CHAPTER ELEVEN
‡
Remy touched her warm lips with her fingertips, remembering the piercing tingles that had played across them that night.
Four days—that’s how long had gone by since their encounter.
She’d allowed Brody to kiss her.
She’d wanted him to, and now she had to suffer without while he was so close in proximity.
It was obvious he didn’t understand her need to deny herself, and there wasn’t anything she could say to explain why that was necessary. And it was even more apparent now after four days had gone by. That was a long time to go in avoiding the giant pink elephant in the room.
Remy hadn’t realized how badly she wanted to feel something other than grief until he’d caused her to experience…well, simply put, he made her draw a breath of fresh air for the first time in four years.
Passion.
Desire.
Heat.
Awareness.
It had all been in that one kiss.
She was no longer cold, and she wasn’t sure how to get that detached feeling back. It was how she’d survived, and she was desperately searching for her way back.
Unfortunately, a yearning unlike anything she’d ever experienced even prior to her sister’s death had made itself known.
And all from one single kiss.
Remy couldn’t look at Brody in the same light anymore—a stranger, a protector, and a barrier between life and death.
He now represented life…a life she couldn’t allow herself to dream of just yet.
She’d had no choice but to walk away from him.
How many times would she have to say that before she believed it herself?
The truth of the matter was that she refused to drag him down with her in her quest for justice at all cost.
“Remy, did you hear me?” Julia asked, concern lacing the older woman’s tone. They hadn’t spoken since that first day, and Remy had wanted to ease her concerns. It was the least she could do seeing as Ralph was extending his work hours to cover for her at meetings and business dinners. “I can put together a care package and have Ralph drop it off to you.”
“There’s no need for that,” Remy assured her, her gaze drifting to Brody who was sitting at his usual place in front of his monitors. They’d had the same routine for days on end, in addition to superficial conversations. She had to remind herself that this was for the best. “Chicken soup won’t cure what I’ve got. I just wanted to touch base with you and tell you that things are going well on this end.”
Things had been rather uneventful, which was slightly discerning. Exactly why had David checked into the Plaza Park Hotel? She would have thought it was to visit where he’d taken Anna’s life, but he hadn’t left his room once. At least, not that anyone had seen.
Remy tore her eyes away from Brody to look down at her monitor. Being in his presence continuously was causing her to lose focus.
The footage of the lobby of the Park Plaza Hotel showed that the front desk was rather busy today, with a line that hadn’t diminished since she’d accessed the security feed. She had carefully observed Brody access various sites the one evening when they’d lost sight of David.
Remy had memorized every single keystroke she could before writing it down when he wasn’t looking. The only camera she’d managed to access successfully was the front lobby of the hotel. Other than that, she was at a loss to how Brody was able to infiltrate the CCTV street cameras. Remy had almost forgotten she was on the phone when Julia started to speak once more.
Damn, but she better get her act together.
“Would you like me to stop by your apartment and water your plants? I’ve been thinking about that fern in the living room window, and I’m afraid it will wilt before you come home. I still have the Arrowhead fern Phillip left behind. I’m doing my best to keep it healthy.”
“I promise you that I’m doing okay.” Remy never knew what to say when Julia started talking about Phillip, especially when it was suggested that one day he would be back. Anna might have been her sister, but Remy had raised her like a daughter for many years. Losing a child was devastating. That cruel recap only reminded her of why it was so important to stop David from killing again. “Julia, David Varan hasn’t been anywhere near my apartment, nor Forsythe Advertising. It appears that he isn’t going to follow through with his initial threat, so we can all relax. We’ll give it another few days and then maybe we can all get on with our lives. Who knows? Maybe I can join the two of you for dinner next week.”
Remy quickly finished up the phone call with a promise to touch base with more updates before reaching for her cup of coffee. Her mug was empty. She’d taken her last sip a while ago without noticing it was her last.
She could either go back to the main house for Mr. Calvert’s special coffee, or she could suck it up and have the concoction Brody had brewed up less than an hour ago. It wasn’t that the coffee tasted bad, but it just didn’t compete with the exceptional java up at the main house. She made her decision more out of necessity than anything. She didn’t want to leave her laptop.
“We should talk about it.”
Remy didn’t turn around from her position at the coffee maker. She was glad he couldn’t see when her hand stopped midstride in reaching for the carafe. Four days had gone by with neither of them mentioning what had happened in Mr. Calvert’s office. It had made things bearable. It had also given her time to get her head on straight.
Why bring it up now?
“The IT company that the hotel uses is set to run their weekly diagnostic check,” Brody continued, his voice no longer coming from behind his monitors. She spun around on her heels to find that he was already bent over her workstation and tapping at some keys. Her fear of addressing what had happened between the two of them was now replaced with desperation that she was about to lose her only connection to David’s location. “You’ll have to log off their camera feed until sixteen hundred hours.”
“Then how will we—”
“I have it covered by HUMIT.” Brody continued to work without ever once looking her way. He was angry, but it was clear he’d known all along what she’d been doing. “SSI is hired to monitor Varan’s movements, not you. It’s what we’re being paid to do. You should let us do our job.”
“How long have you known?” Remy asked, wondering why Brody had given her a deadline as to which she should remain offline. He’d said that the diagnostic check would only be until four o’clock. Did that mean he would then allow her to access the video footage? “And why didn’t you say anything?”
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why you’ve been staring at your laptop hours on end for the past four days.” Brody had apparently shut down her means of watching David’s comings and goings. He’d already gone back to his desk, and his sideways glance wasn’t enough to steel her for what came next. “As for why I didn’t say anything, what’s the point? You’ve already made your decision to dedicate your life to Varan. There’s nothing to discuss.”
“You make it sound as if I’m engaged to marry him,” Remy spit out in disgust, fire-hot anger practically engulfing her body. He still didn’t understand. “This man willfully killed my sister and got off scot free. He destroyed her life, he ruined mine, and you said yourself that he’s done this before. Why is it so hard for you to comprehend that I cannot continue on with my life while I simply sit here and do nothing to prevent this from happening to someone else?”
Remy waited for Brody to answer her, but his response never came. His cell phone vibrated and he automatically answered, though his steady gaze never wavered from hers. She hadn’t realized how well she’d gotten to know him during her time here until she noticed him take a slight extra breath at whatever he’d heard from the other person on the other end of the line.
Each of them had purposefully steered clear of bringing up topics that were too personal, but Remy had come to find out quite a few things about Brody Novak. He was messy, yet somehow brilliantly organized. He loved pancakes but hated waffles. He thrived on puzzles of every type, especially those that were nearly impossible to solve. He’d been cautious to reveal to her how good he was with knives, but she’d taken it as an intended omission. Loyalty was something he valued above all else, and she’d come recognize his subtle body language when he spoke on the phone.
That slight intake of air was how she’d begun to identify when something was slightly off. Something had gone wrong. It was Brody’s way of bracing himself, and now she was doing the same.
Had David finally left the hotel to go to Anna’s old house? What did he plan to do there?
“I’ll let her know,” Brody replied somewhat resolutely to the person who’d called. Remy could only assume the call was about Varan, but what could have happened within the last two minutes? “No, she won’t be making an appearance.”
Maybe she’d mistaken what the call was about. Had Camryn been asked to host the Oscars this year? Brody could very well be talking about his sister. She made appearances all the time.
Remy couldn’t quite convince herself of that though, considering Brody’s dark gaze was practically boring a hole right through her as he spoke to the mystery person on the other end of the phone line. Her palms began to perspire, and she resisted the urge to run them down her pink skirt. She’d purposefully chosen a brighter suit today, but it didn’t appear to be bringing either of them any cheer.
“Well?” Remy asked, her previous anger being replaced with reservation. Something had happened that she wasn’t so sure she was prepared for, nor was she ready to hear. She tried to deflect in hopes her effort would pay off. “Is this about Camryn’s movie in Daytona?”
“No.”
Brody slowly lowered his cell phone and set it down quietly and squarely on the desk in front of him. It was as if he were preparing to do battle, and that caused her chest to constrict. He wasn’t usually so cautious when speaking about Varan, which could only mean this was personal.
“Brody, just tell me what the hell is going on,” Remy exclaimed, stepping forward in her will to face whatever was thrown her way. She’d handled the worst of it. “What happened?”
“Ralph Forsythe was just taken to the hospital,” Brody revealed cautiously, seemingly bracing himself for some type of fight. She didn’t understand at first. Her mind was still computing that the man she lovingly referred to as a father figure was hurt in some way. The other connection was that it was in relation to Varan, and she would have had no qualms about taking her firearm and pulling the trigger. “He’s had an episode of some sort. Possibly a heart attack. We’ll be kept up-to-date on his current status throughout the day.”
Status?
Remy had taken an involuntary step toward the door when she finally comprehended what Brody was trying to tell her, only it was unacceptable.
“Brody, I have to go to the hospital. I’m not asking either. I’m going.”
“There’s nothing you can do there that you can’t do here,” Brody countered, standing up from the stool he’d chosen to sit on instead of his usual chair. He ran a hand through his hair, signifying just how hard he was trying to contain himself from simply denying her outburst as completely irrational. Well, that was too damn bad. “There’s a reason you are here, Remy. David Varan is—”
“Is currently holed up in a hotel near the house where he killed my sister, probably jacking himself off to daydreams of the torture she’d endured at his hands,” Remy pointed out, not bothering to look back over her shoulder as she headed for the door. “Make sure he stays there, because with Ralph in the hospital, it’s not like I have anything to lose now.”
*
It was almost time.
He glanced over at the small clock on the nightstand of the hotel. The vibrant color of the red, illuminated numerical numbers reminded him of the blood.
He was thirsty.
The urge to stare into her blue eyes while he rescued her soul from that vile demon was becoming overwhelming. That clear and prophetic vision was what drove him through the countless sessions given by numerous psychiatrists who didn’t believe him when he explained his role in this world. He’d learned early on that some of them were mind-controlled by the very entity he sought to destroy.
They would not dissuade him from his path as ordained by God himself.
He slowly ran his tongue over his upper lip, recalling the sweet taste of the red leather.
He couldn’t wait for another lick.