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

charge but no one else could take dessert off the menu when they thought people were getting a bit too lazy.

There were six warpers in Patrick’s team, including Sketchy, and one wife, Sue. With so few people here, they all learned to pitch in and help. Patrick wanted to keep it as small as possible, knowing new people could be a threat to security.

Even though Sue oversaw the kitchen, everyone was expected to help with clean up and set up depending on the rotation. So far there weren’t many problems. Sue had a way of keeping people in line while smiling the whole time. Maybe she was smiling because she usually got her way.

“Set out the sandwiches, people should be piling in here soon enough.” She pushed back a curly hair with the back of her wrist then motioned to Ari and Patrick.

Even Patrick took orders from Sue in the kitchen. “Yes, Ma’am,” he replied as he picked up the big metal tray full of ham and cheese sandwiches.

“I’ll grab the carrots and fruit.” Ari collected the containers and set them on the counters.

“Once it’s out, grab your plates and get started.” Sue motioned to the others.

“Thanks, Sue.” Ari made up a plate and headed to the table.

Sitting next to her, Patrick started in on his food. She bit a carrot stick and watched the others filter in. Tricky was the first to come into the dining room, her brother, Blur, at her side. She was obviously still worked up, and in a heated conversation. He was the level-headed one out of that pair. Or maybe due to Tricky’s temper, he was forced to be.

Tricky’s anger drew color to her cheeks which just accented her beauty. Her long blonde hair and blue eyes were conventional, but her large eyes and thick brows took her looks to a unique level. Not that it ever mattered to her. Obsessed with work, her hair was wrapped in a messy bun on top of her head. It looked more like an inconvenience than an asset. She grabbed food and plopped down on the opposite side of the table.

Blur, who was just as beautiful, sat down next to her. He pushed back his striking blond hair in obvious irritation but kept quiet as he started in on his lunch. While he was often more even-tempered than his sister, it made him serious and protective. Even with his warper skills, he was beyond fast with anything electronic. That’s why they called him Blur.

Ari didn’t know their real names. Probably never would. No one knew her past Ari and that wasn’t even her full name. In the beginning, Ari thought that would make this team cold, but it didn’t.

Sketchy made sure of that. As he stepped up in line, he kissed Sue over the table, a little longer than anyone wanted. Blur started making cat calls and Sue broke it off. Sketchy grinned proudly.

He rarely stepped into a program anymore. His mind couldn’t take it. Memories, logic, and reality blurred often for him. His talents were used more on the outside.

Soon normal conversation flowed easily between them. They usually didn’t eat lunch together. It was more of a come-and-go affair. Today though, it looked like most everyone turned out. Harini, who Ari first met in a program as Hailey, took the seat on the other side of her.

“Heard you had a rough morning.” Harini glanced at Tricky down the table and looked sympathetic.

“Worse for her.” Ari tried not to look at Tricky; she didn’t like sympathy. “She’s been on Maxim’s tail for a while.”

“True, at least you didn’t come away empty handed.”

“Right.” Ari picked up another carrot.

Harini dug into her lunch as well. When Ari first met Harini in the VR, she was a pale skinny model type of girl. In reality, Harini came from an Indian heritage with rich brown hair and a full face that always looked happy. It was an easy friendship for Ari and one she appreciated.

“Are you not hungry?” Harini motioned to Ari’s untouched sandwich.

Ari didn’t want to explain the bundle of nerves and excitement in her stomach, so instead she picked up her sandwich and took a bite. Harini watched her for a bit, then got into a conversation with Sketchy over the dinner choices. Even Joe, the last warper on the team, appeared to give his input on what Sue considered pizza.

If Harini was the friendly one, Joe was the mysterious one. His nickname among the team was Ghost, though no one called him that to his face. Even though he was young like the others, mid to late twenties at most, he had a serious nature. He came from the furthest away, somewhere near Asia minor, but he rarely spoke of it. He could move in and out of the programs undetected and retrieve information no one else could. So, Joe, obviously a fake name, was what everyone called him.

After everyone was mostly done with lunch, Patrick finally asked for everyone’s attention.

“Our next assignment,” he cleared his throat and gave everyone a chance to calm down, “will be to help Ari contact her family.”

“What?” Tricky shot to her feet. “We’re not done with Maxim.”

“Sit down.” Blur pulled on his sister’s arm. “Hear him out.”

“Yes, please.” Patrick had on his pleasant business face, as Ari called it. His eyes were serious and commanding, while his mouth remained happy.

“I want you to still watch Maxim, but he’ll be on high alert for any other attack. We need to dig into the information we bought from him, but be careful. We don’t want any of it to create a trail for him to follow. Joe,” Patrick turned to the quietest member of the team. “Can you still help Tricky? I trust you to be discreet.”

Joe nodded.

Patrick turned back to the others. “Blur, I need you to run security on this detail. They will be waiting for us to contact any of Ari’s old associates. Find us a hole no one will notice.