The Final Omen: Second Sight Book Four

by Heather Topham Wood

  After the doctor left she was quiet for a second, trying to process everything he’d said. As she opened her mouth to talk, she shut it quickly when she heard a disruption at the door of her room. Declan and Kate’s father were forced to step back as Jared’s tall form went barreling past them.

  Abruptly, he stopped at the side of her bed and grabbed her hand. Although she felt a sense of disconnection due to the painkillers being pumped into her body, she managed a smile for him. “Jared,” she sighed.

  “Kate, I love you,” he said hurriedly.

  Her eyes enlarged and she swore she stopped breathing for a second. Kate waited for the alarm to sound, alerting the hospital staff of the spike in her heart rate. Before she could overcome her shock and manage a reply, she heard a dark chuckle from the foot of the bed.

  Declan walked over and tossed his arm around Jared’s shoulders. “Dude, tone it down a notch. You haven’t even exchanged pleasantries and you’re busting out with I love you.” He chuckled. “Too soon.”

  Jared shrugged off Declan’s arm and addressed Kate. “Sorry. I’ve just been waiting to say that to you and I had to get it out.”

  Jared’s gray eyes found hers and she found herself lost in the intensity of his stare. It seemed like minutes ago she imagined it was the last time she’d see him. She’d told him she loved him as part of saying goodbye, and her body sagged with relief as she realized the most miraculous thing had happened: she survived.

  Kate’s mom cleared her throat. “Boys, maybe we should give Katie some space and let her get some rest.”

  Kate found her voice. “That’s okay, Mom. Can everyone give us a minute? I’d like to talk to Jared alone.”

  Darlene nodded while Kate’s dad looked sternly against the idea. He shouldered Jared and Declan out of the way to lean at her bedside. “Katie, you’ve been through one hell of an ordeal. You’re on a lot of medications and should be supervised by your parents and the doctors. Not left alone with people who may not have your best interests at heart.”

  “Robert,” her mother snapped. “Jared is the reason Katie is alive. If he hadn’t come to our house when he did, God only knows what could’ve happened to our daughter. Katie is twenty-two years old, and if she wants to be alone with her boyfriend, then you need to step aside.”

  She sounded furious and it made Kate curious over what had been happening while she was unconscious. Kate’s father had never been particularly fond of Jared, mainly because of the seven-year age difference between the couple, and the fact Jared had been involved with Nikki when Kate first met him. She hoped her dad hadn’t dredged up old resentments while she’d been recovering.

  Kate looked past her dad at Jared. A vein was pulsing in his forehead and she could tell it was taking a concentrated effort for him not to argue with her dad. She appreciated Jared reining in his annoyance and keeping the peace.

  “Dad, please. I’m too tired to fight with you and I only want a minute alone with him,” she begged. Her dad may be tough on her, but she also knew he cared about her enough to relent when she really needed something. At the moment, she needed Jared.

  “Fine,” he huffed. He turned and addressed Jared. “But I don’t want you saying anything that’ll upset my daughter.” Her dad pressed a kiss on her forehead before striding out of the hospital room.

  Her mom squeezed Kate’s hand. “Don’t worry about your dad, sweetheart. It’s been a tense few days and he’s only concerned about you getting better. You were pretty out of it yesterday…” Her mom trailed off and gave Jared a knowing look before continuing. “And I think he’s terrified of losing you.”

  “Why? What was I like yesterday?” Kate’s eyes volleyed between her mom and Jared. The day before was a blur, the memories surreal, feeling more like dreams than actual moments of lucidity.

  “You just mumbled a lot of stuff that didn’t make much sense,” she said kindly.

  “And you may have asked Jared to take off his shirt while your dad was in the room,” Declan added helpfully.

  “Thanks Declan,” her mother snapped. She grabbed him by the arm. “I’ll take this nuisance away now, so you can have some time alone with Jared.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay, Kit Kat. Don’t scare us again like that,” Declan said before allowing Kate’s mom to lead him out.

  Kate’s energy was depleted and she didn’t have it in her to snap at him for using the annoying nickname he’d assigned her. She cringed as she cast a sidelong glance at Jared. “Did I really ask you to undress in front of my dad?”

  “Yes, I felt very objectified by you,” he joked while pulling a chair over to the side of the bed. “Kate, it was no big deal, honestly. You know Declan loves to be a shit stirrer.”

  She understood that about her friend, but wondered why they were talking about Declan like Jared was unbothered by the psychic. So much had obviously changed while she’d been unconscious, she wondered if she’d actually been in a coma for years instead of days.

  Kate cleared her throat. “So you love me, huh?”

  “I expected to tell you in private and in a way to sweep you off your feet, but it slipped out before I could plan my delivery better,” Jared admitted. “I had regrets of not telling you sooner.”

  “What do you mean? Like when I was dying and said it to you first?” she asked meaningfully.

  “I’m sorry, Kate. If I told you then, I was afraid you wouldn’t come back to me. Like that moment would be our way of saying goodbye to each other.” He confessed. “I never want to say goodbye to you. I love you.”

  Despite everything her body had been through, Kate was still able to find the ability to smile. “I love you, too.”

  Gently, Jared leaned over and brushed his lips against her mouth. She closed her eyes and felt the strongest sense of contentment. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she felt the softness of his mouth against hers. After the initial tease, his kiss was firmer and she felt a familiar heat building inside of her. She wanted to shake with relief. She’d almost been robbed of beginning a new chapter with Jared, but for some reason she’d survived.

  She let out a half-laugh as he pulled back. “This is a pretty great way to wake up. Maybe I should go into a coma more often if it makes all of the sucky things about my life disappear. Any other good news? Did all of my credit card debt get paid off? Did the government forgive all of my student loans?” Her smile faded as a thought chilled her. “Was the man who did this to me caught?”

  Jared’s expression changed and hardness crept into his eyes. She almost wished the words back. Her question had stolen away the feelings of happiness and love that they had just shared. It cast a shadow over both of them and she had a feeling the fight for her life was far from over.

  “What can you tell me, Kate? Who did this to you?”

  Kate closed her eyes. It stung to make Jared disappear from view. But she forced herself to return to the night of her attack. She could see herself coming through the door, noticing the alarm wasn’t set. Picking up the phone to call her mom and receiving no answer. At the first sound of heavy footfalls on the floor, Kate was flying towards the door. She fought him off, she fought like hell, but he still was able to stab her again and again.

  “I can’t tell you who he was. He wore a black sweater and dark pants. He was drowning in the sweater, so it was difficult to tell his exact size. He wore a mask…” Kate sniffed as the memories overtook her. “It was a homemade sack with holes cut out for the eyes.”

  “Kate, look at me.”

  She forced open her eyes and disappeared inside of Jared’s gray-eyed gaze.

  “You have nothing to be scared of. No one is going to ever hurt you again. I’m sorry for everything, but I’m here now. I love you and I’m going to keep you safe.”

  “And cue the swelling violins,” Declan joked as he reentered the room.

  Kate wiped at the moisture on her cheeks. “Didn’t my mom kick you out?”

  “I ducked out when your priest cam
e into the waiting room,” he said.

  “Father Bernard is here?”

  “It was touch and go there. I guess maybe your parents called him to do the last rites,” he said nonchalantly.

  “You’re lucky I’m incapacitated or I’d hurt you,” she retorted.

  “I gave you two your five minutes to kiss and makeup. Now, we have to get to work and catch the asshole who put you here,” he explained. He leaned over and gripped the railing of her hospital bed. “What can you tell us?”

  “Nothing,” she sighed. “He wore a mask and dark clothing. The one thing that struck me as odd was the scary looking hunting knife he used. It was long and thin with a fine point and serrated edges. Maybe the cops can track him down by finding a record of who bought that kind of weapon.”

  “Someone breaks into your house and stabs you and that’s the only thing that struck you as odd.” Declan shook his head. “Luckily, Jared and I have been playing murder mystery theater while you were laid up.”

  Kate’s eyes shrewdly examined Jared and Declan. She lifted up her hand and pointed her finger between the two of them. “You two have been working together?”

  “Yes,” Jared said with a nod. “He’s been jumping into suspects’ heads, but nothing has turned up yet.”

  “But you two hate each other,” she said.

  “Kit Kat, we’re all good now. Jared and I came to a bro understanding about you,” Declan said in an excited rush.

  “What the hell Dec? Was that even in English?”

  Jared’s smile was forced. “What Declan is trying to say is that we’re fine now and he’s going to help me find your attacker.”

  “Really?”

  “Really; everything is fine,” Jared assured her.

  She momentarily wondered if she’d woken up in a parallel universe. Last time she came out of a coma she was psychic. Maybe this coma caused a shift in her world and all the wrongs were righted. Jared wasn’t only forgiving her for kissing Declan, but also letting her know it was okay that he had a place in her life.

  “I need you to talk to the detectives and try to go over everything with them. Even the smallest thing can make the biggest difference. Things may come back to you, too, once you’re fully recovered,” Jared instructed.

  “You made it, Kate. After months of thinking you were a goner, you’re still here. I’m sorry we didn’t get him before you got hurt, but we’re going to catch him before anything can happen again,” Declan promised.

  Kate nodded and turned her head to face the hospital wall. The assurances of her safety were thoughtful, but she had a feeling her ordeal hadn’t ended. Not only was her assailant at large but she was also helpless if he went after her again. Her body had been mutilated and it would likely be months before she’d heal. She couldn’t expect Jared to always be around to keep her safe.

  She pushed the depressing thoughts out of her head. She had too much to be grateful for and didn’t want her attacker to force her back into being scared for her life every waking moment. Between the three of them, the man who tried to kill her wouldn’t be on the run for much longer.

  Chapter Eight

  Kate parked her Toyota at the curb of her house. It was a moonless night and the streetlights provided very little illumination. Her house was dark with only the porch light guiding the path to her front door. Surveying the driveway, she found her mom’s car wasn’t parked in her usual spot. Instead of exiting the car, Kate retrieved her phone from her purse and dialed Jared’s number.

  “You’ve reached Jared Corbett, please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

  Kate groaned as she disconnected the call. “Where are you?” she hissed aloud.

  She punched in the code to her voicemail and replayed the saved messages. Jared’s breathless voice erupted into her ear. “Kate…I’m not sure what’s going to happen tonight, but I want you to know I love you and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to ever cause you pain. I’ve been a selfish ass and you had so many chances to give up on me and walk away from us, but you haven’t.

  I made a promise to you when you woke up that I’d give my life to protect you. Keeping you safe is the most important thing to me, and on my life I swear no one will touch you again. I don’t regret what I’ve done to keep you from harm, but I do regret if we can’t be together because of it.

  I wish I didn’t have to say this on your voicemail and I’ll try to call you back. But I just want you to know how I feel in case the shit hits the fan tonight. I love you, Kate.”

  Kate tossed the phone on the empty passenger seat and slammed her palm against the dashboard. “Ow!” she cried as her hand began to throb. Tossing back her hair, she demanded to the air, “Really, Jared? You leave your girlfriend that kind of message and don’t pick up the phone?”

  Finally, she opened the car door and slid out of the driver’s seat. Her hand slipped around the mace she carried dutifully in her purse. She had a bad streak of getting jumped at her house and took no chances any longer. After a few seconds of shuffling towards the front door, she stopped in her tracks. She turned back towards the street, just in time to see a dark car careening down the road.

  The car came to an abrupt stop next to her Toyota. The engine was running and the headlights still on when a body burst out of the car door. Without a second’s hesitation, Kate was off and running.

  Launching herself into Jared’s waiting arms, she snuggled into his chest. “Thank God you’re here. How could you leave me a message like that? I thought you were about to jump off of a bridge by the way you were talking. Not cool, Jared…” She stopped rambling as she heard Jared’s labored breathing above her. Disentangling herself from his arms, she looked into his face. His eyes were distant, staring past her into the night. His dark hair was disheveled and he looked like he’d misplaced his razor days ago.

  Before she could question his countenance, she noticed a sticky sensation on her bare arms. Scrutinizing her arms by twisting them back and forth, she realized they were covered in blood. Horrified, she pressed her hand on Jared’s chest and found it soaked through with the crimson liquid. “My God, Jared, are you hurt? Why did you let me blather on while you were bleeding? We have to call an ambulance.” She moved to grab her phone out of her purse when his hand shot up and laced around her forearm.

  “Kate, it’s not my blood.” His strained voice was hard to make out over her racing heart.

  Her eyes scanned his tan t-shirt and horror dawned on her features as she realized just how much blood coated the fabric. “Whose blood is it?” she whispered.

  Instead of answering, he crushed his mouth against hers. The kiss was full of suffering and she imagined his heart breaking every time his mouth moved in time with her soft lips. As she pulled away, she gripped the back of his head. He closed his eyes as he pressed his forehead against hers.

  “Jared, whose blood is it?” she repeated with more urgency.

  “The less you know the better. I don’t want you implicated in any way…” He paused as they both heard sirens in the distance. As the noise faded, they let out a collective sigh of relief. Jared continued, “I shouldn’t be here, but he said things. Disgusting things he had planned for you…” Revulsion stole into his features as he trailed off. Jared shook his head emphatically to seemingly clear his thoughts. “I had to make sure you were safe and see you one last time before I turn myself in.”

  Kate blanched. “Turn yourself in?”

  “He was going to hurt you again if I didn’t do something, Kate. He could’ve walked, been acquitted for attacking you or just got a slap on the wrist. This way he’ll never put his filthy hands on you again.”

  Kate blinked rapidly. “Jared, you’re not making any sense. Who was going to hurt me? Did you find the guy who attacked me?” Finally, she noted the past tense references and the bloodbath on Jared’s clothing. “Oh no, Jared…what have you done?”

  ***

  “Jared!” Kate ca
lled out as her eyes flew open.

  “I’m here, Kate,” Jared said reassuringly as he jumped out of the chair he’d been sitting in next to her bedside.

  Her body couldn’t stop trembling as she took a moment to shake off the apprehension the vision had left her with. It reinforced a feeling that had been with her since she woke up from the coma: their nightmare was everlasting.

  Jared leaned close. His hand gently swept the hair back that cascaded in front of her face. His voice was soothing as he asked, “Did you see something, Kate? Was it a vision?” His eager eyes were at odds with the soft timbre of his voice.

  She could tell he wanted answers as much as she did. He knew better than to ask if it was simply a bad dream, her dreams hadn’t been her own since she first woke up with her psychic gift.

  “Yes,” she replied hoarsely. Tears flooded her eyes, blurring his appearance. “You came to my house…covered in blood. I thought you were hurt, but you said the blood wasn’t yours.” She drew in a shaky breath. “Jared, you admitted to killing the person who attacked me.”

  “Who is it? Who hurt you, Kate?” he whispered with a fierce expression on his face.

  Frustrated tears spilled out. “I don’t know. You didn’t tell me in the vision, explaining you didn’t want to implicate me. Jared, you told me he would never put his hands on me again and you were turning yourself in.”

  She could see the tension fade from his features. The thought of her assailant’s death was obviously something he didn’t plan to lose sleep over. “It’s good you’re still having visions, Kate. It can help us find out who did this to you.”

  Seeing the good in holding onto her psychic gift was debatable. Although she’d found it satisfying to reunite the missing with their families, Kate wouldn’t have minded having a normal life again. Being assaulted had shaken her up and it made her wonder if her psychic gift was a curse.