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

“Sure.”

After he dissolved a couple of tabs, he moved to the computer. He had to fiddle with the hardware, but soon his hands flew over the keys. At first, she could follow his actions as he hacked a nearby server to get access off the island. Then soon she couldn’t keep up. Eventually she hit the bathroom and washed up. By the time she returned, he’d set up an anonymous account to contact their loved ones.

“What should we say?” He turned to Ari. “I don’t even know where to begin with my mom.” Leaning back, he rubbed his hands over his head and stared at the screen.

“Why don’t we start with Tessa? We’ll need to be careful in case they are watching her.”

“Her system should be secure but since she’s still in the country, who knows.” He sat up, and they pieced together a message telling Tessa they were on the run. They couldn’t afford to tell her any specifics. They did mention in a few cryptic suggestions to check on Reed’s mom.

Ari placed a hand on Reed’s arm. “When we’re set, we’ll work on getting your mom out.”

“I’m not sure she would want to go, to be honest. She never was much for change.”

“You’re her only son. She’ll come.”

Once the message was sent, there wasn’t much they could do. They couldn’t risk setting up an account to receive messages. VisionTech was probably watching Tessa.

“Ready for the fun part?” Ari asked Reed, thinking to the other supplies they bought.

“Which is?”

“Haven’t you always wanted to try dating a blonde?” She picked up the dye and scissors off the end table.

He stood and ran a hand through her hair. “Tried once. It didn’t take.”

“Good thing I bought red.”

They headed into the bathroom where Reed proceeded to cut Ari’s long brown hair into a short bob that curved around her chin.

“Sometimes I worry I really don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” he said, staring at her hair.

“Don’t worry, it’ll grow back.”

“I’m not worried about the hair.” His lips pursed together, and a frown crinkled his forehead.

Nerves pricked along her back, and she focused on what they could do. “You’re a hacker, a job everyone needs. And I can program by hand if needed. We’ll find work and a place to stay. We’ll get there. We just need to make sure no one from VisionTech stops us in the meantime.”

He picked up the red dye next, and she stood to lean over the sink. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her back and into his arms.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” She gently laid her palms against his chest, a tingling sensation traveling up her arms and settling into her stomach.

“Doesn’t matter.” He pulled her close, and she melted into his skin, his touch, and his smell. The kiss was gentle but held an electricity that could have powered the whole island. Separating a couple of inches, their breath echoed throughout the room.

She stared at those dark eyes that saw her for more than she was. “I couldn’t do this without you. You know?”

“I was thinking the same thing.” Leaning forward, he kissed her softly one more time.

And she decided she could live a happy life as long as there was always one more kiss.

Chapter 39

The next morning Ari opened her eyes to find Reed watching her. Through the night, Ari had ended up next to him, hands entwined. His intense gaze made her self-conscious.

“Do I have some horrible bed head or what?” She covered her mouth with one hand, to spare him from her morning breath.

“No. Just getting used to you as a redhead. It took a bit, but I still see the beautiful Ari in there.”

She ran a hand through her short hair, it felt off when her hair came up short. “You sure you don’t want to dye your hair too? Who knows, red may be your color.”

“Maybe. I’m sure it’d match my face.” He touched the side of his mouth.

She cringed as she examined him, the bruises were deepening to an ugly purple. “Let’s just go with a hat instead. Are you in a lot of pain?”

He shrugged and got up. “I’ll feel better when we get out of here.”

“Me too.”

Glancing at the clock embedded in the wall, she got up as well. “Let me hit the bathroom, and we can head off. The IDs should be ready soon.”

“I’ll warm up some of the food from last night.”

“Deal.” Stopping him at the door, she kissed his cheek, one of the few uninjured spots on his face.

After realizing she had no idea how to style short hair, she just combed through it and left it straight down, hoping to cover her face as much as possible. Reed came back with food, and they packed up. All that they had to their name fit in a small backpack which Ari wore on her back.

Instead of the drama from yesterday, they found Fetu at his desk smoking an unusually long pipe. “Come in, come in,” he said, waving them inside. He looked recently showered and shaved, displaying the scar on his chin more.

“I like what you’ve done to your hair.” He motioned for Ari to sit. “You know, there would be work for someone like you here on the island.”

A cold chill ran up her spine. Did he know who she really was? Maybe he just knew they worked at VisionTech. Either way, it made her uncomfortable. If people on this island really knew how much she was worth, she’d never get away.

Before Ari could reply, Reed stepped in. “No thanks. We just want the IDs.”

“I’ll just need a photo of both of you. To update your files.” Fetu pulled out a small camera. The process took mere minutes.

Yet Ari couldn’t stop fidgeting or stop the uneasy feeling that they were being chased and they needed to hurry.

Along with their documents, Fetu handed them new fingerprints. They both had to scrub their fingers as