Deadly Prophecy: A Second Sight Series Spin-Off

by Heather Topham Wood

  He took a seat. He looked at her sideways as he spoke. “I helped track down the person who wanted Kate dead. I guess that helped absolve me of my past mistakes.”

  “So the three of you are buddies now?”

  He shrugged in response to the disbelief coloring her voice. “It’s not a big deal. We’re over what happened.” At least Kate and Jared seemed over the entire situation. He had become a footnote to their epic love story.

  Nikki’s blue eyes twinkled with humor. “Doesn’t that work out well for Kate. She gets to keep both her boyfriend and her boy toy in her life.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call myself a boy toy,” he snapped. No wonder Jared had jumped ship as soon as he had the chance. Declan could barely tolerate Nikki after talking to her for less than five minutes. “And Jared’s not her boyfriend any longer.”

  Nikki visibly perked up at the news. Her spine straightened and a small gasp passed through her lips. “They broke up? Last I heard they were living together.”

  “No breakup. They’re engaged.” The words were hard to force out. His voice was choked and he tensed as the words hung in the air between. “Jared proposed a couple of days ago.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Nikki screeched while he noticed a bulging vein pulsing in her forehead. Cringing at the scene she was causing, he cursed his big mouth. “I was with Jared for three goddamn years. Three years without any kind of major commitment from him! And he’s with Kate for less than a year and they’re engaged.”

  He shrugged off her rant. “When you know you’ve found the one, I guess that’s it.”

  His response made her nostrils flare. “You don’t honestly believe that, do you? If you’re using Kate and Jared as an example of relationship goals then I feel sorry for you.” She took a steadying breath. “They’re a hot mess together and I give their marriage a year tops.”

  The red flags were all waving right in front of his face. Declan had to excuse himself from the conversation. He could resume his search for the one-night stand he had come looking for. But he couldn’t seem to tear himself away from Nikki.

  On some level, he felt a connection to Nikki. Although they were meeting in person for the first time, he’d had visions of her when she’d been a suspect in Kate’s attack. She wasn’t the pure evil shrew Kate had depicted her as, but she wasn’t all sunshine and roses either. Her younger sister Cori brought out a different side of Nikki—a softer, almost maternal side. A vision he recalled centered on Nikki surprising Cori with a trip to New York City to see the Rockettes and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Alternatively, Declan still recalled the one time Nikki’s manicurist filed her nails down too short and she had let loose a string of expletives to berate the woman into submission. The scene still gave Declan PTSD flashbacks.

  Maybe he felt some sort of kinship with Nikki because they were the ones who were left on the sidelines while Kate and Jared traveled down their own path to everlasting happiness. They were the baggage that needed tossing before Kate and Jared could be together indefinitely.

  “Look, I tried to get between Jared and Kate before. And as you can plainly see, I’m the one who is here at a bar by myself. There’s no point in wishing the two of them would break up. It’s not gonna happen.” The pain of losing Kate felt raw after his most recent vision. Kate had never given Declan an official “I choose him” talk. Hearing her deny ever loving him to Jared was a knife to the gut.

  She let out a small laugh. “You’re still hung up on Kate.”

  “I am not,” he protested. He felt a migraine building behind his eyes at the thought.

  “Yes, you are. You’re not brooding—you’re moping.” She flashed her teeth at him without breaking a smile. “If what you’re saying is true and no one will break them up, then there’s no sense sitting here and complaining about how unfair we feel over Jared and Kate getting their happy ending.”

  “Then what do you suggest we do?”

  She leaned in closely and whispered, “I think we both need a revenge fuck.”

  Declan’s laughter was strangled. He was fighting his arousal as he got a whiff of her expensive perfume. He pointed between the two of them. “I’m assuming you’re talking about the two of us.”

  “Of course I am.” She smiled coyly. “And don’t try to play hard to get. You’ve been staring at my tits since you came over here. If you need further enticement, then I can tell you in vivid detail about the summer I spent in Europe with my bi-curious best friend.”

  Declan was finding it difficult to breathe. There was clearly a right and wrong path to travel down at the moment. If he were smart, he’d leave the bar and never look back. Getting involved with Nikki, even in the context of a one-night stand, was an outstandingly bad idea.

  But Declan never claimed to be ruled by his head. He had gone to the bar with the purpose of forgetting about Kate’s engagement and Nikki was the only promising prospect within reach. He grinned, leaning closer to her tiny frame. “Whose place is closer? Mine or yours?”

  Chapter Six

  Declan woke up with the remnants of a hangover although he hadn’t a drop to drink. His head ached and his entire body felt sore. He opened one eye at a time, groaning as sunlight temporarily blinded him. He shielded his eyes as he scooted up in the bed. After a bewildering minute, he soon realized he wasn’t lying in his own set of thousand-thread count sheets.

  He looked next to him and found the pink sheets rumpled, but the bed vacated. The furniture in the room was an antique white while floral prints in different colors and sizes hung on the wall. A large vanity sat in the corner of the room, covered with different lotions, powders, and perfumes. He fell back and heaved out a loud sigh. Above his head, an oversize canopy lay suspended over the bed. How did he always find himself in these messes?

  “Good morning!” Nikki chirped from the doorway. He winced at the sound. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and found she was already impeccably dressed in a pencil skirt and white blouse. “I have to get to work, so if you don’t mind.” She made a shooing gesture with her hands while frowning down at him.

  Declan scrubbed his face with his hands. “Yeah, I’ll get going.” He wasn’t sure how he was feeling about the role reversal—usually he was the one trying to get rid of women the morning after. He heard his phone ring, but before he could reach for it, Nikki swiped the cell from the nightstand.

  After peeking at the display, a wicked smile played across her lips. “Kate’s calling you. Should I pick up the phone?” she teased in a faux innocent voice.

  “No!” he shouted while diving for the phone. As he fell out of the bed, he realized he was butt naked. In the light of day, he felt a little off-balance about having his junk on display—a sensation that made zero sense considering what that junk had been doing with Nikki for hours the night before.

  Nikki’s laugh was cruel as she handed the phone over to Declan. She tapped a finger against her scarlet-colored lips. “Don’t worry; I’ll keep what happened last night our dirty little secret.”

  Without replying, Declan grabbed his underwear crumpled on the floor. He should’ve felt relief over Nikki’s promise, but he was feeling a little crazed over the fact she pretty much held his balls in her hands. If she decided to tell Jared or Kate about their sexcapades, he could lose the only two friends he had. Declan wished he could blame alcohol for his poor decision-making skills. But his immature and hurtful actions were all his doing.

  Nikki kept her eyes on him as he finished dressing. She looked amused by his awkwardness and her expression made him feel like an animal on exhibit at the zoo. As he pulled on his shoes, she remarked, “I’ll call you.”

  “Umm….”

  She barked out a humorless laugh. “Don’t pretend like you don’t want this to happen again. There’s a half of pack of Trojans in the trash can that says otherwise.”

  Nikki’s bluntness was unnerving him. He was hoping to escape her apartment unscathed, but that didn’t look like
the case. She was going to put him through the ringer until he left her place with his tail between his legs.

  The truth was he’d had a good time the night before. Sex was cathartic for him and his mood had improved exponentially once he had Nikki stripped of her clothes. But in the cold light of day, reality set in. He had slept with the enemy. He could rationalize all he wanted, but a part of him had spent the night with Nikki to get back at Kate for her engagement. He had a thousand chances to walk away before tumbling into Nikki’s bed, but he had not taken them.

  Yet, Declan didn’t want to be a total dick to the woman he had been inside of only a few short hours earlier. “Okay, call me.”

  Later, he’d have to give himself a mental pep talk in case Nikki decided to use his number. He had a weakness for beautiful women. Declan had to squash his urges and not allow sex with Nikki to become an ongoing thing. She would surely end up sucking his soul dry.

  Minutes later, Nikki saw him to the door of her apartment. Nikki’s father had set her up in one of the more posh apartment complexes in Franklin. Since his origins were that of a broke ass, he appreciated money and had mentally catalogued the hardwood floors, marble countertops, and crown moldings as he made his way out. He wondered why she didn’t smile more often. He worked his psychic ass off for his money and he was certainly happier since his bank account had gained a few extra zeros.

  His phone rang again as he strode over to his newly acquired Mustang. Declan changed cars almost as often as he switched lovers. He had fallen in love with the tan leather interior and jet black exterior, but he was sure he’d probably grow bored with the car within a few short months. Some day he’d have to learn how to break the endless cycle of dissatisfaction he had fallen in.

  Glancing at his phone, he bemoaned Kate’s persistence and wished she could give him a little space for once. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he warmed to the idea. If he gave himself distance, maybe he wouldn’t feel like Kate was shoving a crude knife in his gut when she flashed her ring in his direction.

  He answered with forced cheerfulness. “Good morning, sunshine.”

  Kate laughed. “I think I like that greeting much more than the one I got the last time I called you this early.” She yawned loudly in his ear. “I wanted to catch you before you left your house to come over. I’m out of coffee and Jared’s already left for work.”

  “Will you be offended if I tell you to get off your lazy ass and go to Dunkin Donuts?”

  “Yes,” she huffed. “Besides I’m in my comfy pajama pants and ready to get to work on Derek’s case.”

  “I can grab coffee, but can I shower at your place? Umm… I’m wearing the same clothes I had on yesterday.”

  “Do I even want to ask?”

  He cleared his throat. “No, you don’t.”

  “Couldn’t you shower at whoever’s place you shacked up at last night?” She didn’t wait for his reply and instead hurriedly added, “Oh no, you didn’t sleep with Jenna, did you? Because I gave you that damn rule less than twenty-four hours ago—”

  He didn’t let her continue. “Give me some credit. I can practice self-control when necessary.” An outright lie since he was certain Kate would be furious if she found out who he had used as a piss-poor replacement for Jenna. What had happened between him and Nikki was seedy and desperate. If he’d been lucky enough to spend the night with Jenna, he would be skipping out, not slinking off like a common criminal.

  Kate’s patience with him was wearing thin. “Anyway, get your stinky ass over here. And I’ll only let you use our shower if you’re carrying a highly caffeinated beverage with extra cream and extra sugar.”

  He smiled. “You got it. Will I be pushing my luck if I ask to borrow Jared’s clothes too?”

  “That’s wrong on so many levels,” she mumbled. Louder, she continued. “And hurry up. I want this case solved as soon as possible. I don’t want visions of bloody murders to put a damper on my wedding planning.”

  “Haven’t you heard? Red weddings are all the rage these days.” Before she could snap at him again, he said, “I’ll be there as soon as I can. You’re scary without your coffee.”

  “You’re the best, Dec,” she said before hanging up.

  ***

  Kate was scowling when she answered the door. Her hair looked knotted and unkempt while her attempt at getting dressed for the day involved throwing on a pair of duck-themed leggings and a tunic. Declan still couldn’t wrap his head around how she was the one who splintered his heart to pieces.

  Once Kate’s eyes locked onto the Dunkin Donuts cups he was carrying, she managed a crooked smile. She made a grab for the coffee, but stopped short before snatching the cup out of his hands. She sniffed the air with a distasteful expression. “What’s that smell?”

  He shifted side to side. “What smell?”

  Her eyes narrowed on him. “You smell worse than an unwashed asshole. Exactly who did you spend the night with?”

  “None of your business,” he huffed, thrusting the coffee cup in her direction. Discreetly, he sniffed at his armpits, annoyed when he confirmed his stench reeked. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

  “Sorry,” she said, backpedaling. “You’re just spiraling and, as your friend, I’m only trying to voice my concern.”

  “I’m not spiraling. I had a late night and need to wash her off of me.”

  “Gah! You’re so gross,” Kate said, twisting her small features up. “At least you didn’t sleep with Jenna. I called her after we hung up and she was at her parents’ house. She’s going to be here in less than twenty minutes, so you’d better hurry up and shower.”

  “Jenna’s coming here? Why?”

  “Because we want to get working on her brother’s case as soon as possible. She printed out pictures of everyone who stayed at the beach house at the time of his death. Also, I thought she could give us more insight into Derek. We may end up having to dig deeper, but it’s a place to start.” Kate took him by the hand before yanking him inside her house. She shut and locked the door behind him.

  “Did you have any visions last night?”

  Kate shook her head. Declan’s body slumped in relief because an awful thought had taken hold of him on the way over to her house. He wasn’t going to be able to keep his night with Nikki a secret. Kate could at any given moment have a vision of Declan and Nikki together. If she found out through her visions instead of the news coming directly from him, she’d never speak to him again. As it was, he was expecting her to lose her shit over the news.

  She shooed him off to shower and he didn’t protest. Although he felt a little uneasy over the idea of Jenna coming over, her presence could act as a welcome buffer. Jenna could unite Kate and Declan with a common goal: finding Derek’s killer.

  He needed to concentrate on Derek’s case not only to help out Jenna, but for his own sanity. If he had to be privy to Kate and Jared’s romantic life night after night, he would lose his goddamn mind. With his visceral reaction to seeing Kate, it was glaringly obvious sex wasn’t going to fix his mental state.

  As he holed up in Kate’s guest bathroom, he felt his conscience kick in. What the hell had he done with Nikki? Not only would Kate be hurt, but Jared could also be ticked that Declan had relations with his ex-girlfriend.

  But maybe if he admitted his mistake up front, the drama could be avoided. Besides Jared had managed to warm up to him in spite of Declan and Kate’s small transgression in a hotel room while working a case together. If Jared could forgive Declan for sticking his tongue down Kate’s throat, surely sex with Nikki wasn’t cause for an ass-kicking.

  When he finally exited the bathroom, he could hear voices coming from the kitchen. Kate and Jenna sounded animated as they spoke and he found it hard to regret seeking out Kate as his partner. Declan was good at what he did, but Kate was better at dealing with people. Because of Declan’s scars from his ski accident and his tattoos, he could come off as unapproachable. After the accident, he had
kept his brown hair short and spiky while sometimes going for days on end without touching a razor. Living on the streets taught him to portray himself as dangerous to avoid trouble. Although his life had changed for the better, he still maintained the same look.

  Jenna’s eyes brightened as he entered the room causing his stomach to flip at the sight. He had grown accustomed to Kate’s always-shifting moods and wasn’t used to finding someone who genuinely seemed happy to see him. Although he felt drawn to Jenna, her reaction also made him cagey. He had been unnerved by the conversation they had the day earlier about heartbreak. He was bothered by Kate’s engagement, but he wasn’t pussy-whipped by her. He had to prove to everyone he could move on with no problem. Perhaps he had to stop focusing on the downside of his latest tryst. Last night in Nikki’s bed could help erase all notions that he was infatuated with Kate.

  “Hi, Declan,” Jenna said softly. Kate visibly started at her tone, swinging her head to look over at him. Her lower lip stuck out and she pouted at him. Before she could say anything, Jenna asked, “Were you in the shower?”

  He shook his head quickly to remove any lingering water droplets. “Yes,” he said coolly. “When we’re working a case, we give it our everything and will often pull all-nighters.”

  Kate rolled her eyes, but luckily Jenna’s attention was still focused on him. Kate cleared her throat. “Yes. We will do whatever it takes to figure out who murdered Derek.”

  Strolling over to the women, he joined them at the kitchen table. Jenna was dressed casually in cropped jeans, a tank top, and wedges. Her wild curls were secured at the nape of her neck with a clip. On the table between Kate and Jenna, he saw several photographs strewn haphazardly. Jenna gestured to the pictures. “Besides Brianna, these are the other friends at the beach house the night Derek was killed. I put their names and some notes on the back of each picture to help you track them. Altogether, there were three couples: Brianna and Derek, Taylor and Liam, and Adam and Chelsea.”