Temporary Alliance

Chapter 33 : Apologies

Cadence didn't move for a few seconds as she continued to stare at me.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw that Nolan got up into a sitting position while rubbing his eyes and as soon as he saw me, his face brightened into a smile. "Vita!" He jumped off the bed and ran towards me with his arms wide. I bent down to his eye level and hugged him tightly while he did the same, wrapping his arms around my neck. His bright blond hair matched Cadence's, but his eyes were a soft hazel color.

"How are you doing, Nolan?" I asked while patting his back.

A sad look passed his features for a second before he looked at me and grinned. "Better!"

My anger towards Efren grew as I saw Nolan trying his best to put on a happy face. A child his age shouldn't have to force themselves to look content.

"That's good." I smiled brightly back at him. "Your auntie Cadence is going to be a little busy for a while. How about you ask her if I can take you out for some food and ice cream?"

Nolan's eyes truly brightened as he jumped away from me. "Auntie Cadence!" He went towards Cadence and shook her arm desperately. "Please?"

Cadence paused as she looked up at me.

I sighed softly and I understood her reluctance. The past few times I saw her, I was pretty hostile towards her. "No matter what happened between us, I would never hurt a child." I told her softly, yet firmly.

Acknowledgement flashed across her features and she looked back down at Nolan. "Fine. Stay close to Vita, okay? Safety first always."

Nolan nodded ecstatically up and down. "Okay. See you later." He quickly ran towards me and grabbed my hands. "Let's go, Vita!"

Cadence nodded at me.

"We'll be back in a few hours." With that said, I stepped out of the room with Nolan holding my hand tightly.

No matter what she did, I still believe that she would try her best to find Katrina for me. We survived so much together during school, through training and missions, that I wanted to believe that the soldier I once knew was still in her somewhere. However, there was no way to know the amount of time she could take to get a location.

I closed the door behind me and Nolan looked up at me expectantly and excitedly.

Emmaline was sitting on the floor cross-legged and as soon as she saw me, she stood up and looked at me questioningly.

I stepped close to her so Nolan wouldn't hear what I said. "Keep an eye on Cadence. I'm just taking Nolan out for food."

"Is that a good idea? Do you trust her?" Emmaline didn't bear hostility towards my decision on asking Cadence for help, she was simply curious.

Unfortunately, I still did kind of trust that Cadence will do the right thing. "She's our fastest bet."

"I see. I'll keep an eye on her, don't worry."

Emmaline's willingness to trust my decision touched me. She knew this was probably not the best idea, nor was it the smartest to give a computer to Cadence, but Emmaline trusted me.

"Thank you," I told her sincerely and she smile at me.

"We're a team. Go get some food and I'll see you later."

I nodded back at Emmaline and tugged Nolan's hand lightly to get his attention so that we could leave.

"Nolan, I have a friend I want you to meet later. Maybe we can eat together. Is that okay?" I asked him.