Epic: Book 02 - Outlaw Trigger by Lee Stephen Page B

them.
    “ Do you need to go take a spiz before she lands?”
    Scott scoffed. “Yeah, now’s a great time.”
    “ I hope she likes me. I’m kind of nervous.”
    “ I bet it’s killing you.”
    “ It is.”
    The vertical thrusters burned to life, and the airbus began its descent.
    She was there. She was right there, meters in front of him. He couldn’t see her in the airbus windows, but he knew she was there. She was probably pressed to the glass, just out of view.
    The wheels of the airbus touched down with a gentle jolt, and the roar of the thrusters whined down to a low, steady hum. Technicians trotted from the hangar as the pilot gave them signals through the window.
    Scott didn’t know how many other civilians were on board. He was sure there couldn’t have been many.
    There was a piercing hiss, and the airbus settled down. Silence. Then, the side door opened.
    Just like that, she was there.
    Her mahogany hair was teased down the small of her back. A few loose strands fell around her face, and she lifted a hand to brush them away. She wore an off-white shirt, tucked into faded blue jeans. Her body was as perfectly slender as it had always been. Her face was as animated and beautiful as it had always been. Everything was exactly the same.
    Just how he wanted it.
    She saw him as soon as she stepped on the ground. Her dark blue gaze grew wide, as the smile that was already etched across her face stretched wider. Her teeth glistened like pearls.
    Time slowed. It slowed to almost a stop. In that moment when he ran to her and she ran to him, nothing about the outside world mattered. There was no outside world. There was no Novosibirsk . There were no Nightmen. There were only the two of them. When they met in the middle, there was almost no room for words.
    She leapt into his embrace, throwing her arms around his neck passionately. As he lifted her up from the waist, her heady fragrance gripped his senses. Then they kissed.
    It was magical. It was everything that wonderful could be. It was time. It was patience. It was endurance. It was the pent up frustration of so many months, poured out in a connection so real it was almost too real to be true. When their lips finally pulled apart, they locked moisture-filled eyes. The day had finally come.
    “ I can’t believe it,” she whispered. Her voice shook. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
    “ I’m here.” His eyes closed as he clung to her tightly. “I’m right here with you.”
    Their lips met again. He didn’t care if the other passengers saw. He didn’t care if the Nightmen did, either. For that one tender moment—for that one heaven-sent moment— Novosibirsk became Paradise. Nothing could take it away.
    “ Excuse me,” one of the technicians said in broken English, tapping Scott on the shoulder. “We do need area clear.”
    Scott and Nicole separated, and they shared a quiet laugh. He wasn’t embarrassed, and he was sure she wasn’t, either. But it was time to move off of the airstrip. They’d have plenty of time to catch up in the physical sense later. “Was your flight okay?” he asked as he picked up her bag. He lifted it over his shoulder with one hand, while his other hand slid into hers.
    She shot him a frustrated look. “I barely cleared Customs.”
    “ Really? Where?”
    “ Moscow. It’s a lot of fun explaining why you’re an American citizen flying into a Russian military base, let alone this one.”
    “ You had those papers I sent you, right?” Dostoevsky had filled them out himself, even borrowing a photo to attach it to them. It was a surprising but appreciated gesture.
    She smiled. “Yes, and they worked. They just had to be inspected about a dozen times. I might not be able to go back.”
    Scott squeezed her hand a little bit harder. “I can live with that.”
    As soon as they entered the hangar, David approached them. Scott’s smile broadened, and he released Nicole. “Baby, this is someone you’ve been waiting to