“Fuck.” Warm, salty liquid hit her tongue as she pulled her mouth off but jacked him hard and fast with both hands. Spurts covered her chest and throat. He fell back to the bed as his hands threaded in her dark hair. He was panting and jerked as she continued to pump him slowly, extracting every drop. He sat up and pulled her into his embrace, kissing her deeply. He rolled over to his side on the bed, keeping every inch of skin that he could touching between them. He was unconcerned with his come covering her body as he pulled her close.
“Lisbeth. No one has made me feel this way.” She opened her eyes to see him gazing at her with those gorgeous green eyes. He wasn’t smiling as he all but declared his love for her. She knew what he felt because she felt it too. They were meant to be together. How she would ever leave him at the end of the month, she had no clue.
Chapter Three
Present Day, Somewhere in Iowa, United States
Lisbeth sat on her cot staring at the cards laid out in front of her. Her shifts ran for forty-eight hours on and forty-eight off. It was an easy job as far as that went. She spent most of her time reading, playing games on her phone or, like tonight, playing cards with one of her crewmates. Sometimes they’d all agree on a movie and watch it in the break room.
So far, the hardest part of the job was sleeping fully dressed in your boots. Or if you could get your boots on fast enough, next to your cot. Once the alarm sounded the crew had to get out to the chopper in less than a minute. But after three years, Lisbeth had gotten used to the drills at different times of her shift. Wide awake or fast asleep, the crew learned to work as one to get to the helicopter as fast as possible. They even set up contests with the other crews, the best time won. And her crew had won the most lately. They were a well-rounded team, and it gave her pride to be a part of it.
“Come on, girl. It’s your turn.” Paul sighed loudly and rolled his eyes when she didn’t make a move. “How hard could it be? It’s rummy, not brain surgery.”
“Quit being a jerk. Some people like to think about their next move and not just dive in and have regrets later.” Rita’s voice carried across the bunk room.
“Geeze, Rita, it’s a card game, not a decision to buy a car or get married. It’s easy, draw a card and either lay down a hand or discard.” Paul glared at Rita and not Lisbeth probably because they’d known each other for years, since high school. From what Lisbeth knew, they’d never gotten along, but for some reason were a great team on the chopper crew. Working, they were always able to finish each other’s thoughts, anticipate what the other needed. But they couldn’t say two words to each other outside of the chopper without fighting about it. They’d even argued about the color of the sky. Baby blue or light blue.
Lisbeth drew a card and put all her cards down and discarded, going out. Rita broke out in peals of laughter while Paul narrowed his eyes and groaned.
“I’m not impulsive, Paul. I never do anything without thinking it through. I always make a plan and follow it.” Standing from her bed, she stretched then straightened her one-piece flight suit. “It’s only seven o’clock, so I think I’ll go see what’s on television.”
“Oh!” Rita stood up. “I heard O’Rourke’s Revenge is on that first run movie channel tonight.” Lisbeth made a face.
“That sounds like a gory movie. I hate blood and guts horror movies.”
Paul laughed at her words outright. “That’s because you’re a pacifist, Mohr. Rita is all for going for the jugular.” Rita threw up her middle finger.
Lisbeth grinned at her crewmates. “Well, give me science fiction any day.”
“No, it’s not a horror movie. It’s a comedy movie where the girl gets dumped on her wedding day and—” Her voice was cut off when alarms sounded, and orange lights flashed. Everyone immediately jumped up and ran for their lockers.
Helmets and other gear were grabbed out of the metal containers and booted feet ran for the helipad. “Code Orange initiated.” The prerecorded female voice blasted over the speakers. “This is not a drill.” Lisbeth’s heart sped up. They’d trained for this most every shift, but the fear still rode her hard. Her mouth was so dry, she had to fight the urge to gag from it.
The crew jogged down the hall and was met by Captain Dave Amsted. He nodded to them as they stepped into the elevator. He was the consummate professional. His calm demeanor always kept everyone on an even keel. “We’re the closest team. According to the report, we should be within visual range within minutes of liftoff. Ms. Mohr, you should be receiving specific coordinates any second. Mr. Rose and Ms. Matthews, did you complete the preflight checklist before chow?” God, this was real. Really real. Shit.
Paul and Rita answered, “Yes, sir,” in unison. The lift stopped seconds later, and the crew met the last member, Lieutenant Chase Nelson who came out of the small building on the helipad. He was pulling on his helmet and jogging toward the helicopter. He always bunked next to the chopper to have it on standby. They all boarded silently and moved automatically to their seats.
“She’s ready, captain.” Amsted nodded and immediately tightened the straps in the pilot seat. The helicopter was a new design, created by KenSpec Labs. It could be airborne almost immediately instead the normal forty-minute warmup time. Within moments everyone was ready to fly. Her phone pinged, letting her know the satellite had sent the exact coordinates to her phone. Lisbeth put her phone in the docking area to download the information to the rest of the crew.
“Downloading coordinates to the chopper, captain. It’s very close.” She didn’t hear if he answered her over her heart beating in her ears.
The years of training and drills kept Lisbeth focused, despite her fear. Her fingers flew over the keyboard that occupied the area next to her seat, readying the computer to take measurements. She pushed a button on her helmet, releasing a clear plastic square that came down over her right eye. Immediately satellite images were revealed on the plastic. Her fingers stopped moving briefly, taking in the amazing sight of the grainy, zoomed-in picture of the anomaly from space.
She felt the familiar sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach as the helicopter lifted from the helipad. “Bird away and cleared, captain.” Nelson’s voice filled her headset as the helicopter did a sharp left turn and sped toward the coordinates the satellite had sent to her phone.
“Copy that, Lt. Nelson. Bird away and cleared.” Amsted’s voice was quiet and sure, and his hands stayed steady on the control. It was as if he was taking a Sunday drive or playing a video game, not flying toward something that could destroy the world.
“Mohr, ETA to the distortion?” Captain Amsted’s voice helped to calm her nerves and bring her back to the job at hand. She focused back on the computer screen as it mapped their current location from the time rip. The instruments KenSpec Labs had installed on the chopper were so accurate, it was within an inch of distance. She’d spent four years in college to learn to read the equations of these instruments and countless hours in flight simulation to be as accurate as the tools she used.
“We should be seeing it in a matter of seconds. Pull up another fifty feet to fly above…” Her voice trailed off as a jagged line filled with bright rainbow colors came into view. According to the computer, it was close to the size of a basketball. The radio crackled in her ears. She glanced at Captain Amsted as he narrowed his gaze, focusing on the sight of the distortion. She took a deep breath, pushing buttons to take still pictures along with steadying the video that was streaming to the air base. Colonel Barker’s voice came over the headset, barely discernable from the loud static.
"Sir, nothing seems to be happening with the exception of the, uh, rainbow-colored anomaly below. I see no distortions around the, um, lights, but a slight wavy pattern around the edges of the light. It seems to be pulsing slightly and the size varies, but it doesn't seem to be getting bigger. In fact, sir, it seems to be decreasing in size slightly." The captain seemed confused, unable to put his thoughts into words. Lisbeth could understand, her br
ain felt like it was sizzling inside her skull.
Lisbeth continued to type on her keyboard, sending information to Captain Amsted on the size and density of the lights in front of them. He could then relay the information as needed. All the scientific data was being sent directly to KenSpec Labs and the scientists sitting with Colonel Barker.
Terrible static filled her headphones just before a strange voice from the air base spoke. "Affirmative, Colonel, the rip is decreasing in size about one percent for every second it is visible." The voice that came through the headphones was apparently one of the scientists in the room at the military base.
“How long has the rip been open?" Barker’s voice was sounding farther away and somehow, echoed, sounding hollow.
"Approximately seven minutes. Visual confirmation on screen approximately thirty seconds." Lisbeth heard the words, but they didn’t make sense to her. She felt confused, outside of her own body. She looked up to the pictures being recorded that flashed on her plastic eyepiece. A fuzzy image of a face appeared. She focused on the face and realized she was looking at herself. Not a mirror image, but like a twin, enough to look alike but different all the same.
"Thirty seconds? Are you," Barker’s voice was interrupted by a loud popping noise that seemed to fill Lisbeth’s headphones. The sound so loud, she nearly ripped her helmet from her head to cover her ears. She barely registered the helicopter veering wildly, shaking hard and spinning out of control. Alarms sounded while Captain Amsted fought the controls of the helicopter to keep it from crashing. It felt like something had slapped the machine, sending it reeling backward. The occupants were completely silent, trusting Captain Amsted’s cool-under-pressure professionalism and training to save them.
The helicopter began to slow, the shaking stopped, and the alarms fell silent. Everything smoothed out, and for an unspecified amount of time, everything seemed to be totally quiet. Strangely, Lisbeth felt her heart still in her chest and then began to beat again. It seemed like she was being pulled from such solid darkness that it had stolen her breath. She sucked in air and shook her head and pushed the plastic eyepiece away from her face to turn and look at the rest of the crew in the chopper. Everyone was looking around, confusion on their faces. Crackling filled their ears before the headphones began to pick up sound again.
"Pilot, are you there? Report." Barker’s voice sounded full of fear.
"Yes. Yes, sir.” He looked around, taking an assessment of each person. “All crew aboard accounted for. That was the damnedest thing I've ever seen, colonel."
"Yes, it was, Captain Amsted. I want you and your crew to report to the facility immediately. I want med to look at each of you, and I want the scientists to give you a once over. Each crew member is to detail their current state to the staff. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear, sir. Amsted out." Lisbeth took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
"Thanks, Dave. Be safe out there."
"Sure thing, Rick. See ya soon." The radio static died in her headphones. Captain Amsted turned his attention to her. “Did you get all the recordings needed to pass the info on to KenSpec Labs, Ms. Mohr?”
Lisbeth fought against the feeling of being sucked into quicksand. Her mouth wanted to work, but her brain was slow to send the words. “Yes, sir. I have visual evidence and mathematical equations that have been sent to KenSpec and Colonel Barker’s headquarters. I also have captured the vital signs of all on board that will be sent to Dr. Lackney and Dr. Kensington. Cockpit recordings are also sent to the base.”
“Good girl, Lisbeth. Good job.” Her mouth dropped open at his cheerful response. She didn’t even think he knew her first name. He’d always called her Ms. Mohr. “How are the rest of you holding up? If you feel like me, you feel like you just ran a marathon.” Lisbeth could see him grin and hear his chuckle as he glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the crew. He was always so serious and professional that Lisbeth turned to look at him. He seemed happier than she’d ever seen him. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush of what had happened, or maybe it was seeing something so miraculous, but he looked younger, more relaxed.
“I’m fit as a fiddle, sir, and ready to be played.” Frank’s jovial voice and chuckle sounded over the headphones. Lisbeth turned in her seat to see him smile and wink at her. Rita and Paul, who were the only two whose seats faced each other in the helicopter, were staring at one another but not saying a word. If Lisbeth didn’t know better, she’d swear they were having a photosensitive epileptic seizure. They didn’t blink or have any facial expressions, even to the uncharacteristic actions of Captain Amsted and Lieutenant Nelson. She hadn’t heard them communicate since the anomaly appeared.
“We’re approaching the base. Everyone prepare to land.” Captain Amsted’s voice came over the headphones, sounding more normal and professional. Frank, Rita, and Paul began to move around and perform their necessary tasks. Lisbeth cleared her throat and began to type in the last few commands to send everyone’s vitals to the medical center before shutting down her part of the experiment. “You heard Colonel Barker. Everyone is to report to medical when we land. Great job, everyone.” The helicopter landed, and the engine shut down. No one moved until the blades slowed. With a strange air of detachment, each person unbuckled and walked to the waiting medical staff. Lisbeth took a breath and hoped she’d never go through something like that again.
*****
Lisbeth felt his arms come around her from behind. His hard body sheltered her and made her feel loved and safe. His lips sought her neck, bringing her chills. The good kind. “You are my forever love, Lisbeth. Always.” His German accent still made her stomach flutter.
“I’ll never be able to make it without you. I don’t want to leave.” Lisbeth’s heart seemed to shatter in her chest. She knew she had to go home and fulfill her obligations. A contract to satisfy. Her college had been paid by KenSpec Labs on the promise to work for them for four years.
“I don’t want you to go. I promise you that I will travel there and stay with you every chance I get. We’ll work this out. I couldn’t let you go now if I didn’t think I’d never see you again.” She heard the tears in his voice. Knew the pain in his soul. She’d never experienced love the way she had this past month. He gripped her waist, turning her from the beautiful vista of Heidelberg. She closed her eyes and then opened them to stare into the beautiful green eyes of the most amazing man she’d ever met.
“Stieg.” Her breath hitched. He cupped her face in his hands. She knew it was to comfort her. Her heart was breaking. He tried to smile, and she saw a flash of his dimples. She ran her hands over his broad shoulders, loving the feel of his skin beneath her palms. She knew every inch of his skin, knew the taste of it all.
“I know, I know. We’ll video chat every day until I hold you again.” His eyes filled with tears. “I love you, Lisbeth. That will never change. I will find you in this world or any other. I promise you. We will be together again.” He kissed her then, pouring every ounce of his emotions and his promise into the kiss. It was hard for her to return the kiss when she was crying. Her heart feeling like it was being squeezed in her chest. She wrapped her arms tight around him, trying to pull him hard enough to fuse their bodies together.
Without warning, Stieg flew backward and was jerked out of her grasp. “No!” She reached her arms out to him, grasping his fingers with hers. “No!” She screamed again, trying to pull him back into her arms. The look of shock and fear on his face felt like a stab to her chest as her hold on him broke.
Lisbeth jerked up in her bed, her heart pounding and her mouth dry. She’d had this dream before, and each time, the details got more solid, but she always woke with the same heartache. This time though, it was as if he’d just been pulled away from her embrace. She still tasted him on her tongue. She fell back to the bed, covering her face while she sobbed.
She heard a knock on her door a second before it flew open and her best friend and roommate barged in and came straight f
or her bed. The bedside lamp flooded the room in light just as warm arms pulled her up and into an embrace. “Shhhh, shhhh. It’s okay, Lisbeth. It’s okay, honey. It was just a dream.” Soft words fell from her lips, trying to calm the pain. Lisbeth slowly relaxed, allowing Deb to rock her gently. They both knew it was more than a dream. It was her personal hell.
“I-I saw him, and I could feel him just like I feel you now. Deb, I can’t go on like this.” Her body shook with her emotions, her tears soaked her friend’s pajama top. “I hurt for him. I feel like someone has ripped part of me away. I’m grieving. How is that possible?”
Deb grabbed her shoulders her fingers, grasping the cold skin. She pushed Lisbeth back, so they were nose to nose. The concern she saw there brought fresh tears. “You’re starting to scare me. Lisbeth, you need to find out what is going on. Go talk to your boss. See if this has happened to anyone else.”
Lisbeth reached behind her to grab a tissue from the nightstand. “What if they say I’m unfit and remove me from the study? I love my job.” She looked down to her hands. She noticed they were still shaking. “I used to anyway.”
Deb snorted and put her fingers under Lisbeth’s chin to force her head up. “Things have been crazy since you came home from that top-secret mission a few weeks ago. You’re right, you can’t go on like this. You don’t sleep— you hardly eat now. Every single time you see an advertisement for his new movie, you fall apart.” Deb grabbed another tissue and used it to wipe more tears from her face.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you searching the web for pictures of him. I can see your face, and I know when I see you looking at your laptop that you’re torturing yourself. This isn’t like someone with a teenage crush on a movie star.”
Deb moved so her eyes were level with Lisbeth’s. “I’m really afraid you’re going to hurt yourself if this gets worse. And it’s steadily gotten worse. I know you’ve had time off since your last mission, but you go back to work today. Go see your boss. Please.”
My Forever Love (Crossing the Line Book 2) Page 3