They talked for more than an hour, time slipping through Samantha’s fingers. Then Thor had to go. They said their goodbyes.
“Be safe, Thor.”
“I’ll do my best. Talk to you again soon.”
* * *
Thor watchedout the window as Cobra’s jet flew over the Atlantic, carrying them home from a long assignment in Yemen. Apart from the occasional cloud, there was nothing but blue above and blue below. What he wouldn’t give right now for a few hours in the starlit darkness of Antarctica.
Long-distance relationships sucked.
Get used to it.
It would be easier when she was back in Chicago. The time difference wouldn’t be so extreme, at least when he was in the US, and Denver to Chicago wasn’t a long flight. He’d be able to visit her whenever he had leave, and she could come to Colorado when she was on break.
No, it wouldn’t be the same as living in the same space, but it would be a hell of a lot more manageable than this set-up. Given how often he was away from home, it seemed right that she should have her own home and her own life.
“¡Hijoeputa!” Dylan Cruz yelled at the TV.
He and his bride, Gabriela Marquez, were watching some Spanish-language film with Jones, who needed translations once in a while. In the row of seats behind the newlyweds, McManus talked quietly with Shields, a bandage on his forehead. Segal sat behind Thor, reading an Israeli magazine.
Then Jones stood, grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator, and came to sit beside Thor, offering him a bottle. “You talk to Samantha lately, man?”
“Yeah. We talked last night.”
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s better.” Thor opened his beer, took a drink. “It’s been a hard stretch, but the community there has pulled together to help her through it.”
“Did she mention Kristi?”
“Kristi?” Thor fought back a grin. “Oh, right. Kristi. Um… I think she said Kristi helped throw a surprise birthday party for her.”
“She didn’t say anything about Kristi missing me or…” The man was lovesick, and he didn’t know it.
“No.” Thor wouldn’t lie. “But, hey, if you want to talk to Kristi, send her an email or set up a chat.”
“Nah, man. We agreed there would be no strings. I don’t want to be the one to break the rules first.”
Segal, who was sitting behind them, stuck his unshaven face between their two seats. “Have fun snuggling up with your pride, Jones. I’m sure it keeps you warm at night. What’s that old Jewish proverb? Oh, yeah. ‘Pride goes before a fall.’”
Thor chuckled. “I saw how broken up Kristi was when we left. What if she’s afraid she’ll piss you off if she reaches out? You need to be the one to get in touch.”
“Why does it have to be me?”
“Who made the ‘no strings’ rule?”
“We both did—though I guess I’m the one who brought it up first.”
Thor had thought so. “In that case,youneed to be the one to make contact.”
“There’s really no point.” Jones pulled out his phone, started scrolling. “She wants to see the world, so she signed up with some kind of humanitarian healthcare agency. She’s going to work for a year as a nurse in Nigeria.”
“Nigeria?” That wouldn’t be Thor’s first choice for a nurse. “Weren’t several aid workers abducted and murdered there recently?”
“Yeah.” Jones went quiet, his expression troubled.
“Don’t paint the devil on the wall. I’m sure they’ll keep her safe.”