Project Paper Doll: The Trials by Stacey Kade Page A

narrowed her eyes at me.
    “I can’t tell you,” I admitted. “Not yet. Please, just trust me.” I paused, trying to find the right words. “I know I don’t deserve it. But,
please.”
    For a second, my words seemed to reassure her; she released her hold on me, and her shoulders relaxed, the harsh blankness in her expression easing fractionally. But as quickly as that moment
started, it ended. “Competitor elimination is supposed to be discreet. A public hallway hardly qualifies,” she said, glaring at me.
    I stared at her, her words not clicking at first. Then I got it. “What are you…Do you think I wanted to meet here to hurt you?” I shook my head. “Ariane, I would
never—”
    A soft sigh came from behind me, close enough that I could feel it on the back of my neck. Or maybe that was the chill that immediately skittered across every inch of my skin, making the hair
stand up.
    I spun around to find Ford leaning against the alcove that housed the restaurant entrance.
    Unlike Ariane, Ford was wearing what she’d had on the day before, her school uniform. Maybe it was another attempt to make her look “normal,” or maybe that was all she had to
wear.
    “You continue to be tiresome,” Ford said to Ariane, her voice almost identical to Ariane’s, just with a flatter inflection. “It’s only against the mission
specifications if I’m
caught
killing him here.”
    That was, as ever, reassuring. I took a step or two back, raising my hand in her direction.
    Ford glanced at me with a mirthless smile, amused by the gesture.
    The urge to prove myself—and wipe that smirk off her face—thundered through me, until I trembled with it. Heightened aggression and competitiveness seemed to be part of my new deal,
along with the physiological changes from NuStasis. Or maybe that was just me, a chip permanently affixed to my shoulder and finally able to do something about it.
    “What do you want?” Ariane asked Ford, giving a tiny warning shake of her head at me.
    “No thanks for saving you yesterday?” Ford asked.
    Ariane raised her eyebrows.
    “They would have killed you, with that pathetic attempt at destruction,” Ford said.
    “Not if you had helped,” Ariane snapped.
    I had no idea what they were talking about. It must have been something that transpired before I came in.
    “There were too many of them in one room,” Ford said dismissively.
    “It wasn’t like I had a lot of options,” Ariane said through her teeth. “And at least I’m doing something.”
    Ford narrowed her eyes. “As am I. Family comes first. I would have thought even you would recognize that by now.” Her disdainful gaze slid to me and then back to Ariane.
    That was a jab at me and what I’d done, calling in Jacobs. “If you have something to say—” I began.
    Ford ignored me. “I’ve run the scenarios,” she said to Ariane as she emerged from the alcove into the hall. Strangely, she seemed unsteady on her feet, wobbling as she
approached. “We are fairly well matched.” She folded her arms across her chest, but not before I saw her hands shaking, like she was in withdrawal.
    Maybe she was. I knew from our last encounter that it was not easy for her to be separated from the others. Well, now just Carter, I guess. I didn’t know what that looked like, but this
might be it.
    “Killing him,” Ford inclined her head at me, “which I’d very much enjoy, would even the competition, making it a true test of our skills and ingenuity.”
    “You can try,” I snapped, my blood heating for battle once again.
    “But I suspect that would only fire your desire for retribution,” Ford said.
    Ariane nodded slowly. “That would be accurate.”
    “Or maybe Ford’s just afraid we’ll team up against her,” I pointed out. In her weakened state, Ariane and I probably had more than a decent chance of putting Ford out of
commission.
    Ariane frowned at me.
Don’t stir up more trouble.
It came through as a barely