Under Dust Painted Skies
Chapter NineZac blinked against the surrounding darkness. He could just make out the faint design of the popcorn ceiling, or maybe he was just recalling it from memory. He'd spent plenty a sleepless night lying in much the same spot and position.
The light sprinkle of rain on the rooftop served as the background score to yet another sleepless night. His mind was too full of scenarios that seemed to make his insides twist uncomfortably.
Unlike other sleepless nights, Kate was not the thought pushing at his mind and keeping him from falling into unconsciousness.
Remy had left hours ago. He'd argued against her suggestion to call the police. He'd tried to reason they had no solid proof while she contended that the police were seeking any information pertaining to the case. Zac knew she was most likely right, but when he confessed his fears about being laughed off, she'd surrendered slightly, but their evening had ended in a stalemate.
It was easy to see the whole plight had Remy spooked. It was only natural, and there was a fair part of him that was right there with her in the fear. Rather than continue his online search for more information on Ted Cline, Zac had retreated to the basement once it became apparent he and Remy would not be coming to an agreement as to how to proceed.
As he'd painted, Zac's mind was not at all focused on the canvas. The art showing was the furthest thing from his mind. Instead, as his brush had moved across the course material, he plunged forward in his mind, making a mental catalog of everything he had found while scouring news sites seeking information on the missing women. Names and faces swirled throughout his head, twisting and turning until they resembled something similar to the splatters of paint he'd thrown on the canvas.
Remy had left when he decided to depart to the basement. She had seemed both nervous and slightly angry. He knew the latter was aimed at his stubbornness while the former was a result of unease brought on by the man across the street.
After he'd had his fill of painting and an overload of disturbing scenarios, Zac had returned to the first floor. He'd checked through the windows, comforted by the ability to see through the utility room window into Remy's kitchen. Remy was seated at the table having her dinner. Luca was noticeably absent, but he figured she had probably already devoured her food and scampered off elsewhere, as was the norm when they ate at his house. The sight of the food - though he couldn't tell what it was - reminded him of his own empty belly.
It had been lonely cooking a meal for one, but he couldn't blame Remy for leaving for the rest of the evening. As outspoken as she could often be, she rarely spoke without considering her words. He figured she didn't want to say something unkind out of frustration. After dinner, he'd watched the news, wondering if they might mention the missing women once again. Instead, they were focused on Texas conservatives winning their case to change the curriculum on history and economics.
Zac had rolled his eyes and changed the station to some sitcom that he only found mildly amusing. When it was dark enough to be passable as a bedtime, Zac had peeked through the windows yet again, checking to make sure nothing seemed out of place next door. Most of the lights were off, but he'd been able to spy Remy in the living room, curled up on the couch with the television on as she read. He smiled slightly at the sight of her and felt a pull deep in his belly that he chose to ignore as he turned and headed upstairs.
That had been a couple of hours ago. There had been a few times when he'd almost drifted off, but something always seemed to jar him awake at the last second. In the distance, he could hear claps of thunder. With the rain already present, the lightning couldn't be too far off.
"Just what this night needed," he muttered into the darkness. Despite his listlessness, his eyes once again began to grow heavy. Each time he blinked, it became more difficult to open his eyes until finally he stop trying to reopen them. His breathing began to even and he let himself drift, hoping that this would the time when sleep finally captured him.
--
When Zac woke, at first he thought it had been the thunder that had roused him. It took him a moment to orient himself. He was confused for a second. Most night's he woke from a dream, but tonight he couldn't remember anything that might have happened in his dream world.
The rain had picked up while he slept, and, as expected, the thunder was no longer distant but instead seemed to be right overhead. A flash of lightning lit up his otherwise dark room. He checked the clock on the nightstand, wondering how long he had been asleep. It was just after two. He groaned in frustration. He'd only slept a couple of hours. He cursed the storm and made to lie back down, knowing it would probably be at least another hour before he could get back to sleep, but a sound from downstairs froze him in place.
He listened carefully, wondering if maybe he'd just imagined the noise or maybe it was just the sound of the house settling. That was what his mother used to always tell him when he was younger and couldn't sleep because of something he heard.
Zac waited for several seconds and upon hearing nothing, other than the storm, he let out a sigh of relief just as he heard it again. He couldn't make out the noise, but his hackles were up now. Carefully, he climbed out of bed. The feel of his bare feet against the cool floor sent a shiver up his spine, but he shook it off as he tiptoed toward the door.
Before reaching for the knob, he grabbed the bat that leaned against the wall. It was nothing more than a souvenir from childhood that now served as a meaningless prop among his various possessions, but tonight its presence was a source of comfort. He held the smooth wood firmly in one hand as he reached for the doorknob. He twisted it and pulled the door inward just enough so that he could peek out into the hallway. It was empty, but then that wasn't surprising, as the noise he'd heard had been downstairs.
He opened the door slowly, even though it didn't so much as creak on a good day. He moved out into the hallway, scanning the ominous open doors as he moved toward the top landing of the stairs. Nothing seemed out of place but it was hard to tell in the darkness.
At the top of the stairs, he squinted into the blackness. Only the lightning filtering in through the windows lit his way as he took several deep breaths and forced his feet to move downstairs.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if Ted Cline had come to finish him off after discovering that Zac was onto him. He chided himself for not just grabbing the phone and calling the police, but again his pride stopped him. What if he was just overreacting to nothing? Calling them now and making an ass out of himself would certainly make the police laugh him off if he ever worked up the nerve to share his theory about the man across the street.
He took each step with careful precision, knowing when and where which step had an inclination to creak. He couldn't imagine how he might appear to an onlooker, tiptoeing from one side of the steps to another. It probably looked like some sort of crazy dance. If his heart weren't pounding so fiercely, he'd probably laugh at himself.
When he reached the bottom landing, he stood there for a moment, listening carefully for any sounds. The rain had intensified and the thunder was really picking up, so he strained his ears. That was when he heard it again.
It was odd, though, because it sounded like . . . sobbing?
Perplexed, Zac moved toward the noise, which seemed to be coming from his foyer. That realization made the earlier noises he heard start to click in place. Only Luca usually slammed through the doorway, making an abundance of noise that was easily discernable from any room in the house. Though marred slightly by the enveloping weather, the noise he'd heard was something akin to that, but it made no sense for Luca to be in his house at this time of night.
Wary though he was and fully aware of the bat still in his hands, Zac held it ready to swing just in case, but he didn't move with nearly as much caution as before as he made his way toward the partition to the foyer because he had just the faintest idea who he had heard crying.
The partition doorway seemed even more ominous in the darkness as he approached, but as the sobbing got louder, Zac became surer of his suspicions. Still, they made no sense, and he in turn made strides to remain quiet.
When he reached the partition, he stood behind it for a moment, listening carefully. He could only hear the convulsive cries of the person on the other side of the door and nothing else. If his suspicions were right, though, there should have been at least two people on the other side of the door.
Confused and troubled, Zac took several deep breaths, preparing himself, before finally sliding the partition door to the side. It did not creak in the darkness, and Zac wondered vaguely if Remy had sprayed it with WD-40 to remedy its previous grating.
Partition drawn aside, the sobbing grew louder. Zac paused and squinted into the darkness, trying to locate its source. Then lightning filtered through the curtains and lit the small receiving area just long enough for Zac to see that his instincts were correct.
"Remy?" he said, speaking softly and hoping not to startle her.
She gasped, uncurling from her fetal position on the floor. "Zac," she cried. After seeing her form once, it was easier to make out her form in the darkness, but Zac realized Remy probably didn't have the same advantage. He reached over and flicked on the overhead light.
Remy blinked several times into the brightness while Zac took in her appearance. She looked soaked through and through with puffy, red rimmed eyes.
Pausing for only a second, he stepped into the antechamber toward her. When he was within reach, to Zac's shock, Remy threw herself into his arms. "Remy?" he asked stunned. "What's going on? What are you doing here?" Then the thought that had flickered in his mind once before bubbled to the surface, "Where's Luca?"
She clung to him tightly, and Zac could feel her shaking. Despite her muffled voice, he understood as she spoke into his chest. "I took her to Alec's earlier."
Zac exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and rubbed her back gently. It was rather unsettling to see Remy so rattled when she was typically such a strong willed woman. When she didn't answer his other questions, he prompted her again.
She rested her cheek against his sternum this time as she spoke, making it easier to understand her words. "I fell asleep reading on the couch, but then something woke me up. It sounded like it was coming from the back door. I was . . ." she faltered a moment, and Zac stroked her hair gently. "I was too scared to go look myself, so I grabbed my purse and keys and ran over here."
Zac understood then that she was uncomfortable admitting that she'd been too afraid. Zac wasn't surprised, though. It was only just today that she fully began to believe in what his brothers had termed insanity, and after being caught snooping around Ted Cline's house, it only made sense that she would feel uneasy.
As to whether or not there had been a noise coming from her back door, Zac could only guess. Ted Cline seemed like a pretty smooth operator. He'd evaded detection for these last five years and had likely evaded being caught before that. This was a man who had got away with murder several times over, but would he be stupid enough to attempt breaking into Remy's house? Zac had no answer to that.
"You're okay," Zac said, trying to soothe her. "It was smart to just come here instead."
Remy sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "Did I wake you up?" she wondered.
"Nah, I was just staring at the ceiling," Zac lied smoothly. "Why didn't you come up and let me know what was going on?"
Remy shrugged her shoulders, but he guessed that the answer had something to do with her pride. If he hadn't come downstairs and found her, she probably would have sobbed herself to sleep. They were alike in that way.
"It's late," he said after a moment. "Why don't we go upstairs and try to get some sleep?"
Remy nodded against his chest, but when he moved to pull away, she clung to him. He held onto her, waiting. Finally she whispered, "Will you stay with me? I really don't want to be alone."
"Of course," Zac agreed, but he felt a lump grow in his throat. He hadn't shared a bed with a woman in three years, and though he knew this wasn't the same, this was certainly a line he and Remy had never crossed. He thought she'd only entered his bedroom a handful of times, none of which were while he was in bed.
Pushing his worries aside, he pulled away slightly but took her hand in his. This time when he moved to go back toward the stairs, she moved with him. He flicked off the light as he went. He glanced back toward the front door and felt a heavy sense of unease rest above his heart. "Did you lock up after you came in?" he asked.
His eyes were better acquainted with moving in the darkness of the house, so he was able to see her nod her head as she said, "Yes. I doubled checked."
"Okay," he murmured, satisfied that she was spooked enough to ensure that she had locked the place up nice and tight. He tugged her arm and together they made their way upstairs.
They were quiet as they walked, but the silence was thick with unease; Remy's a result of being frightened awake, and his in answer to sharing his bed with a woman, who only days ago had kissed him awake in his dreams.
When they reached his bedroom, Zac released Remy's hand and sat the bat he'd nearly forgotten he was holding back in its place and pushed the bedroom door shut and clicked the lock into place. Then Zac remembered Remy's clothes were soaked.
"Let me find something for you to sleep in," he whispered, crossing the room to his dresser. The lightning lit up the contents of the second drawer down. He pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of boxers. He knew they would be too big, but it was the best he could do. He handed them over to Remy. "You can change and dry off in the bathroom," he said, nodding toward the door to the en suite bathroom.
Remy seemed to hesitate for just a second. Then she steeled herself and headed toward the bathroom. Zac flicked on the lamp on his nightstand and glanced around the room, hoping he hadn't left anything embarrassing lying around, but then it wasn't like Remy hadn't done his laundry before. She'd sifted through his dirty underwear and socks. He supposed it couldn't get any more embarrassing than that.
Satisfied that there was nothing of consequence out of place in his bedroom, Zac moved to the bed. He tried to straighten the twisted sheets. He'd always been something of a restless sleeper. His brothers had always complained about sharing a bed with him when staying at hotels because he had a tendency to squirm around and kick. Kate used to threaten to tie him to the bed. He'd smirked at the suggestion then, thinking that he wouldn't be opposed to some light bondage.
Thinking of that now caused a stirring in the pit of his belly. He tried to push those thoughts away. The last thing he needed was to crawl into bed with Remy while sporting a semi.
That turned out to be no problem, though, because when Remy reemerged from the room, he took in her slightly tear swollen face and tired eyes and any sexual thoughts that had filtered through his mind quickly fled. He did notice that she seemed to swim in his clothing, and this was somehow appealing to him. He shook these thoughts away and motioned toward the bed. "Let's try to get some sleep."
Remy nodded and crossed the room to the bed. She crawled in and moved to the other side, as if she knew that he typically slept on the right side. He slid under the covers, trying not to think about how strange this was to be sharing a bed with Remy as he turned the bedside lamp off.
At first they lie stiffly on opposite sides of the bed, but it was clear from their breathing that neither of them was falling asleep. Finally, Remy seemed to work up the courage to scoot closer to him. The heat coming off of her skin felt nice against his beneath the covers. Without thinking, he held his arm out, welcoming her to cuddle up beside him.
Once she'd slid up to his side, she rested her head in the space between his neck and shoulder and rested her arm on his chest. He squeezed her shoulder for reassurance, feeling the tenseness radiating through her.
"Thanks," she murmured softly as she let herself relax into the embrace.
Zac shrugged, knowing she could feel the movement, as if to say, "It's nothing." And it wasn't. It seemed natural now that she was curled up beside him.
Comfortable as they both were, sleep still seemed to evade them. Finally, Remy spoke, "Would you think me crazy if I said I think Ted Cline was trying to break into my house?"
"No," Zac said without hesitation. "I don't think you're crazy. I think you're probably right."
Zac figured Remy wouldn't want him to coddle her and try to convince her otherwise. After all, he always appreciated how she wasn't afraid to tell it to him straight as she saw it.
"How do you think he's got away with it for so long?" she wondered. Zac didn't have to ask what she was talking about. He already knew because this was a question he'd asked himself several times over.
"I think he's usually pretty careful," Zac said. "None of those missing women I found online seemed to disappear one right after another. It was spaced out, so even if the police were aware of a pattern, it didn't seem like they'd have any way of knowing if, when or where he might go next, ya know?"
Remy nodded against his shoulder. "But those women here - they disappeared pretty close together. Did you read anything about the police considering a serial killer here?"
"No," Zac murmured. "But you're right. Those women did disappear closer together than most of the others. But how long has Cline lived here? Close to six months?"
"Something like that," Remy agreed. "Why?"
"Well, as far as I could tell these two women are the first ones to disappear from here under the same circumstances as the ones in the other cities," Zac explained. "If he hasn't been out on the prowl for six months, then maybe Myra Barton wasn't enough. Maybe that's why he had to go out sooner and found Bianca Saxton."
"Did you ever consider being a detective?" Remy half teased just to lighten the mood.
"No, I made my career decision when I was around six-years-old," Zac murmured, slight amusement in his tone. "Just think, another six months and Luca might have her whole career planned out."
"Hmm, don't put scary thoughts like that in my head," Remy laughed softly, absently drawing circles on his stomach with her fingers.
"Sorry, sorry," Zac backpedaled, teasingly. "She's going to be a perpetual child. Never grow up. The world will refer to her as Petra Pan, cousin to Peter."
"That's more like it," Remy agreed. "But she can't run away to Neverland."
"Of course not."
Remy sighed, and Zac combed his fingers through her soft hair. "Did you really know you wanted to be a musician when you were so young?" she wondered after a while.
"Yeah, I guess so," he said begrudgingly. This wasn't something he particularly cared to discuss, but, of all people, Remy seemed like the safest if he was going to talk about. "I think it was fueled more so by Isaac and Taylor's desires, and I just wanted to be included, but I did grow to love it even though it was a lot of work."
"Do you miss it now?" she wondered.
"No," he answered firmly. And this was the truth. In the grand scheme of everything he'd lost, music was at the very bottom of the totem pole.
"You never talk about her, but you still miss her, don't you?"
He didn't have to think to know she was talking about Kate. He realized Remy would be careful enough not to say the name, even though she did know it.
"Yeah," he admitted. "All the time, every day. She was my best friend."
"I'm sorry," Remy whispered. Whether the apology was for his loss or for simply bringing her up, he couldn't say, but discussing Kate didn't hurt nearly as much as he expected.
"I think you and her would have liked each other," Zac commented offhandedly. He had no idea why he said it. It wasn't as if it were really something he thought about, but as he spoke the words, he knew they were true.
Remy was quiet for a moment before she softly said, "If she loved you as much as you loved her, then I'm sure you're right."
Zac smiled a little at this because, without a shadow of doubt, he knew that the Kate did love him just as much as he loved her. There was something comforting in knowing that, even if it was bittersweet.
He squeezed Remy's side and she gave him a squeeze back. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought he should feel awkward about this closeness with Remy, but now that the initial weirdness had passed, it felt easy, natural. In some ways, it reminded him of the early days with Kate, when they'd lounge together on the back of the tour bus or cuddle up on one of the bunks for a nap. Despite the similarities, though, he was entirely aware that Remy was not Kate, but he was okay with that.
He remembered Taylor's accusations from days earlier, claiming that he had feelings for Remy. Then he'd thought this was a completely ridiculous accusation, but now he wondered if maybe Taylor was onto something. He never really gave Remy much thought as far as physical attributes went. When they first met, she had been in a relationship and he was just a mess. Their friendship and easy camaraderie had developed first. Over time he'd taken note of her positive attributes - like her friendly smile and kind eyes. Just earlier he'd been trying to do everything but eye her derriere. She was small chested, but he certainly didn't find that unattractive. It seemed to suit her slender dancers figure.
Yes, Remy was a gorgeous woman. It felt odd finally allowing himself to think what he'd known for so long. Maybe, on some very limited level, Taylor had been right. Remy didn't seem to have a huge issue with his 'limitations,' as Taylor had referred to them. The only time she really seemed to get frustrated with him was when he moped around and let things go around the house, but she didn't seem to have a problem with getting on his case about it.
Remy was always honest with him. Sure, sometimes she'd hold her tongue, but if he asked her, she wasn't afraid of stating her opinion. This reminded him of the other part of his conversation with Taylor, about what he should have told Remy when she talked about leaving to find a job in the fall. Maybe Taylor was right. Remy obviously valued honesty.
"Rem?"
"Yeah?"
"I know this is kind of . . . random . . . but," he paused a moment, trying to gather both the words and courage to continue. "I wanted to be honest with you about something."
"Okay," Remy said slowly, lifting her head to meet his eyes. Even through the darkness, he could make out the frown on her face. "What is it?"
He swallowed thickly before forcing himself to speak. "The other day when you talked about getting another job in the fall . . ." He teetered for a moment, wondering why it was so hard just to say what he was feeling. He met Remy's concerned eyes through the darkness and made himself go on. "I just wanted to tell you . . . I didn't say it before, but . . . I wanted you to know that I-I don't want you to go. I'll miss you."
It was quiet a moment, and he guessed that either Remy was surprised or was just waiting to see if he was going to say more. Finally, she replied, "Oh, Zac, I'm not going anywhere. I told you that. I'll still be here."
"Not as much," he muttered.
"Aren't you sick of me yet?" she teased.
"I'll never be sick of you," he confessed. He was thankful for the darkness because he was sure his cheeks were flushed. Remy could probably feel the heat radiating off of them, but at least she couldn't see it.
Remy smiled and moved her hand up to cup his cheek. She looked him straight in the eyes, as she spoke, "I'm not leaving you. You're my best friend." The intensity of her gaze and the conviction of her words were hard to argue. He had to swallow a lump in his throat. The ferocity of the moment was palpable, thick enough that he felt he could reach out and touch it. As if realizing this at the same moment, Remy spoke again, "Besides, Luca would never forgive me if she lost her Spongebob watching buddy."
Zac chuckled a little at that, and without thinking, lifted the hand that still rested against his cheek and kissed the palm gently. Only when Remy sucked in a breath did he realized what he had just done and how intimate it seemed in this setting.
Zac's first instinct was to apologize, but when he lifted his eyes to meet hers, he couldn't seem to form the words. He gazed at her for a prolonged moment, and he realized his heart was hammering with anxiety. It wasn't the same kind as when he approached the front door or thought about going outside. No, this was an anxiety that was slightly more natural. Something that he was rather accustom to as a slightly awkward teenager who had no idea what to do when it came to the opposite sex.
Remy held his gaze, but there was something different there in her eyes - something he'd never seen before and wasn't totally sure he was deciphering right. It looked like desire, but it had been so long since any woman had looked at him that way that he was sure he was wrong. Maybe it was just a trick of the light.
However, when Remy cautiously leaned her face closer to his, his heart seemed to pick up speed, and the concept of breathing left his mind altogether. She moved slowly, carefully, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that she was giving him the chance to stop her. Despite his uncertainty and confusion, though, he felt no urge to stop her.
As if reading this in his expression, she continued her descent until her lips met his. His mind went blank for a moment. Maybe it was because it had been so long since he'd kissed anyone, but once the wonderstruck feeling passed, he was able to register the soft smoothness of her supple lips. She sucked his bottom lip gently, and he was sure he heard the faintest of moans, but he couldn't be sure - not with the thunder clapping all around them.
In spite of his lack of practice, kissing Remy came easily. It wasn't clumsy or uncomfortable, as he might have expected. Calling it pleasant seemed to devalue the experience because it was so much more than that. Not for the first time since Remy's unexpected arrival, he felt his manhood begin to swell.
He groaned softly into her mouth and felt her lips curl upward; she pressed her lips to his firmly once more before pulling away. Zac took several deep breaths before opening his eyes to face Remy, unsure what expression he might find upon her face, but when he found her face in the darkness, her smile was still in place.
He felt himself smiling back, but more than that, he could feel the heaviness of fatigue starting to descend upon him. He knew they'd likely have to talk about what the kiss meant, but right now he just wanted to sleep. Remy pressed a gentle, chaste kiss to his lips once more that made the smile remain firmly in place before snuggling back into her spot at the crook for his neck. He tightened the arm he had around her as she slid her hand down from his shoulder to his stomach. She clutched the soft cotton of his t-shirt, as if to hold him to her, as she murmured, "Goodnight, Zac."
"Goodnight, Remy," he replied, his words slightly slurred, but somewhere in his muddle mind, he realized that, regardless of the intense evening and worry from the night, that it was, really and truly, a good night.