by Parker, Syd
Remy had to keep both hands on the wheel, and she hoped the small camera mounted on the top of the truck was recording the storm. She knew the sensors were working. She could hear the steady beeps coming from the recorder behind her and knew that it was busy cataloguing wind speed, velocity, direction. All measurements that were vital in hopefully one day knowing enough about tornadoes that there would no longer be loss of life associated with these horrific storms.
She grabbed glimpses of the tornado, thankfully growing smaller in the side mirror. Pulling to a safe distance, south of the storm’s track, she stopped once more. This time she stayed in the truck and filmed from the safety inside. “Oh shit, it’s getting the power lines. Oh God, a house, it’s got a house. Please let there be no one home.” She watched in horror as the tornado picked up the large farmhouse and tossed it aside like grains of sand.
She could see the small town of Yazoo City in the direct line of the twister, and she put her hand over her mouth and tried to push the rising bile back down. The skies were littered with what she recognized as pieces of houses, whole trees thrashed about like playthings. A town’s hopes and dreams ripped away by a faceless killer.
No matter how many times she witnessed this, it never got any easier. Nothing could make this part less hard to watch. Every time they found out that there were victims, another little part of her died. Another part of her felt like a failure. Wasn’t her whole point in being a chaser to help people live? And yet, they continued to experience loss of life with every new season.
She never seriously thought about giving up. She didn’t answer her failures with defeat, but with a renewed sense of determination. Quitting wasn’t an option, at least not one that she would ever allow herself. There was too much at stake, too many lives to be saved, and she still believed that with enough chases, with enough data, that one day, she might make a difference. Her stubbornness made her indefatigable.
She finally looked at Carmen who was still pale. “I’m sorry. I should never have gotten us that close.”
Carmen turned, anger burning in her eyes. “What the fuck, tonta?”
Remy winced. It had been a long time since Carmen had been this mad and there was nothing she could say or do to fix it. “Carmen, come on, we got out…”
Carmen cut her off. She got out of the truck and slammed the door hard enough to shake Thor, which was not easy to do.
Remy swallowed guiltily and got out, running after Carmen, grabbing her arm and trying to stop her.
“Get away from me.” Carmen seethed angrily. She was more frightened than she had ever been. She broke Remy’s grasp and stalked away.
Remy jogged after her. “Come on, C. You know I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“Vete a la mierda!” Carmen started walking the other way, shouting at Remy. She only caught half of it. In her anger, half the words were in Spanish, so Remy could only imagine what she was being called.
“Tu es pendeja!”
“Tú me estás jodiendo.”
Remy watched her pace, catching enough to know that it would be awhile before she calmed down.
Hours later, as they drove through the small town, the devastation overwhelmed her. They had talked to the local sheriff and the unofficial death toll was ten. Her heart broke again. It was on days like these that she felt immensely guilty that she had pulled Carmen into her quest. It was on days like these that a small part of her wanted to run away and forget the horrors she had seen. It was also on days like these, that faces from her past haunted her, and voices whispered in her ears. And, she couldn’t say no to their pleas.
Chapter 7
Sarah ran her hands over her face. The dark circles under her eyes gave away the stress she’d been trying to hide. Even a hot shower had done little to wash away her tiredness. She had even refused Parker’s invitation for dinner, choosing to spend a few hours alone in their hotel room. Today’s chase had been especially difficult on them. Ten more people had died in the storm that dropped eighty—eight tornadoes by the time it was said and done.
The wedge that devastated Yazoo City was a massive mile and a half wide EF4 tornado. The winds had reached 150 miles an hour. The town didn’t stand a chance, and the few people that had not managed to get to safety, had given their lives as the ultimate sacrifice. She shook her head, sad at the unneeded loss of life.
A knock on the door startled her then she laughed at herself. Parker was back and had obviously lost her room key, which didn’t surprise her. She pulled the chain off, which she had secured only because she was by herself and in the shower. When she opened the door, she couldn’t keep the surprise off her face. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Remy smiled sheepishly. “Wanna beer?”
Sarah stood back and Remy walked past her, depositing the six—pack on the small hotel table. She looked around the room, which looked a lot like hers, bland and depressing. She met Sarah’s inquisitive gaze and smiled wryly. “My room’s a bit occupied at the moment.”
Sarah’s mind flashed briefly to Parker and knew without Remy saying anything that she and Carmen must have kicked her out of the room. “Ahh, gotcha, it seemed like she had been gone a while.”
“I, uhh, didn’t think they would have liked an audience. Do you mind if I hang here a while?”
Sarah shook her head side—to—side. “That’s fine.” She was suddenly on edge. Remy’s sudden appearance got her mind off the day, but it put her senses in overdrive. She didn’t want to like her as much as she did. Remy already preoccupied her thoughts more than she cared to admit and she tried to ignore the intimacy of the two of them alone in her room. She pulled her robe tighter against her body. “I’m just going to put some clothes on.”
“Don’t do it on my account.” Remy offered. She opened a beer and handed it to Sarah as she passed. “You look comfortable.”
“I would just feel better if I wasn’t so under—dressed.”
Remy put a hand on Sarah’s arm, stopping her. Her gaze met Sarah’s and held it, her eyes searching Sarah’s face. Finally, she found the answer. “I’m not going to try anything.”
“It’s not that, I’m cold.” Sarah stammered quickly. She should have been surprised that Remy could read her thoughts, but she wasn’t. It had always been that way. Somehow, Remy could look deep inside her soul and know what she was thinking. It unnerved her, Remy unnerved her. She got to her in a way that even Evan had not been able to. “I’ll be right back.” She took the beer and almost ran to the bathroom, leaving Remy wondering where the fire was.
Remy took another beer, screwed off the top and took a long swig. Her stomach rumbled loudly. Funny, two minutes ago she couldn’t even think about eating. Now, an unexplained calmness flowed through her veins. She could have tried to attribute it to the alcohol, but one drink wasn’t enough to do anything. No, she knew what had settled her down. Sarah. Just seeing her was enough to calm her frayed nerves. She couldn’t put her finger on it. It was just a sense of peace that overtook her and reined in her runaway thoughts when she was in Sarah’s presence. “Hey, did you eat? Are you hungry?”
Sarah’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of Remy’s voice. Somewhere between a one night stand and tonight, they had slipped into this friendliness that surprised her. She was no longer angry at Remy for what she had once thought of as taking advantage of her. She could now accept it for what it was. Lust at first sight that had led to a night of the most amazing sex she could remember. And now, it was as if they had very easily become good friends. She cracked open the door. “Yeah, getting there.”
“What do you feel like?” Remy walked towards the open door, taking it as her invitation to talk at the door. She pushed it open and her breath caught. Sarah was pulling a shirt over her head and her breasts were bare. Her eyes took in every inch of her smooth, creamy skin. Her brown nipples stood out from Sarah’s body. She pictured her mouth on those nipples and her knees buckled slightly. She wanted to stare, but the threat of getting caught
gaping like a randy little boy made her back pedal quickly.
Her heart was beating erratically and when Sarah came out of the bathroom, she must have noticed the slight flush in her face. “You okay?”
“No. Yes. I’m fine.” Remy held her beer up as if explaining her red face. “Beer face.”
Sarah’s brow furrowed. “Ooo—kay. What were you hungry for?”
Remy shrugged. “I was thinking Chinese. Takeout okay? I’m not feeling like going out anywhere tonight.”
Sarah knew she had read her mind again. “That’s perfect.”
Remy grabbed a phone book out of the drawer and flipped through the pages till she found one that was close. She dialed and waited for someone to answer. Surprisingly, the voice on the other end spoke almost perfect English with just a hint of an accent. She hadn’t asked Sarah what she preferred, and she could see by her narrowed eyes that it had not gone unnoticed. “Delivery. We need an order of Hunan beef, orange chicken, shrimp Lo Mein, two orders of crab Rangoon, and four egg rolls. Umm, one brown rice, one white.”
Sarah watched her shut her phone and shot her a look. “Which one of those is for me?”
Remy at least had the courtesy to blush. “Sorry, I’m bad about that. I should have asked.”
“Yeah, you should have.” Sarah chided. “You’re lucky though, I like two out of three of those. You can have the Lo Mein all to yourself.”
Remy laughed, relief evident in her features. “But, the rest was okay?”
“Yes. The rest was perfect.” She sat on the bed across from Remy. “This place any good?”
“I don’t know. Never been there. I’ll let you know once I taste the Rangoon.” She caught Sarah’s questioning look. “You can tell how good a place is by their crab Rangoon.”
“Has any one ever told you what a weirdo you are?” Sarah teased.
“Maybe once or twice.” Remy toyed with the label on her bottle. “Normally, it’s Carmen.”
“Oh yeah, speaking of Carmen, what happened tonight?”
Remy gave a short laugh. “Not sure, exactly. One minute we are getting ready to go someplace to get a drink and the next thing I know, Parker shows up at the door. Apparently, she and Carmen had cooked up this plan to meet up. I sort of got kicked out of the room.”
“Sounds like Parker.” Sarah settled back against the headboard. “She’s kind of a player. I hope Carmen knows that.”
“Me too.” Remy confessed. “She’s too old for me to tell her what to do, but I hope she’s careful. She really likes Parker and I’m hoping that the feeling’s mutual or that Parker lets her down easy. I’ve never seen Carmen so…what’s the word I’m looking for? Enamored.”
“Oh.” Sarah’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure Parker is into the serious thing.”
Remy shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well, they’re both adults. Although, I may have to punch Parker if she hurts Carmen at all.”
Sarah laughed out loud. “I may have to hold her while you do it.”
A loud knock on the door made them both jump. “Damn, that is the fastest take out I’ve ever seen.”
“Or, Parker has lost her touch.” Sarah teased. She watched Remy amble towards the door, her lean body filling her jeans out nicely. Her bottom was deliciously round and toned. Sarah pictured her hands cupping her bottom, pulling her tight to her body as Remy pounded into her, stroking them both to a climax. She felt heat rising into her cheeks and looked down quickly when Remy brought her a carton of food.
It would do her no good to get worked up over Remy again. No matter how attracted she was to her or how amazing the sex had been, she wasn’t letting herself reopen that door. She was older now, older and wiser. Sleeping with Remy was her past, not her now. She would take friendship and offer the like, but no more.
Remy set the rest of the food on the nightstand between the two beds. She fiddled with her food and watched the emotions play across Sarah’s face. Whatever she was wrestling with, she must have reached a conclusion. She watched her jaw set with determination. Were they any closer, she would have tried to pry the information out of her. As it was, she didn’t think she needed to ask. She sensed it had something to do with her. Oddly, she was struck by the resolution in Sarah’s eyes and she felt suddenly empty.
“Thank you.” Sarah had torn into her orange chicken, her hunger reawakened by the delicious smells now filling the room.
“You’re welcome.” Remy sat silently for several moments, content to just enjoy Sarah’s company. Finally full, she set the empty carton beside her and sighed loudly. “I ate way too much.”
“God, me too.” Sarah agreed, glad she had put on jogging pants and not her tighter jeans. At the time, she had done it to look as unappealing to Remy as possible, and now, she congratulated her foresight.
Remy watched her and she felt warmth effuse her body. Sarah was beautiful. Her shoulder length brown hair was wavy tonight, obviously towel dried from the shower and not blown out. She liked it that way. Her eyes seemed happier now, not as dark as they had some weeks before. Remy had thought her attractive before, but now she was beautiful. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly and she crossed her arms over her chest. To a casual observer, it would have meant nothing, but to Remy, it spoke volumes. It let her know that they may be forming a tentative friendship, but Sarah’s personal life was going to stay her personal life. “That depends.”
“On what?” Remy leaned forward. The door on Sarah’s life wasn’t locked, maybe just closed.
“On the question.” Sarah paused to take a drink. When she leaned over to put the bottle back on the nightstand, Remy could see the curve of her breasts and her pulse jumped. Being this close had its advantages, but also put her at a disadvantage. Normally, if she were attracted to someone and they were holed up in a hotel room on a rainy night, she wouldn’t be talking. She pulled her eyes away, but not before Sarah caught her staring.
Remy had the decency to at least blush. She almost thought better of the question she wanted to ask, the answer haunting her more recently than she dared admit. “Do you ever think about that night?”
If the question threw Sarah at all, she did a great job of hiding her reaction. She could have pretended that she had no clue what Remy was talking about, but one glance in her eyes and Sarah knew and could almost feel her caress anew. “Really, don’t hold back.”
Remy smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. My mouth, it always gets me in trouble.”
“If I remember correctly, it got you in trouble several times that night.”
“Ahh, so you do remember.” Remy smiled, not the cocky smile she normally used, but a sweet, almost shy smile. It pleased her to no end to know that that night hadn’t been forgotten.
“Yeah, I do. Actually, the first few months, I thought about it all the time. I was mortified that I jumped into bed with a total stranger and did things I had only heard of before. I can’t say I’m very proud of myself. Now when I think about it, it’s more in a life lesson kind of way.” Sarah watched the emotions on Remy’s face, and she felt guilty at the hurt that was there, because of her. But she was resolute. She made those mistakes when she was younger, well one mistake really, since it was a one—time thing. Now, she wouldn’t dream of jumping in the sack with someone she had just met. She wasn’t a prude, just not a woman that slept with someone just because she could. “Don’t get me wrong. I’ll admit, and only to this one thing, it was amazing. You were amazing. But, that was a different me.”
Remy studied her face closely. She wanted to break that stone exterior, get back inside Sarah. Somehow, she needed to do that to define their relationship, to put it in some neat compartment and tuck it away. “How about now? We know each other pretty well. Eight years is a long time to get to know someone. I figure we are long overdue for our next hookup.”
Sarah choked on her beer and nearly sprayed it all over the room. “Are you serious? Why does everything have to be
about sex with you? Can’t you just have a friend you aren’t trying to coax into bed?”
Remy shrugged. “That’s what Carmen is for. We haven’t ever slept together, and I can honestly say I have no desire to. I guess it’s different with you. I’m attracted to you, more now than I was before, and that was enough to stick with me all this time. I like our friendship, but to put it bluntly, I want to sleep with you.”
This time the beer did go all over the room. The wide—eyed look in Sarah’s face would have been almost comical if Remy had been joking. But she was dead serious. She just needed to figure out a way to make Sarah see that.
“I’m not interested in a one night stand with you.” Sarah said defensively.
“How about more than one night?” Remy teased.
Sarah shook her head, got up and headed into the bathroom. She came out with a towel and started to dry herself off. “The Remy I know doesn’t do relationships.”
“And you don’t think I can change?” Remy countered and caught the towel as it came flying towards her. She hadn’t gotten too wet but enough that she accepted it with a thank you. “It’s been a long time Sarah, people change.” Remy held her gaze, needing her to believe.
“Not you, Remy. I’ve known you a long time and it’s always the same.” Sarah sat back down facing her. “People change, I’ve changed. It’s a nice notion. I just don’t get the Remy buying into the whole settle down with one person bit.”
“Maybe, I just hadn’t met the right person yet.”
“I’m not special, Remy.” Sarah leaned forward and forced Remy to look her in the eyes. “And, don’t think for a second that I’m falling for your whole maybe you’re the one bit. I’m not as naïve as I used to be.”
Remy rubbed her hands on her jeans, sensing this was the end of the conversation for now. “Fair enough. You’re probably right anyway. People like me don’t change.”
Sarah heard the catch in her voice and immediately regretted her harsh words. “I didn’t mean that, I’m sure you can change. I just meant I’m nothing special.”