The Final Omen: Second Sight Book Four

by Heather Topham Wood

  Instead, the man stuck out his arm and thrust a manila envelope into her hands. Behind him, she saw Jared’s tall form hurry through the crowd towards where she stood. The man turned around and noticed the direction of her stare. Within seconds, he rushed away from her and in the opposite direction of where Jared was coming from. She barreled through the crowd and ran straight into his chest. In a breathless rush, she blurted, “Jared, it’s him…or he works with him. He just said he hasn’t forgotten and he’ll see me bleed.” Pointing in the direction of the door heading to the beach, she said, “He went through there. He has blond hair and a Coors Lite shirt.” Kate would’ve chased after the man herself, but thought Jared was a better candidate since he carried a gun.

  Jared booked it in the direction she indicated. She tried to follow him as close as possible, but a sea of bodies was blocking her path. Suddenly, Declan was at her side and manhandling the crowd to get them through. “Kate, what’s going on?” he shouted over the thrum of the music.

  “Some guy came up to me and said he had a message that it wasn’t over and he handed me this envelope.” She waved it in his face and yelled, “He said I’ll bleed again.”

  “What’s in the envelope?”

  “I don’t know. He took off when he saw Jared.”

  She saw Jared hurl his body through the bar exit and run off into the night. Declan and Kate were close on Jared’s heels and a minute later exited onto the moonlit beach. As she adjusted her eyes to the dimmer light, she saw two figures about fifty yards away running down the beach. The man in the white tank was still visible from her position and Jared was gaining. As Declan and Kate continued to give chase, they saw Jared leap forward and tackle the man to the ground.

  Kate was out of breath and her side ached when she finally reached them. The stranger was attempting to wiggle out of Jared’s wrestling hold. She saw his fist pull back and pound into the man’s face. Blood squirted from his nose and seeped into his mustache. The man lifted his hands to protect his face, provoking Jared to move his blows to the chest. He pummeled the man senseless as he screamed out in agony. Once he dropped his hands to clutch his body, Jared resumed the attack on the guy’s face. There was blood everywhere, soaking the man’s face, leaking onto the white shirt. Kate heard the sound of bone snapping as a powerful punch plummeted him onto the sand. His eyes were swollen closed, and several minutes into the beating she guessed he was close to losing consciousness.

  “Jared, stop it!” she screamed.

  It was as if she didn’t say a word. Trance-like, Jared worked out all of his aggression on the limp body lying on the beach before him. His leg darted out and landed a forceful kick to the man’s chest. The stranger didn’t respond, but Jared retained his detached expression and continued to slam his boots into various body parts.

  Declan stood to the sidelines, illuminated by the lights from the boardwalk above them.

  Kate whirled on him. “Do something!”

  “What do you want me to do? Jared’s taking care of him.”

  “Dec, my vision! He could kill him!”

  Kate wondered if she’d failed again. Had Jared killed a man because of her?

  Declan must have noted the suffering on her face because, after a heavy sigh, he approached Jared. “Bro, he’s done. You can walk away.”

  Jared didn’t react. He’d dropped to his knees and remained planted in the sand with the body of the stranger in front of him. Although the lighting was dim, she could still see how raw and bloody his knuckles were turning.

  Declan tried again, more urgent. “Jared, he’s knocked out. You need to get off of him and call it in.” When it still didn’t cause a response, Declan started to grab Jared from behind. Jared resisted and elbowed Declan in the ribs. The blow hadn’t deterred Declan and he continued to tussle with Jared.

  Kate was motionless, frozen in a new nightmare. She couldn’t go near Jared because, although the stranger was unconscious, he still invoked terror inside of her. It transported her back in time to the night of her attack. Could the bloodied man at her feet be the one who had terrorized her six months ago? Was the third person reference he alluded to only meant to throw her off?

  She forced down the unsettling feelings and found the strength that had gotten her through every bad moment since being attacked. She loved Jared and had to stop him from doing something he’d regret. While Declan attempted to pull him back, she ran over to help.

  “Jared, he’s out cold. Let it go!”

  Jared was still trying to reach the man, despite Declan’s secure chokehold. Not knowing what else to do, she smacked Jared hard across his cheek. “Damn it, Jared! You’re fucking scaring me!”

  Stunned, he stopped bucking and dropped his fists limply to his sides. He glared at the man, who was motionless on the sand.

  Kate was thankful she could see the rise and fall of the stranger’s chest.

  Exhausted, Declan fell onto the sand behind them and mumbled, “Christ, I need new friends.”

  Jared’s breathing was ragged and his eyes were wild. He looked down at her hand still clutching the envelope. “What did he give you?”

  “I didn’t open it yet,” she stammered. “Jared, we need to call the police.” The bar was far off, but she was certain someone would’ve noticed the commotion by then.

  “Not until I see what he gave you. Then I’ll decide what to do with him.”

  She turned her back on Jared and said firmly, “Declan, call the cops. We’ll look at what’s inside the envelope after they get here.”

  “No, Kate!” Jared exploded from behind her. “He doesn’t get away with threatening you when I’m ten fucking feet away! What if he had a gun or a knife? You could’ve been killed right in front of me!”

  Kate never witnessed the level of anger that he was in the throes of. His eyes were wild and he reminded her of a rabid animal. He was ready to pounce at any given second and she had to proceed with caution. “Jared, you have to trust me. You promised me you’d believe in me and wouldn’t do anything that could hurt us. I’m telling you we’re calling the police to handle this.”

  “Bro, she has a point. You’re not cut out for this vigilante shit. Going by the book suits you much better,” Declan added.

  Kate gave him a grateful look before turning back to Jared. “Please, this could be over right now.”

  Jared nodded reluctantly and Declan pulled out his phone. As he called the police department and explained the situation, Jared reached for the envelope in her hands. She dug her fingernails into the envelope; fearful he’d snatch it out of her hands. “We need to see what’s in here.”

  She stared at it with a leaden feeling in her stomach. The last thing she wanted to do was look inside. It was going to be bad, the man accosted her in the bar to deliver a deadly message and the contents of the envelope were likely to only reinforce his words. “Maybe we should wait for the police…”

  Jared’s expression was unreadable and it scared her. She should’ve been flattered how completely he lost his shit when she was in danger, but it only scared her. It felt like a step closer to having her premonition of him going to jail come true.

  “Kate, I have to see what that piece of shit gave you.” His voice was a low rumble, menacing to even her ears. He turned swiftly as he heard a groan come from the ground. She dug her nails into his arms to prevent him from launching a fresh attack. The guy was no threat and he had to have at least a few broken bones from the beating he took. A new attack would only worsen his injuries and end up putting him in a coma or worse. Facing her again, Jared removed the envelope from her grasp. Before she could protest, Declan was on his feet and in Jared’s face.

  “Listen, the cops are on their way,” Declan said holding up the phone to illustrate his point. “You know Kate’s right and you shouldn’t open that envelope. You have no idea if whatever’s inside is dangerous. You’re also risking compromising evidence that could risk destroying her case.”

  The stubborn
tilt of Jared’s chin confirmed he was mulling over what Declan had said; and although he was resisting reason, Kate hoped Declan could get through to Jared. He gave a reluctant nod and Declan used the opportunity to grab back the envelope.

  Kate fell backwards and landed on the soft sand. The evening’s events felt like a potential win, but she understood it was far from over. She had the strongest feeling the bludgeoned man was only at the bar at another’s behest. He was merely a messenger, much like the flower delivery. The only time the real villain stepped out of the shadows was to bury a knife inside of her. Although her assailant wasn’t likely the defenseless figure before them, maybe he could lead them to the man she was looking for.

  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 pred
ictions 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.