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

“Well, I thought we could meet him there?”

A short laughed erupted from Reed. “That’s what a guy wants. Instead of a romantic getaway, two strangers show up. One who has been pretending to be his girlfriend.”

“Not too far from home, but it should offer the privacy and freedom we need. I can’t think of any other options.”

“You’ve thought this through.”

“I’ve had a lot of time on the last couple runs with Niomi.” The mention of her trainer’s name pulled on her heart. After the months spent together, the betrayal hurt.

“I suppose you did. Tell me about this vacation? And how you found your file?”

She continued her story, letting him know everything she had been forced to keep from him. When she talked herself out, silence fell upon them. It was several minutes before he spoke. “Did you really think I would have chosen to stay on the island without you?”

She shrugged. “You finally got your dream job, using your art.”

“I only got that job because of you.”

“But you’re so talented.”

“Thanks, but apparently I was under qualified. My boss hinted more than once at that fact. Yet Niomi would always check in on me to make sure things were good between us. If I ever needed something, it was taken care of.”

“Really, why didn’t you say anything?” It hurt to know that maybe he wasn’t as happy as he was pretending either.

“I know you would feel guilty that we ended up here, even though you didn’t need to. I may not have chosen to move to an island or end up in the closet of a boat, but I chose you and all that entails. Every moment since, I have chosen you.”

Her heart pooled around her feet as she leaned forward. “I love you,” she whispered before kissing him.

His soft lips and warm taste flooded her mouth and she couldn’t get enough. His hand gently cupped her cheek, pulling her close. Her nerve endings in a flurry of delight. Every touch was bliss and with it a desire for more.

Her fingers traced down his bare stomach. He shivered as a moan escaped his lips. “You’re killing me, Ari.”

“Sorry.” Leaning back, she was only partially lying.

He gripped her hand searching her gaze. “You know I love you.”

“I know.” She could get lost in those eyes. They held the promise of her future, always next to him. “That keeps me going despite all this.” She motioned to the small ratty closet they were in.

“Things will settle down one day.” He pulled her next to him.

She rested her head on his shoulder. “I hope so. Until then, we’ll keep dreaming.”

“Yes, but it’s nice to dream, isn’t it?”

“With you, always.”

Even with the storm brewing outside, eventually Reed and Ari slept. The next day, true to his word, Manu brought breakfast. He said they outran the storm and should make it to the mainland by nightfall.

When Manu returned sometime later in the day, he had an armful of supplies. Flipping over a bucket, he laid a variety of items on the ground. “Jewels gave me very little notice of you two, and even less money.”

Reed straightened. “I have some—”

“Keep it. I can’t buy anything now, and you’ll have better luck on the mainland. Here, you’ll both need these.” He handed them translators.

Ari had seen them on the island for those that spoke different languages. She slipped the small ear pieces in her jeans. They would be needed.

“Where are we going exactly?” Not knowing where the island was, had kept Ari very much in the dark, and she could only hope she was headed in the right direction.

“We’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, heading towards the United Asian Association. We’ll take you up as far north as possible.”

Asian? Glancing at Reed’s worried expression, Ari realized they were both really far from home. How would they ever find their way back? And did they even want to? Now knowing the true nature of a warper, she couldn’t go back to a government that would force her into service until she had nothing left.

“Why north?” Reed asked as he picked up a heavy jacket. Neither he nor Ari were used to cold climates.

“With the fallout of the war, most people moved south.” Manu looked between them, with a lifted brow. “Do you not know what happened?”

“We’re not from here,” Ari said. “We only got the history and education our government saw fit.” It had taken Ari the first couple months to learn the truth of world history on the island.

He nodded. “Well, the land up north is bad. From the poison there is no farming, no grass, just desolation. Left for the poor and the beggars.”

“We aren’t going there.” Reed pushed back the gas mask.

“Okay,” Manu replied. “It’s just where most of the transients go.”

Reed and Ari had spent most of the morning discussing their options. Granted, ending up across an ocean from where they wanted to be presented a few more challenges. Ari agreed that hiding out in a wasteland didn’t sound like a plan.

Pulling something out from his pocket, Reed laid a simple gold ring with a decent stone in his palm. “We need connections for new identities. We can pay.”

Manu eyed the ring with an envy he couldn’t hide. “You better put that away. I wouldn’t be able to look Tamar in the face again if anything happened to you.”

Ari looked at Reed and wondered where the ring came from. They spoke of the future the other night. Did Reed plan more of it than he let on? A warm chill lifted the hair on her neck, but she tried to focus at the plan on hand.

Turning her attention to Manu, she put the ring out of her mind. “We need an island or city that won’t require identification. Then a chance to buy new names and faces for ourselves.”

Manu drug a hand through his dark wavy hair. “That’s going to be tricky, but