CHAPTER NINE
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Remy turned her head quickly, hoping to ward off the mosquito that had decided to follow her from the back deck to mission control. At least, that’s what she’d dubbed Brody’s NASA-style workspace with all the monitors and devices scattered all around. She winced when the bloodsucking insect managed to actually bite her cheek before she managed to shift both cups of hot chocolate into one hand.
“Damnit,” Remy muttered, rubbing her cheek against her shoulder as she crossed the threshold only to find that Brody was waiting for her. He relieved her of the two mugs that she’d brought with her, allowing her to quickly close the door behind her. “I thought the cooler weather would have gotten rid of these mosquitos. This is the second time today that I’ve been bitten.”
“It’s the pond,” Brody pointed out somewhat distractedly, having already turned around to head back to his chair. He set both mugs down before taking a seat and rolling up to the monitors without even a thank you. She tried to shove back the brief flash of fear, but the emotion had already flooded her bloodstream. “The mosquitos will most likely hang around here for another couple of weeks.”
“What’s wrong?” Remy asked hesitantly, wanting to know what had him so on edge. She did want to know, yet she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear it. Today was the first day she’d gone without carrying her weapon. Now she was regretting that decision. “Brody? You’re starting to scare me.”
“There’s nothing to be scared of,” Brody assured her, finally breaking his gaze from the various footage that was streaming across another monitor. Remy stepped closer and blindly reached a hand out for one of the chairs that had been pushed against the desk. She finally managed to sit herself on the mesh of the seat. “You’re safer here than you would be anywhere else.”
“Then why are you watching footage that occurred hours ago from the area around my apartment?” Remy already knew the answer, but she needed to hear it aloud. She tried to slow down her heartrate. She wasn’t successful, no matter how hard she tried to even out her breathing. “Has David tried to get inside my apartment?”
“No. As a matter of fact, he hasn’t been to your place of residence, to your workplace, to your gym, nor the park where you take your morning run.” Brody continued to click some keys on his keyboard, fast forwarding the previous recording before switching to footage from another site. “I’m trying to retrace his steps from when he left his apartment this morning.”
Remy used the edge of the table to draw herself closer to Brody’s chair. She then curled her legs underneath her after she’d seized one of the hot chocolate mugs. She’d made them the beverages due to the cooling weather, and as a peace offering. She was no longer in the mood for the sweet drink, but the warmth of the mug soaked into her cold fingers.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Can you think of anywhere that you’ve frequented in the past couple of weeks that Varan would—”
Brody lifted his fingers off the keyboard and stared intently at one of the monitors. It happened to be the one that was constantly monitoring the corridor outside of David Varan’s apartment. Her stomach churned as he casually strolled down the hall. He stopped in front of his door, taking the time to look both ways before he slid the key into the lock. Within seconds, he’d vanished from the view of the camera.
It was more than apparent the man’s absence had concerned Brody. Therefore, she should also be worried. Wasn’t she always, though?
“Did, um…did he have an interview today? Did he have a meeting with his case officer?”
Remy was throwing out possible reasons for David’s disappearance for so many hours. She wasn’t very successful.
“No on both counts.” Brody sighed and leaned back in his chair, finally giving her his attention. His dark eyes examined her thoroughly, even taking in the fact that she was dressed in a pair of clean shorts and a lightweight hoodie. She forced herself to take a sip of the hot chocolate to give herself something to do. What was his obsession with clothes? She didn’t like to think he assumed the worst of her. “I was able to trace his steps this morning to a local coffee shop. He stayed only long enough to get his order and then walked the streets of the city for a good hour before he disappeared into the throngs of people wanting to grab their lunch. I don’t think it was intentional.”
“How do you access those traffic cameras?” Remy asked, her gaze being drawn to David’s door. “Isn’t it illegal to spy on people like this?”
Brody didn’t answer her right away, but instead reached for his hot chocolate. He raised his mug to hers, leaving her no choice but to clink the porcelain cups together. He took a drink and then leaned his head back against the headrest of the leather-backed chair before closing his eyes. He was so relaxed, despite the slight setback of David’s absence. She couldn’t help but sense the tension leaving her own shoulders. In its place was curiosity and the need to know how to obtain this type of equipment.
“I cut corners when I have to and only when necessary,” Brody replied, forcing Remy’s attention back to him instead of the various screens in front of them. She’d thought his eyes were closed, but they weren’t. He’d been watching her the entire time. “Have you eaten dinner? I made sure the refrigerator was stocked before your arrival.”
“Yes, I heated myself up some chili that had been stored in the freezer.” Remy hadn’t asked him to join her, because she’d seen the evidence of his dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. He must have eaten when she’d been showering in one of the guest bathrooms. “You’re evading my question.”
“No, I’m not,” Brody disagreed with a half-smile. “I’m just not answering. You don’t need to know the type of equipment I have, the software I use, how to gain access, or where to find it. Let me ask you something. When was the last time you took a vacation? And I mean anywhere.”
“A vacation?” Remy wasn’t expecting that type of question, so she had to stop and think back to when she’d voluntarily taken some days off work. “Um, maybe five years ago when my sister and I went to St. Augustine so that she could browse some of the small antique shops.”
The sweet, long-lost memory wasn’t as painful as she’d braced herself for it to be. She even smiled when she recalled the excitement in Anna’s face when she found the perfect table to go into the entryway of her new house.
“I have a sister.”
Brody’s unexpected sharing of personal information threw her, but it was the tenderness in his tone that made her want to hear more. His carefree attitude made it seem as if he were an only child, though she wasn’t sure why she’d made that assumption.
“Younger or older?” Remy asked, decided to kick off her running shoes so that she was a little more comfortable. She brought her knees up so that she could wrap her arms around her legs while holding onto her hot chocolate. “I’m guessing older?”
“And why would you think I’m the youngest?”
“Because…well, you don’t seem to take things too seriously,” Remy hedged, instantly deciding she’d made a mistake and walked into a trap. She was starting to understand that his outward appearance masked who he was on the inside. She backed up her assumptions with what had just happened with David. “You’re always relaxed, even when something could turn into a serious situation. Having been an older sibling, there’s a weight that we carry that is recognizable.”
Brody slowly reached forward over the mounds of paperwork and numerous files to pick up a framed photograph she hadn’t seen before. He handed it to her without a word. Remy finally looked at the picture and saw two beautiful women, smiling as they each held onto their floppy hats as they stood on a windy beach. She had to do a double take at the younger woman.
“Camryn Novak is your sister?” Remy hadn’t meant to sound so astounded, but Camryn Novak? She was the actress who had a summer blockbuster hit quite some years ago. Never in a million years would Remy have made the connection between Brody and Camryn Novak. “Wow. I’m not sure what to say.”
“You see these grey hairs?” Brody asked, pointing to his dark brown hair where not a grey strand was in sight. Remy laughed as she handed back the picture and a stab of envy hit her when he looked down adoringly at the two women. She no longer had that type of connection. It was obvious that he loved his mother and sister very much. He could sympathize with her, but he would never truly know what it felt like to lose one of them. At least, she hoped to God that he never experienced the pain she felt upon waking up every morning. “Camryn gives me a brand new, silver hair every day. She’s four years younger than I am, and I spent the entirety of my high school years making sure that every hormonal boy stayed at arm’s length. It wasn’t easy. As for my peaceful demeanor, well, this is the life—palm trees, beaches, beautiful weather, and flushing toilets. There’s not much more I could ask for.”
“And your father?” Remy asked, unable to keep the inquiry to herself. She understood what it was like to shoulder responsibility, but she had never experienced a day where she hadn’t been weighed down by it. “Was he there for you growing up?”
“No, he died when I was very young,” Brody shared, crossing an ankle over his knee. There was a tinge of sorrow in his words. How could he have turned out so carefree when he’d had so many obligations? “My mother worked two jobs, but we honestly didn’t realize how hard she worked back then until we were in high school. She always had dinner on the table, made sure we did our homework, and that we could join in all the extracurricular activities. Mine was nearly every sport, whereas Camryn loved the drama department and choir. I started to help out with the finances in high school, which is partially why I chose to serve in the military. My education was free, so all the savings my mother set aside was then able to go toward Camryn’s theater art’s degree. She never wanted for anything, yet she was grateful for everything she had and she never took me or our mother for granted. I’ve been trying to get Mom to move here, but she isn’t quite ready to let go of her life in Chicago. She still has a ton of friends in our hometown.”
Remy took a drink of her now lukewarm hot chocolate so that she didn’t have to comment. Brody’s childhood sounded ideal, even though Mrs. Novak had to have struggled being a single mother. In a similar manner, Anna had been very much like Camryn. Remy had made sure Anna didn’t have any stress during those high school and college years, even though they’d had to count every penny. And she had never, ever taken anything Remy did for granted.
“You’re assuming I think you’re uptight, and that’s not the case.” Brody was going down that particular road Remy had avoided since his comment about her taste in clothes. She took another sip to give herself something to do. She didn’t want to admit that his assumption of her hit a nerve. “I’m well aware that you had to raise Anna after your mother passed, and I can only imagine how difficult that was for you. You didn’t get to enjoy your twenties the way others did, but I can also tell that you don’t regret one day you were able to spend with your sister. She was very lucky to have you there all along.”
Remy didn’t want to discuss this anymore. It was fine when they were talking about his childhood, but she couldn’t stroll down memory lane without coming back to the night her life had been torn apart. She’d uncurled her legs and had been about to stand when his warm hand wrapped around wrist.
“You’re still here, Remy,” Brody reminded her softly. This wasn’t something she wanted to hear, and it dawned on her that this was the reason he wouldn’t answer her previous question about the software he used in his surveillance. “You still have a life to lead, and you can’t do that if you’re constantly living in the past.”
“I should check my email.” Remy had purposefully changed the subject, not caring that he saw straight through her. She also didn’t react when his fingers slipped from her arm, taking away his warmth. The mug had long ago lost its heat. Now, she was just cold as usual. “I probably shouldn’t have taken this afternoon off.”
Brody looked as if he was about to argue, but lifted his mug in acceptance. How was it that she’d only known him for twenty-four hours, yet his personality and demeanor had her wanting to be something other than what she was? She set her bare feet on the tiled floor, somehow warm instead of cool as she would have expected. It only served to remind her of his touch. She couldn’t allow that to interfere with her plans.
Remy made her way to where he’d set up her workstation. She set her half-empty mug next to her laptop and took a seat. She glanced up to find that Brody was already back to staring at the multiple screens in front of him, unable to pinpoint why his disinterest bothered her.
She was losing her mind. That had to be it. She was cooped up and away from home. Her daily routine had been interrupted, and she’d let work slide into oblivion.
Tomorrow would be a new day.
Remy had just signed back into her email and was marking the ones she would need to reply to first thing in the morning when her concentration was cut short by overhearing Brody on his cell phone. She had to have misunderstood him, because otherwise her newfound constructive attitude about tomorrow would be nothing but a distant illusion.
“Could you repeat what you just said?” Remy asked cautiously, rolling her chair back so she had room to stand. It was a good thing she had the desk in front of her to lean on. “I thought I heard you say that David left his apartment with a suitcase.”
“I did,” Brody replied grimly as he pressed the phone tighter against his ear. His eyes were trained on the screens in front of him. “Keane, I need you to do me a favor while I cover for you via video feeds.”
There was a slight pause as whoever Brody was speaking to was undoubtedly asking questions. Remy managed to move, though she had to remind herself to breathe. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t lose David’s location, or else she would spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder.
“Varan is about to cut and run.” Brody now had several camera feeds displaying on at least three monitors, and was in the process of booting up a fourth. “We’re already looking for one psychopath. Let’s make sure it stays that way.”
*
He was so close.
It was almost as if he could smell the metallic scent of blood. So sweet. So very sweet.
He inhaled deeply, holding his breath for just a second more to savor the copper fragrance he missed so very much.
He sighed with contentment.
It had taken him a year to realize that his actions before had been impulsive. He might have gotten away with liberating six other tormented souls, but it was Anna’s demon who had caused him to make a mistake.
His therapist has told him that he must think before he acted on his impulses. Oh, how right the man was in his deductions. The voices inside of his head continually debated about his chosen path, but he could finally listen to the one and only true voice that had purpose.
His new friend understood what needed to be done and had given him instructions on the next phase that must be completed before the final reckoning.
It was all coming together.
And Remy would be waiting for him to set her free of her demon.