The Curse: The Butterfly Effect, Book 2.

by Margaret McHeyzer

  “He’ll be okay,” Ronan replies.

  I make it around the side and see Jude lying on the ground.

  My heart stops.

  He doesn’t look okay.

  The blood in my veins chills, as ice shoots through me.

  “Oh, my God, he’s dead,” I whisper as tears prickle my eyes. Everything freezes; time stands still. My pulse is rapidly beating in my ears and my breath is coming thick and fast.

  Walking over to him, I kneel beside his body. It takes me a few seconds to notice his erratic breathing, and a few more for it to comprehend.

  He’s not dead.

  “Alexa, I told Ronan to get you out of here,” his voice is rough and he looks like shit. Even his clothing is wrong. He always dresses sharply with a tailored suit, or at the very least tailored pants and a dress shirt. But now he’s covered in black ash, and his sweatpants and t-shirt are filthy.

  “You look like crap,” I blurt.

  He manages to smile between coughs. “Are you hurt?” he asks me as he lifts his hand and runs it down my cheek. Closing my eyes, I lean into his hand, thankful for him being alive.

  And I’m drawn into a vision. We’re in a sterile white room, he’s lying in bed and Ronan is sitting on a chair in a corner of the room.

  This concerns me. Why is he here? I step further into the room and look around. The door opens and a male doctor comes in. “Mr. Caley,” he announces while looking down at some paperwork in his hand.

  “Yeah,” Jude replies.

  “All your tests seem okay. We just want to keep you here overnight to assess you for any complications.”

  Jude rolls his eyes and sits up in bed. “This is bullshit; I’m fine. Get me out of here.”

  “I can’t do that, I need to make sure you don’t have any further complications.”

  Jude swings his legs around and places his feet on the ground. “Nah, not happening, doc. Sign the papers, I have somewhere to be.”

  “No,” the doctor asserts himself. “I’m not giving you the okay to leave until tomorrow.” He’s one stubborn doctor. But then again, Jude can hold his own.

  “Listen here, doc . . .”

  The door opens and I come in with Frank. The doctor turns to look at me and Frank, then swings around, smiling, at Jude. “I’ll see you in the morning, Mr. Caley. Rest up for now.” He leaves and Jude mumbles angrily under his breath.

  “This is bullshit,” Jude says louder.

  Knowing Jude’s okay, I force myself out of the vision. “You’re a pain in the butt,” I say to Jude, opening my eyes.

  “What did I do? Or . . . should I say, what will I do?”

  “You’re staying in the hospital tonight, Jude. Don’t argue with the doctor.”

  “What doctor?” He looks at me confused, but within a few seconds realization dawns on him. “I won’t,” he replies while lying back on the lawn, still coughing.

  I look around, let out a deep breath and shake my head. “What’s going on?” I turn to face Ronan before my eyes settle on Jude.

  “It happened so fast.” Ronan’s running his hand through his hair while he shifts from foot to foot. Judging by his reaction, I believe him when he says it happened fast. “We were ambushed.”

  “What happened? Why the fuck is my house on fire, Ronan?” Jude asks him.

  “I’m not entirely sure yet, but I think it’s because . . .” he pauses and looks over to me.

  “Because of me?” My hand goes to my chest and instantly I feel guilty. I want to ask why, but I have a feeling I’m about to hear the answer.

  “We must’ve been getting close,” Ronan replies to my unasked question.

  I squint and look away. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would they send a suicide bomber in to kill us? If they gave me this, then that means they gave me this for a reason. Why would they kill me?”

  “They’re not interested in killing you, Alexa,” Jude says.

  “Wait . . . you mean they were trying to kill you? But, why?”

  “Because I stand in the way of them getting to you.”

  Oh shit. They’re trying to eliminate him to get to me. This means, Jude’s in danger. I turn and look at Ronan, my head is spinning with everything. “You’re all in danger, because of me. Again.”

  Jude grabs onto my thigh and squeezes it. Before he speaks, Ronan jumps in to say, “The car’s here. We’re taking you to the hospital, Jude.”

  “I’ll be fine.” He coughs heavily, the smoke still in his lungs.

  “Please,” I beg him. “Just go to the hospital.”

  Jude looks at me, and the stress stretched across my face must be enough. “Okay. But you’re not leaving my side.”

  If it means getting him the proper treatment, then I’m fine with his ridiculous demand. “Deal.” I try and offer him a smile.

  I get out of Ronan’s way as he and Frank help Jude up. Jude’s heavy coughing worries me. Smoke inhalation can be dangerous. Turning, I look at the house. Part of the frame is burning bright, the walls crumbling beneath the burn. We’re damn lucky we got out.

  I have so many questions, but I doubt I’ll be getting any answers until we find whoever did this.

  The car pulls out of the driveway, and I see the watch tower. The two men who were on duty tonight have bullet holes in their heads. This was orchestrated carefully, though I can’t help but wonder why they didn’t just swoop in and take me. Why crash a car into the house with a suicide bomber inside?

  It was obviously their intention, but they didn’t succeed. They can’t have put all this thought into getting me, just to leave me here. They would’ve had a contingency plan, so why didn’t they take me? What stopped them? Who stopped them? What is going on?

  The ride to the hospital has me assessing and questioning everything. Jude’s coughing is making me angrier and angrier. Not at Jude. He’s just a casualty in this hot mess. But at the fact that with each passing day, I’m no closer to finding these people.

  We get to the hospital, and Ronan goes ahead. He does whatever he does, and before I know it, Jude’s being shown to a private room. Money talks.

  Jude continues coughing, and I sit on the chair in the corner and let the anger inside me bubble away. Frank enters the room and looks toward me, then Jude. Standing to my feet, I head over to Frank, throw my arms around him and hug him. “You okay, Miss Lexi?” he asks.

  I do everything to hold onto my anger. But somehow it bursts through in the form of tears. “I need something to eat,” I say.

  “Lexi?” Jude questions. His distressed voice sends me over the edge.

  I don’t let go of Frank. Frank is like a father figure to me. He’ll never replace my dad, but at the same time, I trust him like I trusted my father. “How about I take Miss Lexi to get something to eat?” Frank suggests to Jude.

  Turning, I look to Jude and see the worry carved into his face. His shoulders are stiff and high, and his eyes beckon for me not to go. I stare at him and wait for his answer, silently begging him to let me go.

  Jude’s understandingly concerned. “Only to the cafeteria, nowhere else. Don’t take her out of the hospital. I’m holding you responsible if anything happens.” Jude points to Frank.

  “Nothing will happen on my watch,” Frank responds with confidence.

  “Don’t leave Frank’s side.” I nod my head in agreement. He huffs and he looks as if he wants to say something else, but he doesn’t.

  “We’ll be back soon, Mr. Jude.”

  Frank and I head toward the door, and Jude adds, “Take care of her.”

  We leave the hospital room, and Frank turns to his left, leading me down the hall. We get to the elevator and I press the down button for the floor where the cafeteria is located. When we get in, we’re isolated. All I want to do is curl up into a ball and forget my life.

  But if I forget my life, then I’m forgetting the bad and the good. I’m not ready to let go of the good yet, I’m not sure I ever will be ready.

  Silently
we arrive to the floor, and we head toward the cafeteria. I find the most secluded spot, which isn’t hard considering the early hour, and sit in the corner. Frank orders something, then comes back with a sandwich for me, a hot chocolate, and a bottle of water for himself.

  “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” he asks, pushing the sandwich toward me.

  Picking it up, I break off a small corner of the bread and nibble on it. “How much about me do you know?” He’s in the thick of it, he may as well know everything.

  “I know Mr. Jude is very fond of you.”

  I sigh and look away. “That’s not what I mean, Frank.”

  I catch his gaze, and this time it’s his turn to avert his eyes away from mine. “I know you’re a very special young lady.”

  Swallowing hard, I nod my head. “How special?”

  “You can do things others can’t.”

  I nod my head again. “I can do things no one else can.”

  “You’re different, but in a way people can’t see.” Spot on, my friend. Spot on.

  “I have the ability to see a person’s immediate future with a simple touch.”

  “Oh,” he grumbles and his brows raise.

  My heart races as I wait for more of a reaction from him. He chews on the inside of his cheek and stares down at his water. “Is ‘oh’ the only thing you can say?” Holding my breath, I wait for his response.

  “You said immediate future?” I nod. “How immediate?”

  “I haven’t figured out the time constraints, but I always see the person in the same clothes they’re wearing. I figure, it has to be only a few hours ahead.” I think back to when Jude killed Enzo, and realize the vision I saw was only moments ahead. I crinkle my brows and slump my shoulders, staring at the hot chocolate.

  “How did you get it?” Frank’s question makes me push my thoughts to the back of my mind, and return my focus to him.

  “I don’t know. But, recently I had appendicitis and when I woke, I was able to see a person’s future. Scared me to death, because when it first happened, I had no idea what was going on.”

  “Did you die while they were operating?”

  “They said I had complications. I never asked. I think I didn’t want to know.”

  Frank rubs his chin and furrows his brows together. “Tell me more about it. This is interesting. How do you see the future?”

  “I really don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like I’m being dragged into a tunnel, where on the other end, there’s a movie playing and I’m behind the camera recording it.”

  “What can you do while you’re in these . . . apparitions?”

  “At first, I couldn’t do much, but I’m getting stronger with each passing day.”

  “How so?” He leans into the table, careful to look around to make sure no one is within listening distance.

  “Now I can move around easily in the vision. I can talk and people can hear me. I’m getting better at resisting going into a vision . . .” I shrug and say, “I’m learning to control it instead of letting it control me.”

  “Ah,” Frank says as if an epiphany hits him. Moments pass as he focuses on his water. “What you’re saying is you’re lethal?”

  What? Lethal? “I’m not lethal.” I nearly want to laugh at his silly comment. But I think about it. The more I discover, the more dangerous I become.

  “Miss Lexi, you’re potentially an incredible dangerous person. You just told me you’re learning to control this power you have. If you can harness it, learn it, understand it, then you’ll be one of the most dangerous people in the world. Can you imagine what someone would do in order to get to you so they can use you?”

  “I never saw myself as dangerous. Instead, I thought this was a hindrance, something that killed my parents and got my best friend kidnapped. I thought what I had was a gift, then a curse . . .” I break off my sentence, caught in the middle of the hell playing in my mind. “I thought Jude could protect me. Maybe that’s my naivety coming out.” Exhaling deeply, I grasp the truth. He can’t protect me.

  No one can.

  Ideally, he’d be able to keep me safe. He was the one who saved me from Enzo. But this, this now is much bigger than either of us.

  “Miss Lexi, whoever knows about this will move mountains to be able to use it. I suggest you don’t go telling too many people.”

  “Ordinarily I’d agree with you, but I believe this was given to me while I was knocked out to have my surgery. So, it wouldn’t matter who I told or didn’t, whoever gave it to me, already knows about me.” Frank’s forehead wrinkles in concentration. “The house being bombed . . . most likely happened because of me. What I can’t work out is, they’re obviously organized, they knew what was going to happen, so why didn’t they take me and leave all of you behind? It doesn’t make sense. Maybe I’m missing something.”

  “Maybe the house being bombed wasn’t about you. Maybe it’s about Mr. Jude.”

  I shake my head in frustration. “It still doesn’t make sense. Why go to that extreme to kill Jude?”

  “Hmmm.” He twists the lid to his water bottle, takes a swig then places it on the table. He’s thinking, and so am I, but nothing is making sense.

  “It could’ve been for Mr. Jude because the car was in his room.”

  “But that could be to kill him and take me.”

  “Or they have no idea about your talent, and the intention was just to kill him.”

  “Talent?” I roll my eyes. “Let’s go with that then.” I offer Frank a weak smile, but the turmoil in my head doesn’t allow me to muster energy for anything else. “I’m scared, Frank.”

  “It’s no wonder. I’m scared too, and I’m a grown man.”

  “What do I do?” I plead with him to give me some direction.

  “Miss Lexi, I hate to say this, but I have no idea. For now, stay close to Mr. Jude, Ronan, and me, and take each day as it comes.”

  I breathe out several times in frustration. The thing I hate most about this situation, is the uncertainty. Someone else is holding all the cards and we have to wait until they’re ready to show them before we can make our move.

  “We need to get back to the room,” Frank says reaching out to touch my hand, but he stops himself and looks into my eyes.

  “It’s okay, I understand.” I pull my hand back.

  Standing, we head back to Jude’s room. When we open the door, Ronan’s sitting on the chair in the corner. The doctor’s in here with them and I’m in the vision I had. The doctor looks at me, then back to Jude, a sly smile lifts his features. “I’ll see you in the morning, Mr. Caley. Rest up for now.”

  He leaves and Jude mumbles angrily under his breath, “This is bullshit.” The door closes behind the doctor who really isn’t interested in Jude’s response. “We’re not staying here.” Jude stands, and instantly relapses into a coughing fit.

  “You have to stay here for observation, doctor’s orders,” I steely instruct him.

  “What? How do you . . .” He looks over to Ronan and shakes his head. “Of course, you’d know.”

  “Lie down and stop being a pain in everyone’s butt. He told you to stay here, so you’re staying here. Get over it,” I snap, exasperated with everything.

  Ronan looks up from his phone, and Frank backs away before quickly adding, “I’ll be waiting outside, Mr. Jude.” He exits, closing the door behind him, leaving Jude staring at me.

  “Before you say anything, I’m tired, I’m frustrated and I’m angry. So, can you do me a favor and just stay here for tonight instead of marching out to set heads rolling when you’ve got smoke inhalation.”

  “Alexa.”

  I hold my hand up to halt whatever he wants to say. “Please . . . for me?” I drop my voice and let my chin fall to my chest. “Just for tonight.” If something happened to him because he left the hospital against the doctors’ orders, it would be the end of the slim sliver of sanity I’m desperately trying to hold onto. “Please,” I beg agai
n.

  The room is filled with silence. Everyone in here is quiet. I’ve pleaded and begged, and now we’re waiting for Jude’s decision. “Alexa.” Sighing, I cover my face with my hands. I’m not crying, but I want to. This is all too much for me to handle. “Get out,” I hear him instruct Ronan.

  “Got work to do.” Ronan walks out, leaving just Jude and me in the room.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks and steps closer to me.

  “Someone tried killing you, or me, or both of us. And it’s . . .” Closing my eyes, I take several deep breaths to calm my thoughts. “ . . . it’s too much for me to handle. Everyone around me is suffering because of . . .”

  “Don’t say it’s because of you.”

  Opening my eyes, I notice how Jude’s stepped closer to me. “But, it is because of me.”

  He wraps his arms around me, and pulls me in for a hug. “It might feel like that, but it’s because of what was done to you. A huge difference, and definitely not the same thing.”

  “Jude.” I breathe out as I step closer into his body. A vision is nipping at me, wanting to take me under, but I’m refusing to allow it. “Please stay here tonight. Tomorrow you can leave. Besides, it’s late or early, whichever way you look at it.” With my head on his chest, I can hear his heart’s steady beat.

  “I’ll stay, but on the condition you stay with me.”

  I simply nod my head against his chest.

  “Get me a coffee,” I hear Jude grumble.

  Stretching, I open my eyes and see Ronan standing opposite Jude. “I’ll get Frank to get it,” he replies.

  “Morning,” I say as I stand and stretch again. Sleeping in a chair is extremely uncomfortable. Jude tried to give me the bed, but I refused it.

  Jude smiles at me, and Ronan nods his head sharply. “Ronan’s going to get me a coffee. The coffee from the cafeteria is shit, I want a proper coffee.”

  Ronan rolls his eyes. Evidently, he thinks it’s a task that’s beneath him. “I’ll come with you, I’m kind of hungry.”

  “For fuck’s sake,” Ronan mumbles. “I’m not babysitting her.” He points toward me.