Twist of Fate

by Parker, Syd

  “Holy shit.”

  “By the time that they tracked us down, it was too late. There was no way we could get him out in time. I just remember his head resting in my lap, watching the life drain from him. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. The thing that got to me the most was with his last breath, he said ‘I love you, Sis’. We never said we loved each other, we didn’t talk about feelings. I will remember those words as long as I live.”

  Remy got off the bed, got a Kleenex and handed it to Sarah without a word. She was humbled. Sarah had opened up and let her in, sharing a part of herself. The tragedy that had helped shape who she was. She waited, allowing her to cry, merely offering her shoulder as comfort.

  Several moments passed before Sarah sniffed and smiled weakly at Remy. “Thank you.”

  “For making you relive something that horrific.” Remy said with self—recrimination.

  “No. For letting me talk about it. Every day of my life, I miss my brother more than I can imagine. But, I kept it all locked inside, never having anyone to talk to about it.” Sarah felt relief and her shoulders felt lighter than they had in years, the weight of her brother’s death not as heavy a burden as it had been. It hadn’t just been opening up that helped, it seemed to her that she had actually taken a piece of her grief and handed it to Remy, who silently accepted every bit of it. “It means more to me than you will ever know.”

  Remy pulled Sarah tighter against her body. The warmth between them was something foreign to her. She had become emotionally invested in the woman beside her. It was no longer physical hunger that made her long for Sarah, her heart had started to yearn for her. She had never wanted more than sex with anyone, and these new feelings of longing scared her. She wasn’t sure how to deal with the quickening of her pulse, the thoughts of a future shared with only one person. This was new, uncharted territory, and Remy sensed that in order to deal with whatever evolution she was undergoing, she was going to have to stop thinking with her libido and start thinking with her heart.

  Sarah sensed the change in Remy immediately. She felt her body tighten against hers and she knew she should put distance between them, but she couldn’t. She needed the comfort she was offering. She set her cup on the nightstand and met Remy’s questioning gaze. “Can I ask you something and you not take it the wrong way?”

  Remy’s brow furrowed. “Sure?” She asked, her reservations quickly surfacing. There was no way that the question would be harmless, and given her current state, whatever Sarah was asking was probably outside what she would normally be comfortable with.

  “Will you stay with me…at least till I fall asleep?” Sarah yawned behind her hand.

  Remy could only nod. Something in her request was more intimate than actually making love would have been. She reached over Sarah, put her cup on the table and flipped the light off.

  Sarah lay down on the bed and snuggled against Remy, pulling her arm around her stomach. Their breathing slowed till the only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock on the wall. She needed to sleep, but the feeling of being in Remy’s arms was like a drug and she wanted to bask in it a while longer. “Thank you.”

  Remy barely heard the whisper above her heartbeat, and had she not been pressed against Sarah, she may have missed it. She didn’t feel the need to respond other than to pull Sarah tightly against her.

  Hours later, Remy was still awake, listening to Sarah’s even breathing. Somewhere in the span of the night, her heart had opened up and let Sarah in. Her chest tightened when she thought of them together, knowing that Sarah did not return her feelings. With a sigh, she slid off the bed, careful not to wake Sarah. She paused at the door, her eyes finding Sarah’s face in a thin sliver of light. Suddenly, she was no longer merely chasing storms, she was chasing love.

  Chapter 11

  Remy watched a hail—battered Chevy pull up to the pump next to hers, and a smile broke out on her face. She had left Sarah hours before, but she could feel warmth where Sarah had been tucked against her like it was only minutes before. She waited until Sarah noticed her and a knowing look passed between them.

  Sarah couldn’t help but smile. She felt a hundred times lighter today than she had yesterday, and the beautiful woman standing across the pump from her was mostly responsible for the change. “You’ve really got to stop stalking me like this. People are going to think you like me or something.”

  Remy quirked an eyebrow. “Or, something.” She stepped closer and held Sarah’s gaze. “You okay this morning?”

  Sarah nodded. “I’m better…thanks to you.” She admitted begrudgingly.

  Remy could tell the admission cost Sarah some of her pride. “It was nothing really. Just helping a friend out.”

  “Is that what we are?” Sarah’s forehead wrinkled in thought.

  “I’d like to think so.” Remy looked hopeful. “I know we have a history, and you made it perfectly clear you would rather not have it, and hope to never repeat it, but I hope you can put that aside and at least pretend to like me.”

  Sarah couldn’t ignore her crooked smile. She reminded her of a little kid looking for acceptance. She also couldn’t ignore her heart skipping a beat when Remy smiled at her. She liked her alright, probably too much for her own comfort. In truth, she had taken advantage of Remy last night. She knew if she asked Remy to stay, there would be no way she could say no. It wasn’t fair, she shouldn’t have used her that way, but Sarah had needed her strength and her serenity. It calmed her somewhere deep inside, a place that had been unsettled for as long as she could remember. It scared her. Remy had managed to get inside her like no one else had, and she wasn’t sure she would be able to keep her emotional distance.

  “So, I’m going to take the silence as a yes?” Remy teased.

  “Oh yeah.” Sarah shook her head. “Sorry. Yes, I can’t say I don’t like you.”

  A smile broke out on Remy’s face that spread from ear to ear. “Okay, good. I was about to run crying to Carmen and she’s a little preoccupied at the moment.”

  Sarah followed Remy’s gaze and laughed. Sure enough, while their attention was focused on each other, Carmen had grabbed Parker, and they were huddled on the side of the gas station in the middle of a very passionate kiss. “Jeez, would they get a room?”

  “Preferably together.” Remy shook her head from side to side. “That way maybe I won’t get kicked out of my room every night.”

  Sarah’s gaze fixed on Remy. “I thought you liked getting kicked out.”

  “Umm, I would prefer it if…” Remy paused, her face suddenly warm. “…I’d actually like it if someone wanted to share a room with me, and I’m not talking about C.”

  “Oh.” Sarah replied, realization dawning in her features. “You mean…”

  Remy smiled, her eyes locked on Sarah’s. “Yes.” She didn’t need to give voice to her thoughts. They both knew what she meant. She had made it perfectly clear that she was still interested in Sarah and thought they might have a future together if Sarah got out of her own way and gave them a chance. For now, she would settle for friendship with the secret hope of more. Somehow, in the grand scheme of things, someone had worked it out that Sarah and Remy were never far apart. And, in an even bigger twist of fate, Carmen and Parker were practically throwing them together.

  “Remy, I…” Sarah spoke feebly. “I…”

  Remy put her hand on her arm to stop her. “I know, Sarah. You’re only interested in friendship. I have never been sorry for that night until now. Had I known that was my one chance with you, I would have run the other way. It’s only now that I can finally appreciate that no matter how amazing that night was, it wasn’t worth losing the chance of a future with you.”

  Sarah felt a pain in her chest. She was trying hard to remain aloof, but Remy said things that made her feel again. She was treading dangerous waters with Remy. She knew if she let go, she would fall for her, and fall hard, and that was not a risk she was willing to take. “I’m sorry, Remy.
I can’t be more than your friend. Please let that be enough.”

  “It is.” For now. Remy thought. She took a step back, putting necessary space between them. She broke the connection between them, her eyes finding Carmen again. “I think we better get those two under control before they are arrested for public indecency.”

  Sarah laughed, thankful that Remy had let her off the hook. “I’ll get mine and kick yours over here at the same time.” She jogged over to the couple lost in their embrace and punched Parker playfully.

  Remy watched Sarah across the parking lot and her heart skipped a beat. Her words were very different from what her eyes were saying. Remy had gotten very good at reading people and what she saw in Sarah was fear. Not of Remy, but of herself. Sarah was afraid of her feelings for Remy and denial was her protection. Remy smiled. Deny all you want, darling. I’m not going anywhere, and sooner or later, you will realize that you love me too.

  Carmen walked back to the truck with a sheepish grin on her face that turned into a full blown blush when she saw the look Remy was giving her. “What?”

  “Don’t what me, you know.”

  “Oh, that? That was nothing.” Carmen grabbed the hose off the pump and shoved it into Thor’s large tank.

  “Really? ‘Cause what it looked like was you trying to give Parker a tonsillectomy in the middle of a parking lot.”

  Carmen snorted. “Funny, Chica.”

  Remy rolled her eyes and got back into the truck. She tried stealing glances of Sarah, but the large metal plates around the truck impeded her view. She didn’t need to see her face though. Sarah’s image was etched in her mind, and no amount of time had been able to erase it from her memory. Last night still played in her mind. Sarah’s body had fit perfectly against hers, and in her sleep, she had lost her inhibitions. Her soft bottom pressed into Remy’s core and ignited sparks that lit through her body.

  Lying with Sarah had felt right, more right than any feeling she’d ever had before. There was a perfectness to their closeness, uniting them even more than the hurried sex they had so many years before. Remy had always been attracted to Sarah. She was gorgeous. But, now she was getting to know her and her heart was involved. This was more than she had ever given to anyone, and now when she wanted to share it, it had been rejected. That was the hardest part of her infatuation with Sarah—that it wasn’t returned.

  Carmen hopped in the truck and slammed the door. “Where to, Chica?”

  “Gosh, I don’t know.” Remy said sarcastically. “Where’s your girlfriend headed?”

  Carmen shrugged. “Not sure. Parker said whatever direction you headed, Sarah was driving the opposite way.”

  So, that was how this was going to be. I get too close, and she bolts the other way. “She’s funny.”

  “Yeah, she is.” Carmen looked out the window and watched the Chevy drive away. “Guess that means we oughta head the other way.”

  Remy shook her head and peeled out as fast as a five—ton truck would allow her to. “Nope. Two can play this game.”

  She turned the truck onto the highway in the same direction Sarah had taken only minutes before. She would just keep the speed a little slower, which wasn’t hard given Sarah’s proclivity for speed. Normally, she would run the other way, not caring to make a point, but today was different. She could feel Sarah trying to close the door she had just opened.

  Carmen watched Remy, an amused smile on her face. If she didn’t know better, she would swear that she had a thing for Sarah, even though she would never admit it. Carmen was no fool. She had seen the looks that passed between them, the connection that joined them even when they thought no one else was watching. Remy wouldn’t admit to it, but Carmen had a sneaking suspicion when she and Parker wanted some privacy, Remy found her way to Sarah’s hotel room. What they did, she wasn’t sure, but she could almost bet it didn’t include the same activities that she and Parker participated in. That thought brought a small smirk to her lips.

  Remy fought the urge to break the law in order to close the gap between the two vehicles. She was certain Sarah hadn’t figured out yet that they were heading in the same direction. If she had, she probably would have forced Remy to pull over and given her what for. Remy managed to ease off the gas pedal, knowing out here there weren’t many roads Sarah could turn on that she wouldn’t be able to follow.

  “Chica?” Carmen asked, amusement in her tone. “Whatcha up to?”

  Remy smiled sheepishly. “Nada. Just driving.”

  “I can see that. What I mean is what is going on? With you and Sarah? I’ve never seen a woman get under your skin like she does.”

  “She’s not.” Remy said defensively. “I just figured that since we struck out yesterday, maybe we ought to give her tracking skills a chance.”

  “Mmm—hmmm, and all of a sudden mine aren’t good enough?”

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Remy fidgeted in her seat, uncomfortable at being caught red—handed. “Oh fine, whatever.” She caught the questioning look in Carmen’s eyes and knew she was done. “Tell me where to go.”

  Carmen chuckled softly. “Might as well keep heading this direction. For right now, I’m thinking the same thing she is. There’s a line of storms moving over the Rockies. It should hit Iowa sometime late this afternoon. That’s about the only thing going on in the next couple of days.”

  “Then Iowa here we come. Guess Sarah will just have to deal with it.” And it seemed that was just what she was intending to do. She had pulled Chevy Chase off the road and was standing against the back of the car with her arms crossed over her chest. Fortunately, Remy was coming up over a slight hill and her speed had slowed considerably. “Looks like I’m about to get it.”

  When Remy braked behind Sarah’s car, she turned the engine off and shrugged her shoulders at Carmen. She could see Sarah striding towards the car and the glare on her face let Remy know very quickly she was not excited to see her. She stepped out timidly and met her on the shoulder of the road.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Sarah asked loudly.

  Remy smiled ruefully and wished she could slink back to the truck and run in the opposite direction. She thought Sarah’s head might actually start to spin. “Just following a lead.”

  “Really? And it just happens to be the same direction I’m headed?”

  “You’ve seen the map, Bonneville. You know there’s nothing out there except for the storm you’re going to.”

  Calling her Bonneville at that particular moment was probably not the safest thing to do. Sarah could feel the heat rise in her neck. She shouldn’t be so upset with the nickname, or the fact that Remy had chosen the same storm. She was more frustrated with herself. She could put physical distance between them, but it was the emotional distance she wanted and couldn’t achieve. No, she had finally accepted that no matter how far away she ran, Remy would always be there, buried in the dark recesses of her mind and slowly working her way into her heart. “It’s mine, Remy.”

  “Oh, we are calling dibs on the storms now?” Remy’s eyes danced with laughter.

  “Ooh!” Sarah’s body shook with barely concealed irritation. “Why do you have to get under my skin?”

  “Funny, I was thinking the same about you.” Remy confessed.

  “What do you mean? I don’t do anything to irritate you.”

  “No, no, you don’t.” Remy moved closer to Sarah and licked her lips. “You get under my skin in an entirely different way.”

  Sarah’s mouth dropped in shock. She opened and closed it several times and still couldn’t manage to utter a word. Truth be told, Remy had gotten to her a long time ago, she just didn’t have the nerve to admit it. Especially not to Remy. “Fine. Do whatever you want. Just don’t get in my way.”

  Remy shrugged. “No problem. Iowa’s a big state.” She turned on her heal and strode back to the truck, leaving Sarah standing there mouth agape. She pulled the door open and stopped with her foot on the door ledge. “Goo
d luck, Bonneville.”

  She broke into laughter when Sarah’s only reaction was to flip her the bird over her right shoulder. When she got in, she met Carmen’s amused stare. “Well, that went better than I thought.”

  “How’s that? You look like you barely escaped with your head.”

  “She didn’t slap me, and that’s more than I can say for some women I’ve met.”

  “Met or slept with?”

  Remy felt the heat rise in her face. She knew Carmen could read the telltale signs of her guilt. She couldn’t respond and not give the truth away. Rather than acknowledge the question, Remy started the truck and eased back into traffic and shook her head. Today was going to be a long damn day.

  Chapter 12

  Seven hours later they crossed the Nebraska—Iowa border and Remy yawned loudly. “I don’t know about you, but I got to hit the can.”

  Carmen checked the radar. “Make it fast. There’s a supercell about fifty miles west of here and it’s going to hit south of Sioux City. We’ve got a ways to go.”

  Remy followed the sign to a rest area and pulled Thor into one of the semi parking spots. She got out and stretched her arms over her head. Normally, it didn’t bother her to be in the car for hours on end, but today her emotions were frayed, and she was having a hard time relaxing. She was stiff and sore and slightly irritated. Carmen had picked up on it and wisely chosen to take a nap, or at least pretend to. “You going?”