Chapter 1
Swedish, transgender actress Tadzio Andresen waited as the airplane coasted to the arrival gate at Malmö Airport. The long flight from Los Angeles had ended and even though she had slept, she felt very tired. The hostesses opened the hatch and welcomed them to Sweden. The passengers rose to their feet and gathered their belongings. An arm reached over her head to open the compartment up for her. She smiled at her traveling companion. LAPD Officer Matt Nolf had accompanied her to visit her family. Tadzio’s nerves were shot. This was the first time her mother and father were going to see her since her transition to a woman. She had top surgery, but not bottom. Matthew shouldered Tadzio’s carryon bag and wheeled his behind him. Tadzio left the airplane and held Matt’s hand as they walked to the baggage claim and then proceeded to customs and immigration. She had hired a driver to pick them up and transport them to a hotel, near her family home in Rosengard. Since she had a European passport and Matt had one from the USA, they had to split up after they collected their checked luggage. Matt looked worn out too. Eleven hours was a long time to be on a plane. While they waited for the carousel to begin moving as the passengers crowded around it, Tadzio sent Alexander Richfield, her best friend, a text, ‘we arrive.’ She didn’t even know what time it was back in California, but it was maybe yesterday still? She yawned and took a clip out of her purse to tie her hair up. Matt stood close, but didn’t hold her or say much. He appeared overwhelmed. Most of the people around them weren’t speaking English. The lights flashed and a buzzer sounded as the luggage began moving on the conveyor belt. Matt positioned himself closer to the source and smiled at her. She smiled back, but this trip wasn’t for pleasure. Her mom was sick, and now Tadzio had to find out just how ill she was. ~ Matthew felt numb after the long flight. Tadzio had given him a valium to sleep, and it left him feeling foggy-headed. But, he had slept for most of the excruciating flight. As he waited for their bags to be visible from the flapping door, he listened to the many languages surrounding him. This was the first time he’d traveled to Sweden. “Dat one.” Tadzio pointed to a suitcase. Matt waited for it to come closer, then yanked it off the belt. She took it from him. His suitcase was near it, making its way towards him. He pulled it off the moving belt as well, and they headed to the next step, customs. A guard checked the tags on their bags with their stubs, which surprised him. But, he had kept it with his boarding pass. They walked together in the busy airport to customs. Since neither had anything to declare, they parted ways. Tadzio pointed to the immigration checkpoint. “I will see you dare.” “Okay.” Matt kept his passport and his police ID handy. He waited in line and then was called to a security guard. He handed them the passport, sort of flashing the police badge and ID. The guard scanned his passport and then looked at him. “The reason for your visit?” he said with a thick accent. “My girlfriend is from here. Her mom is ill.” “You are a police officer?” “Yes.” Matt proudly showed the man his photo ID. “Los Angeles Police.” The man stamped his passport. “Have a good visit.” He gave Matt his passport. Matt kept going, lugging his carryon and rollaboard with him. Tadzio was already through, waving at him. Matt made his way closer, and she pointed to the next destination; the arrival area where hire cars were waiting. She said to him, “I already get Euros…we are all set.” Matt thought about lying down and resting in their hotel first, but, that wasn’t going to happen for a while. He kept going, no longer hearing English spoken. So this was going to be interesting. ~ Thirty-year-old, Hollywood actor Alexander Mark Richfield heard his phone chime with a text. He had just woken up after his husband Billy’s alarm went off. His lawman was already in the shower for his day teaching at the police academy. Alex reached for it from the nightstand and squinted at the text. Tadzio had arrived. Alex sent back, ‘miss you. hope your mom is ok.’ Alex yawned and nudged is long, brown hair off his forehead. He had to go to the studio today for more work on his cable TV nighttime drama, The Action! Series. They had six episodes to film this fall, and were already halfway through them. His dog, a white floppy Saluki-mix named Lady, hopped on the bed and licked him. He petted her and motivated himself to get out of bed. The bathroom door opened and Alex smiled at his fifty-year- old LAPD police lieutenant. Billy Sharpe was one hot daddy. He was twenty years older than Alex, but in much better physical condition. Billy was a machine when it came to physical fitness and brute strength. The military veteran/police officer had a barbed wire tattoo around his biceps with ‘Alex’ scrolled into it. He had shaven his jaw after his shower and exited the bathroom naked. Lady hopped off the bed and wagged her tail at her alpha male. Billy had found Lady at a lake while fishing in San Diego with an old army buddy. She had been a stray and adopted the hunky lieutenant as her master. It was a match made in heaven.
