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

was more personal than she thought. Patrick varied their jobs and never focused too long in one area, except for Tricky. She’d been on Maxim’s tail ever since Ari arrived, and with the mountains of data she had on this guy, she must have been following him for a long time.

“We all have baggage we don’t talk about. You’re more open about your past because we found you and now you have your family with you.” Tricky tried to smile, but it came out sad. “Blur and I ran as far as we could from our past and we found Patrick almost two years ago. He offered us a haven, no questions asked.”

“I didn’t mean to push.”

“It’s okay. Since you’ve been helping me, you deserve to know,” Tricky said. “Maxim killed my mother. I never knew my father, but he may have worked for him. Either way, I will kill him one day. After I tear apart his livelihood piece by piece.”

“I’m so—”

Tricky lifted a hand. “Don’t say it. Blur thinks I just need to drop this and move on. He does just enough to appease me. I don’t need your pity, just someone to watch my back on the inside.”

“I will,” Ari promised.

After another moment of silence, Tricky stood and stretched her legs. “Race you back?”

Chapter 12

After talking to the team, Ari and Tricky decided to go into VLEX at the beginning of the following week. They decided on VLEX because Ari wanted to check in on VisionTech. When she worked on the island with Reed, she had a long job inside VLEX posing as a government agent. Maybe she could find some information about them.

Before Ari left VLEX though, she made a threat to the whole program that the warpers were watching them. It was a statement to prove herself to the team, and to tell the governments who played by their own dark rules to watch themselves. People like Maxim shouldn’t have free rein on the international virtual community that was quickly taking over world politics.

After they laid down the plan, Patrick approved it. “You two will need to be careful. Blur will have a couple of profiles that you can take on to blend in. Remember, this is to observe and collect, only.”

“Of course,” Ari said.

With her family back, it had helped with things between her and Patrick. They got in a good rhythm of a friendly professional relationship. Granted they didn’t have much time alone anymore. And seeing Marco constantly reminded her of his other half growing up, Reed.

Monday rolled around and Ari was finishing up breakfast with Harini when her mother came over an angry scowl on her face.

“What did you do?” Harini whispered.

“I was hoping it was you.” Ari forced a pleasant grin on. “Hey, Mom.”

“Don’t hey me. I just heard what you’re doing today. Going in a program, again.” All five foot two inches rose in anger, which made her appear surprisingly bigger. “I know you have to from time to time. You told me that when we got here, but does it have to be so often?”

“It’s my job.”

“A job that’ll leave you just like Sketchy.” Her voice rose, heavy with her accent, which happened when she was mad, and the others began turning towards them.

Standing, Ari lowered her voice. “Please. Let’s take this outside.”

“Why? They all know.” She motioned to the others.

Ari noticed Patrick in the back, with a kind look on his face. He wasn’t going to help. She couldn’t find Marco anywhere though. Ari turned back to her mom, pleading for some privacy.

Her mom nodded and they moved into the currently empty kitchen.

Once the door shut, Ari started. “Mom, this is my job. I’m careful. We all are careful. But if we don’t make it safe, then others will force me to do this for them.”

Her mother exhaled with that realization, her anger deflating. “I see Sue worry and wish things were different. I don’t want you or I to do the same in twenty years.”

Ari couldn’t tell her the average life span inside would leave her much less than twenty years. “I wish things were different too. But we are together, we are good, and I’m doing my best to be safe. I can’t promise any more than that.”

Biting her lower lip, her mother’s eyes glistened with tears.

Ari pulled her into a hug. “I love you.”

After a few moments, her mom pushed back and wiped at her eyes. “You need to get back and finish eating. It’s one of the few ways I can keep you healthy and around here, so eat.” She turned on a heel and started on the dishes in the sink.

“Okay.” Ari watched her mother fill up the sink with soapy water.

Before she could leave, her mother paused but kept her gaze forward. “Marco told me how much they were paying you. Are you sure you’re not doing anything illegal?”

Ari didn’t quite understand everything going on with the investments Patrick had the team running, but she didn’t think it was anything too bad. “We’re not hurting people, Mom. We’re trying to protect them. To make the world a better place.”

“It’s a lot of money.”

“It is. I’m saving for us. Maybe we can even move Dad to a better place.” Ari’s throat tightened at the mention of her father.

It sounded like her mother was struggling as well. “When you have kids, you’ll know. I love you both so much, it hurts. Please be safe,” she said then began to attack those dishes with fervor.

“I will.” Ari realized right then she had no intention of ever having kids. Her heart hurt too much as it was.

After breakfast, Ari met Tricky, Patrick, and Marco in the VR room. Ari pulled back at the sight of her brother. “What are you doing here?”

“I invited him. I needed some help watching you two and Marco knows his way around this tech.” Patrick motioned to the computer.

What he didn’t say was that Blur didn’t like watching