Page 65 of Nolan
“Well, you’re not going to be number three.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” He measures me with a look. “Scared?”
“Not anymore,” I reply. Not when I know Mia will still be waiting for me.
“I can’t lie and say that I’m not,” Apollo says with a slight smile. “I’m proud of you, Nolan. There isn’t a single person on this earth I’d rather walk into an inferno with.”
We share a brief side hug. Apollo coughs, rolling his shoulders. “We should probably do something manly now.”
“Like drink beer?”
Apollo grins. “Or build a porch.”
I softly chuckle. “Watch football.”
“Heh, yeah. Go Steelers.”
“Steelers? Fuck no. New Carnegie Barons is where it’s at.”
Apollo scoffs. “Ass.”
I shake my head. “Traitor.”
He laughs and claps my back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early.”
“Yes, sir.”
I walk into my favorite corner, and power down. My last thoughts are of Apollo, Mia, the families of the Weekenders, everyone relying on me to make sure we all come back alive.
I can’t let them down.
The next morning, I’m experiencing what can only be a severe system reaction to the fact that I’m leaving Mia behind and traveling across the entire country. My CPU takes a nosedive. Everything slows. My temperature regulator struggles to keep me warm, and my biocomponents stream through my body chilled. It’s difficult for me to rouse myself out of this funk, one I’ve never experienced.
It’s odd. I’m fulfilling my programming, and my gratification drive seems to be reassured that I’ve both secured my relationship and that I’m doing my job. But my systems are still strangely topsy turvy. I dislike this feeling, and I try to focus. My brothers need me.
I have only my uniform and a few shirts and pants to take with me. There won’t be much downtime. Not for me. Only for recharging and diagnostics, which BioNex will handle remotely via Dr. Taylor, my creator, to ensure everything’s running the way it should.
I sling my duffel bag over my shoulder and meet Apollo by his silver Flagler SUV downstairs. All of the Weekenders are there too, piling their luggage into the back of his car. AJ, Booker, and Travis greet me with smiles, but there’s seriousness behind them.
We have a job to do.
In the car, I listen to different conversations going at once. Travis talks about his baby on the way, and how his wife’s gender-reveal party went—they’re having a girl. Booker and AJ argue about the recent football game and whether or not the Barons’ quarterback is shit this year for throwing three interceptions.
After a while, I tune out on the way to the airport. Planes fly over us, ascending into the sky. We’re about to head to the security checkpoint when I hear a familiar voice.
“Nolan! Wait!”
I turn. Mia rushes toward me. I stare at her in shock. “Mia.” She collides against me. I hug her tightly. “What’re you doing here?”
“I didn’t want yesterday to be the last day I saw you for a while,” she says, looking up at me with a bright smile. “And I wanted you to know that I’m okay with this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m okay with it. Whether you’re gone for a week, a month, a year—I don’t care. I’ll be here when you get back.”
My ivory blood soars through my body as I pick her up in my arms and kiss her fiercely. I can hear the guys behind me laughing a little—AJ mutters something like, “Wait a second. I thought you said no dating!”—but I don’t care. When I set her down, her lip gloss is smeared, and her cheeks are flaming red.
She clears her throat. “Also, I brought you something.” She pulls a pendant out of her pocket. “I’m not really religious, not like my parents, but, um, it’s a St. Michael pendant.”
