The Final Omen: Second Sight Book Four (12 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

“He fucking knows something! He’s a goddamned liar!”

Jared’s colorful screaming roused Kate from a restless slumber. Her eyes didn’t want to cooperate, but eventually she was able to pry them open and find him on the other side of the room. He was on his cell phone with his fist clenched around the receiver and a flush in his cheeks. She understood her role as his girlfriend required her to intervene, but she was too mentally beaten up to consider climbing out of bed.

Daybreak had arrived by the time they finally left the police station. They spent the evening answering questions about the man at the bar and what had happened on the beach. Two officers had accompanied the man to the hospital for questioning. He regained his senses somewhat as he was being loaded into the back of the ambulance. Instead of cooperating, he worked his way through the alphabet and called Jared and Kate as many curse words he could think of in his beaten down state.

Julie and the rest of the party had noticed the commotion as the cops descended upon the beach bar. She’d offered to accompany them to the police station, but Kate insisted Julie stay behind and try to salvage the rest of the night. Kate had to give Julie credit—she was a loyal friend who stood by Kate despite the train wreck her life had become lately. If her black cloud descended upon Julie’s wedding, Kate may have to turn in her best friend card.

She’d crashed in Jared’s room once they arrived back at the hotel.

Declan had sulked off to his own room, and he may have been questioning his loyalties as well. He hadn’t been pleased about spending time at the police station when he could’ve been gambling.

She despised dragging everyone she cared about into the craziness her life had become as of late.

Jared had hung up the phone and, by his labored breathing, she could tell he was still worked up. She was tempted to distract him with sex, but her life being threatened had put a temporary damper on her sex drive. Her sole focus had to be on finding who was responsible for her attack. Then she would make time for sex. Lots and lots of panty ripping, bed creaking sex.

“Was that the Atlantic City police department? Did they have any updates?”

He looked over at her and she could sense his temper cooling. She loved that quality about him. His job required him to be a badass from time to time, but he always tried to treat her as gently as possible. As she rose into a sitting position, he sat next to her in bed. “Sorry for waking you. The detective working the case called.”

She rubbed his cheek. “Jared, have you even been to bed?” She took in his red-rimmed eyes and frowned. “You look exhausted.”

He smiled faintly. “Stop worrying about me. You’re the one who was accosted when you were just trying to have a night out with your friends. You don’t deserve any of this.” He slammed his palm down against the bed and continued, “The man at the bar has been identified as Gabriel Evans. The police believe he wasn’t directly involved in your attack and he was hired by someone who wanted to threaten you. After intense questioning, he told the investigators the reason he approached you.”

“What’s his story?”

“An ad was posted on Craigslist looking for someone to deliver photos to you in Atlantic City. No details were posted in the ad, but over a series of emails, Gabriel and the unknown man, who referred to himself as Fred, discussed Gabriel finding you in Atlantic City and handing you an envelope of photographs and threatening your life. The agreement was five hundred dollars would be wired to Gabriel before the job and another five hundred sent after the job was completed.”

Kate flinched as she thought about the men plotting against her. Dropping a thousand dollars to threaten her clued her in on how deep the man’s hatred for her went. “Can the money be traced?”

“No, he sent cash through Western Union. The tech team will look into the email address where the messages originated, but…”

Kate finished his thought. “But it’s probably a bogus account.”

“And if he used a public computer for the flower delivery, he likely did it this time as well.”

“What about the pictures? What were they?” Dark thoughts made her recoil over the possibilities. “Please, don’t tell me they were of anything sick like he put a hidden camera in our bathroom.”

Jared grimaced at her words. “No, they were surveillance style photos, most likely taken with a long range lens. They were pictures of you coming and going from your mom’s house and, most recently, our house.” As her eyes widened with fear, he added, “Declan and I are in most of the pictures with you. I’m really glad we didn’t take any chances and leave you alone.”

“God, the thought of this creep watching us…”

“I know how this must make you feel, but it could get us closer to finding him. It’s possible someone spotted him in our neighborhood. I’ll go door to door and find out if anyone saw someone with a camera taking photos near our house.”

“So, where does that leave us?”

“He’s getting sloppy and he’s going to do something that leads us to him. He wants to play games with you, make you scared again, and that’s when he’ll make a mistake.” Jared set his palm on her thigh and began to soothingly massage her bare skin. She was glad to have worn only a t-shirt to bed and relaxed a bit at the feel of his lightly callused hands kneading her skin.

“Do you believe Gabriel’s story? How did he even know where to find me?”

“He was told in the email what hotel you’d be staying at. According to Gabriel, he walked around the bars for hours until he came across you at the beach bar.”

Kate visibly shuddered at the revelation, prompting Jared to draw her near. She felt his warm breath as he spoke into the top of her head. “You don’t have to be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re going to leave town until we find the person responsible.”

Kate skirted out of his arms and stared at him. She was certain he’d be able to read the incredulity in her expression. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Don’t fight me on this. If last night proved anything, it showed us he hasn’t forgotten about you and he’s intent on making you suffer. You need to be out of the equation until he’s caught.”

“And go where?”

“You’ll stay with my Aunt Lizzie. You’ll be in Maine, far from any of this.”

“How do you know he won’t be able to find me there? He found me in Atlantic City…”

“Yes, but it wasn’t exactly a secret where you were going. Julie and the other bridesmaids have been sharing plans about her party for weeks on Facebook. The hotel reservation was also under Julie’s name.” He gave her a grave look. “No one will know where you’re going. I’ll drive you up there today and you’ll have to keep it quiet. We can’t trust anyone at this point.”

“And what are your plans? Are you staying with me at Aunt Lizzie’s?” At his guilty expression, she scoffed, “You expect me to leave while you stay behind and play hero, right? Well, you must’ve taken a blow to the head because there’s no way I’m leaving town while you put yourself in danger on my behalf.”

“I get that you’re worried about your visions and what it means for us. But I’ll work on the investigation with Declan and keep what you predicted in the back of my mind. We know now your predictions can change, so by telling me what you saw, we can change the outcome.”

She was resolute. “I’m not leaving, Jared. I have too much to stay for and I can’t hide out for God knows how long until he’s caught.” She burrowed into him as she said with determination, “I won’t give him the power to chase me away. We just moved into our house and I’m working on cases with Declan. And then there’s Michelle and her son. How can I just leave her alone with someone capable of murder?”

“You can use your powers anywhere. You don’t have to be in town to have a vision,” he pointed out.

She bemoaned his stubbornness. She understood full well that staying in Franklin could be detrimental to her safety, but she wasn’t as concerned about her fate. After struggling for years, she’d learned to trust that her visions would warn her of danger. If her life was on the line again, she believed another premonition would keep her safe. Her visions of Jared had been sent to keep him out of danger.

“I’m not going, Jared,” she said softly. “I won’t do anything reckless. I’ll even agree to stop complaining about you and Declan shadowing me. But I want to see this through to the end.”

“I can’t make you go, Kate. But please at least take some time to think about this. Aunt Lizzie would love to have you there and you’d be protected.” He squeezed her to his side and the way he was holding her clarified how worried he was.

She inhaled, allowing herself a moment to lose herself in his exclusive scent. He was another reason for her new founded bravery. She wasn’t alone like she’d been last year. She’d been forced to face the possibility of dying without Jared by her side. Being loved by him had made her strong enough to take down her enemy.

The end was closing in on them—it was becoming a certainty. He was right, her assailant was getting cocky and he’d make a mistake. But she wouldn’t let him hurt anyone else before he was caught. Jared’s wrath would be nothing compared to what she’d do to the man if she got the chance.

***

Kate walked to the front of her house and unlocked the door. As she was about to pass through her doorway, she stopped mid-step. An SUV had screeched against the curb as it parked haphazardly in front of her house. Kate gasped as she saw her mother’s boyfriend, Dan, slam his car door and hurry in her direction. As he moved closer, Kate could see the torment on his features.

“Dan, what are you doing here?”

“Kate, thank god you’re here. I’ve been looking for you all morning. I went to your mom’s house, I tried to call you…”

She interrupted him. “I can’t find my phone. I think I may have left it in Declan’s car last night. What’s going on?” Kate’s eyes surveyed him from head to toe. He was sweating profusely; she could make out the perspiration rings on his gray t-shirt and at his hairline. His dark hair was thinning and she could see the gleam from the top of his head as he panted in front of her. His anguished brown eyes locked on hers and she inhaled sharply. “Just tell me. What is it? Is it Mom?”

“No Kate, it’s Jared. He’s been…” Dan stumbled over his words. “Shot. It happened a short while ago.”

“No,” she moaned. She rocked back and forth and cradled her body by clutching at her elbows. Her eyes squeezed shut and her lips quivered as she silently repeated, “no,” again and again.

Dan continued on, “He was at an abandoned house when it happened. The cops have no idea why he was even there. Someone at the house must’ve been waiting for him. He was surprised from behind and was shot before he could pull his gun out.”

“What? How could this happen? How did my mom find out?” she whispered. Her eyes flew open and she took a step towards Dan as he fidgeted on her front porch.

“I’m guessing they tried to call you first, but when they didn’t succeed, they found your mom’s number as one of his emergency contacts in his phone. She rushed to the hospital to be with him while I tried to track you down.” He held out his hand to her. “I’ll take you there now.”

“But, he’s okay, right? If he was shot in the back, it means he’ll still be fine, right?” she demanded.

“Kate, I’ve been dating your mom for some time now and I consider you family, but you need to be with her right now. She’ll talk to you about what happened,” he said uncertainly.

“No!” She gripped his forearms and her eyes bore into his, refusing to look away. “Tell me right now. Is Jared okay?”

She watched him swallow and he hesitated for a long minute before he said sadly, “He was shot from behind, but it wasn’t at his back. He was shot in the head. I’m so sorry, Kate, but Jared died instantly.”

Kate’s knees gave out and she crumbled to the ground. “No, he can’t be dead! This can’t be real! I can’t survive without him.” Her body convulsed as she cried out for Jared. She slammed her fists onto the cement porch, her knuckles growing bloody and raw with each punch.

Dan wrapped his arm around her and hoisted her upright. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say right now to make this better. Let me take you to your mom. You should be with her and have her there while you say goodbye to him.”

His words caused a fresh onslaught of helpless weeping. Her body was limp as he assisted her down the porch stairs and supported her weight as he led her to his SUV. She muttered to herself, “Please don’t let this be real, please don’t let him be gone from me forever.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

“What did I do? How did the future go from Jared being in jail to him dying?” Kate demanded as she crumpled up another tissue and threw it on the coffee table.

Declan had listened to her without interruption as she relayed her latest premonition to him. He’d arrived at her house an hour after Jared’s early morning departure for work. Jared had been relentless about Kate staying protected and Declan had been ever present at her house since they returned from Atlantic City a week before. They worked during the day on her investigation until Jared got off work in the late afternoon.

Declan’s face was expressionless, leaving Kate at a loss of what he could possibly make of her altering the future. She was convinced her efforts to stop Jared from landing in jail had sent him careening down a more treacherous path.

“Did you tell Jared about the vision?”

“Of course I did,” she huffed. “I went as far as jumping on his back to keep him from leaving for work this morning. After shaking me off, he insisted he’d take the warning very seriously and wouldn’t go to any abandoned houses without backup.”

She’d been inconsolable after waking up in the middle of the night after the vision. She thought the premonitions about Jared going to jail were sent to her because she needed to stop him from committing murder. The thought of him dying in place of her unknown assailant was inconceivable.

Jared had tried to reason with her and swore he’d be cautious while investigating her attack. Although her vision hadn’t revealed exactly what he was doing at an abandoned house, she was certain it had something to do with her case. The man who had hurt her found a way to lure Jared somewhere he’d be vulnerable and shot him.

“Hmm…” Declan mumbled and looked thoughtful.

“I can’t lose him. I don’t want this to be our lives forever and to be considered star-crossed lovers who’ll never get a chance at real happiness. I have to protect him; and if that means not telling him anything further about our investigation, then that’s what I’ll do.”

“Settle down with the drama, Juliet.” Declan took the box of tissues out of her hand and placed it on the coffee table. “Having a premonition is a good thing. It means we have the upper hand and can change things.”

She sniffled. “I thought you believed we can’t fight fate.”

“I did, but I’m starting to see things a little differently now. We may never truly understand the intentions of the visions. Just because you saw a vision of Dan telling you Jared is dead doesn’t mean you have to prepare yourself for his death.” He directed his dark eyes at her. “I thought when I had the vision of us together in bed…”

She cut him off. “Kissing in bed. Just kissing,” she amended.

Her words brought on his smirk. “I was there, too, Kate. I remember what we did. Anyway, my point is I thought the premonition meant we were supposed to end up as a couple. But now I have to wonder if I had the vision because we were meant to work together. You know, combine our abilities to save the unwashed masses.”

“Despite the circumstances, I’m glad that your visions brought us together.” She stared at the ceiling as she continued, “I really want to believe no one is going to die, but it’s hard; especially when I couldn’t stop my own stabbing from happening. But even the possibility being out there—I won’t survive him dying, Dec…”

“You’re getting worked up and it’s clouding your judgment. Doesn’t the vision seem off to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re the center of your mom’s universe. I can’t imagine her leaving it up to Dan, a virtual stranger, to deliver the news your boyfriend is dead.” Before she could interject, he rallied on. “I agree that Jared has become obsessed with solving your case, but it hasn’t caused him to lose brain cells. Do you think he’d be that stupid to fall into an obvious trap and let someone get the jump on him?”

“Dan isn’t a virtual stranger; he’s been seeing my mom for close to a year now. I’ve investigated him like anyone else in my life. I haven’t seen anything suspicious in his memories. They were mostly boring middle-aged guy stuff like bowling with his friends, going to dinner with my mom and clocking in at the wholesale food club where he’s a manager.”

“It feels off to me. I think it’s too early to freak out and assume Jared is going to be killed. We should take a closer look at Dan to make sure he’s not involved in your attack instead,” he advised.

She nodded and quelled the urge to cry again. She had to be strong if she was going to protect Jared. Although she agreed with Declan and found it unlikely Jared would do something so reckless, she couldn’t deny how his judgment had been clouded lately. He was single-minded when it came to solving her case. He was constantly consulting with Detective Thompson and Declan to get more leads on who could be targeting her.

The police had still been focusing a lot of their energies on her father’s potential involvement. No new evidence had surfaced, but his lack of an alibi and a motive was enough to arouse suspicion. Kate and her dad still weren’t speaking, but she’d invaded his mind to see if the police could possibly be right. As hardheaded as Robert Edwards could be, she could see him cracking in her visions. He missed her and seemed to regret lying to her about the inheritance. She needed more time to cool down, but she still had a soft spot for her father. Growing up, he’d been a good dad; strict, but still caring when she needed him. She wouldn’t toss their relationship aside because of the problems they had over the last couple of years.

Investigating Gabriel Evans was a dead-end. Besides being a greedy bastard willing to threaten a stranger for money, he wasn’t otherwise involved. The cops were reviewing his emails and phone records, but it looked as though he’d told the truth. He had only communicated with Fred through email and hadn’t spoken with him on the phone. The IP address of the emails was traced to a computer lab at a college campus about thirty minutes from Franklin. The police had tried to use Gabriel to draw Fred out, but he’d cut off communication and hadn’t returned any of Gabriel’s emails.

Kate was feeling overwhelmed and didn’t know where to best focus her efforts. There were too many suspects with the evidence leading her in different directions. She hadn’t seen Michelle in any visions lately and it was chilling. What had she and her son endured at the hands of the masked man in the weeks since her abduction?

Finding Michelle would solve everything. The woman and her son would be safe and her tormenter would be apprehended. With Kate’s psychic gifts, she’d hunt him down like a dog and put him down on the spot. No one would take Jared from her again.

***

Darlene Edwards’ face fell as Kate walked through the door of her childhood home. She assumed the stress of the last couple of days was clear on her expression. She’d been relentlessly trying to head hop to find out where Michelle could be. Her whereabouts remained a mystery. Kate was well aware of what kind of pain her assailant could inflict and prayed the mother hadn’t been killed in the meantime. If she’d died, it would be another tragedy Kate would have to live with.

She was trying to remain tough for Jared’s benefit. If she broke in front of him, she could just be hurtling him towards a future where his life was put on the line. She’d sought out Darlene because Kate knew her mom would indulge the need to cry and rage over the unfairness of her situation.

Without a greeting, Kate crumbled, facedown on the couch, and curled into a ball. Darlene sat nearby and stroked Kate’s hair in a steady back and forth rhythm. Her mother waited for Kate to speak. She inclined her head towards the TV, remaining quiet and staring blankly as the news played. She hated the news—despised knowing there were more horrors out in the world than the ones taking over her life. It was the reason she preferred to get lost in reality shows and cartoons.

“I had a vision of Jared dying,” she whispered without preamble. It pained her to say the words out loud. It was as if uttering the simple statement was tempting fate to steal him away from her.

“Oh no, Katie. What happens?”

“I don’t see him die, but I’m at my house and Dan breaks the news to me because you’ve gone to the hospital with Jared.”

Her mom’s mouth opened in shock at the mention of her boyfriend.

Kate didn’t want to cause a rift between Dan and her mom, but she should know of his part in case Declan was correct and Dan was a suspect. Kate added, “He said Jared was shot and he’d take me to him to say goodbye.”

“Did you tell Jared?”

“Yes, and he says he’ll take all of my visions very seriously, but I feel like it won’t matter. Like we’re destined to be apart and nothing I say or do will change that.” Kate bit down hard on her lip and mumbled, “It makes me wish that we never met. Maybe he could’ve been happy without me and married to Nikki by now. I’ve dragged him into something dangerous and I hate it. I hate that he’s willing to risk everything for me.”

“Katie,” her mother admonished, “you’re upset and it’s understandable, but you’re not thinking clearly. You have to put yourself in Jared’s shoes for a minute. He lost his parents when he was in first grade. He loved them deeply and they died. He was too young then to do anything about it and it haunts him. He’s older now and he’ll fiercely protect anyone he loves—meaning you. He’ll protect that love with his life because he understands what that kind of loss does to a person. If he truly loved Nikki, he would’ve never given her up to be with you.
He chose you
.”

“And I’ll have to fight to keep him,” Kate said softly. “I’m willing to do it. I love him, Mom, but I also love him enough to set him free if it’ll keep him out of danger.”

“Letting him go isn’t the right answer. You love each other and being together will only make you stronger against your enemies. You were given your gifts to protect people; including Jared. If you were sent a vision of him in jeopardy then it means you have a chance to fix things.”

Kate was eternally grateful for her mom. She was a constant in Kate’s life and would always be there with her unwavering love and support. She had a few dark moments after her attack and questioned whether her life was worth fighting for. Her recovery had been painful and she’d suffered from panic attacks as she relived the events of that night. Her mom had talked Kate back from the edge more than once.

“I thought it was bad worrying about my own life. In a way, it was easier than this because I feel like what happens now is out of my control. Jared could’ve been in jail, but because of my actions, he has one foot in grave.” She sat up and lifted her chin defiantly. “I will find him and strike first; before he has a chance to get close to Jared.”

“I’m proud of you. You’ve transformed into this fearless and incredible young woman.” Her mom took the chenille blanket off the back of the sofa and draped it over both of their legs. “But I want you to stay out of danger. You’re no help to anybody if you put yourself at risk,” she warned.

Things had been simpler before. Before meeting Jared Kate had been a recluse, staying mostly at home and denying her psychic abilities. She thought embracing her gifts would be giving up her chance at a normal life. Jared had shown her the potential of doing good and thinking beyond her own tiny corner of the world. He had that rare ability to bring out the best in people around him.

She’d battle for him because he deserved a chance at a life as much as she did. His parents had died decades ago, but his grief still felt raw. She’d gone with him to the cemetery several times and she felt the suffering coming off of him in waves. It had gotten worse since she’d been stabbed, as if that act drew out all the old painful feelings he’d buried. He was still her Jared and he was still able to kiss away her sorrow, but there was darkness surrounding him, trying to edge its way into his light.