Page 7 of Lifeline

“Clinic?”

“Small ass building near the science building.”

“Science building?”

He snorted, dropping my bag on the bed that didn’t have anyone’s stuff near it. “Yeah, didn’t they tell you? This outpost also gets used for scientific purposes, which means people like, uh…my brother and I got cross-trained.”

“Meteorology,” I spouted before grimacing. “And some dabbling in something with geology. Don’t know if he got a minor degree in that or not, though.”

“Right, well, botany,” he said, gesturing to himself. “And forestry. Nothing official, but entomology as well.”

“Bugs and plants, this seems like a good place for you to work,” I said with a snort.

“Huh, most people are surprised when they learn I’ve got a whole PhD,” he said, sounding taken aback but pleased.

“Dunno why,” I said as I looked around the room. “I’ve met people who look like bikers who could recite sonnets, and people who look like pencil pushers who are covered in tattoos and freelance at clubs for the bands. People are a collection…multitudes. Not a strict set of traits that go from point A logically to the end. We zig and we zag…or at least, most of the time.”

Reno gave me a funny look and then shrugged. “I guess.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing, just…a thought.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Fine, a memory.”

I sighed. “Just say it. I won’t murder you for bringing up your brother.”

“I see his name is still being left out,” he muttered, rubbing the side of his head through the blond hair he kept slightly longer than Mika did. “Just, you know, he mentioned you, talked about you.”

“Right,” I said as evenly as I could. It was going to sting for a long ass time that I had known nothing about Reno except that he existed and was technically the older of the two. “And what did he say that you remember?”

“That he loved trying to figure out the way your brain worked sometimes. How you could be so…I don’t know what words he used; it was a while ago. But it was something about how you could be so understanding and broad-thinking, but you could also be so quick, sharp, and to the point, that it was like you never considered any other option at all. And you just…learned to roll with that chaos in your head without feeling the need to get it under control,” he said with a shrug. “And I told him that not everyone needs to have their i’s dotted, their labels neatly printed, and a mental checklist for everyday tasks…and uh, I’m not going to say sorry, but you know⁠—”

“You’re thinking it,” I said with a shake of my head. “Just give me a few days, you’ll be able to talk about your brother without the look of murder in my eyes.”

“I don’t have to; it’s fine.”

“Reno. I’m a grown-ass man who got taken by surprise, is all. I can control myself. And I’m not going to make you not mention someone who’s literally been with you since conception, for fuck’s sake. I’m a little dramatic, not mean,” I said with a snort. “Now, onto the damn tour already. I’m over my feelings.”

He looked at me. “Huh, starting to see why you two might have got along.”

“Seriously?”

“Right, tour.”

And to top it all off, I realized I was officially going to have to spy on my ex-boyfriend.

Fantastic.

2

MIKA

“Fucking shit balls,” I muttered under my breath as I stared at the screen in front of me in confusion. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

“I’m sorry,” Reno piped up, and I groaned, forgetting he was near enough to hear me. “Did you just say shit balls? Didn’t you once say that was the stupidest thing you’d ever heard someone say?”