Page 108 of Ezra
“Of course. There are other factors to consider, of course,” I say softly. “If you want children, for example.”
“Not even on my radar,” she says. “Not right now, or anytime soon. It’s not a priority for me.”
“And your dream of going to France?”
“Maybe I could still go someday,” Katrina says, offering me a teasing smile. “And you could come with me. To hell with the ACU. Run away with me when it’s time.”
“I can’t do that,” I answer with a rueful smile of my own. “Even if it were possible, I couldn’t abandon Deion or the Washingtons.”
“I know—but Deion loves you. Rashelle loves you. They’d want you to be happy, wouldn’t they? And we wouldn’t be gone forever. Who knows, maybe we could make this work. What if I paid for your replacement?” There’s heat, conviction, even determination behind Katrina’s voice. “I’ll get BioNex to design another BNP99.”
“And what would we do in France?”
“Everything. You can speak any language if you download it. My salary is decent now, but it’ll be even better once I graduate. You wouldn’t have to worry about anything. You could do whatever you wanted. Nobody could tell you what to do or how to be,” Katrina says wistfully. “We could be together anywhere then.”
The way she says it, it’s the most I’ve ever been tempted. I try to imagine what life would be like with her in a faraway country. I’ve been to France before, helping Deion and the Paris police set up their own android task force. Nobody treated me poorly there. I was just another man. Another detective. Normal. I caress her arm.
“How much did the precinct pay to put you on the force, anyway?”
“Seventy-five thousand dollars,” I reply.
Her jaw drops. “That’s...okay. That’s just the price of a car. That’s not so bad. I can swing that someday. Maybe.”
I give her a squeeze. “My life is here. My family is here. They need me.” Part of me would love to throw caution, everything to the wind. Tell the ACU to fuck off, get on the next plane with herand take her far away, where Humanity First and TerraPura can never find us. The possibility titillates me.
I could do it.
I could run. It’s far enough in the future where I could prepare for it. Deion and Rashelle would certainly understand. They might even encourage me to go.
But I couldn’t bear leaving behind the people who’ve cared for me and see me as more than what I am.
“I know. But it was worth a shot,” she sighs.
“Katrina.” I tilt her head up to make her look into my eyes. “I have never felt this way about anyone since my activation.”
“Really?”
“I could never lie to you.”
“I thought you couldn’t lie, period.”
I nuzzle her nose. “You know what I mean.”
“I know,” she agrees. “Does it scare you? That maybe we’re going to hurt each other more if we keep going like this?”
“Yes and no.” I loosen my grip on her, only slightly. “Would you have given up your career for me?” I ask gently.
“No,” she says, slipping out of my grasp. “No, I wouldn’t. So it isn’t fair that I asked you to do the same. I’m sorry. Perhaps I shouldn’t have let this go as far as it did.” Her voice is soft, lightly shaking.
The threat of seeing her cry is too much. I rise to my feet. I reach out and curl my hands around her arms. “Please don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it,” she replies, sniffing. “In my defense, it’s been a really shitty day.”
“I know. Look at me, Katrina.”
I grasp her lightly beneath her jaw. “Look at me,” I insist, squeezing lightly before loosening my grasp, keeping a finger curled beneath her chin. I see the spark in her eyes, the way her throat pulses. Her diagnostics show a heightened heart rate.
“I’m in love you, Ezra,” she says with a bleak smile. “I know love isn’t a magical solution for everything, but—I just wanted you to know that.”
