A Golden Bubble of Summer
Arriving in Athens — Moon over Berlin, B3C1
Book Three —
Ian would forever remember those weeks in Greece as a golden bubble of summer, fiery days shimmering with streaks of translucent joy. Never in his life had he been closer with anyone than he was with his three friends. He would forever measure the quality of friendship and love against the standard set during that 23rd summer of his life.
Sweating and pacing in his cramped jail cell, he knew doubt. Love had not been enough. The bubble had burst at the worst possible moment. Grief drove memory.
Chapter 1 —
Dima ran faster than he’d ever known he could, pulling in knife-sharp gasps of air. The footsteps crashing behind him grew louder, clearer, closer. No matter how hard he pumped his legs, no matter how his muscles screamed in pain, he couldn’t pull ahead.
He threw a desperate look over his shoulder, caught sight of his pursuer, gasped in shock, and dug in even harder.
Confusion ripped his thoughts apart. Why was he running from Ian? A hand clamped on his neck and knocked him into a spin. He tumbled to the ground, falling head over heels, faster and faster. A face swam into view, but it wasn’t Ian’s at all. He was staring into his own purple, slavic eyes, red-rimmed with terror.
A violent jolt shook his body, and a tender voice cut off his nascent scream. “Hey, Dima. Shhhhh. It’s OK. We’re here.”
He opened his eyes to see Ian whispering, inches from his ear, shaking him gently. “Wake up, buddy. You’re having a nightmare. We just landed in Athens. Everything’s cool now.”
A tiny rivulet of sweat trickled down Juliette’s back as they walked acrross molten tarmac into the shabby terminal. She hadn’t roasted like this since her last visit to Kenya. The lack of air conditioning made her regret her choice of travel clothes.
Gabardine slacks, a long-sleeved silk blouse, and heels had made perfect sense in Frankfurt. She eyed the guys’ cargo shorts and tees with envy…
