Wired by Francine Pascal Page B

obscene quantities of junk food with her girlfriend. Something of the cookie-dough variety, she supposed.
    And if her girlfriend’s cute, wise, and attractively confident older brother happened to be home as well, Gaia was willing to endure his company. She didn’t mind.
    She didn’t mind one bit.

sloppy
    far more interested in costly electronics

Tricked Out 007
    THERESA’S WASN’T THE TYPE OF diner that did a brisk business on a weekday after school. The space was clean enough, with a bright, French door facade the staff kept propped open during all but the most humid days of summer, and the menu was typical diner fare and extensive. But it had no cachet—there was nothing to distinguish it in a neighborhood where each new restaurant that opened had a hook more opulent and unexpected than the next. It was populated but by no means bustling. Completely nondescript. Which was, of course, what made it a desirable meeting place by Oliver’s standards.
    He’d been waiting for Jake for nearly ten minutes now, nursing a muddy cup of coffee and tapping his fingers against the tabletop. He glanced again at his watch, displeased. Twelve minutes and counting.
    Jake’s tardiness was disappointing. Oliver needed the boy to be impeccably reliable, to be on the ball and ready for whatever information he had most recently uncovered. The boy was immensely eager and ready to take on even the most mundane tasks with aplomb, and as Gaia’s boyfriend, he had unparalleled surveillance access, but if that wasn’t the case, Oliver wasn’t sure Jake would be long for this assignment.
    He knew that to some, tardiness was anegligible issue. But it wasn’t negligible to him. He had important information to share today—he was finally ready to pass along at least the crux of his theory to the boy—and he wasn’t prepared to deal with any uncertainty or dithering. With each moment that ticked by, Oliver’s impatience increased.
    The waitress, a chubby, weary-looking blond with a thin growth of hair above her upper lip, reached over to refill his coffee. He flattened the palm of his hand over the rim of the mug, cutting her off. It would take more than a refresh to save this cup of diesel fuel.
    â€œSorry I’m late,” Jake gasped, sliding into the seat across the table and grinning. He didn’t look especially sorry. “Subway. Freaking track fire.”
    Oliver didn’t crack a smile. “Don’t let it happen again.”
    Jake returned his gaze evenly.
    Oliver did have to admit to himself that the boy’s confidence was impressive—albeit in this case foolish. He paused, drawing out the importance of the information he had to offer. “Gaia was in a fight this afternoon.”
    Jake’s eyes widened, but he certainly wasn’t hysterical. This was Gaia, after all. Half the reason he’d even fallen for her was because of how ridiculously physically capable she was. Hardly a day went by that she
didn’t
kick ass. “Yeah? So? Gaia fights all the time. What was so special about this one?”
    â€œShe passed out afterward.”
    This, too, came as no surprise to Jake and wasn’t a cause for concern. He had seen her pass out several times, and she always came out of it quickly enough. It was the price she paid for her superhuman Strength, he knew. “Did something else happen?” he asked, a slight tinge of impatience creeping into his voice.
    Oliver cleared his throat, unimpressed with Jake’s challenging tone. “She passed out afterward,” he continued, “and spent the better part of two hours in a gutter, utterly vulnerable.”
    That got Jake’s attention. “Two
hours?
And you didn’t help her?” he demanded, eyes narrowing.
    Oliver shook his head shortly. “She didn’t require any help. She was on a residential side street and was left to herself. Had I intervened, she would