, but they denied. They gave you a week, and then they want you back inside.”

The strong stone statue, that Ari always viewed Niomi as, started to soften a little. Maybe there was more to her trainer than Ari thought. The data sat heavy in her pocket, burning with her betrayal. As much as she wanted to race out of there to look at the file, Ari did come here for a reason. “I need to get a message to Antoine, by the way.”

“Really? Why?” Exasperation heavy in her voice.

“He’s expecting to go on vacation with Kari by the end of the week.”

“That’s even more stupid. I told you to break up with him and instead you plan a vacation with him.”

“Kari planned it,” Ari said. “And if Kari returned, I didn’t want to ruin her plans. When is Kari coming back?”

Niomi’s eyes flickered down before meeting Ari’s gaze. “We should operate under the assumption that she isn’t coming back.”

A flood of emotion tightened her throat. “Is she dead?” She wasn’t sure how or why she got so attached to a woman she never met, but somehow living her life connected them.

“Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe. Or maybe she took a sweet payout and is off vacationing on her own.”

‘I don’t know’ wasn’t good enough for Ari. Burying the guilt, anger reared its head for a moment. “Guess it doesn’t matter if we work for murderers, does it?”

Niomi’s shoulders tightened, the muscles in her neck standing out. “It matters. But every major company has dirt under its nails, Ari. Don’t be naive. Let’s focus on the task at hand.”

Dread bubbled at what Ari had to do next.

“I’ll authorize a short trip inside the VR. We can’t send a message to Antoine from here. It can’t be traced back to us. Break up with Antoine or cancel the trip, I don’t care which. Just be quick. You’ll go in for lunch and then head out. We already contacted your boss to let him know you’ll be out. It won’t be a surprise to check in with a boyfriend.”

Forcing herself to uncurl her fist, she concentrated on slowing her breath. Angry, Ari didn’t always think straight, and she needed to concentrate if she was going back in. “Okay. If I plug in now, I can catch him before he heads off for the day.”

“No, not today. Tomorrow at lunch, okay?”

Ari hated not being able to get this over with. It was one thing to have to end things with Antoine but having to dread it for the next day would be even worse. He deserved better, but didn’t they all? Ari headed to the door.

“Ari?” Niomi called.

She turned back around, “What?”

“Do you understand what needs to happen? You can no longer afford to be emotionally attached to these people. Tell me you understand.”

“I get it.” Her body felt cold and empty. “Break up with Antoine because that’s easier than knowing I stole his girlfriend’s life, and she may be dead.”

Niomi and Ari watched each other for a moment, a room full of secrets between them. Without another word, Ari turned and left. If Niomi couldn’t be honest with her, she would find her own answers, starting with the