by Parker, Syd
Carmen shook her head and followed her across the parking lot. She sniffed the air around her. It smelled like miles and miles of farmland tinted with fresh air and a hint of rain blown in by the sweet Great Plains wind. She inhaled deeply, appreciating the world around her. It was at times like this, she felt as though she was one with nature, her connection to Mother Nature honing her skill at chasing storms. She followed Remy into the restroom and immediately wished she was back outside.
Besides a couple of words, they hadn’t spoken most of the long ride from Oklahoma to Iowa, which didn’t particularly suit Carmen. She liked conversation. Coming from a big family who wasn’t quiet in the least, she sometimes missed the noisy camaraderie she shared with her Latin family. For the most part, Remy was good at filling the quiet in between, but days like today, when she was introspective were tough and made Carmen miss her family. “So, Chica, can we talk now?”
Remy shook her head ruefully. “I’m sorry, C. Bad day, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
“Si, you shouldn’t have.” Carmen punched her arm playfully. “I know what your problem is.”
“Oh yeah?” Remy quirked an eyebrow. “Do tell, oh wise one.”
“You need to get laid.” Carmen stated matter—of—fact. “You’re wound tighter than a nun in a nudist colony.”
Remy snorted. Carmen had a way of making up things that were just different enough from the actual phrase that they often left Remy in stitches. “You just make that up?”
“No, no, of course not.” Carmen waived her hand dismissively. “I hear that all the time.”
“You know it doesn’t count if you hear it in Spanglish.”
“Lo que sea!” Carmen put her palm up in the air and rolled her eyes.
“Don’t whatever me.” Remy teased. “I might lock you in the hotel room tonight.”
Carmen smirked. “No, you won’t.”
“You don’t think so?” Remy narrowed her eyes.
“No, Chica, I don’t. If I stay in the room, then you don’t get to spend the evening with Sarah.”
Remy frowned. Carmen did have a point. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Remy had to accept that it was true. If Carmen didn’t kick her out of the room every night, she would probably have sat in the room or found a bar somewhere and drank. Honestly, she preferred Sarah’s company and liked the excuse to spend her nights there. “Just tell me if the storm is heading this way.”
Carmen snorted. “I think you’ve already run into the storm, Chica.” She pulled her phone out and pulled the radar up, her laughter filling the truck. She knew that whatever was happening between Remy and Sarah was bringing out the tempest in Sarah, and she was secretly glad that was a storm she wasn’t dealing with. “’Kay, it’s making its way through Nebraska. I figure it will hit here in another hour or so. Could be a good one. There’s already some small supercells developing and there’s definitely a hook echo at the southern tip.”
“Guess we better get moving.” Remy headed back out to I—29 and followed it a short time before turning onto Highway 37 near Onawa. She flicked her eyes towards Carmen’s phone trying to see the storm. It was small, but she could make out the hook pattern near the tip and knew if there was going to be a tornado, it would spawn near that point. “So, what’s the deal with you and Parker? Moving kind of fast, eh?”
Carmen smirked. “Not so fast for you, though.”
“Forget fast lately, I haven’t gotten any action at all.” Remy shook her head. “You still walking down the aisle, three kids, living in the suburbs serious?”
“Pretty much.” Carmen blushed. “I know it is fast, and normally, I would worry, but not with Parker. I feel like I know the real her, and I know my heart.”
“Your heart or your libido?” Remy teased. “Sure you aren’t letting other parts of your body do the talking?”
“Funny. At least I’m letting my body talk.”
“Oh good, now we’re quoting Olivia Newton John.” Remy broke out into the chorus of Let’s Get Physical, teasing Carmen mercilessly. She felt the tension slowly start to ebb away. Carmen was right though, she needed to get some action. She was wound tighter than a two—dollar watch. And that’s how you use a cliché.
At least the last hour was passing more quickly than the rest of the drive had. They hit 175 before she knew it, and the outskirts of Mapleton weren’t far away. Remy smiled when she saw a navy Chevy in the distance, an attractive blonde perched on the hood.
“I don’t think she’s happy to see you, Chica.” Carmen said with a chuckle.
Remy had gathered as much from the glare she got when they drove by. She picked a spot about a quarter mile up the road and pulled the truck over. She pulled her gear out of the truck and rested against the door. “Think it’s going to drop?”
Carmen eyed the massive shelf cloud that was moving over the plain. “God, if it doesn’t, I’d be shocked.” She flicked her head towards the direction they had just come. “Figure if it does, I hope we get better footage than the competition.”
Remy eyed Sarah’s car in the rear view mirror. “Still gets me that she got the footage from inside the twister. The best we got is still outrunning one.”
“Guess we could get a little crazy today.” Carmen winked. “Feel like going for a ride?”
Remy could see from Carmen’s smile she was only half—joking. “You’re serious? After you reamed me out the last time? If I do, I’m leaving your ass standing on the side of the road at least a mile away.”
“Yeah, but last time I didn’t have an audience.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Remy said sarcastically. “Because your woman is watching, you’re willing to throw yourself into the path of danger.”
Carmen stood up proudly and her next words were heavily—accented. “For de woman, I will take a bullet.”
Remy busted out laughing. “You, my dear, are so pussy—whipped, it is not even funny.”
“At least I’m getting some.” Carmen answered wickedly. “So, are we doing this or not? I need to mentally prepare.”
Remy eyed the darkening sky overhead. “Start taking some deep breaths, we are about to dance with the devil.”
Carmen felt the wind pick up and the telltale chill roll across her body, and she knew something was about to happen. She started clicking pictures of the large shelf cloud, looking for signs of rotation. “There, there! Look at the rotation in that mesocyclone.”
Remy watched the rapid movement of the clouds through her video camera. The first drops of rain pelted against the truck, smattering against her body and making her shiver. “It’s dropping. We’ve got a small funnel dropping out of the storm. We’ve got debris.” She picked up her cell phone and dialed the emergency operator. She cupped her hand over the phone, trying to hear over the wind. “Shit! We’ve got another one. Hello? Yes, this is Remy Tate. I am on 175 just south of Mapleton. We have a multi—vortex tornado southwest of the city. It’s tracking right for Mapleton.” She hung up the phone and looked behind her, hoping this time Sarah played it safe.
“Come on, Rem. It’s growing fast. We gotta get moving. We need to intercept it.” Carmen jumped back in the truck and leaned over Remy, shooting pictures of the rapidly moving tornado.
Remy started the truck and shot back out on the highway. The tornado had wedged out and was pushing a half—mile wide. Soon they were running neck and neck with the massive funnel. “This is it. You ready?”
Carmen had put the camera down and strapped herself in, her hands gripped the seat beneath her. She gave Remy a shaky grin. “Let’s do this, Chica.”
Sarah’s mouth dropped in shock. “What the fuck is she doing?”
Parker’s eyes narrowed in on Thor and she felt a chill roll over her body. “She wouldn’t?”
“Is she crazy?” Sarah couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Remy was actually driving towards the tornado, with every intention of intercepting it. “God, Remy, please don’t be stupid.”
Remy slowed considerably. She’d been this close before, but it was always moving the opposite direction, running from the twister, not into it. She shook off second thoughts, knowing as risky as it was, they would gather much needed data deep within the storm. She knew it was better than dropping a probe or shooting small weather planes into the funnel.
Sarah squinted, trying to see the truck through the raindrops and the massive swirl of wind and debris. They were lost at least visually. Her heart dropped into her stomach. “I’m going to kill her if she makes it out alive.”
Parker grabbed her hand. “They’ll be alright. But, if they aren’t and something happens to Carmen, I’ll kill her too!”
Remy could feel the winds, from what she guessed was an EF3 tornado, start to batter them around, the outer bands threatening to rip Thor off the road. Her breath was coming in short, rapid spurts, and she could feel her heart hammering against her chest. “Shit, shit, shit!”
The funnel had grown to three-quarters of a mile wide and was barreling down on the small town of Mapleton, and in its path, was Thor and its rather unsettled occupants.
Remy had a death grip on the steering wheel with one hand, and her other hand shielded her face from the debris that was being kicked up and thrown at them at over one hundred miles an hour. The small bits of dirt and sand stung the hell out of her face and she was tempted to roll the window up, but didn’t in case the hail started to fall.
She shoved the video camera at Carmen, forcing her to release her grip and take it. “Keep filming. This was your idea, remember.”
“Remind me what a tanta I am for suggesting this.” Carmen said over the din.
The truck rattled around them. The winds had almost doubled the closer they got to the tornado. Remy looked left and deciding they were close enough that the tornado would pass over them, pulled over and pushed a button to lower heavy steal pieces that would anchor the truck to the ground and hopefully keep them from getting ripped off their mooring.
The debris was too much and she was forced to roll up the window. Fortunately, the hail was only small, golf ball size pieces. Her fear now was getting hit by a large piece of debris or tree that the storm had ripped out of the ground.
“Oh fuck!” Carmen ducked instinctively. A large branch slammed against the truck and veered off just as quickly. “Que Dios, me ayude!”
“Hey, what about me?” Remy shouted.
Carmen crossed her chest and shrugged. “I’ll try, Chica, but I don’t think God likes me enough to save both of us.”
Remy swatted Carmen’s arm. Even in danger, they were at odds. They were like sisters. She felt the truck rattle dangerously, and she grabbed the doorframe. “God damn it!”
Carmen looked at her askance. “Kinda working against me here.”
“Sorry.” Remy threw a cross over her chest in an attempt to help. “Holy shit! I can’t see a thing, but I think we are moving.”
Carmen stilled and felt it too. Thor was inching sideways. “Oh shit, shit, we are moving! It’s spinning us around.”
They could feel the truck threatening to lift off the ground, the sheer energy of the wind around them almost too much for the anchors. Not able to make out anything in front of them, they could only tell they were moving from the queasiness in their stomachs.
Remy’s face was gray, and she felt her stomach jump. “Are you getting this? Are you getting this?”
“I got it! I got it!” Carmen shouted. The camera was shaking in her hands, and she hoped the anti—shake feature actually worked or the footage would be worthless. It would just be a gray screen and the two of them shouting loudly.
Remy felt the truck come to a stop with a small shiver. “It’s passing over. I think we made it.”
Carmen kept the camera pointed out the window till the tornado was well over them. She could see it dissipating on what she knew to be the northeast side of Mapleton. She hoped her hands had stopped shaking enough to keep the playback steady. Up till moments ago, they hadn’t been able to see anything past the first few feet out of the window, their view obscured by the tornado and the debris it tossed about without care.
Their first view of the town was utter devastation. Remy’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Over half the small town was leveled. Remy tried to drive into the town, but she was flagged down by a sheriff.
“Chaser’s, huh?” She asked as her eyes flicked over Thor’s steal hull. “You the one that called the tornado in?”
Remy shook her head. A silent understanding had passed between them the second the sheriff walked up to the window, but this wasn’t the time for either one to act on it. “Yeah, picked it up just southwest of the town.”
“Sure do appreciate that. Best as I can tell, there are only injuries, no fatalities. Could have been a totally different story, though. Heard Pocahontas took an EF4. Didn’t lose one person…luckily.” She tipped her hat and started back towards her car. Turning around, she held Remy’s gaze a moment before she spoke again. “You’ll want to head back out the way you came. We’re closing the city because of the damage.”
Remy nodded, knowing it would be useless to try and get around. Besides, there wasn’t much she and Carmen could have done anyway. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter 13
Parker ran towards Thor, anger flashing in her features. She flew at Remy and shouted a slew of cuss words in her face.
Remy backed up, confusion on her face. “What the hell?”
Parker pointed a finger in her face. “Are you nuts? You could have gotten her killed.”
“Gotten who killed?” Remy stood her ground, her gaze leveled on Parker.
“Calm down, Parker.” Carmen put her hand on Parker’s arm. “We’re okay.”
“No thanks to her.” She glared at Remy. “You could have gotten Carmen killed. You can’t just go around doing whatever you want and putting people’s lives in danger. What if something happened to the woman I love?”
Carmen stopped dead in her tracks. “You love me?”
Parker stilled and met Carmen’s gaze. “I do. I’m sorry, that’s a crappy way to tell you, but yes. I love you.”
Carmen’s lip quivered and she threw her arms around Parker. “I don’t care how you tell me. I love you too. Te amo.”
Remy shook her head, women she thought. Can’t live with them, can’t shoot ‘em. “Wasn’t even my idea.”
Neither woman heard her muttered words or saw her backing away from them. Remy pulled the truck door open and was about to get back in when Sarah hit Remy in the arm.
“Are you fucking crazy? Why on earth would you drive straight into a tornado?” She was furious, but Remy picked up on the concern buried underneath.
“You did it.” Remy said defensively.
“Not on purpose.” Sarah’s nostrils flared angrily. “I would never endanger myself or my team that way.”
Remy smiled ruefully. “I’m sorry. Scared I wouldn’t make it and you wouldn’t get another night with me?”
Sarah eyes narrowed. “What I’m scared of is some rookie gets a hold of the footage and decides that’s the cool thing to do. I’m scared that Parker finally finds someone she is willing to put her player card aside for and you risk her life.”
Remy closed the space between them till she could feel the heat coming from Sarah’s body. “But, you weren’t worried about me at all?”
Sarah gulped, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. She wanted to believe that she didn’t care, but the jump in her stomach told her otherwise. When she spoke, her voice shook nervously. “No.”
Remy held her gaze. She had hoped for the same reaction that Carmen had received from Parker, but something told her that Sarah wasn’t about to lock lips with her in the parking lot. That didn’t keep her from letting Sarah know what she wanted. “I’m not going anywhere, Bonneville.” She watched the color rise in Sarah’s cheeks. She knew she shouldn’t tease like she did, but it was so much fun getting under her skin. “You
could keep me safe, you know.”
Sarah shook her head, not understanding.
“Ask me not to do it again.” Remy whispered softly. “You know I would do anything you ask me.”
Sarah backed up, trying to break the connection, but she couldn’t free herself of Remy’s intense gaze. She suddenly wondered if there was a legitimate reason why she refused to sleep with her. She couldn’t come up with one, other than her standby. She had made the mistake once and didn’t want to repeat it for fear of getting hurt. “I can’t.”
Remy shrugged. “Then I guess we are at an impasse.”
Sarah was saved from responding by Parker’s shout. “Come on, I’m starving.”
“Oh what, your make out session is done, so we all have to jump.” Remy said wryly.
Parker laid her arm on Carmen’s shoulder and grinned. “Yeah, today, it’s all about me.”
Remy followed them into the restaurant, her eyes glued to Sarah’s shapely bottom. She found herself wishing she could cup it in her hands and bring Sarah’s clit into her mouth.
When she walked through the door, Parker smirked at her.
“Nice view?”
“Uh, yeah.” Remy managed to stutter.
Sarah looked at the menu and nudged Parker. “Coney Island Wiener House. Really?”
“Best weiner in town.” Parker teased. “And, they say lesbians don’t like wiener.”
Remy groaned loudly and turned to Carmen. “Can you put a leash on your pet?”
Carmen laughed and threaded her arm through Parker’s. “There’s no taming her. And, she does have a point. I am particularly fond of her weiner.”
“Is that so?” Remy smirked. “You packing, Parker?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Sarah watched them, a look of confusion on her face. “What are you guys talking about? Packing?”
Parker coughed nervously, her eyes pleading with Remy. “Can you help a brother out?”
“Hey, you strapped your problem on, now deal with it.”
“Come on, Remy. Just tell me.”
Remy found the lost look in her eyes very endearing, and she had to force herself to stop staring. She pulled Sarah towards her and leaned into her. Her hair brushed Remy’s nose and she got lost in her scent. Sarah smelled like rain and summer, two of Remy’s favorite smells. She inhaled deeply, getting momentarily lost. Finally, getting herself together, she whispered in Sarah’s ear.