Lightning Strykes

by Sherryl Hancock

  “How’s Remi taking that?” Quinn asked.

  “Oh, she was pretty pissed… and then she was mad at me. Still is, I think.”

  “Why?” Xandy asked.

  “Because I wouldn’t take out a restraining order against her.”

  “What happened?” Xandy asked, sensing Quinn’s sudden agitation. She had a problem with women being hit as much as Remington did.

  “The night of that storm, Lauren didn’t come home,” Wynter said. “But she came home later that day, after class… and I really kind of laid into her about her drug use… It’s getting bad… and well… she…”

  “She wot?” Quinn asked her tone ominous.

  “She hit me,” Wynter said. “She was really high, and I really don’t think she meant to do it, but—”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Quinn said, shaking her head. “She had no right and I seriously hope Remi took her apart for it.”

  “No,” Wynter said, “but she did march her out of the house.”

  “And then you let her back in,” Xandy said, grimacing.

  “Yeah,” Wynter said, nodding.

  “Why?” Quinn asked.

  “We’ve been together for seven years, Quinn,” Wynter said.

  “Yeah, and apparently a week too long if she thinks she can do that and get away with it, which she did,” Quinn said, her tone agitated.

  “Quinn,” Xandy cautioned.

  Quinn looked over at Xandy and saw the way she was looking at her. Quinn blew her breath out slowly.

  “If you want Remi, why don’t you just go for it?” Quinn asked.

  “I’m not her type,” Wynter said. “She likes the really girlie girls, like Katrina.”

  “Aw, Wynter,” Quinn said, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her forefinger. “I dunno if you’ve looked in a mirror lately, but you’re very much a girlie girl.”

  “Yes, but not Remi’s kind of girlie girl, Quinn,” Wynter said. “She hates that I cuss, drink, smoke… pretty much everything I do…”

  Quinn looked considering, then nodded. “Yeah she does tend to like them a bit more… aw… innocent.”

  Wynter gave Quinn a narrowed look. “Thanks,” she said wryly.

  “Happy to help,” Quinn replied, grinning.

  “I need to get her out of my brain!” Wynter said, scrubbing at her face. “I’m so totally obsessed with her, it’s driving me crazy!”

  “Oh, I get that,” Xandy said, nodding.

  “You do?” Wynter asked.

  “Oh yeah,” Xandy said, smiling over at Quinn. “I was completely obsessed with Quinn when I first met her too. I thought I was going nuts.”

  “You weren’t even gay then,” Quinn said, grinning.

  “At least I didn’t think so,” Xandy said, nodding.

  “But when you figured it out… it was it like bam!” Wynter asked.

  “No, it took a while to convince her,” Xandy said, winking at Quinn.

  “And now?” Wynter asked, looking at Quinn.

  “Now,” Quinn said seriously, “she’s not just in my head, she’s in my blood.”

  Wynter sighed. “See? That’s what I want! I want someone to say that about me… I want to be in someone’s blood… Jesus…”

  Xandy and Quinn looked at each other, both of them understanding Wynter’s anguish.

  “You don’t think you have that with Lauren?” Xandy asked.

  “What she’s got in her blood is drugs and alcohol,” Wynter said sadly.

  “Well, you need to get rid of her,” Quinn said.

  “And then what?” Wynter said. “Be alone? No thanks.”

  “Alone?” Quinn queried. “You could have any woman you want.”

  “Except the one I actually want,” Wynter said.

  “You aren’t in love with her…” Xandy said, her tone somewhat worried.

  Wynter shook her head. “I don’t think so, but I know I want her more than any woman I’ve ever wanted before.” She leaned forward conspiratorially then. “Did you know I specifically requested her?”

  “No,” Xandy said.

  “Yes,” Quinn said at the same time.

  “You did?” Wynter asked, looking at Quinn. “How?”

  Quinn grinned. “I offered to take the bullet for Remi, but Mackie told me that you’d specifically requested her.”

  “Take the bullet?” Wynter repeated.

  “Yeah,” Quinn said, grinning unrepentantly, “you have kind of a rep, babe.”

  Wynter sighed, shaking her head.

  “If it makes you feel any better, you aren’t quite the bitch everyone thought…”

  “Oh, gee, thanks,” Wynter said, giving Quinn a narrowed look.

  Quinn just laughed shaking her head.

  “Well, it’s worse, ’cause I told Mackie that I want Remi in the room with me while we’re on tour.”

  “You wot!” Quinn exclaimed.

  Wynter nodded, grimacing at Quinn’s glowering look.

  “Wow… that’s going to be… aw… fun,” Quinn said.

  “Not if things stay the way they are between me and Remi they won’t be.”

  “I was being sarcastic, love,” Quinn said, winking.

  “I know! And thanks for that,” Wynter said, sounding anything but grateful.

  Xandy and Quinn left the house a little while later. Wynter didn’t feel any better when they did. She ended up going to bed early that night, doing her best not to picture Remington and Katrina having sex all night long.

  She awoke to Lauren cussing a blue streak.

  “What?” Wynter said, starting awake and sitting up. “Lauren, what are you doing?”

  “Just tryin’ ta get undressed here, thas all…” Lauren slurred.

  Wynter shook her head. Lauren was obviously drunk and probably high again as well. So much for all the promises she’d made this last week about getting off the drugs. Laying back down, Wynter turned over facing away from where Lauren was getting undressed.

  She felt Lauren get into bed behind her, then she felt her hands slide over her ass.

  “C’mere baby…” Lauren murmured, grabbing at her breasts from behind.

  “Lauren, stop,” Wynter said, her tone sharper than she’d meant it to be. “You’re drunk.”

  “So?” Lauren snapped. “I’m not a dude, I don’t gotta get it up er nothing… I can fuck you with this,” she said, shoving her finger into Wynter’s body making her gasp in pain.

  “Jesus!” Wynter exclaimed jumping away from Lauren’s hand.

  “Come back here, I wanna fuck…” Lauren said. She was attempting sexy, but it came out more like a man than Wynter had ever heard.

  Lauren grabbed her arm, pulling her back to her and fastening her mouth on Wynter’s, her hands sloppily trying to caress her. Wynter could sense the underlying violence in Lauren’s movement, and didn’t want to instigate another fight. She did her best to relax and get into it, but Lauren’s breath smelled, and she did as well. In a last-ditch effort to keep her revulsion from showing, Wynter imagined that Lauren was actually Remington. That was the only thing that got her through it. Afterwards, Lauren fell into a deep sleep, or maybe she passed out, Wynter wasn’t sure which. Either way, she crawled out of bed and took a shower scrubbing Lauren’s smell off her. She ended up going into Remington’s room to sleep, pressing her face into Remington’s pillow and inhaling the scent she always wore.

  Two days later, Remington arrived back at the house feeling relaxed, happy, and sated. She and Katrina had spent a good deal of time exploring the new level of their relationship. It had been a nice couple of days. Remington was hoping that things at the house had finally settled down. As she opened the door, she was blasted with music pouring from the Bose speakers in the kitchen. The Evanescence song “When You’re Sober” was on and Wynter was singing it with abandon as she cooked.

  The line, that talked about how the other person couldn’t take responsibility for their actions, but there was no playing the victim this ti
me, obviously struck a chord.

  Remington looked around wondering where Lauren was. She watched as Wynter moved to the music and sang the words. Wynter turned and saw Remington standing in the doorway. She picked up the remote to the Bose and turned the music down.

  “So, you’re back,” she said, her tone icy. “Did you have fun?”

  Remington noted the tone, and saw how tensely Wynter was now moving.

  “Did something happen?” Remington asked sounding worried.

  She couldn’t see Wynter’s lips press together. All she could see was Wynter shaking her head.

  “It is what it is, you know?” she said, her tone forcefully cheerful.

  “Wynter…” Remington began cautiously. “John was here, right? Because if he wasn’t here…”

  “Nothing fucking happened Remi, okay!” she yelled.

  Remington’s chin came up, noting the slightly hysterical ring in Wynter’s voice. She watched as Wynter threw meat into a pan and splashed her arm with hot grease, causing her to cry out. Remington was there instantly, as Wynter grabbed a towel to wrap around her arm.

  “Let me see it,” Remington said.

  “It’s fine!” Wynter snapped, yanking her arm away from Remington and turning her back to her.

  “Wynter, let me see it,” Remington said again, keeping her tone calm.

  “Just leave it alone, okay?” Wynter said.

  “Please, honey… just let me see it,” Remington said then.

  Wynter closed her eyes at the endearment Remington used. She felt Remington turn her around, and take the towel off the burn. Wynter hissed in pain.

  “Okay, put it under cold water…” Remington said, turning on the faucet and moving Wynter’s arm under it. “Just hold it there for a minute, okay?” she said gently.

  Wynter did what Remington said, refusing to look over at her however. After a few long minutes, Wynter pulled her arm out of the cold water and put the towel around it again, holding her arm up in front of her like a shield as she leaned against the counter.

  Remington stood in front of her, looking down at her. She knew she’d missed something. Something else had happened, and not even John had known. The guilt welled up again and Remington felt the stab as she looked down at the woman she was supposed to protect.

  Lowering her head, Remington put the side of her chin against Wynter’s temple.

  “I’m sorry…” she whispered.

  “Don’t,” Wynter whispered harshly, tears in her voice.

  “I’m sorry…” Remington repeated her hands on Wynter’s shoulders.

  Wynter’s resolve weakened and she felt tears in her throat. She’d just started to lean into Remington when they both heard Lauren coming down the stairs. Remington stepped back and leaned on the opposite counter, and Wynter turned back to cooking.

  “Oh, look who’s back,” Lauren said, her tone full of venom.

  “Yes, look who’s back,” Remington said, her tone low, her hazel eyes narrowing at Lauren.

  “When’s dinner, babe?” Lauren asked, grabbing at Wynter’s ass.

  Remington curled her lip wanting nothing more than to grab Lauren’s wrist and snap it in two.

  “So,” Lauren said, as she hopped up to sit on the counter next to where Wynter stood, “did you get some?”

  Remington stared at her with a face that could have been carved out of marble for all the emotion that showed on it. She stepped forward and leaned down to Wynter on her right side.

  “I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” she told Wynter gently.

  With that she turned and walked out of the kitchen.

  Chapter 4

  The day of the beginning of the tour dawned. Wynter couldn’t get out of the house fast enough. Remington carried their bags to the waiting Escalade. Lauren lurked around the front door, and Wynter wasn’t looking forward to that scene. She tried to make it quick, kissing Lauren on the lips and saying she’d call her when she could. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. Lauren grabbed her arm, pulling her roughly to her, smashing her mouth down on hers.

  Remington stood leaning against the column a foot from them with a direct look. Lauren could almost feel Remington’s eyes boring into her, and she looked up, irritation clear on her face.

  “Do you mind?” she snapped. “I’m trying to say goodbye to my girlfriend,” Lauren said, tightening her grip on Wynter’s arm, causing Wynter to wince.

  “You put one more bruise on her, and it’ll be the last thing you do,” Remington said simply, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes narrowed.

  Wynter felt Lauren tense so she quickly kissed her again trying to prevent a huge fight occur on their front stoop. When Lauren insisted on lengthening the kiss, Remington moved to stand up straight, her look bordering on hostile.

  “We do have a plane to catch,” Remington said evenly.

  “I need to go,” Wynter said, pulling away and backing up closer to Remington just in case Lauren thought to try and grab her again.

  Lauren had the temerity to step forward like she was going to try and stop Wynter from leaving. Remington stepped forward giving her a warning look.

  “The lady said she needs to go,” Remington said, her tone brooking no argument.

  Lauren’s lips twitched with the desire to say something, and a slow dangerous grin spread over Remington’s lips, her eyes just daring Lauren to say the wrong thing.

  Wynter tugged at a handful of the leather jacket Remington wore, trying to get her out of there before things escalated. Remington glanced back at Wynter and saw the pleading look in her blue eyes and she gave in.

  They walked to the Escalade, and Remington opened the door for Wynter, before climbing in behind her. Someone else was doing the driving this time. They made it to Long Beach airport where BJ’s plane waited to take the group to New York where they were starting the first leg of the tour. Wynter and Remington were the first to arrive, so they were able to choose seats. Wynter headed to the back of the plane and sat down on the couch. Remington followed her, setting Wynter’s carry-on bag near her on the couch and moving to set her laptop case down.

  By the time the rest of the group showed up, Wynter was already tired. The night before had been long, and she knew they had a show that night, so she needed to rest. She lay down, trying to get comfortable, but found the arms of the couch were too low. She shifted and turned around. Remington watched her with a raised eyebrow. Wynter finally sat up, looking pensive, glancing over at Remington.

  “What do you need?” Remington asked her.

  “I spot for my head,” Wynter said. “The couch arm is too low. I’ll end up with a kink in my neck, and pillows are just going to fall over…”

  Remington glanced behind her to see a pillow on the nearby seat. Leaning back, she grabbed the pillow and placed in on her lap, patting the pillow. Wynter looked back at her questioningly.

  “You have a show tonight, right?” Remington said.

  “Yes,” Wynter said, nodding.

  “You need sleep, right?” Remington asked then.

  “Yes,” Wynter replied again.

  Remington patted the pillow again, her look pointed. Wynter pressed her lips together, nodding as she moved to lie down on the couch again, and put her head on the pillow in Remington’s lap. Remington put her arm up on the back of the couch, holding the book she was reading with her other hand. Wynter turned to face Remington’s torso, breathing in the crisp clean scent she wore, combined with the leather of her jacket. She shivered slightly as the cool air hit her. Remington reached above her to turn the air off, then shrugged out of her jacket, and laid it over Wynter’s upper body. Wynter snuggled under the jacket sighing at the warmth still contained in it from Remington’s body heat.

  Xandy and Quinn walked to the back of the plane and saw Wynter lying with Remington’s leather Affliction jacket over her, and her head in Remington’s lap. Remington glanced up at the two as they settled themselves in chairs near her.

  “Mo
rning,” Remington said.

  “Damned early,” Quinn grumbled.

  “Hi,” Xandy said, smiling. “She’s already out?”

  “Yeah,” Remington said, “I don’t think she got a lot of sleep last night.”

  Xandy looked pensive, but nodded.

  It was another half hour before Billy made an appearance, and naturally grumbled about the couch being taken. Remington merely looked back at Billy smiling smugly.

  “If you weren’t so fuckin’ hot,” Billy said, sliding a nail along Remington’s jawline, “you wouldn’t get away with that.”

  Remington’s lips curled in a sardonic grin. Billy turned and walked back toward the front of the plane and they took off twenty minutes later.

  Wynter awoke three hours into the flight. She sat up and looked around, as she slid her arms into the sleeves of Remington’s jacket. She got something to eat from one of the flight attendants and then sat back on the couch, listening to Quinn and Remington debate fight techniques. Wynter noted that even while she was involved in conversation, Remington stood when she’d gotten up and did the same when she’d come back to the couch.

  “Yeah, but if you go into that one you better be committed,” Remington was saying.

  “Nah, you can back out,” Quinn said, shaking her head.

  “How?” Remington asked, looking doubtful.

  “As fast as you are?” Quinn said. “And all that stride length? Two fast steps you’re out.”

  “Yeah, but one good hit and I’m down,” Remington countered.

  “Right, well, that’s the fast part,” Quinn said, grinning, “but you get in there, and you can take your opponent down in one quick move.”

  Remington looked considering, but shook her head slowly. “Not sure I’d risk that one.”

  “Aw, I’ll show you next time we spar,” Quinn said. “You could pull it off, I know ya could.”

  Billy walked by, headed to the bathroom at the back of the plane. She made a point of sliding her hand over Remington’s knee as she passed, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously. Wynter narrowed her eyes immediately, glancing over at Xandy who just shook her head.

  “Why do you let her get to you?” Remington asked catching Wynter’s glare. “You know that’s what she’s doing.”