Twist of Fate

  Syd Parker

  Twist of Fate

  Copyright © 2012 by Syd Parker

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this book only. No part or entirety of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any form without the express written consent of Syd Parker Books.

  Cover Artist: Syd Parker

  Published by: Syd Parker Books

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  This book is dedicated to the all the families that lost loved ones in the deadly tornadoes that swept through Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri in 2011.

  Chapter 1

  “God damn it, Vega, find me a fucking road.” Remy Tate shouted. She leaned over the steering wheel and stared through the windshield at the menacing looking sky overhead. “We’re gonna lose it!”

  “Chill, Chica.” Carmen Vega said sarcastically. “The storm hasn’t even dropped a funnel yet.” Carmen squinted at the smart phone in one hand and the wrinkled map in the other. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her chocolate brown eyes were hidden behind Raybans, despite the fact that the clouds had made it look almost like night outside. Her perpetually brown skin glistened with sweat, her Puerta Rican heritage belying the fact that she spent a lot of time in a car and not actually out in the sun. At forty—one, she was well past the age that she gave a shit what anyone thought about her. She lived too many years to be stuck doing something she hated. That’s why when her best friend Remy had begged her to be her spotter, she jumped at the chance for a new adventure. So far, each new tornado season had given her enough excitement to stay and the stops in between had given her enough female companionship to make it enjoyable. “Take a right here. We should pick up County Road 250 South. We can take it all the way out to North 4 and intersect with the storm near Meriden.”

  Remy ran a hand through her dirty blond hair and fixed her hazel eyes on Carmen. “You’re sure? I don’t want to miss another one.” Carmen had gotten them lost on the last chase, and they missed a storm that dropped five tornadoes, including one that was an EF4. What made it even worse, was Remy’s biggest competition in the field of storm chasing, Sarah Phillips, had been caught in an EF2 tornado and sold the footage to CNN. It was the first time anyone had ever ridden a tornado and it infuriated Remy that it hadn’t been her team that was involved. She had cussed at Carmen for two hours straight and had it been anyone but Carmen, they would have caught the first greyhound and left Remy by herself, shit out of luck. “Just making sure. Hell of a storm we missed.”

  Carmen rolled her eyes. “Listen, Chica, you keep riding my ass about that and you’re gonna be driving with one hand and reading the map by your damn self.”

  “Promises, promises. I couldn’t get rid of you if I tried.” Remy slowed and turned right on County Road 250 South. The dust flew up around them and mixed with the tiny droplets of water on the windshield. She tried running the wiper blades over it, but all that succeeded in doing was streaking the dirt around further. “How far away are we?”

  Carmen squinted at the map, comparing it to the storms developing just northeast of them. “I’m guessing five miles.” She glanced out the window at the clouds whirling around them. “Maybe ten, tops.”

  Remy pushed the pedal down a bit more, nursing as much out of Thor as she could. Thor, as she had named the Dodge Ram that was incased in a layer of thin steel, jumped almost imperceptively and the speedometer needle edged up slightly. It wasn’t the most attractive ride and could almost be confused with a wartime tank, but it was by far the safest mode of transport to face the danger of the tornadoes and other weather they faced almost daily. During the tornado season, they could track a dangerous storm most days even if it meant spending countless hours driving from one dying storm to the next, sometimes existing on only a few hours’ sleep. “How’s it looking so far?”

  Carmen held the radar up in front of Remy’s face and watched a small smirk form in the corner of her mouth. She could see from the radar a small bow echo had already formed in the squall line, and that meant they had a pretty good chance of seeing at least one funnel cloud, and maybe a tornado would drop, if they were lucky. “Looks good, Chica, no?”

  Remy’s only response was a slight nod. She didn’t waste much time on chit chat. That had been a complaint of her girlfriends in the past. She never talked or at least not enough for them. She didn’t spend a lot of time gushing about her feelings either. She figured if the woman she was with needed constant reassurance, she was with the wrong girl. In her relatively short time on the earth, she hadn’t met a woman that she was willing to change for. But hell, twenty—nine was old enough that she didn’t care if she ever changed.

  She concentrated on the road in front of her. The rain was coming down in sheets now, and she was having a hard time making out the lanes between the heavy drops. She could just make out the shelf cloud now not more than five miles away. Her heart started to beat faster. Chasing storms was like sex to her. Seeing the storm develop, watching for rotation, flying down country roads in search of the next storm were all like foreplay to her. The tornado dropping and watching the massive storm rage across the land, sometimes running in the opposite direction was like an orgasm.

  Her body hummed in anticipation. She could tell the temperature had dropped from the earlier highs, but she could still feel the sweat coat her body. She felt a rush building deep inside her and she smiled. It was her drug. She was addicted to this. She glanced sideways at Carmen and saw the telltale vessel bulging in her neck. They would get one today. Remy knew better than to ignore Carmen’s intuition. Aside from the one time they had gotten lost, Carmen hadn’t let her down. Her uncanny ability to sense where the most active storm systems would develop had gotten them close to the danger more times than not.

  Through the open window, she could smell the storm, and it teased her baser self. Her feral sense heightened like a hunter tuned into its prey. She could feel it in her blood. “Wall cloud.” Remy said almost to herself.

  Carmen leaned forward and followed Remy’s finger. She could see the dark edge of the storm, and she looked for rotation. This was the pattern every time. Carmen guiding the two in haphazard fashion. No fancy monitors displaying the latest radars from local weather stations, only her smart phone and a handheld map. They didn’t rely on GPS, only her uncanny ability to read a map and sense the danger.

  Remy watched the sky, absentmindedly biting her fingernails. She slowed the truck to a crawl and pulled a small video camera from behind her and started taping. She jumped when the first chunk of hail hit the outside of their steel hull. She angled the truck, hoping that the pieces wouldn’t hit at a bad angle and crack or worse yet, break through the windshield. She could feel the rain stinging her bare arm and resisted rolling up the window. She’d had hail break through the window before and having to go to the doctor to get the glass removed from her eye was not something she cared to repeat anytime soon. “There!” She shouted.

  Carmen squinted and just made out the thin rope twister spiraling towards the ground. “Tornado! Tornado. I see debris. We have confirmed touchdown.” She dialed the phone. When the 911 operator picked up, she identified herself. “This is Carmen Vega. I’m a storm chaser. We are just southwest of Meriden. We have a confirmed tornado spotting. Repeat, confirmed touchdown on Highway 4, just southwest of Meriden.”

  Remy pulled a Nikon camera from behind her and handed it to Carmen. “Get some still shots. It’s a small one, probably not more than an EF1.”

  Carmen shook her head. “Let’s head further
east. The storm looks like it’s intensifying and there’s a supercell forming over Oskaloosa.”

  Remy looked around her. “And, how am I supposed to get there genius? Last I checked, 4 only runs north—south, and you want me to go dead east? I’ll have to run all the way back down to 237 and come back up. The storm will be long gone by then.”

  Carmen smiled crookedly. “How daring are you feeling Chica?”

  Remy shot her a look as if to say what crazy mess are you about to get me into. “Not sure yet, how daring do you want me to be?”

  “Mmm, I’ve got some suggestions.” Carmen winked suggestively. “But, I don’t think you could handle a brown girl.”

  Remy snorted loudly. “Oh yeah? You think you’re Puerto Rican blood is too much for me?”

  “Dios mio.” Carmen said loudly. “You are just a baby, I would break you.”

  “I’ve handled more than a hot—blooded Latina, so don’t get too big a head.” Remy said sarcastically. “Now, what’s the plan?”

  Carmen took one more glance at the map and pointed north. “Take 4 another mile or so. We’ll run into 92. We should be able to take that straight across.”

  Remy’s brow furrowed. “Drive straight under the storm? Across Perry Lake? You are crazier than I thought.”

  “You want action then do it. If you want to be a pussy, fine we’ll settle for an EF1 today.” Carmen shrugged. “I’m sure I could come up with something to keep us busy if you want to be a chicken shit.”

  Remy gunned the truck and dirt shot out behind them. She muttered softly. “You are loco.”

  “Loca.” Carmen corrected. “Gotta use the feminine. I’m all lady remember.”

  Remy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and I’m a virgin.” She slowed and turned east on 92. She shot Carmen a look. “You sure about this? I mean I know I’m game, but a lady like yourself might get scared.”

  “Keep it up, Chica. You’ll be more afraid of the storm inside the car than the one you’re chasing.” Carmen glanced out the window. The few trees that bordered the lake were almost horizontal from the high winds of the storm. She could see the choppy waves of Perry Lake and knew that they were nearing the eye of the storm. “We’re close. Another couple of miles, and we will be right underneath her.”

  “Been in that situation before.” Carmen teased. “Right underneath a writhing, wet storm. Mmm—mmmm, wouldn’t mind that right now.”

  Remy snorted. Carmen ate, slept and breathed sex. Her Latina blood flowed with sensuality and she very rarely spent her nights alone. She loved women, and she loved making love to them. If the screams coming from the hotel room next to hers were any indication, Remy knew she didn’t just love it, she was very accomplished at pleasing women. “Look, there it is. Shit. That’s a massive supercell.”

  “We’ve got a giant hook echo.” Carmen said quietly. No matter how many times they had seen this, it never failed to amaze her. The fact that the environment could produce a storm that was so awe—inspiring, and yet so destructive at the same time, still made her breath catch. “Definite rotation.”

  Remy slowed down again and her eyes concentrated on the dark clouds overhead. “There!” She shouted. “Funnel. It’s starting. See it?”

  Carmen nodded. She pointed the video camera at the growing funnel cloud. “I got it, I got it!”

  Remy pulled the truck over, the winds from the storm whipping it around mercilessly even though it weighed several tons. Her heartbeat sped up, and her breathing became more rapid. “It’s dropping.” She pointed excitedly. “There it is.” She snapped picture after picture. “God, it’s massive. It has to be over a quarter of a mile wide.”

  “Oh shit.” Carmen jumped. She could make out sparks in the distance as the tornado ripped through the flat farmland and pulled up power lines, causing them to spark wildly. “It’s coming this way.”

  Remy’s heart pounded. The tornado had turned and was barreling down on them. She threw the truck into drive and gunned the engine. She fixed her eyes on the road and tried to steal glances at the tornado. It seemed like it was moving much faster than they were, and she shoved the pedal to the floor, coaxing a few more horsepower out of the already taxed engine. “Shit, shit, shit!” Her escalating voice got lost in a rumble of thunder.

  “Vamos, Chica.” Carmen’s body was rigid, her hand tight on the door handle. “We’ve got to go faster.” Normally, she didn’t get frightened, but the now half—mile tornado was barreling down on them.

  Remy slowed enough to take the sharp turn onto 59 and started heading south. She could hear the annoying sound of the weather siren peeling through the truck speakers. The National Weather Service has issued a…”

  “It’s official.” Carmen shrugged. “They’re only five minutes behind this time.” She watched the spinning mass in her side mirror. She saw large pieces of debris swirling up the tornado wall and shooting out the sides. “If it stays on course, it should miss Oskaloosa.”

  “Thank God.” Remy swore in exasperation. It’s gotta be EF3, maybe EF4. It would level the town.” She breathed a sigh of relief when the truck finally gained some distance on the tornado. She slowed down and turned the truck in as tight a circle as possible so they could watch the tornado’s path out of the line of danger.

  They watched it rage across the plain for several more minutes before it started to shrink and eventually pulled back into the clouds above. Remy wiped the sweat off her face. “Shit, that was close.”

  Carmen shook her head. “I got some kick ass footage though. I think that’s our best one yet.”

  Remy nodded in agreement. “That little brush with death has got me jonesing for a beer. Point me in the direction of the nearest bar.”

  Remy followed 59 south towards the small town of Lawrence. They were in between Topeka and Kansas City, and she could have opted for either one, but the rush and the stress of running from the tornado had worn her out, and all she wanted was a beer and a soft bed.

  Twenty minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of the Motel 6.

  “Really?” Carmen sighed. “Motel 6?”

  Remy opened the door and got out, ignoring Carmen’s comment. “I’ll get us a room.”

  Chapter 2

  Remy pulled into the parking lot of Johnny’s Tavern and sighed loudly. “The room is fine, you baby.”

  Carmen snorted loudly. “I know at least one cockroach crawled across my luggage, and that was before I even set it down on the floor.”

  “So, take the car.” Remy opened her door and headed towards the bar, ignoring the string of expletives that Carmen was hurling at her in Spanish. She propped the door open with her foot and stood waiting, her arms akimbo. “You coming sometime tonight?”

  Carmen flipped her the bird as she walked past, choosing not to respond to Remy’s snide comment. “Come on, Chica, let’s just get our drink on.”

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Remy followed Carmen into the bar and weaved her way through the tables to a table near the back. Her eyes were fixed on the corner, and she didn’t see Carmen stop abruptly, causing her to run smack into Carmen’s back. “Jesus, Vega. What the fuck?”

  Carmen pointed towards an occupied table in the opposite corner and smiled wickedly. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. That is one muy bonita Chica in the corner. I don’t know about you, but that’s where I’m drinking my beer tonight.”

  Remy followed her gaze and nearly came out of her boots. “I’ll be damned!” She followed Carmen to the table and smiled down at the two occupants, waiting for them to acknowledge the new visitors.

  Sarah Phillips met Remy’s bemused gaze and groaned. “Remy.”

  “What’s up, Bonneville?” Remy smirked and sidestepped a fist flying towards her stomach. “Mind if we join you?”

  “Actually, yes, I do mind.” Sarah’s voice was curt, but not rude. “We’ve got a lot to discuss and I don’t need the competition sitting around stealing ideas.”

  “It’s okay, Chi
ca.” Carmen put her hand on Remy’s shoulder and pushed her a step back. “Buenos noches, senoritas. Forgive my pushy partner. She hasn’t learned, the how you say manners yet.” Carmen’s accent, which was barely evident in every day conversation was thick tonight. She was obviously hoping to win Sarah and her companion over with her charm. “We didn’t mean to bother you, and if you prefer to not have our company, we will be happy to sit elsewhere.”

  “Come on, Cuz, what’s one night going to hurt?” Sarah’s cousin, Parker Kennedy, turned her baby blues towards Carmen and shot her a smile. “Hi, I’m Parker…Kennedy. How do you know my cousin?”

  Carmen shook her outstretched hand in a firm handshake, then let her fingers linger a moment longer than someone with no interest would. “Carmen Vega. I haven’t had the pleasure of officially meeting, what was your name, Bonneville? Only Rem’s had that honor.” She watched Remy expectantly.

  “Sarah Phillips, the illustrious Carmen Vega.” Remy waited while they said hello then leaned behind Carmen and shook Parker’s hand. “Remy Tate. Nice to meet you.” She pulled back and grabbed Carmen’s arm. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  Parker grabbed Carmen’s hand and stopped them. “Come on, you guys. Sit down. Sarah doesn’t mind, do you, Sarah?”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. She hadn’t ever been able to say no to Parker and it seemed tonight wouldn’t be the first time. She motioned at the empty chairs and smiled. “Sure, whatever.”

  Remy sat down wearily, the day’s events taking a toll on her mentally and physically. No matter how much she enjoyed the chase, it always wore her out. Her gaze met Sarah’s and she smiled a cute sideways smile. She wrapped a light brown curl around her forefinger. “You got your hair cut since I saw you last. It’s cute.”

  “Don’t.” Sarah whispered, her blue eyes blazing. “It won’t work this time.”

  Remy flashed her an innocent smile. “What?”