New Revelations: Second Sight Book Two

by Heather Topham Wood

  “Oh no, it’s way too early in the morning for this.” He sat up and stretched lazily. “First, we need copious amounts of coffee. And not the crap they give you at one and a half star motels in hick towns.”

  “Dec…” she started uncertainly.

  “Kate, whatever speech you have planned out in your head, I don’t need to hear it.” He gave her an even look. “I’m a realist. I’ve seen visions of you with Jared. It’s pretty damn obvious how you feel about him.” He knew this, but had still tried to start something with her. It made Kate wonder if his feelings ran deeper for her than simple lust. Why else take the risk?

  “Last night was confusing and I’m sorry if I used you to forget about Melanie,” Kate apologized.

  “Seriously, we don’t need to have a long drawn out discussion about the reasons I’m completely wrong for you,” he said with annoyance. “I’ll be fine, I promise. I’m not going home and crying over you as I listen to Kelly Clarkson.”

  Kate stiffened and stayed silent as he got out of the bed. After putting on his shirt and shoes, Declan walked over to her. “I’m going to get my things from my room. I’ll meet you in the lobby in twenty minutes.”

  Kate watched him go and decided for once to do the mature thing and not pursue him. If Declan would rather not hash things out, maybe it was better to leave things unsaid. As much as they butt heads, she did still crave his friendship. The thought of hurting him tore at her. However, a bad judgment call last night didn’t mean she was ready to give up on Jared.

  After picking up coffee and bagels for the road at a local Chambersburg deli, Declan and Kate lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. He kept his eyes fixed on the road while she pretended to be texting someone on her phone. In actuality, she was just pressing a bunch of letters on the keypad and then erasing them.

  Briefly she spoke to her mom and summarized the night’s events. Her mother was horrified, but relieved Kate was on her way home. She promised to have chocolate cake and DVDs of Reese Witherspoon movies on hand to cheer her up. After telling her she loved her, Kate hung up.

  About an hour into the drive back to Franklin, Declan let out exhaled noisily. “I don’t want to see you hurt, Kate. So just for the record, I would never tell anyone about last night.”

  She gave him a sad smile. “Thanks for that. But it’s not necessary. I’m going to tell Jared what happened.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it wouldn’t be fair to lie to him,” she said with conviction. “If we stay together, there will always be a taint to our relationship. At least, if I try to explain things to him, maybe we can move on,” she said softly.

  “Listen, if things don’t work out…I don’t mind being your rebound fling,” he cracked. “But I have to say one thing to you before I let you off the hook.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “I told you so,” he replied. Before she could answer, he continued on. “I told you I could see the future and you were going to be kissing me before long.”

  She groaned. “Thanks for not rubbing it in.”

  “Cheer up,” he said and looked over at her pained expression. “I don’t think it’s possible for things to get any worse.”

  “You got that right.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  After arriving back home and spending some time with her mom, Kate asked if she could have time alone with Jared at the house. Her mother agreed readily which made her suspect that she knew it was something serious and not just an excuse to get frisky with her boyfriend without any parents hanging around.

  After calling Jared to let him know to come over, she attempted to come up with the words that could express her remorse over everything that happened in the last two days. All the phrases she came up with sounded trite and didn’t communicate how much she hated herself for kissing Declan. Jared’s absence was odd, but it still didn’t grant her license to lock lips with another guy. Looking over the wall of family portraits and remembering how she felt when Jared was kissing her there, she willed herself back in time to yesterday afternoon.

  When the doorbell rang, Kate felt like it was a death march to answer it. She tried to smile at Jared as she opened the door, but she knew it came out looking contorted. She lifted her eyes and she had sudden doubts over her plans to confess to him. He looked tired and worried, but still deliciously handsome. His hair was falling over his forehead indicating his desperate need for a haircut. He hadn’t shaved since she seen him last either. Kate badly wanted to know how the roughness of his skin would feel as he kissed away all of the hurting she felt inside of her.

  Jared must have read her mind because before she could utter a word, he was kissing her passionately. Although she should have stopped him, Kate allowed herself to get swept up in the moment. He lifted her by the hips and held her as his mouth explored hers. Kate could feel his heart racing through his shirt and she rested the palm of her hand against the hard muscles of his chest. They were both breathing hard as she pulled away.

  “You should come in, so we could talk,” she forced out.

  Jared nodded and entered the living room with her. “Why don’t you come over my place? I’m off of work today. We could spend the entire day together lying on my new couch that was delivered this morning.”

  The offer sounded tempting. The idea of confessing was sounding less and less appealing each minute that passed by. Spending the day together and lounging on the new furniture she had helped pick out was much more preferable. She shook away her thoughts and stared at him. She led him into the living room and pulled him down on the couch next to her. “Where were you yesterday?”

  “I’m guessing you didn’t read the newspaper today?”

  She scrunched up her face in confusion. “Huh?”

  “The case I’ve been working on actually made the front page of the Franklin Times today. A guy was trying to hire someone to murder his wife. We got tipped off by the ex-con he tried to solicit. We were working with federal and state investigators to get him. The ex-con had a wire on last night and he was caught on tape trying to offer him money to shoot his wife.” He leaned back into the couch cushions and closed his eyes. “I feel completely drained from the whole thing. I think I may use some of my comp hours to catch up on some sleep.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

  “I couldn’t mention the case because it was an ongoing investigation,” he explained. “I’m glad it’s over. We’ve put in so many hours into catching him—it would’ve been awful if he got away with it.”

  “You’re kidding,” she whispered.

  He gave her a puzzled expression. “Don’t think so. I have a strange sense of humor, but that would be a little out there to make up.”

  Kate didn’t deserve him. He was out actually catching bad guys—probably saving some poor woman’s life—and she was kissing another boy in a cheap motel. She felt disgusted with herself. Why had she let Declan get into her head? It had been presumptuous and foolish to think Jared had been seeing someone else. Jared had always been straightforward with her. He understood how her powers worked and had said it would be useless trying to keep much from her. A few late night shifts were not a good enough explanation for her rationale for kissing Declan.

  Kate realized he was observing her closely. “What’s wrong? Is it about Melanie?”

  She wondered if she could force herself to have selective amnesia and completely block out last night. “Last night was awful. I couldn’t sleep. CJ’s memories kept popping into my head and haunting me.”

  He grabbed her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “I literally wasn’t able to get to my phone until this morning. Everything with the case was happening so fast, I didn’t have a second to even check my messages. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

  Tears clouded her vision as she looked at their hands intertwined. It took all her willpower to unlace her fingers and meet his gray eyes. “Jared, I did something stupid.”

  “What di
d you do?”

  “I kissed Declan,” she admitted and burst into tears. Kate covered her face with her hands and waited for the screaming and accusations. The unearthly quiet was more unsettling than she imagined.

  She peeked through her fingers to look at him. Jared had stood up and placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. As he looked down at her, Kate couldn’t quite register the expression on his face. She expected anger, hatred or disgust. Instead, his face only displayed a sense of resignation.

  “Jared, please say something,” she begged.

  He heaved a sigh. “I really am at a loss…I don’t even know if I want you to tell me what happened.” His eyes probed her face. “Was it just one kiss? Did he initiate it?”

  “No, it was more…and I kissed him back,” she confessed.

  Jared didn’t respond as she continued to cry softly. Finally, he sat down next to her. “Look Kate...don’t be upset. I’ve been worried for awhile now that maybe things weren’t going to work out between us.”

  Kate stopped crying and couldn’t mask her shock. “What?” she croaked out.

  “Maybe you should be seeing guys your own age. I’m twenty-eight. I’m at a different place in my life now. I have a career and I’m over just dating. But you’ve never had that experience,” he explained.

  “But I don’t need that, Jared. I only need you,” she blubbered. “I can’t lose you.”

  He closed his hand around the back of her neck and moved her face towards him. Jared forced her to meet his eyes. “You won’t lose me. I promised you when we met that I would be a good friend to you, didn’t I?”

  Kate forcefully moved out of his grasp. “Why are you acting like this?” she demanded and slapped her hands against her thighs. “Be pissed. I screwed up and you should be telling me how much you can’t stand what I did. You shouldn’t be so accepting and agreeable. Don’t you feel anything?” she questioned growing agitated.

  His jaw tightened. “Yes, I feel something, Kate. I feel revulsion right now. But I was trying to be the good guy and take the high road.”

  “I’m sorry, Jared,” she replied instantly contrite. “I was feeling vulnerable over the whole Melanie thing and Declan was there. I realized it was a mistake and I stopped things before they went too far. Don’t give up on me.”

  “Kate, it’s too much to deal with. I can’t be with you and worry that any time I’m stuck late at work, you’ll feel the need to go off and kiss someone else,” he said tightly. Following his accusation, Kate’s tears began to fall freely. He stated flatly, “I’m going to leave now before either of us says something we’ll regret.”

  “Jared, please…It was immature and such a huge mistake. I’m sorry,” she moaned. He shook his head and walked out of the door without replying. She called out to him, but his only answer was shutting the door behind him.

  Her knees felt weak and it was hard to breathe. Kate collapsed onto the couch and grabbed a chenille throw blanket. Pulling it around her body, she tried to stop the uncontrollable shaking that plagued her. Loud sobs erupted from her mouth and a tightening in her chest immobilized her. She couldn’t believe she lost him. How could she ruin everything she had ever wanted in a single day?

  Curling into a ball, Kate shut her eyes. The tears would not stop and she didn’t know how to handle the anguish of losing the person she was falling in love with. She had stopped herself from feeling anything for two years. After her coma, she never let anyone close to her. Now, the first guy she had let in was gone. The worst part was she had no one to blame but herself.

  She wanted to call Julie or her mother to come and comfort her, but couldn’t summon the energy. They would also ask questions that she was too humiliated to answer. She couldn’t expect a pity party thrown for her when the situation was entirely her fault. Instead, she shut her eyes and wished herself into someone else’s brain.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Kate walked sadly into the kitchen without bothering to turn on the lights. It was dark, but she easily knew her way to the fridge. Gazing inside, she peeked under a container wrapped with aluminum foil. The casserole that her mother made looked sketchy enough that she decided to move on to something yummier. Food could be the ultimate comfort when your life was a complete mess.

  Behind the bottles of soda she hit the jackpot. A tray of mini red velvet cupcakes begged for her to eat them. Popping one in her mouth, she decided that they were small enough that she could eat at least two more to equal a single regular sized cupcake. Her mother would die if she saw her, but she began to drink straight from the two liter bottle of Diet Coke to wash it down.

  Wiping her mouth, Kate stilled when she heard a rustling sound at the front door. She figured it was her mother and called out. “Mom?”

  No response. It was eerie, but maybe her mother hadn’t heard her. It was also strange that her mother wouldn’t turn on the lights as she entered the house. What time was it anyway? She left the fridge open to help her find the light switch and moved towards the hallway.

  Her brain wasn’t able to process what was happening. A dark figure moved out of the shadows and the bottle of Diet Coke fell to the floor. A hand reached out and tightened over her forearm. Scrambling backwards to fend off her attacker, she instead slipped on the liquid and landed hard on her backside. The scream caught in her throat as the light of the refrigerator reflected on the blade of a knife. Time seemed to slow as the knife plunged towards her.

  The knife tore threw fabric, skin and bone. The first cut landed in the dead center of her chest. Her fingertips danced over the wound and she stared dumbfounded at the blood that soaked her skin. After her initial shock, the pain set in. It radiated from her chest and threatened to immobilize her completely. The sting was raw and unforgiving.

  Her survival instincts kicked in as she saw the knife come towards her body again. Kicking out wildly, she was able to land a few blows against the stocky figure that blocked her way to freedom. A male voice grunted as she lashed out at him. The twilight hid her attacker from her complete view and she wondered if it even mattered if she could see him. With her chest bleeding profusely and no weapon readily available, she was as good as dead.

  Kate turned her body towards the dining room to try and make a desperate run for the front door. She barely got a foot away from him before she felt the knife slice into her arm. Ruthlessly, he then stabbed at her waist and pelvis. There was no hesitation in his movements. This man wanted her dead and would cut her until the job was finished.

  A car door slammed nearby. Her attacker mumbled a curse and quickly disappeared into the darkness of the house. He never looked back.

  Kate tried to call out. Warn whoever it was of the impending danger within the house. Instead, a garbled sound escaped her throat. The pain was too much to bear at this point. As much as she wanted to hold on for the people she cared about—her parents, Jared, Declan, Julie—she couldn’t any longer. Kate welcomed oblivion.

  ***

  The late afternoon sunlight shone through the windows of the living room. Kate fumbled as she opened her eyes and landed tangled up in the chenille blanket on the carpet. Trying to catch her breath, she did a quick examination of her body. No blood. Just the Thompson College t-shirt and jeans she had changed into when she arrived home.

  Kate surveyed her surrounding and immediately knew something was off. The sun was still shining and she was wearing different clothing than when she was attacked. Her mother was nowhere to be found and the front door was firmly shut. She was certain only a short time had passed since Jared left and she fell asleep on the couch.

  “Oh shit,” she groaned.

  Kate had just received her first future vision. And it was of her being stabbed to death in her own kitchen.

  The End

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  My husband Bryan, who is my first editor and biggest champion—your love and support does not go unnoticed.

  Dominic and Luke, my two boys who inspire me to create o
n a daily basis.

  Ashley, an adored member of the family who helps out in so many ways.

  Trisha, who has put her heart and soul into editing both novels in the series.

  My mother and father, thank you for being supportive of my writing.

  A big thank you to my sisters. Their amazing qualities have found their way into each of my books.

  To the rest of my friends and family, I love you all and will be eternally grateful for how much you’ve helped me succeed.

  About the Author

  Heather Topham Wood graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2005 and holds a bachelor’s degree in English. Working full-time as a freelance writer for publications such as USA Today, Livestrong.com, Outlook by the Bay and Step in Style magazine, she writes fiction in her spare time. She resides in Trenton, New Jersey with her husband and two sons.

  New Revelations is the second novel in the Second Sight series. First Visions: Second Sight Book One was published on May 1, 2012.

  Follow Heather on Twitter and her blog to keep posted on her upcoming works:

  https://twitter.com/woodtop255

  http://authorheather.com