

## First Visions

### Second Sight Book One

### A Novel by Heather Topham Wood

### Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

About the Author

FIRST VISIONS: SECOND SIGHT BOOK ONE  
Copyright: Heather Topham Wood  
Published: May 1, 2012

The right of Heather Topham Wood to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

### Dedication

To my wonderful husband, who has always been my biggest supporter. To my children, whom I love more than life itself. To all my amazing friends and family, I would have never been able to finish this book without your love and support. To my fabulous editor Trisha, you rock!

Prologue

_Kate Edwards' Journal_

May 8

I always prided myself growing up as being one of a kind. Being fearless and never giving a damn what anyone had to say about it. In high school, I was one of those girls who refused to fit into a mold. I wasn't with the glue sniffers out back under the bleachers, but I wasn't sitting with the head cheerleaders either. I felt in charge of my destiny and I was going to pursue my dream of being an artist despite the odds stacked against me. If anyone had told me otherwise, I had no problem telling that person where to shove it.

Little did I know, it sometimes really blows being one of a kind. For starters, I contracted bacterial meningitis in college. What are the chances? Only about 1,500 people in the entire country get it each year. I think there were more kids than that in my graduating class of high school. Once a person has meningitis, she has an eleven percent chance of dying and a twenty percent chance of losing a limb or suffering from brain damage. Nineteen years old and there was a good chance I was either going to be dead or armless.

Lucky for me, I woke up from the coma I fell into. No brain damage, both arms intact and alive and kicking. Kate was back in business and ready to kick ass and take names. However, fate decided to kick my ass instead. I came back from the dead not the same old Kate. No, I was now Kate with second sight.

Some people may not understand why I don't simply bask in the glory of having psychic abilities. Set up a psychic hotline, write a book or maybe open a palm reading shop. My mother and I could move to a mansion and I could rename myself some cool mystical name like Clairvoyant Caterina.

Well, the first reason is—that idea isn't possible. I have no control over what I see. I'll go to sleep at night and dream myself unwillingly into someone else's head. It's unimaginable how truly awful that can be. Do I really care about that special day my mailman spent with his first dog Skippy at the park during the summer he turned eleven? Or do I need to know about the yearlong affair my dentist has been having with his secretary? Worse yet, I haven't been able to predict anything. I may be able to tell someone what he ate for dinner on a first date ten years ago, but not if he is going to die choking the next night.

Sometimes I think maybe there is some way to control what I see. Or maybe I should be doing something worthwhile instead of destining myself to a life as a shut-in. I just can't understand why this happened to me. Whose brilliant idea was it to nominate Kate to see inside other people's heads? And now that I've been given this gift, what the hell am I supposed to do with it?

### Chapter One

Kate Edwards stared listlessly out of her living room window on a rainy August afternoon. Her best friend, Julie Mitchell, was yammering into her ear about a random party she had attended the night before. Any minute her disinterest would likely be discovered and Julie would sound off a round of expletives in her ear.

Julie had asked her to go, but Kate rarely attended parties. Her anti-social streak began years ago and she seldom ventured out of her front door. While she had turned twenty-one this past autumn, she had only gone to a bar once and never to a club. Julie was pretty much the only good friend she talked to on a regular basis.

While Julie resided in her own apartment in their town of Franklin, Kate lived at home with her mother. Franklin is a small town in New Jersey, located about an hour from New York City. Although the majority of people from Franklin are members of the working middle-class, a smattering of the residents are definitely part of the upper-crust. Julie's own father became a wildly successful New York attorney who now pays the rent on his daughter's recently-acquired apartment.

Franklin was the type of town that seemed to live inside its own little bubble. Although a few high-crime areas bordered the city limits, Franklin locals pretended everything was sunshine and roses. While murders and rapes were taking place outside of the town, neighbors acted like a family not mowing their lawn for two weeks was cause for alarm.

Julie and Kate had become fast friends when they were assigned to be roommates at nearby Thompson College. After a brief freshman year, Kate dropped out the following spring. However, this summer she had begun taking classes online to earn a bachelor's degree in English. Her father, Robert, had not been subtle in pointing out how completely useless he thought obtaining an English degree was. Her response explaining how she wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life yet hadn't seemed to earn her any brownie points either.

"Earth to freakin' Kate, come in Kate," Julie was saying into her cell phone. Kate's lack of social skills surprisingly had yet to frighten her away.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly. "What were you saying?"

"I said, don't you think I was right to be furious with Gage for getting completely plastered and unable to drive us home?" Julie repeated with a definite edge to her voice. Julie was a gorgeous brunette who had a large social circle. Why she even bothered with Kate was a mystery. A social butterfly with a ton of zingers in her back pocket was a more appropriate sidekick for Julie—not a social pariah whose idea of fun was to watch old movies in her pajamas with her mother.

Kate's sheltered life had nothing to do with her appearance. She would categorize herself as pretty in almost a non-descript way. Average height, average weight and, with the help of some well-placed padding, average breasts. Her light brown hair hung past her shoulders when it wasn't styled in the ponytail which she usually wore when lounging around her house. It was naturally wavy and she only broke out the straightening iron for special occasions. Kate had inherited her hazel eyes from her mother, who loved to use Kate as her test dummy and highlight them with the help of the mail order make-up products she sold.

"Definitely," she agreed, trying to muster up some enthusiasm for the conversation with Julie. Kate jumped at the sound of the doorbell. "Hold on a sec, Julie. Somebody's here."

Gazing through the peephole, she spotted a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties getting drenched on her doorstep. His dark hair was plastered against his forehead and the rain pelted against him at a continuous pace, but Kate still was able to do a quick once-over. He was fair and the dark hair gave him a striking appearance. She was startled at how attractive he appeared even through the distortion of the peephole glass. He wore a dark blue button-down with a gray tie and she wondered if he was a door-to-door salesman. Well, whatever he was selling, Kate thought, she was buying.

Kate whispered into the cell phone, "This unbelievably gorgeous guy is standing on my doorstep."

"What are you waiting for? Serial killers are rarely hot, so I'm sure he's safe," Julie assured.

Kate rolled her eyes—she hoped if this guy ended up dismembering her, Julie would blame herself for that awful advice. Looking down at her ratty appearance, Kate wished she had the time to change her clothing. For her rainy-day loungewear, she'd chosen to pair an oversized college t-shirt with a pair of Capri sweats. The sweats had gone through the wash too many times and had begun to fray at the edges. Her feet were bare and the pink polish from her pedicure weeks ago was beginning to chip.

Kate opened the door with her most charming smile. The man showed off his perfectly straight and gleaming teeth with a return smile. She was glad to notice he had at least one imperfection as her eyes narrowed on a chip on his front tooth. "Hello, I'm looking for Kate Edwards?"

"I'm the one and only," she replied while Julie snickered in her ear.

A look of surprise flickered briefly over the man's dark gray eyes. Recovering quickly, he gave her a half-smile. "Can I speak to you for a few minutes?" he questioned while fiddling with his tie.

He seemed somewhat nervous, which surprised Kate. Was he worried she wouldn't switch cable providers and he'd lose out on his commission? Maybe he was having second thoughts about launching a home invasion and strangling her in the hallway? Almost a foot taller than she was and muscular, Kate knew she didn't have a chance at surviving a fight against this handsome stranger. He exuded masculinity, while she was confident she exuded only laziness and dysfunction.

"Sure," she said and spoke to Julie. "Gotta go, call you in a few."

"You better," Julie hissed. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

After quickly disconnecting the call, she turned back to the man. "How can I help you?"

"Sorry, I should've introduced myself first." While he reached into his pocket, Kate prayed he wasn't pulling out a knife. Instead, he presented a badge to her. "I'm Detective Corbett of the Franklin Police Department. Do you mind if I come in?"

"Oh my God, of course, so sorry. You're absolutely soaked." She opened the front door and gestured for him to come inside. "Can I get you something to drink?" Her mother's good manners had been stuffed down her throat since before she could walk. Even if he had turned out to be a killer, she probably would have been prone to offer libations first.

A small puddle around his black loafers began to pool on the hallway floor. He gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, and no thanks on the drink."

She entered the living room to the right of the hallway and sank down on the couch cushions. Settling down in the chocolate colored armchair next to her, he gave her a brief smile. It was a little intimidating being alone with an exceedingly attractive man. The majority of the time, the best-looking guy she came across was on the occasional weekday when the cute UPS delivery man came to the house. Working part-time as a receptionist at a doctor's office did not exactly expand her dating pool. The doctors were all over forty and the rest of the receptionists were married women or divorcees. The guys her age who did come into the office as patients were typically blowing out snot or trying hard not to vomit. Not exactly looking to score a date.

After doing a brief ring check on his left hand, she inquired innocently, "I'm not in trouble, am I?" She chided herself for suddenly sounding like a flirtatious Southern belle. All she needed was to toss back her brown hair and give him a wink to further advertise her availability.

"No, of course not. Actually, I'm here about an article published about you a couple of years ago," he explained.

Kate's previously friendly expression turned sour. She rose to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. "I have no idea what article you're referring to and if you'll excuse me I have some cleaning to get to before my mother arrives home."

He went into the pockets of his dress pants and pulled out a small newspaper clipping. "I brought the article with me, if you'd like to look at it."

She let out an audible and exaggerated sigh. Kate knew the contents, probably had each word seared into her brain. "What do you want me to say? I told the police two years ago what I'm going to tell you now—I have no idea how I knew where Matt Spencer was, I just _did_."

Leaning forward in his chair, he took a second to study her carefully. It was disconcerting. Most people stared at her as if she was a science experiment gone wrong. Rarely had she seen a look like his of genuine interest without malice.

"You make it sound simple, but it really isn't," he pressed. "I could remind you of what happened, if you'd like."

After a brief pause, he continued. "You were hospitalized, dying from a raging infection and slipped into a coma two days before Matt had even been kidnapped. A week later when you woke up, you knew all of the details of the case. We found him right where you told us we would."

"I had a hunch and it worked out. There's really nothing more to say about it," she said and shrugged.

"Have you had any other hunches since then?" he asked in a soft tone.

"No," she replied a little too abruptly.

The detective leaned back in the chair and met her eyes steadily. "The reason I ask is because there's been another kidnapping. An eight-year-old girl was taken from her home three days ago. Your name came up in conversation with some of the other detectives; they explained how you helped solve the Spencer case a couple of years ago. I found the article and your info and figured I'd come by and see if you could help me, too."

"I'll consult my crystal ball and get back to you," she said sarcastically.

He jumped up to grab her arm gently as she turned to walk away. "Just listen to me for one more minute," he pleaded. "Please." She shot him an annoyed look, but sank back down on the couch. He eased down on the arm of the couch and continued, "The girl who's missing, Corinne Preston, is my girlfriend's younger sister. Could you at least look at her picture and see if you have a hunch about where she might be?"

"If you want to impress your girlfriend, how about you use your detective skills to find her yourself?" She knew she sounded surly, but she wished this guy would take the hint. Cute or not, she was definitely not planning to continue this conversation for much longer.

The detective ignored her and instead handed her a 5 x 7 photograph of a young girl. A huge crooked smile jumped from the picture along with a pair of the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. Her deep smile highlighted a set of dimples. Blond curls came to her shoulders and her bangs were pushed back with a red headband. Quickly, she handed back the picture, but knew the image was seared into her brain. She pushed down the lump in her throat that formed when she pictured this sweet and innocent girl stolen away from her family.

"I'm really sorry—I am. It was a one-time thing and I can't help you."

Her conscience nagged at her and yelled 'liar, liar, pants on fire,' but she chose to ignore it. Kate abhorred her psychic "gift" and felt like it was more like a curse. When she was in the coma, she had a vision of what had happened to Matt. Seeing everything through his eyes and feeling his terror, Kate had known this little boy was hungry and scared and wanted his mother with the desperation only a child could obtain.

Her single thought when she regained consciousness was to get this little boy home. Upon waking from the coma, she revealed that his junkie father had him stashed in a trailer in the woods about fifteen miles from Franklin. A nurse called the police department with the tip and since there were no leads, they decided to check out the location she had indicated. Within hours, a very scared but safe Matt was found in what initially appeared to be an abandoned trailer.

When she told everyone about her vision—the doctors, her family, her friends—she was treated like a sideshow freak. Her family was wary of her new ability and her friends became distant. When all she craved was their affection after her harrowing ordeal, no one wanted to get within ten feet of her.

A local Franklin newspaper reported on her and things became worse. The story spread like wildfire and soon the entire town knew of what had happened with Matt Spencer. Everywhere she went, people would stare and whisper. Exchanges with friends became awkward and soon they stopped contacting her altogether. A few more media outlets picked up the story and the mailbox became crammed with letters from desperate families looking for lost loved ones.

The problem was, her visions weren't exactly manageable. A _Psychics for Dummies_ book wasn't available to provide her with instructions on how to decide what she wanted to see. It was usually a crap shoot with her visions. Sometimes the photos of the missing sent with the letters would resonate and she'd have a vision about the case. To assuage her guilt, she would call in an anonymous tip with all of the details she'd seen. However, soon after the accident she made the claim that she no longer had any visions and finding Matt was a weird but miraculous one-time occurrence. Her own parents weren't even aware she still had the ability to access the thoughts of others. Her only confidante was her journal, where she detailed all of her psychic visions.

Media interest eventually waned and the letters trickled away and she no longer received requests for her psychic assistance. When anyone asked about the kidnapping case, she sounded off her explanation like a press release. The location of Matt came to her while in the coma, but nothing otherworldly had happened since.

Detective Corbett got to his feet, readying to leave. The front door burst open and her mother came into the room juggling several grocery bags.

"Katie, honey, can you come help me with these bags?" she called. Her mother and father were the only ones who continued to call her by her dreadful childhood nickname.

The detective ran over to assist her mom with the bags. After several trips to the car, they were able to meet in the kitchen. Her mom brushed a brunette strand away from her hazel eyes and peered over at them. Of course, her mother was impeccably dressed in black tailored Capri pants and a floral-themed blouse, with her make-up expertly applied. Kate couldn't understand her need to go to the trouble when her only plans for the day had been to go to the grocery store and bank.

"Hello. Katie, who's your new friend?"

"Detective Corbett, a cop, and he was just leaving," she said dryly and began to put away the groceries in the cupboards without turning towards either of them.

"Please call me Jared," he said sticking out his hand to her mother.

"Darlene Edwards," her mother replied while shaking his hand briefly. "Wow, you look so young to be a detective, I'm impressed!" her mother exclaimed. "I had no idea my daughter had friends who worked at the police department." Kate shook her head. Leave it to her mom to think he was here on a social call and not be alarmed that Kate could possibly be in trouble.

"You'll stay for dinner, won't you?" Her mother gave him a charming smile.

"Mom..." Kate turned quickly and protested before her mother shot her a warning look.

"Excuse the rudeness of my daughter, Jared, she lacks my social graces. Luckily, she takes after me in the looks department." Her mom sent a wink her way. Kate prayed to dematerialize at that second. Anything would be better than her mom desperately trying to set her up.

Jared smiled at Kate's flushed appearance and turned to her mother, "I would love to stay for dinner. Thank you."

Kate's cell phone rang on the kitchen counter and she dove for it. Julie's voice greeted her. "So, who was the handsome stranger?"

"A cop and he's still here," she said, lacing her voice with as much annoyance as she could muster. Jared gave her a wink.

"What does he want?"

"I'll tell you about it later," she said and began mindlessly tapping on the granite countertop. Looking at her ragged nails, she predicted a manicure in her near future.

"You've lost the enthusiasm in your voice. Is he not that good looking?"

"He's passable if you go for the annoying boy-next-door look," she responded.

"You do realize I can hear you?" Jared inquired. He ran a hand through his inky black hair and arched an eyebrow in her direction.

"I wasn't talking about you," Kate lied as her mother sent her death stares across the room.

"Katie, can you get off the phone? We have company and I need you to grate the mozzarella to top my lasagna." She handed Jared a glass of soda and gave him an apologetic look.

A few minutes later, after saying a hasty goodbye to Julie, Kate was taking out her aggression on a block of mozzarella. She clenched her jaw as her mother and Jared carried on cheerfully as if they were old friends.

"How do you know my daughter, Jared?"

"He doesn't know me," Kate interjected before he could reply.

"Katie..." her mother grumbled. Kate was sure her mother would love to smack her across the head right now. Kate understood her mother deserved a debutante, but instead ended up with a passive-aggressive semi-agoraphobic daughter. Kate wondered why Jared's presence had made her regress back to sixth grade.

"Actually, I came here on business," Jared explained.

"What kind of business?" her mother inquired and stopped throwing vegetables into a large salad bowl. Her eyes widened with apprehension as she waited for the detective to explain.

"Go ahead and tell her. She'll get a real kick out of it." Kate put down the cheese and turned to face them both. Jared was quiet, prompting her to continue. "The detective thinks I have some sort of psychic power and I'll be able to solve his kidnapping case."

"Oh no, is it the little girl who was taken from her home on State Street?" After Jared's nod, her mother continued. "It breaks my heart to think about what her parents must be going through. Unfortunately, my daughter won't be able to help you. The boy she found was nothing short of a miracle, but she has no psychic ability. It was a single amazing experience." Good to know her mother had received her press release as well.

"I knew it was a long shot, but I'm willing to do anything to find Cori," he stated flatly. A tinge of remorse nagged at Kate as she noted his defeated tone.

"Do you know the girl personally?" her mother asked.

"Yes, her sister is my girlfriend."

Kate imagined his girlfriend was most likely drop-dead gorgeous. Cori was adorable, with blond hair and blue eyes, which pretty much guaranteed her sister would be a stunner. Although Kate's round hazel eyes and delicate features were attractive enough, Jared was most definitely out of her league. Kate's love life was dismal and the dry spell was probably the reason behind her instant attraction to the detective. Her lack of a social life and her disinterest in boys (like Julie's boyfriend Gage) who thought getting trashed and hooking up in the bathroom of a dive bar was a rip-roaring good time were most likely to blame. Screwing around with random guys who didn't care about her was very low on her bucket list.

Besides from her fickleness over boys she'd be willing to date, Kate knew she wasn't quite ready for a real relationship. Although she was twenty-one, her emotional growth had seemed to stop when she was in the coma. She was well aware she had plenty of growing up to do before actually starting a mature relationship. Not to mention, her chances of letting down her guard were slim to none. This was problematic since once boys finished middle school, most were no longer attracted to the girls who were mean to them. Her combativeness and defensive nature weren't likely to fill her dance card anytime soon.

"Katie, snap out of it. That's my daughter for you. Always the little dreamer." Her mother gave a soft smile.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said why don't you take Detective Corbett in the living room and watch some TV. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Sure, whatever," she mumbled and stormed out of the kitchen without checking if Jared was following her. Kate threw her body over the sofa and grabbed the remote. Without stealing a glance in his direction, she sensed him relax into the chair next to her.

"Your mother is really sweet. I haven't had a home-cooked meal in forever. My diet mostly involves paper bags." She almost snorted in derision. He was about six feet and didn't look to have an ounce of fat on him—she sincerely doubted he maintained his shape with burgers and fries. Even his suit couldn't hide the hard lines of his muscles beneath his clothes.

"She was just being polite. You didn't have to accept her offer," she stated while turning her body to face him. Groaning inwardly at her lack of maturity, she wondered if she should finish the sentence off by sticking her tongue out at him.

"What's your deal?" he demanded, finally showing she was wearing on his patience. "When you answered the door, you had on a hundred-watt smile. Yet as soon as I mention your psychic ability, you act like I came here asking for a major organ donation."

"My non-existent psychic ability," she corrected and then added, "You have no clue what it was like when I came out of the coma. You would've thought everyone would be thrilled I helped find Matt, right? Maybe throw a huge gala in my honor? Present me with keys to the city? Nope. Everyone—my friends and family—treated me like I had the plague. I would hear the whispers and feel the stares everywhere I went after being released from the hospital. Most people assumed I was either a witch or lying and somehow involved with kidnapping Matt." She gave him an earnest look. "I'm not some weird girl with strange unearthly powers."

Jared leaned forward and placed his hand over hers. "I don't think you're weird and if you did have powers, I would find them amazing. I understand not everyone is so open-minded. I get why you don't want people thinking you're psychic."

Kate snatched her hand away. "Luckily I'm not psychic." Ignoring his hurt expression, she continued, "I know I come off as majorly defensive and I do feel horrible about not being able to help you find Cori."

Typically, her visions came at night while she dreamed. Every once in a while, a glimpse would come during the day when she dozed or went into a daze. The images seemed at times to have no rhyme or reason. If a letter had come in the mail, she would sometimes visualize what had happened to the disappeared. On other occasions, no matter how hard she would think about the missing or how many hours she would spend staring at their photos, nothing would come to her. Sometimes the visions were downright mundane. One night she went to bed worried about a test and saw a vision of her professor grading exams.

Her earlier apprehension over Cori's safety once again nagged at her. She turned to Jared. "Can I see the picture of Cori again?"

He nodded and handed her back the glossy photo. Kate wasn't sure why she wanted to memorize the girl's face, but she was hoping maybe something about the case would come to her. Jared or anyone else wouldn't have to know about her involvement if she called in an anonymous tip to the station. As she studied the photo, Kate felt Jared's troubled eyes on her face. Wordlessly, she handed the picture back.

"I have others if you want to keep it," he offered. His gray eyes never wavered their intensity and she felt as if he was still attempting to figure her out.

She shook her head. "No, thank you." Turning her attention back to the TV, she hoped he got the insinuation she was no longer in the mood to talk.

As Jared stood up, she tried not to pay attention as he wandered over the pictures hanging up around the living room. Doing a mental inventory, she tried to think if her mother had any humiliating photos of her hanging up. Turning around and wanting to call him out on his rudeness for snooping, she instead became speechless as she saw him stop in front of a small framed portrait hanging on the far wall. How many times had she told her mom to take that freaking thing down? Kate thought with irritation.

Kate had taken a few art classes in high school and her first year of college. One of the assignments in the college course was to do a self-portrait using charcoals. She received a high mark on the project and her mother had acted like the final submission put her into contention to be the next Georgia O'Keefe. One day, she arrived home to find the portrait framed and hanging prominently in the living room. Jared kept shooting her sideway glances while looking at the picture. "What?"

"Just seeing how the picture compares to the real thing," he replied innocently and shrugged. Turning to her, he asked, "It's a good representation, who did it?"

"I did," she said flatly and then added, "for a class assignment." She didn't want him to think she was a crazed narcissist who liked to draw pictures of herself in her spare time.

"You're good, is that what you do? You're an artist?" His tone wasn't derisive, merely inquiring.

She wasn't sure what this whole Q and A was all about, but decided she better make nice to avoid arousing any suspicion that she'd been lying about being a psychic. "No, I go to college and work at a doctor's office," she replied.

"Hope you're taking art courses, you definitely have talent," he remarked gesturing to the portrait.

"It's bad enough my major is English, my father would truly have a coronary if I decided to get an art degree instead," she said.

"Oh, you're going to teach then?" She shook her head. Walking back to the armchair, he settled back down. "What else do you do with an _English degree_?"

Kate laughed. "Wow, you're really channeling my dad right now. Not exactly sure what other types of jobs are available for graduates with degrees in English, but I couldn't decide on a major."

After he nodded politely, she decided to take advantage of the silence and turn up the volume of the TV to prevent further conversation. Small talk was never her thing and she probably would never see him again after dinner. It seemed rather pointless for him to try to get to know her better. Unless he was trying some detective trick where he got her to trust him and then convince her to blab all of her secrets. In that case, he was wasting his time. The aftermath of the Spencer case ensured she always had her defenses in place at all times. Her friends and family had let her down and it felt a near impossibility to let anyone else in.

Dinner was served twenty minutes later in the formal dining room and her mother's musical voice and laughter prevented any lull in conversation. "So, is there a Mr. Edwards?" Jared asked politely while polishing off a hefty portion of her mom's lasagna.

Kate pushed the food around on her plate. "Dad split about a year ago."

"Katie, your bluntness is not appreciated," her mother said and turned to Jared. "My husband and I have recently separated."

"His loss. Between your cooking and your good looks, I'd ask you out myself if I didn't have a girlfriend," Jared said kindly. Kate fought the urge to shove a finger in her mouth and make a gagging sound.

Her mother gave a delighted laugh. "Jared, I must be twenty years your senior!" Kate rolled her eyes at how easily her mother could fall for his flattery.

"No way, you can't be a day over thirty-five," he insisted.

Her mother snorted. She was really falling for his song and dance. Maybe Kate needed to consider putting her mom on an online dating site if she was this desperate for male attention. "That's rich, thirty-five years old with a twenty-one year old daughter!" Darlene trilled.

"Twenty-one? Kate looks so young, figured she was still in her teens," he chided and sent her a teasing smile. Her mother laughed and Kate glared at them both.

As he was leaving an hour later, Jared handed Kate his business card. "Just in case," he said as she opened her mouth to protest. After thanking her mother again for dinner, he gave his farewells and left.

"What a charming young man!" her mother exclaimed.

Kate began to run the water for the dinner dishes. "I guess so," she said noncommittally. Her excitement made Kate wonder if she had to worry about her mother turning into a cougar. Even though her mom was definitely a looker, she hadn't dated since her father had left last year. While she loved her father, her mother was her rock. Kate wouldn't mind her finding someone new if it would make her happy. "Good looking, polite, charming, gainfully employed..." her mother was droning on. Oh Lord, Kate thought, my love life must be pathetic if my mother is trying to play matchmaker.

"He was just trying to butter us up because he wanted my help. We should be offended and write a letter of complaint to the city council. We pay his salary—his job is to solve these kinds of cases." She finished her rant with an indignant pump of her fist.

Her mother ignored her. "Too bad he has a girlfriend. He obviously had eyes for you."

"He did not!" she protested and could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. Her wardrobe reeked of vagrancy and her behavior was at her most juvenile. Kate doubted the detective would have even the slightest interest in her after how she had just acted.

"He was watching you when he knew you weren't looking. He had this expression like you were the most fascinating thing in the world," her mother sighed dreamily.

"Mom, you really need to stop watching _Gone with the Wind_ and _Casablanca_ , I think it's turned your brain into mush. I'm not interested in the detective. Besides, he's way too old for me. I'm exhausted, going to turn in early." With a quick kiss on her mom's cheek, she raced up the stairs.

### Chapter Two

She was playing in her room all by herself. Mom must have finally realized she wasn't a baby anymore. She'd gone to visit old Mrs. Welsh and actually allowed her to stay home. Mrs. Welsh's house was so boring. Daddy was at work and Nikki was probably out sucking face with her stupid boyfriend. Boys were gross. All they did was call you names and push you around. Nikki told her it meant they liked you. Well, how would a boy like a punch in the eye to show she liked him? The only boy she needed was Daddy and he told her she never had to bother with silly boys.

Looking outside, she noticed the sun had set and the streetlights were coming on. She wasn't worried. She knew Mom was coming home soon to make dinner and Daddy would be getting back from work. She walked away from the window and took a handful of colored pencils out of her craft box. Mom said she was a future artist and one day people would pay money to see her drawings. That made her laugh, to think about someone paying money to see her silly drawing of the beach.

Suddenly, she heard a loud banging coming from downstairs. Dropping her pencils on the carpet, she ran to the top of the stairs. She guessed maybe her dad or mom had forgotten their keys and were trying to get inside. The sound of glass breaking startled her. Would they break a window if they couldn't find their keys? From her standpoint, she could see the front door and no one was knocking or ringing the bell to come inside. Whoever it was must be entering through the back door. "Daddy," she called and bounded down the stairs. She ran straight into a dark figure with a ski mask concealing his face.

" _Hi, are you here by yourself? Does your rich daddy know his little girl is all alone?" he asked in a throaty growl._

" _Help!" she screamed and began to race back up the stairs. He was too quick—his hand pulled her back by her hair. A gloved hand covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming._

" _Now, you're going to be a good little girl and let me know where Mommy keeps all of her pretty jewelry. I don't want to hurt you, but if you scream, you're gonna make me," he hissed into her ear._

She had never been this scared in her whole entire life. She couldn't stop shaking and pointed towards her parents' bedroom. While the intruder dragged her along, she felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she felt a warm trickle down her legs. Commanding her to stay still, he tore through the bedroom. He began to fill large duffle bags with valuables. She wondered if she should scream. Would he kill her if she did? Maybe if she ran as fast as she did on field day, she could get away from him.

Before she knew what she was doing, a terrified scream erupted from her throat and she made a mad dash. She made it as far as the stairs before the man was directly behind her. As he reached to grab her, she lost her footing. She felt every stair painfully slam into her body as she tumbled down. A sharp pain erupted in her head before all went black.

***

Darlene Edwards was a heavy sleeper. Her ex-husband used to joke she could sleep through a nuclear holocaust. Yet, the second her daughter's screams hit her ears, she was instantly alert. Flying through the house blindly, she raced towards the sound of Kate's terror. The maternal need for her daughter consumed her. Swinging open Kate's bedroom door, a certain relief swept over her as she saw Kate in a semi-unconscious state. Tears stained her daughter's face and she was breathing heavily. While giving her a gentle shake, Darlene wrapped her arms around Kate's body. As Kate awoke, the screams were replaced by sobs.

"I saw her, Mom, I saw him hurt her," she cried into her mother's shoulder.

"Honey, it was only a bad dream," she cooed gently and began to rub her hair the same way she had done when Kate was a young child.

"No, it wasn't a dream. Mom, I saw her...I saw Cori. I saw the man who took her. He hurt her—badly," she sobbed.

"Baby, calm down and listen to me. It was only a bad dream—your subconscious exhibiting your fears for her. You went to bed anxious about Detective Corbett's visit, that's all," she reasoned.

Kate's wide eyes stared back at her. Darlene marveled at how young and innocent she looked at that moment. "No, Mom, I was there. I don't know how or why, but I saw everything. I can help the police find her, but I told Jared I couldn't. What kind of person does that make me?"

"Hush Katie, you're perfect and don't ever say otherwise. Now, go back to sleep and we'll talk tomorrow. Don't worry; I'll stay here with you. I won't let the bad dreams come back. I promise."

Kate examined her mother closely and after a long moment gave her a resigned expression. Her eyes told Darlene everything. Kate believed her mother was only placating her and didn't believe her vision about Cori. Frowning, Kate turned away and crawled back under her comforter. "Ok Mom, I love you."

"I love you too, Katie. I'll make things right, you have nothing to fear."

***

The next morning before Kate woke up, Darlene slipped out. It had taken Kate hours to fall back asleep and Darlene estimated it would probably be a long time before she managed to get out of bed. The police station was only a few miles from the Edwards' home. At this hour, the station was fairly empty. With an annoyed look, the front desk clerk looked up from her paperwork.

"Can I help you?" she asked, although it sounded as if it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Good morning. My name is Darlene Edwards. I would like to see Detective Jared Corbett. Is he here?" She pushed down the dread of knowing how much Kate would disapprove of what she was doing.

"Do you have an appointment with him?"

"No, but it's urgent I speak with him. He'll know what it's regarding," she said, trying to sound important.

"Fine. I'll call down to see if he's free," the woman sighed.

Minutes later, Darlene was ushered to a more lively part of the building. Phones were ringing. Men and women were running in and out of the office. Jared noticed her appearance at the door and rushed over to greet her. Darlene had liked him instantly yesterday. Something about him reminded her of her ex-husband when they had first fallen in love years earlier. He seemed very young and it was hard to categorize him as a police detective.

His smile was genuine. "Ms. Edwards, this is unexpected. I made Maggie repeat your name three times to make sure I heard her right." He led her over to a cubicle with an extra chair pulled up next to it. Removing the files from the chair, Jared gestured for her to sit down.

"I hope this isn't a bad time," she said and shot him a shaky smile.

"Of course not." He paused and met her eyes. "Is everything alright, Ms. Edwards? You look like you've slept as much as I have since Cori was taken."

"Call me Darlene," she said softly.

"Ok. Are you here about Kate?" he probed.

Darlene's lower lip trembled and she fought the urge to cry. Her voice was unsure as she began. "Yes and no. Before I tell you about last night, I need to explain a few things.

"Two years ago, I almost lost the most precious thing in the world to me. The doctors gave me little hope that Katie was ever going to wake up. You have no idea what hell is until you're forced to stand vigil by your child's bedside and beg God to take your life instead of hers. When she opened her eyes, I realized it was possible to die from sheer happiness. And do you know what she brought back from wherever she spent that week? The gift of knowing where a lost child could be found.

"However, people fear things they can't explain. I can only speculate at how she felt when she was waking up. The media sensationalized the story and things went from bad to worse. Besides Julie, her friends disappeared overnight. I also imagine Katie sensed her father's discomfort over her newly-acquired talent.

"I've made so many mistakes since then. Things I wish I could take back. I made Katie ashamed and forced her into denial about the whole thing. I also tactfully suggested she finish college at home to hide from the public eye. The entire thing put a strain on my already shaky marriage and my husband left. He lives out of New Jersey now, about an hour away in Pennsylvania. I know Katie feels it was her fault we separated."

Jared interrupted in a low voice. "You can't blame yourself. You were only trying to make the best out of an impossible situation."

She shook her dark curls in disagreement. "I don't know, but I guess I can't dwell on the past if I want to make things right. That's the reason I'm here. My daughter and I have been in perpetual denial for the past two years. She denies she has psychic abilities and I deny that I know she's lying."

He swallowed hard and she saw a mixture of emotions play against his face. He obviously wanted Kate's help, but he didn't want to cause her family strife. "It must've been hard on everyone."

"You're kind to let me go on like this. You don't know what a relief it is to finally say some of these things out loud. The point is, I want Katie to help you find Cori. However, I have to be certain my daughter isn't going to be hurt in the process. Keeping the secret has taken its toll and she has a lot of defenses in place."

He gave her a wry smile. "I can see that."

"Anyway, if I talk to her and she knows I support her, she may be cooperative. Ultimately though, it has to be Katie's decision if she wants to help. Also, her name must be kept out of everything. A media fiasco is the last thing she needs again." She hoped her expression conveyed the gravity of the situation and the lengths Darlene would go to protect Kate.

"Do you think she can really help?" he asked hopefully.

"Katie woke up screaming in the middle of the night. She cried that she saw everything that happened to Cori. I did my best to try to convince her it was only a nightmare—but I know she was telling the truth. I'm guessing you aren't much of a skeptic, otherwise you would have never shown up at our front door..."

He did not let her finish. "Did she give you details? A description of the perp?"

His gray eyes were eager. Darlene knew she could trust this man to protect her daughter. "No, she was still sleeping when I came here. We can arrange for you to come over as long as you agree to my conditions."

He nodded solemnly. "Her name will be kept completely confidential. If she refuses to help, I walk away without trying to contact her again. Do you think she'll consider cooperating? She seems sort of....stubborn?"

Darlene gave him a knowing smile. "Don't judge her by yesterday. She had to grow up very fast after the coma."

"Actually, after what you told me, I think I understand her much better now. Can we see her now?" he questioned, rising to his feet.

"You're free? You can leave now?"

"Definitely. I think this is pretty damn important."

***

After waking up just after ten, Kate found a note from her mother stating she was out running an errand. A postscript was added with instructions not to leave until her mom returned home. Knitting her brow, Kate thought about the hysterics of the night before. The vision had been especially strong—almost as if Cori was reaching out to her for help. She didn't always see through the eyes of the other person with her second sight. With only a handful of these types of occurrences since Matt Spencer, she now had to wonder if a child's mind was more open to her abilities. More often, she was disconnected and watched the scene as if it were a movie playing in her mind.

She felt restless as time passed, waiting for her mother to get home. A plan had formed this morning in her mind to head to a pay phone to call in a tip about Cori's attacker. Although she couldn't provide a good physical description, she could let them know the details of the break-in. However, there was no way she was taking the risk of having the call traced to the house phone or her cell.

Flipping on the radio, she hoped the loud music would ward off the horrible images from her vision. One of her favorite hip-hop songs came on and she began to dance around the living room. She closed her eyes and fantasized about dancing away all of her problems. While singing off-key, she practiced her best booty shake. She didn't notice the front door opening.

"Katie."

She stopped moving and turned abruptly. Her knees buckled as she observed her mother and Jared staring at her from the doorway. Jared could barely conceal his amusement, while her mother looked unsure. After her mortification faded, she inquired, "What's going on? What's he doing here?"

"Sit down. We have a few things we need to discuss," her mother stated flatly without the usual musicality that filled her voice. Dread snaked through Kate's body as she had a premonition about what was about to happen.

### Chapter Three

Jared moved to the sidelines to diffuse the situation. When Kate caught sight of him with her mother at the door, she looked desperate to flee. Now they were seated in the living room and her head bounced back and forth between the two of them. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her and he tried to figure out his fascination with this girl. He presumed it came from his interest in the supernatural and the idea that she harnessed a secret power that could help him find Cori.

He had already presumed that Kate was lying to him yesterday. He was proficient at reading people, but he had no way to prove she was being untruthful. Darlene coming to his office was nothing short of a miracle. He desperately needed new information to break the case. If it meant swallowing his pride and asking for aid from a paranormal source, then so be it.

Working hard to keep silent and temporarily fade into the background, he watched Darlene confront her daughter. His discomfort increased while witnessing such a private moment. If he could have subdued his eagerness to find out what she knew about Cori's disappearance, he would have politely excused himself.

Darlene spoke. "Katie, I love you and I am sorry about all you had to go through in the past two years. It's time, though, we both come clean. I know you've lied and you have the ability to see things that come from a source you can't explain. You're psychic, baby."

Visibly paling, Kate shot a nervous glance his way before turning back to her mother. "Mom, you don't know what you're talking about..."

Darlene did not let her finish. "I know you're scared and may think being psychic changes my feelings towards you. You're everything to me and nothing will _ever_ change that. I'm sorry my behavior made you feel as though you must lie about it. But we can put all that past us now."

Darlene fell silent and allowed her daughter time to digest the words. Kate placed her head in her hands. After a moment, she lifted her tear-stained face. Her mother pressed on. "Katie, you have no idea how sorry I am."

As a way to release her pent-up anxieties, Kate jumped to her feet and began to pace. "You're sorry? Well, so the hell am I! How could you abandon me when I needed you the most? Make me pretend for so long that now I have no goddamn idea who I really am!"

Her mother clutched her hand. "Katie..."

Violently, Kate snatched her arm away. "I don't know you at _all_. What sort of mother are you? Making me lie these past couple of years. You have no idea what I've been through," she said through gritted teeth. She hurried out of the living room and made a grab for her purse resting on a table in the foyer.

Before Kate could open the front door, Darlene rushed over to her. "Fine, hate me all you want, but at least help Detective Corbett find that little girl."

"And to top it off, you go behind my back and pimp me out to some detective you just met yesterday. It never occurred to you to talk to me first before running to see him? Thanks a lot, _mother_ ," she hissed vehemently. Before her mother or Jared could offer a protest, she was peeling away in her Toyota.

"She hates me," Darlene sobbed.

Jared came up behind her and gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. "She'll come around, she only needs time." He only hoped it would be in enough time to locate Cori.

***

"Will you forget about her, Jared? What are the chances she would be any real use for finding Cori?" Jared's girlfriend, Nikki, told him later that evening over the phone. As a way to rally around her parents as the family dealt with Cori's kidnapping, Nikki had moved out of their apartment temporarily to stay at her childhood home with them.

He couldn't dismiss Kate that easily. "I understand it's a small chance she'd be able to help, but what else do we have to go on? I feel bad for Kate and her mother. Darlene was completely distraught when I left. I'm worried about Kate simply taking off like that."

Jared noticed the lengthy pause over the phone. "What does Kate look like? Is she attractive?" Nikki's voice was laced with suspicion.

Feeling a slight twinge of guilt, he realized he'd been talking about Kate non-stop since their meeting yesterday. "Come on, you know I'm only involving myself with this girl to help find your sister. Why would I care if she was pretty?"

"Fine, whatever. I still think you're stupid to be wasting your time on this," she drawled.

He bit his lip and reminded himself how much stress Nikki was under. Changing the subject, he said, "I miss you."

"Me too. But please try not to destroy our apartment while I'm gone. Come by my parents' house tomorrow when you have a chance," she said. "I'm tired. I think I'm going to get to bed. Goodnight, love you."

"Goodnight."

Jared disconnected the call and yawned. It was close to ten-thirty and he still hadn't heard if Kate came back to her mother's house. Before his departure, he instructed Darlene to phone him when Kate returned or if she answered her cell phone. After undressing and throwing on a pair of pajama pants, he relaxed on the couch and put on ESPN.

Jared awoke with a start. Recognizing he had dozed on the couch, he checked the clock. It was just after eleven-thirty. His senses sharpened as he heard persistent knocking at his front door. He swiftly made it to the door and croaked, "Who is it?"

"Kate. Kate Edwards." Eagerly, he swung open the door and was surprised to see her so disheveled looking. She wore the same jeans and tank top from earlier in the day. He guessed she had not returned home. Her face was red and puffy as if she'd been crying for hours. Her face flushed as she looked him over and set her eyes downward.

"Come in," he instructed and closed the door behind her as she skittered into the apartment. This newfound vulnerability was making him uncertain about how to handle the situation.

She looked anguished and he felt a pull towards her. It was more comfortable when she was defensive and sarcastic. Kate with her guard down made him want to reach out to her. Initially, he had pegged her as obnoxious and volatile. The more he was learning about her, the more he saw she was just a scared kid who got a raw deal in life.

She stood silently and would not meet his eyes. After a long minute, her snarkiness resurfaced. "For god's sake, will you put on a shirt?"

Jared looked down at his bare chest and realized he had not bothered with a shirt before answering the door. He took an odd pleasure in knowing it made her embarrassed. "Let me get changed," he said and with a smile disappeared into his bedroom.

I shouldn't be here, Kate told herself for the millionth time. She had no idea what possessed her to come to the detective's apartment. Weariness had set in after driving around for hours with intermittent crying spells. As it grew later and stores closed, she had the inspiration to head over and provide an explanation to Jared on the reasoning behind her lies. She had been shocked when he answered the door shirtless. If she wasn't such a damn head case at the moment, she might have tried to jump him right then and there. He was perfectly built, with lean and hard muscles. She imagined throwing herself against his chest and him wrapping his strong arms around her. I really need a boyfriend, she lamented silently.

He returned wearing a t-shirt and khakis. "Where's your girlfriend?" she blurted, hoping the reminder of his other half would prevent her from slipping into a frenzied state of lust again.

"She's staying at her parents. Why don't you sit down?" He motioned to a chair at the kitchen table.

She did a quick survey of the apartment. Instantly, it became obvious his girlfriend did most of the decorating. A modern white leather sofa set was situated in the living room, while the kitchen had this sort of country chic thing going on. A small eat-in area was outfitted with a table for two complemented with a lace tablecloth and white French chairs. The apartment had an open floor plan, with the living room, dining room and kitchen all connected with open doorways. It looked as though a master bedroom and a spare bedroom were situated down the hallway.

After they had both settled into their chairs, he questioned, "How did you find out where I lived?"

She gave him an incredulous look. "I'm psychic, remember?"

He looked uncomfortable. "Oh."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Jeez, you're gullible. I put your name in Google and got your address," she answered. "By the way, for a detective, that's a pretty dumb move not to have your listing private. Any random psycho could show up at your door in the middle of the night."

"Well, you have the dubious honor of being my first late night Google stalker," he answered.

"Awesome," she sighed. Kate felt drained at the moment and the speech she had rehearsed in the car on the way here escaped her. "It's been a long day."

"Are you ok? Sorry about creating a wedge between you and your mother. I never meant to complicate things for you. Have you spoken to her yet?" He was watching her closely.

"No, I need a little space. I'm not going home tonight." His disapproval was written clearly across his face. "Don't give me that look. I need a day to process things. If I talk to her now, I doubt I'll be rational."

"I don't know. I think you should at least call her..." he started.

She gave him a sharp look. "I'm not asking you, Detective Corbett, I'm telling you. I'm spending the night at my friend Julie's house. After I leave, you could phone my mom and pass the information along if you want. Seems as though you've become besties overnight." She swallowed hard. "Anyway, I'm not here to discuss my mom. I want to tell you about the vision I had about Cori."

He nodded and she described everything she saw in the dream in excruciating detail. Stopping only to answer a few questions he had during her recital, she could sense his disappointment over the vague description of the kidnapper. The words about the fall down the stairs were stuck in her throat and it took a few tries for her to force them out.

"I'm sorry I don't have more to tell you. Physically, he was tall and wiry with dark eyes. The ski mask and his clothing hid any other distinguishing features. I wish I did see his face because I got the impression he was somehow connected to the family."

"Why do you say that?"

"He mentioned her father. The way he said 'your rich daddy' with such malice made me feel like the break-in was a personal attack against him."

His eyes were intense and serious as Jared asked, "Do you think she's...dead?"

She closed her eyes and felt an overwhelming sadness. "I can't tell you for sure. I'm sorry. The fall was probably not hard enough to kill her and most likely she only lost consciousness for a short period of time. I'm guessing she was alive last night, though. My visions don't normally fit into a pattern. One night I might dream about an abduction, the next I could see my parents on a date as teenagers.

"However, a few things have been pretty consistent. For one, I don't seem to receive visions from the dead. If Cori had been killed, it's not likely I would've been able to see how she was abducted."

He stopped her. "Are your visions of people's memories?"

She nodded. "I think so. Sometimes it feels as if I'm inside their brain. Other times, I'm an outside observer and just witnessing events, not actively participating." She was thoughtful. "After the Matt Spencer case, I would receive letters from people searching for their missing loved ones. A few letters I received—it was like no matter how hard I tried, I didn't have any images about the person lost. I did a few Internet searches to keep up with the outcomes of the abduction cases. I found out in several of the cases that were solved, the person was killed soon after the abduction took place."

"You can't see through the killer's eyes, then?"

"Not usually, because I can't forge a connection without knowing who it is. I need a visual image of the person in my mind or else nothing happens. If we had a suspect in mind, it would be different. I may be able to get inside his head and find out what he's done with Cori." She added, "Another limitation of my gift is I can only see into the past. I've never witnessed future events."

"If she is alive, would you be able to connect with her again?" he asked hopefully.

Rising out of her chair, she began to walk back and forth in front of him. Twirling her fingers nervously through her hair, she stopped to look at him. "I don't know, maybe. I have no control over what I see, but I can try my hardest. There must be some way I can have power over my visions, but I'm not sure how." Silence stretched on for several minutes as he seemed to mull over everything she had told him.

"Why do you believe me?" Kate demanded when the quiet started to become unbearable. She continued, "It hardly seems conventional for a police officer to believe in the paranormal. What's the deal? Why do you believe any of this psychic stuff?"

She could tell he was trying hard to suppress his laughter. She guessed it did seem pretty odd that a psychic was telling him he wasn't conventional.

"I'm pretty open-minded. My aunt raised me after my parents died in a car accident when I was seven. She's pretty eccentric. There was always some 'aunt' or 'uncle' of mine hanging around who was either a medium or a palm reader. But I came to you as a skeptic. It was your strong reaction which made me suspect you were hiding something. Obviously, you were covering something up with your surliness," he explained.

With earnestness he continued to speak. "Kate, the stuff you just told me, there's no way you would know certain details. The fact that we found blood at the base of the stairwell or the pictures Cori was drawing hasn't been released to the media. Also, how could you possibly know the layout of the Preston house?"

"I was not surly," she protested.

"No, you're right. Saying you were surly is being kind." He asked her gravely, "Why do you think he took her?"

Kate chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. "He had crazy eyes. At first, it made me think he was high and maybe just looking for money to buy drugs. Who else would break into a house at seven-thirty in the evening?"

A second later, she shared her suspicions. "Although he was probably cracked out, I really do think he might know the family in some way. So, maybe he did intend to abduct Cori. Of course, I can't be sure about anything. It was just the sense I got from the vision."

He stood. "I'm going to call into the station and let my supervisor know what you told me. Do you mind hanging here for a few minutes in case I have a few more questions?" She shrugged in assent and he walked into his bedroom.

Kate began to wander around his home once he left. It seemed only fair since he'd had no reservations about prying into her life when he'd been at her house. She found a collage of photographs on the wall in the living room. Seeking out Nikki in the photos was child's play. Drop-dead gorgeous as she'd suspected. She was very petite and thin enough to likely fit into the clothes found in the kids section of The Gap. Straight blond hair hung past her shoulders and the same blue eyes as Cori stared out from the photo. Her complexion was so clear Kate wondered if she had Photoshopped all of the pictures before hanging them on the walls. Her smiles never reached her eyes, which made Kate instantly dislike her. It wasn't at all about the shots of her and Jared kissing and hugging.

Jared's smiles were frequent and lit up his whole face. Her intuition told her that he was a good guy and would protect her anonymity. The media blitz of the Matt Spencer case was the last thing she wanted again. She was already a social pariah. Another newspaper story might send her straight to the closest convent.

"What are you looking at so intently?" She jumped at Jared's voice behind her. She hadn't heard him return.

"Your girlfriend—she's beautiful. What's she doing slumming with you?" she joked and playfully pushed his arm. She blushed at her inability to play it cool and wondered why he seemed to always bring out her inner lameness.

He smiled down at her. "Not sure, guess I'm just lucky. So, kiddo, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Kiddo? Seriously? What are you, like four years older than me?" she scoffed.

He coughed uncomfortably. "Seven years. I'm twenty-eight."

"Well, holy crap then, you are _so_ much older than me," Kate said sarcastically. She pierced him with her hazel eyes. "What's the story then? Why aren't you saddled down with a wife? Why isn't there a little Jared Junior running around terrorizing the neighborhood?"

He gave her a thunderous expression and Kate knew she had touched on a sore spot. "Oh, I get it. The other half has been clamoring for a ring, huh? Why the hold out?" Kate was sure he would murder her at that moment if he didn't need her assistance on the case.

"That's completely inappropriate and irrelevant." Kate stifled the urge to laugh at his stern cop voice. "And not true, I might add."

She decided to retreat. Despite her teasing, she liked him. Teasing him about proposing to his girlfriend might not be the best tactic if she wanted him to be fond of her in return. "I'm sorry, don't be mad. I think I need sleep or something. My brain is not able to keep up with my mouth. I'll give you a call if I see anything else about Cori." She turned towards the door to leave.

"It's after midnight, Kate. I don't really feel comfortable with you driving around alone at night."

Whirling back around, she gazed up at him. Jeez, he was tall, she thought. She'd end up with permanent neck pain if she spent too much time with him. "I'll be fine. No need to worry about me."

"Why don't you just crash here on the couch? You look exhausted," he offered kindly.

"Ha! Talk about inappropriate. Isn't that blurring some kind of professional and personal line? Not to mention I only met you yesterday. How do I know I wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night with you on top of me?"

Although she wasn't completely sure she would turn him away if that did happen. Hell, she might end up sneaking into his bedroom and seducing him. She really needed to get out of this dry spell. She resolved to talk to Julie about setting her up. Otherwise, she was going to have to resort to trolling the aisles of the local Home Depot. Kate had read somewhere that was the best place to meet single men—even better than a bar.

He didn't seem overly offended by her tirade. "You have a hard time letting anyone be nice to you, huh? I'm only trying to be your friend, I promise."

Ugh, a friend? She didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. "Anyway, thanks for the offer, but Julie's expecting me. We're going to shave our legs and tweeze each other's eyebrows or whatever the hell it is girls do during sleepovers. I'll be in touch." With that, she took off into the night.

### Chapter Four

"Is your brain leaking, Jared? I thought I told you to forget about that girl."

Nikki pulled him out of the kitchen and into the hallway of her parents' house. He had just finished explaining to her and the rest of her family about a psychic helping out on the case. Cori's mother, Jennifer, was barely coherent, but said she was willing to try anything to get her little girl home. Her father, Jacob, seemed dubious and wondered if he should announce a large cash reward for Cori's safe return. Nikki had merely sat there while he talked about Kate's vision and shot him daggers across the room.

"Babe, I wouldn't hang my hopes on this girl if I didn't think she was legit. And I definitely wouldn't give your parents false hope. I think you need to trust me where Kate Edwards is concerned," he said softly.

Nikki let out an exasperated sigh and cast her eyes heavenward. "Jared, I try to be understanding about your quirks. I really do. I totally appreciate how things were living with your aunt when you were young. You explained it to me and it's no wonder some of her bat shit crazy tendencies affected you..."

He cut her off, "I never said Aunt Lizzie was bat shit crazy."

"Ok, well I guess it was implied. Anyway, I've heard about this type of stuff happening. A girl from a wealthy family goes missing and all the con artists come out of the woodwork. I don't know what this girl's angle is, but I'm sure she has an agenda."

While clasping his hands tightly, Nikki gave him a pleading smile. "I love that you're doing everything you can to find my sister. It means the world to me. But I think your efforts should be more focused on finding a witness or some sort of clue he may have left behind."

"Of course, we're doing that. Unfortunately, it's almost like your sister vanished into thin air. No one saw a suspicious car parked by the house and your neighbors didn't hear anything. We still have a lot of interviews lined up and I'm hopeful someone saw something. If nothing turns up, would it really be harmful to try and use a psychic?"

Her doubtful countenance gave him an idea. "I know. Why don't I introduce the two of you? Then, you can judge for yourself and realize she's not after your family's money." He pushed back a strand of her hair and gave her his most charming smile. Nikki could be opinionated and stubborn, but he knew how much her sister meant to her. She would want to find her any way possible.

She rolled her eyes and waited a long minute before finally answering him. "You know I can never say no to you. I'll meet her, but don't be surprised if my predictions about her being useless come true."

She reached for him and they both relaxed into a warm hug. Kissing the top of her head, he questioned whether it would be a good idea after all for Kate and Nikki to meet. Kate was skittish enough about working on another abduction case. He hoped being faced with Nikki's skepticism wouldn't scare her off. There were also his concerns about the slight pang he'd been feeling while around Kate. He'd been dealing with it by convincing himself she was a kid and his interest stemmed merely from the lure that she could solve Cori's disappearance.

***

Kate didn't return home until mid-afternoon. She had stayed up until it was practically sunrise with Julie. Julie understood her friend's need for space and that Kate didn't want to rehash her fight with her mom. Instead, they bonded over junk food and a marathon of _True Blood_. Her friendship was the easiest and most natural thing in Kate's life. Julie never had let the Matt Spencer fiasco weird her out or badger Kate with questions about it.

The only disconcerting thing was, Kate continued to lie about her second sight to Julie. Julie had questioned Kate about Jared's visit and Kate only explained the detective was going door to door looking for leads on Cori's disappearance. The entire town was aware of the case. Besides the news coverage, flyers were hanging up all over. Despite her dishonesty with Julie, Kate dreaded leaving the tranquility of her friend's apartment and heading back home.

Her mother was at the kitchen table when she walked in. She rushed towards her as if she'd been away at war. "Thank God you're home! I was just debating about whether or not to call your father."

"Overreact much, Mom? What was Dad going to do? Ground me?" Kate asked dryly and tossed her keys on the counter. "I'm hitting the shower. I've been in these clothes since yesterday and have about six inches of grime on me." Julie had offered to lend her some clothes, but Kate had decided why embarrass them both by trying to squeeze her body into Julie's size zero outfits.

"Kate, I barely slept. Please just talk to me," she begged in a small voice.

Her words made Kate hesitate. Her mother typically never sounded defeatist. She turned to her and took a quick inventory of her looks. Bags were under her eyes and they were red-rimmed. Her mouth was set into a grimace and did not have the usual infectious smile in place. Her mother had been her only constant this past year since her dad left. Kate would never cause her any unnecessary pain, even if she was livid with her.

"Fine. I'm not sure what you want me to say to you. I'm pissed, Mom. You could've been there for me this whole time. Helping me deal with these stupid visions and instead you led me to believe you had no idea they were still happening." She put her hands on her hips and gave her a steely gaze.

"Honey, you made it clear you hated the reactions of everyone after the news story and how you felt like a freak. I didn't want to put you on the spot and make you feel as if you had to use your psychic abilities if that's not what you wanted," she explained.

"It isn't like I have a choice. I see things even when I don't want to."

"I didn't understand how it worked. I'm very sorry about lying to you, but I'm not sorry you do have this amazing ability." She took a deep breath and continued on. "Now that everything is out in the open, maybe I can help you. We might be able to figure out how to control your visions."

Kate shook her head. "I would hardly call it a gift—more like a pain in my ass."

"Katie, you shouldn't think like that. You were dying and came back with these abilities. You were obviously chosen for some reason. I really feel they're gifts from a higher power."

"Mom, we go to church like once a year on Christmas. I doubt I would be high up on the list to receive celestial powers," Kate scoffed.

"Debate me all you want on this, but you've already done so much good with them. Who knows what would've become of Matt Spencer if you didn't lead the police to him?"

Her mother walked over to her and grasped Kate by the arms. "I shouldn't have gone to the police station before talking to you. It was a terrible mistake. I knew how tormented you were over the dream about Cori and I was only trying to help out."

"Mom, I can tell things haven't been easy for you either—I know I'm the main reason Dad took off. I'm also hip on how he...began seeing someone and she's another one of the reasons he moved," she said, dejectedly looking at the floor.

"Katie! You were never to blame for your father leaving. We had problems long before you were sick. And how did you learn about Carly? He told me he didn't want you to know just yet."

It was funny how her mother and father had regular pow-wows over her although she was an adult. Maybe she needed to consider moving out if she wanted to be treated like a grown-up. However, her medical receptionist's salary wouldn't cover her living in her car, much less an apartment.

"I saw you two in visions—the fights in your bedroom late at night. The accusations you flung at him about the affair and how he admitted to it. Mom, I heard him say one of the reasons he turned to Carly was to deal with the pressures from his life, including the whole psychic thing."

"You should've never seen that. I'm sorry you had to deal with this alone. I wish we talked sooner and you were able to open up to me. Your father loves you. Our marriage was the problem, not your psychic ability."

Reaching out to her, she enveloped Kate in her arms. Kate inhaled her scent and relaxed into the embrace. Her mother's smell was one of the most comforting things in the world and she had no doubt of her fierce loyalty.

"I love you, Mom, and I know you never intentionally meant to hurt me. I never told you, but I had a dream about you. You were sitting by my bed in the hospital and I could feel your anguish. I heard you praying and begging for my life. I'm sorry I called you a shitty mother." She gave her a huge squeeze. There was no way she could hold a grudge for long against her mom.

"Honey, you didn't call me a shitty mother."

"Ok, that one might not have been to your face." She laughed and grabbed her phone from her purse as it chimed.

She quickly scanned the text message. **Hey, it's Jared, how did things go with your mom? I didn't want to call in case you two were talking.** Her mother watched her closely as a small smile came upon her face. That was really nice of him to check up on her. **All good in the hood. Can't stay mad at her, she did birth me after all. Thanks for asking.** Her phone chimed again less than a minute later. **Is there any way Nikki and I could stop by later to talk? She wants to meet you.**

Kate let out a groan. She should've known he would have an ulterior motive. Turning, she addressed her mother. "Jared wants to bring his girlfriend over. What do you think?"

"She probably wants to ask you about the vision. He called me late last night. He mentioned you had ended up at his apartment close to midnight..."

Her mom's tone of voice made it sound completely scandalous, like she'd gone there for a booty call. Her mom continued, "It's nice you're helping out with Cori. I made Jared swear a million times to keep your name out of everything."

Kate nodded. "That's good. I'll be like the secret weapon or something. Yeah, I imagine his girlfriend has some questions about what I saw in my vision. I'll see if they can come by in a couple of hours."

No way in hell was she going to look like a hot mess in front of Nikki. She might even break out the push-up bra for the visit. **Sounds good. Be here around 3?** Jared texted back his assent and Kate ran up the stairs to get beautiful.

Later, Nikki and Jared arrived promptly and Kate could hear her mother ushering them into the living room. From her bedroom, Kate heard her mom call up to let her know they had arrived. They both declined a drink and her mother offered them a seat on the sofa. Although trying to keep her expression neutral, Kate noticed how her mom practically had to stifle a laugh as she walked down to meet them. Instead of her usual ragged everyday loungewear, she'd thrown on her most expensive and favorite pair of jeans. These jeans had the amazing ability to lift her butt and make her backside look fantastic. With a sexy tank top that hugged her curves, she was able to show off a small amount of cleavage. Instead of wearing her hair in the usual unruly style, she had taken the time to straighten it. Her eyes flicked to Jared to see if he noticed her appearance. She smiled to herself when she observed he was purposefully not meeting her eyes.

"Hi, you must be Nikki. I'm Kate—it's so nice to meet you." She introduced herself graciously with a smile. Nikki was as gorgeous in person as in the photos at the apartment. Her blond hair sparkled with a hint of new highlights and her eyes were either naturally one of the brightest blue Kate had ever seen or were enhanced with contact lenses.

A flash of irritation passed over Nikki's face before she gave her a bland look. "Likewise. So, Jared says you can help out with finding my sister?"

Kate got the impression the girl wanted to get right to the point and get the hell out of there as soon as possible. Sliding down on the couch, Kate took a seat next to her mother. "I hope I can."

"Ok, well how does this work?" Nikki asked, exasperated. She thrust her hands towards Kate. "Do you read my palms or something?"

Kate instantly noted the derision. She seized Nikki's hands and contemplated them. She said dryly, "Yes, I see it now. You will die old and alone with only twelve cats to mourn you."

"Katie..." Her mother sent her a warning look.

Kate hoped one day her mother would teach her that skill. Instant guilt with only a single glance. "I'm sorry, really I am. You must be a wreck about your sister." She shot a look over to Jared, who seemed to be mesmerized by the carpet. "I promise to help any way I can."

Nikki gave her a baleful stare. "I hope you're being honest here. My sister means the world to me and my family. Only a really _sick_ person would try to take advantage of someone in our position."

Jared finally intervened. With a solemn expression, he addressed them both. "Hey, look, we're all on the same page here. We all want to find Cori. Kate, have you seen anything else?"

Kate sighed. "No, I tried to think about her last night before I went to sleep, but nothing. I wish I could just close my eyes and visualize her, but it doesn't work like that." She turned towards Nikki. "If it's any comfort, I do think she's alive."

"Jared told me the details of what you saw in your dream and about the guy being all cracked out. How can you be positive he didn't bug out and kill her?" Nikki demanded.

It was the first sign of vulnerability Nikki had shown. The guilt began to eat at Kate's gut. She was really going to have to stop trying to make moves on this girl's boyfriend. It was much easier to crush on a guy with a girlfriend when she was being a harpy.

"I don't make a connection with the dead. I had the vision of Cori three days after she was taken, which makes me believe she's still alive," Kate explained.

"Who knows if that's better? Why would he be keeping her? I can only imagine the twisted things he's doing to her," Nikki began crying.

As Nikki covered her face with her hands and sobbed, Jared reached over and embraced her. Kate also had the urge to cry over the thought of Cori suffering, but forced herself not to envision the horrible possibilities. It only made her resolve to try as hard as possible to find the little girl. Everyone fell silent as Jared comforted his crying girlfriend for several moments. Kate's mom offered her a tissue and she accepted gratefully.

After Nikki pulled herself together, she turned to Jared and requested that he drive her home. Kate apologized again and assured her she'd be in touch with any new information. Her mom excused herself and headed to the backyard to tend to her garden.

Before they walked out of the door, Jared turned to Nikki. "Hon, why don't you wait in the car? I'll be only a minute."

Nikki seemed too drained to argue and simply nodded and walked away. He leaned his arm against the doorway and gave Kate a half smile. "Thanks for today. Nikki's been a mess and I think it helped to hear there's hope for finding her sister."

"I meant what I said. I'm starting to feel like I know Cori and locating her is important to me," she said and relaxed back into the door.

"Everything good with your Mom then?" he questioned gently.

"Yeah, we had a talk when I got home. I think we needed to air everything out. She told me you called her last night after I left," she said and then snorted. "She insinuated I went there for a midnight visit to get it on."

"Did you just snort?"

"No," she insisted. "Anyway, I have your number if I have any new info. I promise no more inappropriate late night drop-ins."

He gave her an affable smile. "Thanks, Kate, and if you need anything, you can call me."

She watched him walk away and studied his perfect form. Of course, all the good ones were always taken.

### Chapter Five

Kate tried to turn in early that night. Tomorrow was Monday and she was scheduled for one of her shifts at the doctor's office. Climbing into her bed, she grabbed a cutout from the local newspaper and gazed at it steadily. It was a story done about Cori and her kidnapping. It had several pictures of the girl alone and photos with various family members. Kate tried to let Cori seep into her brain and take over all her thoughts.

"Where are you?" she whispered to the pictures as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

***

It felt like she was dead. No sight and no sound. She tried to draw a long breath in, but something prevented her. Some kind of revolting fabric was covering her mouth. Struggling to move, she discovered her hands and legs were bound. The more she shifted, the rawer her skin felt against the plastic bindings. Attempting a scream, the sound was muffled and barely even audible. Trying to calm down, she tried to make out any kind of recognizable noise. As she focused, she realized she was in motion.

She was a smart girl. It didn't take her long to recognize the bad guy had taken her from her house. Her head hurt and her skin felt raw and sticky. As sounds entered her ears, she understood that she was in a car and he was stealing her away from her family. Whimpering, she began to struggle again. She fought the urge to vomit as her panic brought on nausea. The smell of the car trunk was beginning to assault her nostrils as well. It reeked of body odor and spoiled food.

It seemed like forever, but honestly it could've been any time from ten minutes to an hour when the car finally stopped. She didn't know what was worse—staying in the trunk or discovering what the bad guy had in store for her when they got to where he was going.

The trunk flew open and rough arms grabbed her. She tried to fight him, but he pinned her roughly to his body from behind. She tried to take in her surroundings and look for any help, but was horrified to realize they were isolated in a garage.

" _Stop moving or I'm going to kill you," his voice hissed in her ear from behind. Her body went limp and he dragged her into the house._

He led her to a door in the back of the house. When he opened it, darkness greeted them. Before she could react, he hurried down the stairs and dropped her unceremoniously onto the floor. Without a second glance backwards, he turned to leave. She couldn't move to go after him—she was still tied up. After he shut the basement door, she was encompassed in complete darkness. Hearing the lock click in place, she felt the hopelessness of her situation. He had left her in a dark basement alone to die....

***

Kate didn't want the dream to end. She wanted to stay in that horrible place with Cori to prevent the little girl from being alone. A fierce hatred rose inside of her for the monster that had done this. The frustrating thing was, he remained faceless to Kate. Cori had not been able to snatch a good look at him as he struggled with her and carried her from behind into the house. However, Cori did see one thing of great importance: his car.

Rolling over in bed, Kate was surprised to see the sun was up. Alarmed, she looked at the clock and realized she'd overslept. If she didn't hurry and get ready, she would be late for work. As she began pulling on pieces of clothing in a half-hearted effort to put on a cohesive outfit, she dialed Jared's number.

"I saw his car," she said in a breathless rush before he could even get a greeting out.

"What?" he asked with excitement. "You had another vision? She's ok? Did you see what he looked like?"

"Whoa, slow down. Yes, he took her from the house in the trunk of the car. Her head was bothering her and she was scared, but otherwise she was unhurt. He grabbed her from behind and forced her into his house, which unfortunately means I didn't see his face again.

"But as he was taking her out of the garage, I could clearly make out the details of the car. I'm horrible with cars. I can't tell you exactly the make and model. It looked about ten to twelve years old. It was a green four-door sedan. The front end of the driver's side looked banged up like it had been in an accident before," she explained.

She looked in the mirror and waited as he digested this information. Realizing her hair was not cooperating today, she pinned it back with a clip.

"Anything about the house that stood out?" he asked.

"I only saw the inside and it was dark, but it was definitely a shithole. Clothes and garbage were kind of all over the place. Cori didn't see much, he...locked her in the basement," Kate said in a small voice.

Kate shuddered at the memory of Cori alone and scared in the dark. Cori had been imagining all sorts of bugs and rats crawling over her as she was trapped by her bindings. "You have to find her soon. She's scared in this horrible place and he already threatened to kill her."

"Can you come down to the station this morning to go over everything again? Maybe we could look at a few photos of cars and get an idea of the model?"

"I can't right now, I'm running late for work. Besides, I would rather avoid the station if that's all the same to you. Don't want anyone to recognize me and link me to the case, you know? Why don't you meet me around lunchtime at my office? In the meantime, I could probably draw a pretty good sketch of the car." He agreed and she gave him the address of the medical complex where she worked before hanging up.

Later that day, Kate sat at her desk and looked at the drawing she had created. It wasn't half bad considering the fact she wasn't a professional artist. Hopefully, the car would be enough to lead them to Cori. Kate had no idea what the abductor wanted with the girl or if he planned to care for her. Although the images from last night were right after her abduction, it had been close to a week since her disappearance. Cori would need sustenance to survive. He could've abused her in the meantime. She slipped the drawing into her purse and turned back to her computer. The office was always busy on Mondays and it had kept her occupied enough to not dwell on her fears for Cori.

One of the other medical receptionists, Diane, came up behind her. She was in her late forties and had been working there practically forever. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she said in a scandalized tone, "Kate, there's a detective from the police department here to see you."

Kate rose and walked over to the reception area. The three other receptionists were looking back and forth between her and Jared. She only imagined what kind of thoughts they were having. Jared gave her a soft smile as Diane whispered, "What does he want with you?"

"He's here to question me about the drug and prostitution charges," she mock whispered.

Jared shook his head at her, which only made her smile wider. The receptionists rolled their eyes, already guessing they wouldn't be getting the truth from her. She sauntered up next to Jared and said, "How about you cuff me for the girls? They'd get a real thrill out of it."

"I think you would be the one to get a thrill out of it," he said wryly.

"Saucy! I like it," she said and turned to the receptionists. "I'm heading out for lunch. If I'm not back in an hour, Detective Corbett has me in the clink and I'll need bail money."

"It was a pleasure to meet all of you," he said in friendly tones with a wave to the staff and followed her out of the office.

She gave him a sideways glance and tried not to let him catch her staring. He wore a white button-down shirt with a black and maroon tie and black slacks. He played with his tie nervously as he seemed to be mulling something over in his mind.

Turning to her when they reached the parking lot, he inquired, "Where to?"

"Do you get a big expense account, being an important detective and all? I've been dying to try that new Italian bistro downtown..." She stopped at his exasperated expression. "Or a diner works."

"Great. I usually go to the one on Billings Road. You can hop in with me and I'll drop you here afterwards."

She followed him to a black Crown Victoria and slid into the seat next to him. Wow, he smelled good, she silently marveled. Nothing like the cheap cologne and Speed Stick smell of most of the guys she made out with in college. It was more like a woodsy clean scent. She fought back her desire to hop on his lap and begin sniffing him like a dog.

"You're uncharacteristically quiet," he remarked, peeking over at her as he turned out of the parking lot.

Classic rock played at a low volume out of the speakers. She resisted the urge to fiddle with the station. "Well, you know, just enjoying the ride. I've never been driven around in a cop car before." She tried to make her laugh sound twinkling, but it came out more like a hyena. Embarrassed, she quickly changed the subject. "I have the drawing for you. Maybe you'll be able to figure out what kind of car it is."

"I passed out the description you gave me over the phone, so at least that's a start. It helped that there's damage to it, narrows down the possibilities."

A short time later they arrived at the diner and were seated in a booth in the back. The waitress took their drink orders as Kate perused the menu. "Are you paying? Because this affects what I'll be ordering."

"Do you always antagonize everyone or is it just me?"

She gave him a flirtatious smile. "No, it's just you." She laughed. "I was just kidding. I wasn't really expecting you to pay. I don't have a lot of money, but I'm not a total broke ass."

She had a thought. "Hey, do I get a salary for this? You know, helping to solve the case?"

"No, you're doing it simply out of the goodness of your heart."

"Aww, bummer. I wouldn't mind the cash to get my own pad. Don't want to be thirty years old and still living at home. That might be what ends up keeping me single forever," she complained.

His gray eyes remained fixated on the menu as he asked, "No one special in your life right now?"

"No, but I'm on the prowl for a guy. After the whole Matt Spencer thing, I rarely ventured out of the house. Kind of hard to meet anyone when you're as sheltered as me," she answered.

Noticing his impassive expression, she decided to test the waters. "Hey, do you know anyone you could set me up with? Got a cute brother or anything?"

He gave her a long measured look before answering. "Kate, we just met, would you really trust me enough to pick out someone for you to date?"

"Well, you're a cop, right? Who could be better than that to screen potential boyfriends? Nothing is more telling than an extensive criminal background check," she replied.

"No one is coming to mind, but I'll be sure to inform you if that changes," he said dryly. However, his tone implied she wasn't likely to be hearing from him any time soon.

She looked over the menu at him and spoke in a more serious tone. "Anyway, back to the whole money thing. I don't want anything for helping, you know that, right? I got the sense Nikki thought I was trying to scam you guys. I might be a pain in the ass, but I'm not a shitty person."

He drummed his fingers lightly on the table. "Kate, you don't have to explain anything to me. I get you. Don't worry about Nikki—she's very skeptical about this type of thing. It's definitely nothing personal. She called my own aunt bat shit crazy for believing in psychics."

I get you? What the hell was that supposed to mean? His comments were making her feel unsure and suddenly exposed. Quickly, she decided to change the subject. "Your aunt doesn't have any abilities?"

"No, she just always felt there was more to the world than we could see. Most of her major life decisions are based on answers she receives during tarot card readings. Some of her ideas are pretty out there. But I learned from a young age how to take things with a grain of salt," he explained.

"Is she local?"

"Not anymore. Kind of lives off the grid now. She met this guy from Maine and moved up there about five years ago. He makes these amazing homemade brooms and Aunt Lizzie helps him run his business." He gave a fond smile as he thought about his aunt. "You should meet her one day, you'd love her."

"She sounds cool. Although introductions might be a little awkward. How would you present me? As your psychic sidekick?"

Before he could reply, the waitress returned for their order. He ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and potato salad. Against her better judgment, she went for the cheese fries with a side of gravy.

Jared gave her an undisguised look of distaste once the waitress had left. "How can you eat that crap? Sounds disgusting." As he let his gaze run over her body, she felt heat rise to her cheeks. "Why are you so thin? You should be a hundred pounds overweight if you eat that kind of stuff."

Kate snorted. Jeez, she really needed to stop snorting in his presence, talk about one of the least attractive qualities. "I'm hardly thin. I saw your girlfriend. I look like Cartman from _South Park_ next to her."

"Ugh, girls with their weight issues," he said and waved her off. "Want to show me that sketch now?"

She pulled the picture out of her purse and he examined it thoroughly. After a moment of thoughtful consideration, he remarked, "You did a good job. I have a few ideas of what type of car it may be. Looks like an older model Ford or Toyota sedan. You said about ten years old and dark green?"

She nodded and he continued, "I'll work on getting printouts of models from around that time period. See if we can get an exact match."

"I wish I could've seen the license plate, but it wasn't visible from the angle he brought Cori out in. The garage was well-lit, but the rest of the house was dark. The layout of the house looked like a Cape Cod style, but honestly, he dragged her through so quickly I couldn't say for sure." She sighed and then took a sip of her diet soda. She figured ordering the diet soda helped to cancel out the massive amount of calories in the cheese fries.

"Do you have any idea of a time frame? How long she was in the car for?"

"She was unconscious for part of the ride. She didn't have a good sense of time, but I would say he was driving for no more than twenty minutes while she was awake. It was very dark in the house, which makes me guess it could have been a lot later after he left the Prestons'. Not sure if he went anywhere first before heading to his house. Maybe someone near Cori's house will remember seeing that type of car. I can't imagine too many of the Prestons' neighbors drive a hoopdie like that."

He leaned back and chewed on his thumb. "With the damage to the front, it would definitely stand out. Of course, I wish we knew more, but this has been extremely helpful, Kate. Thank you."

Closely, she watched his movements as he patted her hand. It only lasted a second, but Kate felt the touch long after he pulled away. Suffering a loss for words, Kate was grateful for the interruption when his phone rang.

After answering, he put his hand over the receiver and addressed her. "I'm going to step outside and take this. It's a call from another one of the detectives working on the case." After her nod, he disappeared out of the diner. While she waited, she fidgeted and tried not to think about how _right_ his hand felt on hers.

A couple of minutes later, he returned with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry about that. He wanted to let me know that they're organizing a search party for tonight. The plan is to comb a few wooded areas in town to look for Cori. We have other detectives going door to door with Cori's picture to see if anyone has any information," he explained solemnly. It was hard to not get drawn in by his intensity as he spoke about Cori.

As the food arrived at the table, she became convinced greasy food would help get rid of these butterflies she was feeling. She saturated the fries with the gravy. After shoving a forkful in her mouth, she closed her eyes and sighed. "These are heavenly."

Jared gave her a dubious look while taking a bite of his sandwich. "I can see your arteries clogging right before my eyes."

She held out her fork to him. "Go ahead and try them. You know you want to."

He looked on the verge of denial, but eventually caved. "Fine, but I have a feeling I'll be regretting it."

She grinned as he took a large bite. He showed no reaction, but she giggled as he reached over and took another large forkful. "I can't tell if I like it. I better taste some more in order to make a sound judgment."

"Sounds like a plan," she said. She grabbed a side dish plate and piled some on it. "Here, stop denying yourself. One serving of disco fries will not kill you." Her grin could not seem to fade as she pushed the plate to his side of the table.

"So, that's what these are called? Now that you have me addicted to them, I can blame you when I get too fat to chase anyone down," he commented between bites. He cut his sandwich in half and held out a piece to her. "Wanna share?"

She took the sandwich from him and felt a jolt as their hands brushed. She was in big trouble and she knew it. More of this and she was going to ask him to procreate on the table right then and there. He returned her smile and seemed to also revel in the intimacy of the moment. She wished she could've thrown his phone against the wall when it rang again a second later. Kate felt embarrassed that she was weirding him out when she noticed how uncomfortable he suddenly looked.

"Hey, I'm going to step outside and take this," he said and hurried away from the table without a further explanation.

She chided herself as she began to devour his sandwich. The time she was spending with him was making her more confused than ever. Had she imagined him flirting back? She knew it was inherently wrong to entertain the possibility of something happening with him. He had a live-in girlfriend who happened to be in the midst of a major crisis. Nothing screamed unavailable more than that. Jared and Nikki had obviously been together for years. Did she really think he was going to throw that away on a girl he met a few days ago?

Not to mention, he was out of her league. What would a detective seven years her senior want with a sheltered girl who lived at home with her mother? Embarrassingly enough, she was inexperienced in more ways than one. She had only had one serious boyfriend and he broke up with her when she was eighteen, a couple of months before her infection. They had only been together intimately one time and it had been awkward and painful. The asshole took her v-card and then dumped her the next day. Jerk didn't even have the balls to break up with her in person. Instead he did it via text message.

Too bad she came back from the brink of death with the ability to see memories and not the power to make her ex infertile. This lack of sexual aptitude made her doubt Jared would be interested in drawing her a roadmap before they hit the sheets.

Jared walked back into the restaurant and she could already feel the wall he was starting to put up. He had a tense smile and his eyes didn't meet hers. It must have been Nikki on the phone, Kate assumed. It was highly probable she gave him an earful for having lunch with her. Mumbling through a mouthful of food, she remarked, "This is delicious, by the way."

Some of the tension lifted from his face and he resumed his seat across from her. "Not as good as the fries, but definitely edible. Anyway, I'm thinking I'll probably be able to get those photos of the car models some time tomorrow. Would you be able to get together? Maybe late afternoon or early evening?"

"You could email them to me if it would be easier. I don't want to take up all of your time."

Kate figured she'd back off gracefully. His uneasiness was obvious and she wasn't going to push anything. She wasn't sure why he was suddenly very withdrawn. They'd only shared food; it wasn't like they'd swapped spit. It may have been her imagination getting carried away, but she couldn't help but wonder if this attraction was as one-sided as she originally thought.

"No, you're not. Like I said, you've pretty much provided our only leads. I've kind of dumped my caseload until Cori is found," he said and pushed away his plate.

"Ok. I actually have a ton of homework for an online class I'm taking. My mom is having her friend over for dinner and I was planning to head to the library for a few hours. Why don't you meet me there?" she suggested.

Jared agreed and she realized she had to hurry back before Diane and the other women did start calling the police station looking for her. Jared tried to pay for lunch, but she threatened to kick his ass if he didn't let her buy her own meal. He gave a shrug and they departed.

The awkwardness still hung in the air as they drove back to her office. She normally had no problem starting a conversation, but she actually stayed quiet on the return trip. She felt moody and sullen, saddened by the certainty that nothing was going to happen between them. She tried to rally as they pulled in front of her building.

At the very least, maybe they could have a platonic friendship. Since she only had one friend, it would instantly double the pool. Who knew? Maybe it would be the start of a tidal wave of new friendships and she'd actually know enough people to start a Facebook page. She tried to give him her best "it's cool if we're friends—don't be scared I'm trying to boink you" expression. "Thanks for lunch, it was fun. Sorry about my strangeness. I'm sort of a social outcast and don't have the capacity for normal conversation."

He returned her look with his best "hey kiddo, don't worry" expression. "You're not strange. You're very sweet and pretty damn hilarious. I'm... Nikki and I are grateful for your help."

"Ok, well great then. See you tomorrow." She hopped out and gave a quick wave. Although she didn't turn around, she could feel Jared watching her as she walked away.

### Chapter Six

Kate was tossing and turning for hours. Damn Jared and his gray eyes and easygoing smiles. Didn't he know she was starved for affection? No wonder she was crazed with lust, she couldn't even remember the last guy she kissed. Looking at the clock, she saw it was just after one in the morning. Julie rarely went to bed before two and Kate knew her best friend wouldn't mind a late night text message from Kate.

**I NEED a night out pronto. When are you free?** Two minutes later, Julie returned her text. **I thought you were going all Salinger on my ass and had destined yourself to a hermit lifestyle. Why the sudden change of heart?** Kate wasn't sure if she wanted to confide in Julie about Jared. It wasn't that she didn't trust her. It simply made her feel morally bankrupt for admitting her feelings out loud. Although Julie wasn't the type to pass judgment, Kate figured she would remain silent since the likelihood of anything happening was nil. **Kate Edwards is ready to reopen for business. Even willing to take you up on the offer of a setup with one of Gage's friends...**

Now, Kate knew she had lost her freaking mind. There were dumb jocks and then just below that level was Gage. Kate had met a few of his friends when she had gone over to Julie's apartment to hang out. Most of them rarely managed to have the ability to string a coherent sentence together. However, desperate times called for desperate measures. **Who is this? This can't possibly be Kate.**

Kate replied back quickly. **Ha-ha, are we on or what?** Kate picked up Cori's picture while waiting for a response. She hoped she would dream of the girl again tonight. She prayed the guy was not hurting her and had fed her. **How does Wednesday sound? Some guitarist Gage knows is playing at a pub at Main Street. Probably 9 or 10ish?** Kate didn't care if Julie suggested they strip down to their underwear and head to a biker bar, she was that desperate for a night out. **Sounds perfect, I'll be wearing my hoochiest outfit**.

Julie was gleeful. **YES!!! This will be crazy fun and I have the perfect set of heels for you to borrow. Gage is here and he's psyched too. He said he knows the perfect dude for you. Call you tomorrow love!**

Kate set her phone on her nightstand. Shuddering at the thought of who Gage would think is perfect for her—she knew she'd be lucky to make it out of the night without being felt up or roofied. At least Julie would be there and she could have some girl time as well. She didn't want her only friend to drift away because she was a head case with social anxiety issues. Plus, Julie had amazing shoes and they shared the same size. This would be the perfect opportunity to forget about Jared and find someone else to obsess over. She couldn't get in the way of his "happily ever after" with his equally genetically blessed girlfriend.

Once Cori was located, she could forget all about the handsome detective. She didn't really expect him to remain friends with her once the case was over. As her hazel eyes gazed at the photo of Cori again, she begged her silently to come to her for both their sakes.

***

Kate knew instantly this vision wasn't of Cori. Her surroundings were too bright. The room lacked the dingy depression of the house of horrors where Cori was being kept captive. She reached out her mind and didn't find any foreign thoughts. She was only an observer and not inside the head of whoever's memory this was. Since she made a connection with this person's mind, she guessed there was the potential to reach into their thoughts. This was a skill she had yet to figure out, though. On a positive note, these visions were the easiest for her to handle. She didn't have to share the feelings of anger, terror or sadness with the person. It allowed her to have some disconnect and pretend she was only watching a movie.

Shit, she thought, as she heard voices and focused on her surroundings. She soon comprehended she was in Jared's apartment. The clock on the oven read six o'clock and she saw Nikki and Jared sitting at the kitchen table eating. Empty Chinese food containers littered the counters and a half-empty bottle of wine was set between them. Nikki was dressed in a simple floral sundress that highlighted her radiant and tanned skin. Wearing a distressed expression, she mostly pushed the food around on her plate. Kate centered her attention on Jared and noted he wore the same white button-down he had worn to lunch today sans the tie. He looked tired and distracted. Kate was amazed that this was most likely a scene from earlier that evening.

For the most part, the time frames of the visions were seemingly random, too. Yet, she sometimes wondered if the memory was in the forefront of the person's mind at the time and that's the reason she saw them when she did. She wished she could conduct post-psychic surveys to learn more about her gift.

Setting aside her inner reverie, she concentrated on their conversation. "Of course I'm annoyed, Jared. I know it's your case, but she's my sister. I think you're going completely in the wrong direction here. Anyone could provide a vague description of a car."

" _I disagree with you. I would never risk your sister's life if I wasn't one hundred percent certain that Kate could help." He sounded earnest, but his tone seemed to put Nikki off even more._

" _I don't trust her. You told me to meet her and decide for myself. This is what I decided. She's stringing us along because she's after something," she countered while shaking her head at him. Picking up her plate, Nikki walked to the kitchen sink._

Jared moved to stand behind her. "She already insisted she didn't want money. What could she possibly be after?"

" _How can you be so dense? She's after you, Jared."_

Kate felt physically ill and hoped this vision was coming to a close. Her least favorite memories were of witnessing her parents fight over her. It was just as stomach-turning to watch Jared and his girlfriend do the same thing. At times like this, she felt it was safe to assume whoever gave her these abilities wanted to see her tormented.

He turned Nikki around and grabbed both her hands in his. "It's not like that..."

" _Jared, I know how girls operate. She was sending some very strong and not subtle signals your way when we went to her house. I don't want you to discuss Cori's case with her anymore," Nikki insisted and gave him a deadly glare. Although she was petite, Nikki could definitely look tough when she wanted to._

" _Please, I don't want to fight. This is the first time we've been alone all week. Everything I'm doing is to get your sister back. You know how hard I had to fight to get put on this case because of our personal relationship. I'm doing this for you," he promised and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face._

" _And you feel nothing for Kate? You're only using her for Cori's benefit?" she demanded lifting her head to meet his eyes. Nikki was even shorter than Kate. She hoped the girl suffered a debilitating neck problem from having to always gaze up at the towering Jared._

" _I wish you wouldn't put it like that. I don't think that way about her—I love you. I feel sorry for her. She's had it rough and it's obvious she could use a friend." Damn, Kate thought, he made her sound like such a pathetic loser._

" _Jared, I swear, you are so much like your aunt. Feeling sorry for every forlorn creature on this earth, trying to take in the strays," Nikki said with a roll of her eyes. Kate willed herself to wake up. She couldn't imagine anything worse than having Nikki and Jared tear her apart._

" _Enough, I'm serious." His voice was stern as he pressed his finger against her lips._

Seeming to relent, she gave him a smoldering look and moved in for a kiss. Jared leaned into the kiss and pressed her compact body against the counter.

It was revolting to watch his sensuous mouth kiss someone who wasn't Kate. Her flash of insane jealousy made her understand how hard she was falling for him. As the kiss continued, he began to move his hands up and down her body. Kate realized it was indeed possible for this vision to be worse. Nikki sighed and began to unbutton his shirt. He threw it off and began to kiss her more passionately. He started to work on unzipping her dress.

Jared stepped out of his pants and stood in his boxers. If Kate wasn't completely horrified, she'd be turned on. Every inch of him was sheer perfection. His body was hard and muscular, but still lean enough where he didn't look like one of those muscle heads who juiced up then spent hours lifting at the gym. She longed to touch him for herself and feel the rigid lines of his chest and abs. Other guys she had dated paled next to him. Jared looked much more like a man where they all had the bodies of boys.

As attractive as she found him, she definitely didn't think she could handle seeing what was under those boxers. Or even more traumatizing, being forced to watch Nikki and him have sex in their kitchen. She'd rather claw her own eyes out than witness that atrocity.

As his hand found its way under the skirt of Nikki's dress, Kate focused all of her energy on getting the hell out of there. She was never able to willingly leave a vision in the past, but she was going to be damned if she didn't try her freaking hardest to get out of this nightmare. Nikki's dress began to slip off...

Kate gasped. She looked around and was grateful to find herself in her bed. Sitting straight up, she tried to calm her breathing. Her chest felt tight and she wondered if she was having an anxiety attack. A gift? These visions sucked and this only reaffirmed her belief. She rarely woke up happy from a vision. Bad enough they were usually filled with violence, she now had to be privy to the sex life of the guy she liked. Why couldn't she have a pleasant dream about her and Jared getting busy? Not a vision of Nikki and Jared together. Blech.

What a dick Jared turned out to be, too. He felt _sorry_ for her. He could take his sorry and shove it up his ass. She was nobody's charity case. She hadn't expected him to fall madly in love with her, but she foolishly thought they were becoming friends.

He was using her? Well, screw him. She wasn't trying to locate Cori for him anyway. She was doing it for a little girl who deserved to be home with her family. The more she thought about it, the more she reasoned she should be thankful for the vision. It had the ability to instantly crush her crush on Jared.

She groaned when the clock read a little after six in the morning. She knew she wouldn't be getting back to sleep and to be honest, the idea the vision could be continued scared her shitless. She already felt the desire to wash her eyes out with soap. If the couple went all the way, she'd probably have to check herself into a psych ward. Throwing on her rattiest robe, she headed downstairs.

***

"Oh god, what's the matter?" Darlene Edwards demanded as she strolled into the kitchen about an hour later.

A feast of epic proportions stood before her: platters of bacon, scrambled eggs with cheese, pancakes and cinnamon rolls were all set out on the counter. Kate had borrowed one of Darlene's aprons and it covered a robe that she could've sworn she told Kate to throw out ages ago. With her tawny hair thrown haphazardly up in a bun, a few strands curled around the nape of her neck, Kate was standing and mindlessly stirring something on the stove while blasting her iPod. Darlene came up behind her and removed the ear buds.

Kate jumped ten feet. "Give me some heads up, Mom! I think you took a decade off my life."

"Sorry, hon. I must have missed the memo where we were running a mess hall," she said and gestured to all of the food in the kitchen. "Are we expecting company for breakfast that I'm unaware of?"

Kate squirmed. "Guess I did get carried away. Couldn't sleep, figured I'd make the two of us a nice breakfast."

"Alright, tell me what's going on. Last time you cooked like this was when your dad left. I'm still trying to lose the fifteen pounds I gained after a week of your obsessive cooking." Kate didn't answer. Darlene pressed on. "Did you have a vision? Was it Cori?"

"No, it wasn't about Cori," she said and sighed. "Mom, I'm not trying to shut you out, especially after we've been having these stellar Lifetime movie moments, but I'd rather not talk about it."

Her mother ruffled her hair softly. "No problem, love. I'm here if you decide you want to talk about anything, though. Everything looks amazing, can't wait to dig in!"

Kate gave her a shaky smile and handed her a plate. Removing the apron, Kate set it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. "Thanks, Mom. I promise I'll clean everything up, too. I know you have your dinner with Gail tonight."

"You can join us, you know. You don't have to hide out at the library," her mother said while pouring syrup over her pancakes.

Kate sat down across from her after piling a little bit of everything on her plate. Kate had always been a stress eater whenever she was feeling down. Darlene guessed this one was due to a particularly harrowing vision and her mood would be improved with a hearty meal.

"Thanks for the offer, Mom, but I'd rather be anywhere else rather than watching you and Gail get plastered off of cheap box wine," she replied.

"Very funny," she said sardonically and took a bite of her pancakes. "Is Jared meeting you at the library to go over the photographs of the cars?" she inquired while licking the syrup off her lips. Kate didn't cook often, but when she did—everything tasted heavenly.

As Darlene watched her daughter's face turn bright red, she had a powerful instinct she had stumbled upon the reason behind the impromptu breakfast buffet. Kate's attraction for the detective had been written clear on her face from the day they first met. Darlene had obviously been wary of it when she found out he had a girlfriend. Her daughter could put up a tough façade, but she was well aware of Kate's fragility. A broken heart from the dashing detective would be especially unwelcome at a time when Kate was using her psychic capabilities to connect with an abducted girl.

"I guess so. I hope the car leads the cops to Cori. I'm ready for her to be home and for things to go back to normal," Kate answered with practiced nonchalance.

"Normal is overrated."

"Says the woman with a psychic for a daughter."

"Anyway, what are your plans before hitting the books? Up for some shopping?"

"For what?"

"Well, your cousin's wedding is next weekend. Do you have a dress?" she inquired.

Kate's surprised expression hinted she had forgotten about Jessica's upcoming nuptials. "Damn, I do need a dress. Ugh, I wish we didn't have to go. Who gets married at her age? She's only a year older than me. Is she knocked up or something?"

"Katie, be nice! Jessica and Abe were high school sweethearts. They waited until after their college graduation to get married. It'll be fun and I'm excited to try out the food at Cedar Brooks. I hear they're using a new caterer. It's in town, too, and you have a built-in designated driver," she explained as an unveiled attempt to sell the wedding to Kate.

"Fine, I'll go. Plus, dress shopping would be a good distraction. I'll shop for something to wear out tomorrow night, too. Going to be painting the town red with Julie," she stated.

"Sounds fun! Things are going to change for you, hon. I can feel it. You no longer have to hide from the world. Go out and experience life, especially while you're young," she urged.

"I know you're right, Mom. I really am going to try harder," Kate promised and stood up to give her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to get dressed and then we'll go give that credit card of yours a workout."

### Chapter Seven

Hours later, Kate sat typing away at her laptop in the library. Shopping with her mother had actually turned out to be a lot of fun and diverted her attention away from dwelling on the previous night's vision. She had not only found an amazing gown for the wedding, but also a killer dress for her night out tomorrow. Her mother had approved of the formal dress, but had frowned at the other getup. The black asymmetrical dress hugged her curves and featured a metallic overlay design. She bought some bangles to accessorize the sleeveless arm and a new pair of earrings. Her mother complained about the length, but restrained herself from asking what corner Kate planned to be working the next night. She knew the outfit advertised her desperation, but she was that determined to rid Jared from her brain.

The idea she might have another vision of him freaked her out. She knew her version of the nine circles of hell would be to have to watch him and Nikki get it on over and over again. No one should have to be exposed to that kind of torture. Of course, she lamented, this would be the type of vision she'd have. She couldn't have lucked out and simply saw him solo in the shower.

She was relieved he had yet to call or text her. It was close to five in the afternoon and she was hoping he might turn out to be a no show. It would make her freaking year if he found Cori and no longer needed her assistance on the case. In the meantime, she had no clue how to act in front of him. Her emotions were transparent most of the time and she was sure her discomfort would be obvious. Shaking her head, she decided to return her concentration back to her paper on James Joyce.

About half an hour later, a cough startled her. She looked up and saw Jared in front of her with the smile that usually instantaneously melted her. He was changed out of his standard shirt and tie uniform and wore a short-sleeved blue polo shirt and a pair of jeans. His ebony hair was damp and she briefly thought back to her wish for a shower vision. Thankfully, the image of him and Nikki quickly pushed it away and she was repulsed by him once again.

He held a stack of papers in his hands. "Sorry if I sneaked up on you. You looked really intent on what you were doing."

"Yeah, I guess I was..." She shrugged without finishing her sentence and he took a seat uninvited in the chair across from her. Without hesitation, she prompted. "Are those the pictures of the cars?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Well, let me see them."

He gave her a startled glance as she reached across the table and grabbed them out of his hand. Silently, he stared at her as she shuffled through the photos. She stopped at one and closely inspected each detail.

After a resolute nod, she passed the paper to him. "This is it."

"The Ford Taurus? Are you sure?"

"Positive. The color matches, too. It was a dark shade of green, but definitely had a metallic sheen," she explained. She crooked her body away from him and resumed typing without another word to him.

"That's great, I'll let the other detectives know," he remarked. After a brief pause, he inquired, "So, what are you working on?"

"A paper on James Joyce's _Ulysses_ ," she answered shortly. "Doubt they teach that one in cop school." She hoped he would take the hint and leave. The urge to throttle him was growing more insistent with each passing second.

Jared looked taken aback. Typically, her tone was teasing with him and she discerned he picked up on the malice in her words. "Everything ok with you?"

She gave him a bored look. "Yup, I'm fine."

He didn't reply, but only sat there gawking at her with his head tilted. She couldn't even look him in the face. As they spoke, her mind kept replaying the soft porn scene from the previous evening. She was equally sickened by his and Nikki's words echoing around in her head. It was humiliating to think about how he was only being nice to her because he felt sorry for her.

Stupidly, she had thought he actually liked her—albeit platonically. It made her furious to think of him befriending her only because she was psychic. He was the one to extend this proposed offer of friendship. If he wanted to keep their relationship professional, he should've never said he was trying to be her friend. A part of her had even hoped maybe after the case was over, he would still keep in touch with her. Is this what she should expect out of life? Never being able to be close to anyone in fear of the person having an ulterior motive?

She knew her rage was clear on her face by the sudden way he got to his feet. Jared held his hand out to her. "Study break time, you're coming with me."

"Huh?"

"Come on, let's go. We're taking a ride," he commanded.

"Sorry, no can do. Really have to work on this paper." Kate shooed him off without turning away from her laptop screen.

"Stop pouting and get your stuff together. I'll have you back in less than half an hour." Not waiting for her reply, he began to pile her books into her messenger bag.

"What? Are you using your cop voice on me now? I'll go, but this is police harassment I hope you know," she grumbled.

Reluctantly, she finished gathering up her things. Crossing her arms across her chest, Kate grudgingly followed him out of the library. Walking over to the Crown Victoria, he opened the passenger side door and gestured for her to get in. When he entered, she shifted her body as far away from him as possible and gazed moodily out of the window.

Jared made an attempt at conversation. "Do you want to tell me what's going on or should I guess? Did you have a vision? Was it about Cori?"

"No," she said emphatically, shaking her head.

He sighed but did not try to converse any further. A part of her wanted to shock him by simply blurting out what she saw last night. It would be extraordinarily easy to make him see what a freak she truly was. Who would want to spend time around anyone who could dig into their personal thoughts? A person who has the ability to spy on their most intimate moments and know their darkest secrets?

Maybe she should remain perpetually single. Everyone had skeletons in their closets and wouldn't she be constantly let down every time she would get close to someone and find out theirs?

They drove for approximately five minutes before pulling into a park. It was one of the larger parks in town and covered over three hundred acres. It had two separate playground facilities, a large pond, tennis courts and dozens of trails. Kate gave him a questioning look.

"There's a brown paper bag in the backseat, could you grab it?" he requested.

"Why? Did you take me to a drug deal?" she asked sarcastically, reaching for the bag.

Ignoring her sarcasm, he began to walk away. Obediently, she followed him while carrying the bag. He stopped at the edge of the pond a few yards away and held his hand out. Dutifully, she handed over the bag while sending him her best confounded look.

Reaching in, he removed a large chunk of bread. He broke off a piece and threw it into the water. A nearby group of ducks grew excited and began to glide over to the water where it had fallen. A cacophony of excited quacks filled the air.

"You took me to feed the ducks?" she asked incredulously. Before he could answer, she persisted. "You know that it's like totally illegal, right? I think there is even a sign warning of a huge fine if you're caught. Since you're a cop, doesn't this set a bad example?"

"Shhh, you're scaring the ducks away," he said and handed her a piece of stale bread.

"It's also against the laws of nature. Feeding them affects how they migrate and also can pollute the water. You should be ashamed of yourself," she admonished.

"You're ruining the Zen feeling of feeding the ducks," he said.

She rolled her eyes and launched a few small pieces into the pond. She smiled as one of the ducks caught a piece in its bill.

His gray eyes gave her a sideways glance as he continued, "Whenever I feel stressed I come here. I guess it makes me feel like a kid again."

"And you brought me here because..." Kate prompted.

"I don't know, you seem upset, thought communing with nature might help," he said and gave an exaggerated shrug. "You can talk to me if something is bothering you."

She blew out a long breath. "Thanks for the offer." She stopped and turned to him. "You don't have to be nice to me. It's not a requirement or anything for me to help with Cori."

"Are you always like this?"

"Always like what?"

"You're defensive and combative. You seem to have a hard time trusting people," he explained.

"And what? I'm supposed to trust you?" she scoffed. She snatched the bag from his hand. Continuing to throw bread, she noticed the number of ducks coming over to them multiplied. "I don't think I've trusted anyone completely since I became sick," she admitted warily.

He nodded and sensed she didn't want to elaborate on her trust issues. "You never told me why you were so sick. The paper said you had an infection?"

Kate shifted uncomfortably. "It was actually meningitis. The doctors guessed living in the college dorms was one of the reasons I got sick. You know, close quarters and all that. It happened sort of suddenly and I didn't even feel very ill at first. Next thing I know, I'm in a hospital and a week of my life is gone."

"Do you remember anything else from when you were unconscious? Besides the vision of Matt?" he probed.

"What, like a white light? An angel in a meadow meeting me?" Kate shook her head. "No, the rest is pretty much a blank. I kind of wish something like that did happen. Maybe I received some sort of explanation for why I see these images and I can't remember." Talking about when she almost died was difficult and it provoked her to change the subject quickly. "What's with the casual attire? No work today?"

"I worked for a couple of hours this morning, ran some errands and got the car info I gave you at the library."

"You look good in normal clothes—generally your work outfits look like JCPenney rejects," she cracked. He was about to reply when something over her shoulder caught his eye.

Kate clumsily leaped forward when a large honking sound came from behind her. She turned around and faced two large geese waddling straight towards her. Their eyes fixated on the bag in her hands and they came at her like they were out for blood. Kate shrieked and began a mad dash as they quickly made a beeline after her. They continued to chase her until she dropped the bag and took shelter in a nearby gazebo. With viciousness, the geese tore at the bag and devoured the contents inside. As she tried to calm her breathing, she looked around for Jared. He was bowled over in laughter.

He made his way towards her. "That was classic," he laughed and mimicked her wild hand gestures. "I wish I could've videoed it, I would have gotten at least a million hits on YouTube."

"Ha-ha, very funny," she drawled and socked his arm as he took a seat next to her on the bench in the gazebo. After catching her breath, she gave him a sideways glance. "Sorry about my strangeness. I did have a vision last night that bothered me."

He opened his mouth to interject, but Kate held up her hand to stop him. "It didn't have anything to do with Cori and I _really_ don't want to talk about it."

"Kate, I know you find it hard to believe, but I do want to be your friend. If these visions are bothering you, it might not hurt to talk about it."

"I'm good, honestly. Anyway, it's not like this is my first rodeo," she said with a shrug.

She wrapped her arms across the front of her body and ran her hands up and down her arms. Her tank top and shorts didn't conceal the goose pimples that erupted over her arms and legs. The sky was beginning to cloud over and the wind was steadily picking up. Kate didn't know if the chill came from her past memories or the abrupt change in the weather.

"You mean seeing Matt Spencer? Or the other letters you received? What were those cases like?" he questioned while she tried to not focus on the feel of his leg against her. It was hard not to pay attention to the heat emanating from him against her bare leg.

Sitting in the gazebo suddenly made the conversation very intimate. It was making her feel sort of breathless and erasing her feelings of resentment towards him. She could not understand why she couldn't just turn off this disastrous attraction.

"The strangest thing about Matt Spencer was I never saw him before and I still had a vision of him while I was in the coma. Since then, I've never had images of anyone who I have not seen or met." She never understood why Matt was her first vision and how she suddenly woke up psychic. Her family had no connection with the Spencers and she was already in the coma when his father took him from the school playground. One of her greatest hopes was that she'd be able to solve the mystery surrounding the origin of her second sight.

Opening up to him was awkward. Her journal was the only place she really let down her guard and shared any of her psychic experiences. "Anyway, one time I received a letter from this husband desperately looking for his wife. She never returned home from work six months earlier and he had two young children who constantly cried for their mother. He sent me her photo and I connected with her that same evening. She had left her family for a man she met online. She used a different name and lived with the man out of state. Her love for this virtual stranger superseded her love for her husband and children.

"What was I supposed to do with this information? Would it be better for her kids to know she lived and abandoned them? Or let them assume something horrible had happened to her and that was the reason she hadn't returned to them?" Her tone grew more anxious and she didn't dare a look at him.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. I'm not God—who was I to decide this family's fate? Yet, I have to be wrecked by this decision for the rest of my life. My point is, this is the type of garbage I deal with on a regular basis. I see things about others whether or not they want to keep the memory private. You can't be my friend because you leave yourself open to exposure. I have visions of the people in my life and most of them are things they likely don't want me to know," she persisted.

Her objective was to warn him off without having to divulge what she had seen the night before. He looked ready to interrupt and she held up her palm to silence him. "Do you want another example? I found out my father was having an affair before he left my mother. The best part was the vision confirmed what I already believed. The reason he left us was because he didn't know how to handle the scandal surrounding the story on me being psychic."

"I'm sure that's not true. We all blame ourselves for shit that really isn't our fault," he said and stilled. He admitted softly, "I blame myself for my parents dying."

She turned to him shocked. "What do you mean? Why?"

"I was very close with my parents—especially my mother. When I was seven, I had finally got up the nerve to sleep at a friend's house for the first time. Well, of course, I panicked once it came time to go to bed. I started crying and my friend's mother called my mom. My dad had taken her out for a romantic dinner. They left the restaurant to pick me up as soon as they received the call. A drunk driver hit them a few miles away from the restaurant."

His brow furrowed and Kate resisted the urge to reach for him. "If I wasn't such a momma's boy and I sucked it up and spent the night there—they'd still be alive today."

"Jared, you can't..." she whispered. "I mean, you know it wasn't your fault, right?"

He shook his head as if freeing his mind of any dark thoughts. He looked at her intently. "Yes, I understand now I can't take the blame for it. That's my point. You didn't choose to be psychic, it just happened. Your father had an affair because of his own shit, not because of you."

"What if I see inside your head, Jared? How can you spend time with me when I could see some of your most personal moments?" she demanded.

Looking behind him at the sky, she noticed more storm clouds gathering and suspected a downpour would be arriving any minute. However, she had no desire to leave this spot. She had never opened up like this before with anybody. It made her understand her feelings for Jared were more than simply lust for his utter gorgeousness. His listening skills and openness was making it like child's play to find his way into her guarded heart.

"Kate, I'm willing to take that risk. I have nothing to hide. You're not going to scare me off. I don't say things lightly. When I told you we could be friends, I absolutely meant it."

His tone was sincere and Kate felt suddenly very vulnerable. The anxiety of the past week began to boil over inside of her. She tried to push it down, but felt tears spring to her eyes. Between the tormenting images of Cori and her developing feelings for Jared—she wanted to get the hell off this emotional roller coaster. Pathetically enough, a sniffle escaped. Before long, full blown sobs were erupting from her.

He opened his arms and she practically catapulted into them. She rested her head against his chest and focused on the sound of his breathing. She loved the feeling of being held by him. He emanated a strong sense of calm and she reveled in how secure she felt at that moment.

"I'm a complete and utter head case," she mumbled into his shirt. "You must think I'm the biggest spaz in the world."

She felt his chest rumble with laughter. "You're not a spaz. I couldn't imagine having no control over your brain and seeing random thoughts from others."

It was arduous, but she pried herself from his arms. "Sorry about unloading on you. This probably breaches your professional code of ethics or something like that. Sorry if I'm putting you in an awkward position."

"It's fine, Kate. Like I said, I want us to be friends. Friends hug, right?"

She didn't know if he was trying to convince her or himself. The tension she'd noted from the last time at the diner resurfaced as he visibly stiffened.

He stood up and reached out a hand to help her to her feet. "It looks like a massive downpour is going to start any second. I should get you back to the library. Call me if you want to talk about anything."

"Thanks," she said and managed a smile.

It was kind of him to offer, although there was no way in hell she was ever telling him about last night's vision. Despite his proclamations, she had a feeling he wouldn't be too fond of the fact that she saw him in his underwear.

### Chapter Eight

As she glanced at her surroundings this time, Kate thought the vision was from Cori's memories. The setting was the front of an elementary school with seemingly hundreds of children rushing in every direction. Buses were lined up in front of the school and parents were holding the hands of children while walking them towards the entrance of the building. She tried to find Cori in the crowd, but couldn't locate the little girl. Instead, the vision seemed to center on a couple and a small boy standing in front of the school's marquee. Confused, Kate wondered who the people were and why she was seeing them.

The man held a camera in his hand. On a closer inspection, she realized it was a dated-looking Polaroid. He took a shot of the small boy and a photo emerged from its base. "Here, get in the picture, Rose," the man addressed the woman.

She gave a beaming smile and gathered the boy in her arms. He squirmed as the man took multiple shots of them. The woman's smile never left her face.

Rose was stunning. She had black hair that fell in natural waves almost to her waist. Her dark eyes were highlighted by long lashes and her skin was blemish free. She smiled frequently and there was something very charismatic about her. Kate noticed several fathers walk by and do a double take of the woman. Her husband didn't seem to notice and Kate wondered if he was used to the attention.

Although not as breathtaking as his wife, the husband was tall and distinguished-looking. His eyes were lighter than his wife's and his brown hair was graying slightly at the temples.

The boy shared a strong resemblance with his mother. His dark hair did not have the same curls, but he had the same facial features. His gray eyes seemed to be a blend of his parents'. He looked to be about five years old and wore jeans and a t-shirt. His outfit was completed by a Transformers backpack and matching Transformers sneakers. "No more pictures!" he complained.

" _Ok, sorry Jared, we're only excited because it's your first day of kindergarten!" Rose squealed._

Jared gave her a look of disdain. "I told you, my name is not Jared, its Optimus Prime."

His father shot an amused look to Rose over Jared's head. "Well, Optimus Prime, we should be heading in now. I think the bell's going to ring any minute."

The boy's bravado wavered. He shot his mother an uncertain look. "Do I have to go, Mommy? I wanna stay home with you."

" _Now, now..." his father began._

" _Give me a minute to talk to him, Charles." She put a finger to her lips to shush him. Charles shrugged as Rose bent down to Jared's height. "I know this is scary for you, but you're going to love school. You'll do all sorts of fun things and meet so many new friends."_

Jared didn't look convinced and frowned at her. Earnestly, Rose pressed on. "And even though you don't see me, I'll always be there with you. Whenever you get sad, just close your eyes and imagine I'm next to you holding your hand."

" _Rose, you really must stop coddling the boy," Charles admonished, but the obvious affection was apparent in his voice. Rose laughed and pulled Jared in for a kiss. The trio then turned to walk towards the front of the school. The vision began to fade._

***

"No Denny's Grand Slam this morning?" Kate's mother chided, walking into the kitchen the next morning.

Kate sat at the counter munching on a granola bar. "No, not today. Figured I'd eat light to prevent looking like a complete cow in my dress tonight."

"I wish I still had your shape," her mom said and then questioned, "How did you sleep? See anything?"

"No images of Cori, which concerns me. Hopefully, she'll be coming to me again soon. I find it hard to imagine anything good coming out of this guy keeping her for so long without any contact," she said and threw out the wrapper for the granola bar. She jumped off the bar stool and stretched. "I did have a vision. It was actually the first one in a long time where I didn't wake up and feel depressed and hopeless."

"Care to share?"

"Nah, think I'll keep it to myself," she replied. She wanted to hold onto the intimate memory of Jared and his parents. It made her feel connected in a very personal way to the detective. Upon waking, it was almost impossible to stop smiling as she wrote down her recollections of the vision in her journal. Although she didn't plan to tell him about the images, she never wanted to forget a single detail. She was certain he held this fond memory of his parents still alive close to his heart.

Walking over to her mother, she kissed her on the cheek. "Just want you to know I love you, Mom."

She placed a hand on Kate's forehead. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Ha-ha, Mom, that's a real knee slapper," she said sarcastically, but still gave her an unabashed grin.

"Katie, I love you, too."

***

That evening, Kate had serious doubts about her choice of attire. She wasn't sure if a very short and snug-fitting dress was appropriate for a dive bar in town. She might be sending out the wrong message. Kate wasn't planning to have a one-night stand—the thought actually sent a wave of nausea through her. Her experience level with guys was pathetically low and she wasn't ready to expand her horizons with some random dude. However, she wasn't opposed to a make-out session with a hot guy. It could be just the thing to forget about damn Jared and his damn duck feeding.

"Katie, Julie's here," her mother called up as she finished dressing in her bedroom.

"Send her up," she yelled down.

A minute later, Julie burst into her bedroom. She was dressed in a strapless A-line dress with a floral design. Her tan was perfected and Kate lamented on how her own porcelain skin always burned with even the slightest of sun exposure. Julie had straightened her hair and used moderate amounts of make-up to highlight her blue eyes.

"Holy shit, Kate! You look freaking hot! If I was a dude, I'd want to tap that right now!" she exclaimed, breaking out in a huge grin as she looked her up and down.

Her previous bravado was fading and she asked in an unsure voice, "Is it too much? It doesn't really feel like me."

"No, you look perfect, Kate. We're going out, what are you going to wear? Your normal sweats and oversized tee? Half of the time, I can't even tell you have boobs," Julie cracked. She reached into a shopping bag she had brought into the room. With mock seriousness, she stated, "And to complete your fabulousness, I'm lending you one of my prized pairs of black heels."

Kate looked at the shoes and gasped. "Julie, these are Jimmy Choos! I can't borrow these. If anything happens I'll have to give you two weeks of my meager salary."

"They'll be fine, I trust you. Besides, they weren't that much, I got a great deal on them online." She waved her off and Kate began to slip the heels on.

They fit like a glove and Kate had to admit she had nothing so luxurious in her closet. Kate vowed to start dieting in order to start swiping some of Julie's amazing clothing as well. It was hard to not be envious of the endless supply of money Julie received from her father. Kate's father made a good living, but her parents expected her to be responsible and pay for her own bills. They kept swearing she would thank them one day for instilling in her a sense of fiscal responsibility. Julie held out her hand. "Here's some lipstick, too."

"Russian Red from MAC? Julie, we're going to have to totally sneak past my mother. She might make me wash my face and put on pantyhose before we're able to leave."

Julie laughed. "Before you get your panties all in a bunch, just take a look in the mirror."

Kate walked over to her full-sized mirror. She was barely recognizable. She looked confident and sexy—very unlike the scared virginal kid she usually felt like. The dress highlighted her curves while the black and metallic design seemed to diminish the extra five pounds she wished she could drop. It was short enough where bending over might provide the view of a gynecological exam.

After almost blinding herself with the eyeliner pencil and mascara wand, she was finally able to give her eyes a smoky appearance. Her hair was smooth and soft with the help of the Moroccan oil she had picked up from the mall. Besides the bangles, she wore a pair of silver dangly earrings. A part of her wished Jared would be able to see her tonight. She doubted he would be referring to her as kiddo in this outfit.

Spinning back around, she addressed Julie. "What's the deal for tonight? Is Gage meeting us at the bar?"

"Yes, and he's bringing a friend along. A very cute friend, I might add." Julie gave her a sly smile. Kate only imagined what this friend would be like. If he was anything like Gage, she might end up seeing Jared after all—when she went to the station to file sexual assault charges.

"Sounds epic, let's go," she said and grabbed her purse.

She tiptoed down the stairs and made a beeline for the front door. "Bye Mom," she yelled and hurried outside without waiting for a reply. She heard her mother's muffled response through the front door.

"You are twenty-one, Kate. I don't think your mother will care what you wear. I mean what are you going to tell me next, you have a curfew?" Julie was shaking her head at her with an amused smile playing on her lips.

"You wouldn't understand. You have a brother and a sister. I suffer from only child syndrome. Science has proven we are maladjusted and lack any social skills. Plus, since Dad took off with the home wrecker, I feel a certain responsibility towards her," she admitted.

Come to think of it, she was pretty hypocritical to categorize her father's girlfriend as a home wrecker. Wasn't she one for thinking illicit thoughts about Jared? If Jared had made a move on her while they were inside the gazebo, Kate wasn't sure she would have had the self-restraint to stop it.

Julie drove them to a bar on Main Street, located in the more commercialized section of town. Julie explained if the band playing at Ryan's Pub turned out to be lame, they could always hit one of the other bars in the area. However, the packed parking lot of the bar made Kate suspect the band might be halfway decent.

As they made their way through the crowd inside the bar, she definitely noticed some head turns. She was secretly pleased since she normally felt like a social misfit. They found Gage easily across the bar. It wasn't hard since he was over six feet and had a hulking form. Kate wasn't surprised when she found out Gage had been a wrestler in high school.

"Hey ladies, looking _good_." Gage did his best impression of a loser lothario by undressing them both with his eyes. Honestly, Kate had no idea what Julie saw in him.

Julie giggled and smacked his arm. After Julie smiled at the guy standing next to Gage, Kate took a swift inventory. He was good-looking in a bland sort of way. His light brown hair was cropped closely and his brown eyes peeped at her with interest. He was also blessed with the ability to tan well. Maybe she should have experimented with a bronzer before heading out of the house.

The guy stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Sebastian."

She shook his hand awkwardly. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kate."

"Well, me and Gage are going to round up some refreshments while you two get acquainted," Julie said and elbowed Gage hard in the ribs. Without waiting for a response, she pulled Gage towards the bar counter. Gage gave Sebastian a wink and a nod as he walked by and she suddenly felt like a sacrificial offering to Gage's horny friend.

Kate gave a nervous laugh. "That's Julie for you, subtle as a heart attack."

He gave a polite laugh. "Why have I never seen you before? I go out almost every weekend with Julie and Gage."

"I'm sort of a loner, so I don't go out much. Julie's been trying to coerce me out for a while and I figured I'd finally take her up on her offer," she explained with a shrug.

After a minute of discomfited silence she ventured, "Sebastian is an interesting name."

"Yeah, my parents gave me it because apparently I was conceived after a Skid Row concert." He took a long sip of his beer.

She gave him a look of revulsion. "Ugh, vomit. I still image myself being a product of immaculate conception."

"Are you in college?" he asked as his eyes moved down to her chest.

She fought the urge to scream, "Eyes up here, buddy." His gaze lingered there a minute too long before returning to her face. She must have passed his boob test because he gave her a pleasurable smile.

"I do courses online, sort of the college version of a homeschooler."

Giving a fake little laugh, she was relieved when Gage and Julie returned. Maybe this had been a bad idea, Kate thought, and cursed Jared again. Inadvertently, he ruined every other guy for her. Who would be able to live up to him? She doubted Sebastian fed the ducks and had some sort of tragic backstory to melt her heart. Julie handed her a shot and a questionable looking mixed drink concoction. Kate didn't think twice about downing the shot and taking a huge gulp of the drink. Her only hope was that the alcohol would quell her anxieties.

"Slow down there, champ! Don't want you passing out before the band even comes on." Gage laughed heartily at her and slapped her on the back.

Spilling a portion of her drink onto the floor, Kate shot him an irritated look. Gage seemed unfazed and addressed his friend. "Hey, Banks, did you know Kate here is somewhat of a local celebrity?" Gage seemed to participate in the grating habit of calling his friends by their last names.

"Gage, really, I'm sure Sebastian wouldn't want to be bored with that story..." Kate attempted to stop him.

"She helped the cops find a kidnapped boy a couple of years ago. She's psychic, so you better watch what you think in her presence. Keep everything PG if you know what I mean." Gage chuckled as if he was the wittiest Neanderthal in the room.

"Ignore him, Kate," Julie advised.

"What, do you read palms or something?" Sebastian gave her an interested look.

"No, I don't read palms," she said tersely and gave Gage a dirty look, hopefully conveying what a complete douche she thought he was.

She turned back to Sebastian. "It was just a fluke that happened when I was really sick. I saw a flash of the boy and that was that."

The band took the stage and thankfully the conversation ended. Julie shot her an apologetic look, but Kate gave her a wide smile. She wasn't going to let Gage ruin her night out.

The band turned out to be marginally talented and played plenty of crowd-pleasing cover songs. While hitting the dance floor with Julie, she was able to break out some of the booty shaking moves she'd been practicing the other day. After the two friends had both consumed seemingly exorbitant amounts of alcohol, Julie ended up in a dark corner making out with Gage. Sebastian wasn't a dancer, something Kate was actually grateful for. Most of the guys at the bar considered dancing just dry humping a girl from behind. More than once, she had to walk off the dance floor to ward off guys trying to feel her up.

"Julie's pretty wasted," Sebastian remarked a couple of hours later when she walked over to him.

Kate glanced over and noticed the clothed sex had stopped between Julie and Gage and she was slumped over with her head in her hands. She walked over and asked Julie with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Besides my desperate need to puke up the contents of my stomach—nothing," she mumbled.

She turned to Gage who, surprisingly, looked sober. "Can you drive, Gage? We should probably head out if Julie's sick."

Julie shook her head empathetically. "No, you should stay. You look sexy as hell and you're having a good time. Gage can take my car. Sebastian, do you mind driving Kate home?" She noticed Sebastian had crept up behind her.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to impose," Kate protested.

She was torn and the alcohol was making her thinking fuzzy. A part of her knew she didn't want anything to happen with Sebastian. However, another part of her argued that maybe a few chaste kisses with him wouldn't be so bad. Although chaste kisses didn't seem to be on Sebastian's mind. She knew he was probably thinking something that involved him taking off his pants.

"I'm cool with that. It's barely midnight, I wouldn't mind hanging," Sebastian remarked.

"Good, it's settled. Lates, bro," Gage replied and stuck his hand out for a fist pump with Sebastian.

Apparently it didn't seem to matter if Kate approved of this arrangement. Gage gave Kate a wave and cracked while raising his eyebrows, "Bye Kate, wouldn't mind seeing _more_ of you again."

Kate hugged Julie goodbye and fought the urge to chase after them for a ride home. The only thing that prevented her was the thought of being in Gage's presence for a minute longer.

"Here's to new friends," Sebastian said holding up his beer bottle. She clinked her glass to his and gave a slight smile. He mirrored her expression and peered at her glass. "You're looking low, what are you drinking? I'll buy you another one."

"Vodka and cranberry," she replied. She probably should start switching to water, especially in the case Sebastian became too intoxicated to drive her home. There was no way she'd call her mother for a ride. She would never hear the end of it and her mother would likely be furious with Julie for leaving her alone at the bar.

An hour later, it was clear to Kate that Sebastian was ready to take things to the next level. He began to lean in much closer; his hands lingered on her longer. He'd been plying her with drinks and been keeping pace with her. Even if she was drunk, she was not intoxicated enough to take him up on his suggestion to go back to his place. She wasn't about to become another drunk driving statistic or make the walk of shame tomorrow morning back to her mother's.

"You seem really nice, but as cliché as this sounds I'm not that kind of girl. Maybe we could exchange numbers and see where things go from there."

He countered her refusal of sex at his place with a kiss. She attempted to kiss him back, but found it hard to rally. He wasn't a bad kisser per se, but he wasn't exactly knocking her socks off. He made another go at it and tried to deepen the kiss. She was afraid any minute he was going to devour her face. His greedy search with his hands on her skin made her muse that if it was socially acceptable, he'd start ripping her clothes off then and there.

When he whispered, "You're turning me on so bad right now," she knew she had to untangle herself from the situation.

"Yeah, I'm totally feeling it too," she said dryly. He began to kiss her neck and she realized he was too drunk to notice she wasn't into him. Abruptly, she stated, "I actually need to go to the bathroom, be back in a few."

"I'll be waiting, baby," he said in what she guessed was his sexy bedroom voice. To her it sounded more like he was suffering from a bad case of strep throat.

Darting towards the women's restroom, she was grateful there was no line. She closed the stall door and sat on the toilet seat. Taking her phone out of her purse, she began to turn it in circles in her hands. She knew leaving the pub with Sebastian was not a safe or smart option. Julie looked like she was on death's door when she left and Gage would likely flat out refuse and tell her to simply go with Sebastian if she called them to pick her up. Her mother would only be an absolute last resort. She imagined her pulling up to the bar in her robe and yelling at her about her irresponsibility the entire ride home.

Her stomach lurched as she hit the call button on her phone. Her heart stopped when he picked up and garbled a sleepy hello on the sixth ring. "Remember how you said you wanted us to be friends?"

### Chapter Nine

Kate felt like she was on a covert mission as she left the bathroom. Her goal was to sneak out of the bar before Sebastian was able to spot her. She fully understood the mature thing to do would be to say goodbye and tell him she wasn't interested. However, she never claimed to be high up on the maturity ladder. As she made a sharp left, she slithered around the perimeter of the bar. She could spot Sebastian from her vantage point and he didn't appear overly concerned about how long it was taking Kate to return from the bathroom. In fact, he seemed to be checking out a pretty blond dancing a few feet from him. This assuaged Kate's guilt somewhat and she was certain Sebastian would move on quickly from her hasty exit.

Taking in a greedy gulp of fresh air, she pushed through the bar doors. It was a relief to breathe in something besides body odor, cheap perfume and desperation. A headache had started to form and she knew she'd have a wicked hangover tomorrow. Feeling eyes boring into her back, she turned around and saw a couple of guys smoking cigarettes and eyeing her up as they leaned against the outside of the building. She prayed she wouldn't end up murdered out here.

"Hey sweetheart, need a ride?" the larger of the two men asked. He was huge and every piece of visible skin was covered in tattoos. Kate easily imagined the guy making someone his bitch in prison.

She realized it was probably not the smartest move to wait out here alone in a dress that screamed wannabe hooker. The crowd had died down and it was eerily quiet outside. She didn't even have any mace in her pocketbook.

When she didn't answer, the guy gave her a devilish smile and nudged his friend. Kate promised if she lived through the night, she would take this skanky outfit and burn it. When the two guys began to approach her, she felt frozen in place. Their position put them directly between her and the door back into the bar. It didn't take a psychic to know they were thinking very bad thoughts about her. She thought about running, but realized she wouldn't get two steps without tripping in her heels. Although looking at the heels, she probably could use them as a weapon if the need arose, gouge out an eye or two.

"What's the matter, honey? I'll give you a _good ride_ , I promise," he said lewdly and the guy next to him started to cackle hysterically. They continued to slither in her direction until they had managed to crowd into her personal space. Kate held her breath as the instigator breathed into her face. "Ain't you a hot piece?"

Kate was about to give a retort, but found herself frozen like a deer in headlights. Her obvious fright seemed to amuse the two men and they snickered as they watched her squirm.

"Do we have a problem here?"

Kate could have died from gratitude right then and there when she heard Jared's threatening voice behind her. A mixture of panic and drunkenness made her fail to notice when he had pulled his car up next to her. Daring a peek behind her, she saw him giving the two men a deadly stare. His furious expression made him appear just as scary as the drunken burly guy.

All of a sudden, she felt the man's meaty palm wrap around her waist. The urge to hurl all over him grew strong as he replied to Jared, "No problem, but I suggest you don't show up here and try to cock block me. Me and the girl were having a private conversation."

Untangling herself from his grasp, she skittered behind Jared. Jared grated out, "Touch her again and I will _hurt_ you. I have no problem laying your fat ass out on the pavement right now."

The men looked ready to gear up for a fight, but seemed to think twice of it when the bar doors opened and a smattering of drunks were being escorted out by a couple of oversized bouncers. They turned their backs and retreated over to where they were standing before.

Her harasser called out to Jared. "Next time your girl goes out for the night, tell her not to dress like such a whore if she doesn't want anyone to hit on her."

Jared lurched to go after him, but Kate decided she better intervene. Grabbing him firmly by the arm, she pulled him back. "Forget that jackass, let's just go."

Letting out an angry breath, he led her to his black BMW. Kate guessed this was his personal car and the Crown Vic he only used while working. Jared didn't handle her gently. Instead, he dragged her to the passenger's side and practically tossed her into the vehicle. Grateful all limbs were inside as he slammed the car door shut, she noted his sour expression as he peeled away from the curb. "Wow, you don't look happy to see me at _all_."

His jaw clenched. "We're not talking right now. We are going to get some coffee in you to help sober you up and then I'm taking you home."

He used a flat monotone Kate had never heard from him before. She was seriously beginning to regret her decision to call him. He looked rumpled and tired in a t-shirt and track pants.

Giving her a hard look, he commanded, "Put your seatbelt on and try to refrain from vomiting in my car." When she didn't make a move, he reached across her chest and buckled her seatbelt.

"Just let me out, I'll walk home," she retorted. "Some friend you turned out to be."

"Don't push it, Kate," he warned and she silently stewed.

She had no idea why he was suddenly angry with her. It was strange to see him in such a thunderous mood and she missed the easy way he usually smiled at her. Despite his foul temper, she couldn't help but be thrilled to see him. Even in his unkempt state, he was dreamy looking. It appeared as if he hadn't shaved in a couple of days and Kate had the urge to run her hand over the scruff on his chin.

After a couple of minutes of silence, it didn't sound like his anger had assuaged as he spat out, "What were you _thinking_ , Kate? Why would you be waiting outside a bar alone in the middle of the night in an outfit I should arrest you for wearing?"

"Hey, that's borderline sexist. You're telling me that since I wore a certain outfit I deserve to be accosted by a couple of a-holes?" she demanded.

"I didn't say you deserved it but, Christ, I'm a cop. I can't be getting into bar brawls. How would I even begin to explain why I'm there picking you up?" he countered with frustration.

He pulled up to the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru window and ordered two coffees. "And two chocolate frosted donuts," Kate called over his head. He looked annoyed, but said nothing. Handing her a coffee and her bag of donuts, he pulled into a spot in the empty lot.

She gave him the most sincere look she could muster in her drunken state. "Sorry I called you. You must be beat from Cori's case. I know when you said we should be friends you didn't mean being my chauffeur after a night of drunken debauchery or rescuing me from sexual predators, but I appreciate it. Just please don't be mad at me, ok?"

His strain eased at her words. "I'm not mad at you. Guess those fuckers got me a little riled up."

"You were amazing with your whole 'do we have a problem here?' I was waiting for you to pull out your gun and cap them in their kneecaps," she laughed.

"I was tempted, believe me. Why were you alone? On the phone you said your friend was too drunk to drive you home, but she couldn't wait with you? Did she need a ride?" Jared questioned.

"Julie and her boyfriend left early because she was feeling sick. Gage's friend Sebastian was supposed to take me home, but I sort of...bailed on him."

Kate shifted in her seat and wondered how much she should confess about her night with Sebastian. Her inebriated tongue might end up revealing too much to Jared and she could find herself admitting how she couldn't stand to kiss Sebastian because she was falling for him.

Jared seemed to speculate her discomfort could be over some sort of impropriety on Sebastian's part. She saw his muscles tense as he said, "Kate, please tell me I don't have to turn this car around and murder this Sebastian kid."

She shook her head. "No, it was fine. I guess we were kind of on a date. I just wasn't comfortable with how much he had to drink and where he wanted to take things." She gave him a dazzling smile before continuing with her explanation. "See, you saved me in more ways than one tonight. My mother is the queen of thank you notes. So, don't be surprised to receive one from her that displays her appreciation for keeping her daughter's body and chastity safeguarded."

He gave her a long look and she began to guess at how terrible she appeared. She hadn't checked out a mirror in a long time and Sebastian's moves on her probably made her resemble someone who recently had a roll in the hay.

"I should get you home," he said at last. He pulled out of his reverie and began to drive out of the parking lot.

She sank back into the leather seat and relaxed into the moment. Riding in his personal car in the middle of the night seemed to heighten the intimacy she felt developing between them. She still felt a buzz from the alcohol and his closeness was doing strange things to her. Something was nagging at her and she questioned whether she should disclose anything to him. Her tongue felt loose and she allowed the words to spill out of her mouth. After letting out an exaggerated sigh, she whispered, "I had a vision about you."

It was silent for a long moment. His voice didn't reveal much as he inquired, "You did?"

"It was your first day of kindergarten. You were dressed in Transformers stuff practically head to toe. You were calling yourself Optimus Prime." She giggled loudly as she visualized Jared as a punk kindergartener.

His silence provoked her to go on and she shut her eyes to recall the vision. "I saw your mother and she was..." she trailed off before saying, "beautiful. Like amazingly so—with not one single flaw. You look like her, you know? Your father was there, too, and he was snapping pictures of you and her. You were nervous about school and she got down on her knees and told you to not worry. Just close your eyes and she would be there holding your hand."

Finally opening her eyes, she shifted to face him. "It felt like she sensed that she would die young. Jared, she wanted you to remember she'd always be there for you."

Kate swallowed hard when she saw how upset Jared looked. His features were tight and the dashboard illuminated moisture in his eyes. "Jared, I'm sorry..." she started, but her sentiment trailed off when he pulled the car over to the side of the road suddenly. Looking around, she realized they were at the end of her street.

He jumped out of the car and placed his hands behind his head. She watched him pace in front of the hood of the BMW for a minute before she slowly exited the vehicle. Approaching him cautiously, Kate asked softly, "Jared? What's wrong?"

He produced a half laugh and half sobbing sound. "I don't know, Kate, everything's _wrong_. I mean, what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" she asked leaning against the hood.

Jared rarely seemed to lose his cool and it made her apprehensive about how he could be feeling. Was he agitated because of the vision? Or was he feeling something for her and he didn't know how to deal with it?

"I like you, I _do_ , but maybe we've been spending too much time together. It's probably not a good idea for us to be as close as we're becoming," Jared said without meeting her eyes.

"I'm sorry I told you about the vision," she apologized. As she positioned her body closer to him, she raised her voice in agitation. "I _warned_ you this would happen. You're obviously freaked out that I saw such a cherished memory of your mother. I would've never gone into your head if I could've stopped it! My visions are usually horrible, I only wanted to share with you that you gave me one of the best ones I ever had."

"Kate, it's not about your vision. It's freaking incredible that you were able to see my parents as if they were still alive. I thought it would be fine for us to be friends, but..."

"But you know I want you?" she asked in her most seductive voice. The way he was protesting made her confident that he was finding it as impossible as she was to fight off their attraction. Putting her hands on her hips and sticking out her chest, she was hoping her sudden loss of inhibitions would pay off with a kiss from him.

Jared stood in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders. His eyelids were lowered and he moistened his lips. The pull was undeniable and it felt completely natural to close her eyes and move to his mouth for a kiss.

Suddenly, his grip tightened and he said in a husky voice, "Kate, no."

Her eyes flew open and she sent him a confused look. "Why not?"

"Kate, nothing can happen here..." he stammered. "It's immoral. I'm with Nikki and I'm just... not the right guy for you."

"Can you honestly look me in the face and tell me you feel nothing? It sucks that you have a girlfriend and I'm not usually the type of person to try and poach someone else's man, but there's something here. I know it's not only on my end. If it was merely a silly crush, I could walk away and not tell you how I feel, but it's not that. I have this strong _need_ for you and can't imagine not being with you," she confessed as he put more distance between their bodies. It was difficult for her to display this vulnerable side to him, but she didn't want him to dismiss her without knowing exactly how much she cared about him.

"Kate, would you really want that kind of guy? The type that cheats on his girlfriend? Leaves her when her sister is missing?" She looked away from him as he went on speaking. "You're going to find someone and he'll be the perfect one for you..."

Her quick temper rose to the surface. "Don't you dare! Don't you even think about giving me the 'it's not you, it's me' speech."

She began to stomp away from him, but he took her arm. She pushed him away. Never in her life had she felt like a bigger fool. She had basically thrown herself at him and he had passed on the offer.

"Please, listen to me. I would never purposely hurt you. I wanted us to be friends—I really did..." he begged. This was almost as hurtful as him pulling away from her kiss. He was basically telling her he couldn't even be friends with her either. She felt like a complete reject and wished more than anything she had never met him.

Beginning to cry, Kate felt her chest tightening. It was hard to breathe, no less talk. She tried to pick up the pace to arrive at her house while wishing he would stop trailing her. It was humiliating for him to witness how much he had affected her.

She lashed out at him. "Stay away from me! It's your fault I can't find Cori. You've gotten into my head and now all I see are these stupid visions of you!"

"How can I make this right? What can I do to make you understand?" He looked ill and she hoped he was feeling even a tiny portion of the pain she was experiencing. Her devastation made her comprehend how much she had really fallen for him.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled as she arrived at her front door. She was startled when the door suddenly swung open and her mother stood partially hidden in the shadows of the house. Her inebriated rage had potentially woken up the entire block. Instinctively, her mom reached out for her and Kate collapsed into her arms.

"I am so sorry for all of this," Jared said and Kate didn't know if he was apologizing to her or her mother.

Kate sobbed, "Please, just make him stop."

"Detective Corbett, you need to leave... _now_." She had never heard such ice in her mother's voice. Her mother practically wrote the book on social graces; it was good to see a lioness appear when it came to her daughter.

Jared let out an audible sigh. She knew he wanted to say more, but thankfully her mother's presence made him think better of it. Kate heard his footsteps retreat. Squeezing her eyes closed tightly, she wished she could disappear.

### Chapter Ten

"Jared, wake up!" Nikki's voice sounded far away. Jared let out a low groan in response. "Jesus Christ, it smells like ass in here, I'm opening a window."

Forcing his eyes open, he could barely register Nikki flitting around their bedroom and lifting up the shades. He elevated his head slightly and then pulled back the blanket to hide his eyes from the unforgiving sun. "Just give me a minute..."

"I've been calling you for hours! I finally phoned the station because I thought maybe something had happened. They said you called in this morning and wouldn't be arriving until this afternoon. It's almost noon, what the hell's wrong with you?" Nikki demanded.

Peeking out from under the covers, he saw Nikki standing at the foot of the bed with her hands on her hips. The hard lines of her mouth alerted him to her rage.

"Sorry, rough night," Jared mumbled and managed to work his body into a sitting position on the bed.

"I bet," she said sarcastically. "We need to talk. Pull your sorry ass together and meet me in the kitchen."

Without another word, she turned on her heels and slammed the door to their bedroom. Jared had the urge to shut his eyes and return to his dreamless slumber. His life felt like it was quickly turning to shit. He hadn't found Cori, Kate ended up being hurt and now Nikki seemed to be a part of the ever growing _I Hate Jared_ fan club.

Three years ago he had met Nikki at a mutual friend's party. He'd been drawn to her beauty and charisma instantly. In middle school and high school, he would have never been able to get a girl like Nikki to look twice at him. He was the orphan with the weird aunt and barely any friends. Anyone who went over to his house would tell tales of tarot cards, Ouija boards and strange crystals. Kids were cruel and spread rumors that his aunt sacrificed animals and participated in satanic rituals. When he entered ninth grade, he also shot up a foot seemingly overnight and had a lanky build. It wasn't until after high school graduation that he filled out and gained muscle.

Afterwards, the awkwardness and loneliness of high school stayed with him and his goal was to prove everyone wrong. He worked out like a fiend and studied like a maniac for the police entrance exam. Not only was he one of the top scorers on the exam, he was one of the youngest hires ever in the department. Most officers worked patrol for years and years; however, Jared advanced to the detective bureau within seven years. Being with Nikki seemed to complete his fantasy life. He was successful and had one of the most gorgeous girls he had ever met on his arm.

Still, even before Cori was kidnapped, things were growing tense between Jared and Nikki. They had moved in together about a year earlier. Since that time, Nikki had made it perfectly clear she expected a ring soon. She was the same age as he was and wanted to begin the next chapter of their lives. Jared wasn't sure why the idea of getting married terrified him. Each holiday became uncomfortable as Nikki made it evident the present he got her wasn't the one she desired. His brain was at odds with his heart, but he decided to ignore any hesitation he had. Right before Cori was taken, he had spent time pricing out rings.

Then, Cori was abducted and he had heard about Kate. He wasn't sure if enlisting the help of a psychic would be the smartest move. After calling his aunt to discuss his reservations, she had insisted he go see Kate. His aunt had a "spiritual advisor" and the advisor had said it was fated for him to go there and if he didn't Cori might be lost forever. He was superstitious enough to know he wasn't going to take any chances.

Kate had thrown a wrench in his perfect life. She made her longing crystal clear and he had guessed at a developing crush early on. Never did he think it would turn serious or he might reciprocate the feelings. At first, she seemed very young to him and her defenses were hard to get through. His attraction grew the more time he spent with her, but he felt things were not out of his control. He should've been smarter and drawn boundaries the first time she arrived at his apartment unannounced.

If it was anyone's fault that she had developed feelings, it was his. Continuously, he had pushed their friendship and convinced her to trust him. Jared knew her history and was well aware of how isolated she'd been. It was no surprise she felt drawn to him after years of loneliness.

Last night, he had alternated between wanting to strangle her and take her to his bed. When he pulled up at the bar and saw the men harassing her, his possessiveness made it hard to think straight. Not to mention, she wore barely-there clothing and flirted outrageously when they had been alone. His gut twisted at the memory of her sharing the vision of his parents with him. It never occurred to him she would be able to see inside his head and find his vulnerability. He didn't talk about his parents _ever._ It was too torturous to dwell on the short time he had with them and relive old memories.

He was sorry Kate was upset, but despite his feelings for her, he had morals. Leaving Nikki would be wrong and he wasn't that guy. He had a long history with Nikki and despite her occasional callousness, she didn't deserve for him to be questioning their relationship now. Even if he wanted to be Kate's friend, it would no longer be possible. Although he had values, he wasn't a saint. Too much time with her and he knew he wouldn't be able to resist temptation. It had taken all of his willpower to not kiss her last night and Jared had only retreated when he grasped how much he would end up hurting both her and Nikki in the process.

After splashing cold water on his face, Jared stumbled into the living room. Nikki sat primly on the couch with her legs and arms crossed. She wore a pretty yellow sundress which complemented her light hair and tan skin. Even furious, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

She tossed back her hair and gave him a deadly look. "What's with the half-empty bottle of whiskey? Have a party here I didn't know about?"

"No, just me drinking alone. Kind of stressed, in case you haven't noticed," he said dryly and sat down on the armchair facing her. After dropping Kate off, he had broken out the alcohol and did shots until he felt numb enough to sleep.

"And the hand..." She gestured to the bandage haphazardly wrapped around his right knuckles.

His frustration had built up and after a few drinks he thought he would take it out on the kitchen wall. The wall seemed to win and he had ended up with nothing but a bloody and sore hand. "Punched a wall," he said shortly.

"Did the wall do something to you?" she asked sarcastically. "What's going on with you, Jared? I know we're both a mess right now, but you usually handle stress much better. Solo benders? Fistfights with inanimate objects? It's very unlike you."

"I'm not sure what to say. It was a shitty night and I'd rather not talk about it and get back to finding your sister." He blew out a long breath and looked down at his hands.

"I looked through your cell phone," Nikki admitted evenly.

"Huh?"

She gestured to the cell phone sitting on the coffee table in front of them. "I checked your text messages and call log while you were sleeping. Want to tell me why in the hell Kate Edwards called you at one in the morning?"

He peered at her closely for a minute. Jared knew he should probably give her crap for going through his phone, but didn't have the energy to fight with her. "Kate was stuck at a bar and needed a ride home. Her date was drunk and she didn't want to get in the car with him."

"And she called you?" Nikki demanded incredulously. "Why would she even think that's remotely ok? And did you go?"

He nodded and the blood immediately rushed to her face. "What were you thinking? Why didn't you tell her no?"

"I don't know, I thought I was doing the right thing. I would've felt horrible if anything happened to her. I did tell her she could call me," he admitted, glancing out of the window. The day was sunny and he wished he could escape outdoors. The temperature within the apartment suddenly seemed stifling and Jared was feeling as if it was difficult to breathe.

"No less than three days ago, you told me you were only using her and she meant nothing to you. Now what? She calls you to her rescue and you willingly oblige. How about saying you can't and she should call her mother or a friend if she needs a ride?" Nikki balled up her fists and looked ready for blood. Knowing Nikki's temper, Jared wondered if she would end up throwing a few random objects at him.

"I was only trying to be kind to her. Of course, Cori is my main priority, but Kate seemed like she could really use a friend. When we spent time together working on the case, I got to know her better. She's afraid of anyone knowing about her being psychic and she keeps herself closed off. The only way she even entertained the idea of helping us out was to promise her name wouldn't be released to the media."

"Some week you spend together. Sounds like you know more about her than your girlfriend for three years," Nikki said with bite.

Casting a suspicious glance in his direction when he gave no response, she demanded, "You picked her up last night, then what? Did you sleep with her?"

" _God_ , Nikki, of course not," he assured her. "I got her some coffee and took her home." Jared wasn't sure what to confess to Nikki. It's not like anything _happened_ with Kate and he couldn't even put into words what he was feeling towards her.

"Do you take me for a moron, Jared? If that's all it was, you wouldn't have fallen into a drunken stupor and punched a wall."

"It doesn't matter, we got into an argument and I doubt I'll be seeing her again. Hopefully, this didn't wreck our chances of finding Cori," he sighed. "Can I get dressed and make a pot of coffee now? I should be getting to work soon."

"You're not _dismissing_ me. I want to know what you fought with her about. Was it something she said or did? Did she make a pass at you?" she demanded.

Jared shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Now he understood what suspects must be feeling when he brought them in for questioning. He ran a hand nervously through his dark hair. "It doesn't _matter_. Nothing happened."

"Damn it, Jared!"

She rose to her feet and threw a couch pillow at him. Jared was thankful it wasn't the glass bowl on the coffee table. "The least you could be is honest with me! I'm not blind. I can tell you have feelings for her. If you think I'm going to sit idly by and watch our relationship go down the toilet over some slutty college kid, you're out of your mind! I put three years into making this work and I'm not getting any freaking younger. It's time for you to step up and be a man."

"I'm sorry," he said morosely. It was on the tip of his tongue to deny his attraction to Kate, but the words became lodged in his throat. Instead, he questioned, "What else do you want me to say, Nikki?"

"I want you to say you love me and want to be with me forever. And for you to promise to stay away from Kate Edwards." She spat out the name.

Jared looked at her and wondered what had happened to them. Had the stress of Cori's kidnapping been their undoing or had he known for awhile things weren't right? Was that the real reason for his hesitation over getting married?

"I'm not a child. I haven't done anything for you to act like I'm so untrustworthy you have to make me swear to stay away from another girl. I never cheated on you and I never will." Her accusations, along with his hangover, were beginning to push him over the edge.

"Ever hear of emotional cheating, Jared? Because that's what you're doing with Kate." She grabbed her purse and turned towards him. "I'm going back to my parents, they need me now and I can't worry about this crap with you. I'll call you when I want to talk."

Before he could reply, she stormed out of the room and slammed their apartment door. He didn't follow her and figured it would be best to give her some time to cool off. He decided to get dressed and go into work. Throwing himself into his job would be what he needed to keep his mind off his disastrous love life.

### Chapter Eleven

Kate woke up to the smell of greasy fried deliciousness. Her mother stood in front of her waving a McDonald's bag in her face. "Time to get up! I brought you breakfast."

Crawling her way into a sitting position, she remembered she had crashed on the couch right after Jared took off. Her mother had not tried to converse once the detective had left. Wordlessly, she had kissed her forehead and thrown a blanket over her before heading off to bed. Kate had not bothered undressing before falling asleep and was in the same clothing she wore the previous night.

On the other hand, Kate's mom looked as if she'd been dressed and awake for hours. She was showered and wore a blouse with a set of pearls and Capri pants. Kate eyed up the fast food bag she held with excitement, but then sensed her stomach lurch. The debauchery from last night was threatening to make her stomach rebel. Falling back into the couch, she let out an overly dramatized groan.

"Now, now," her mother said, taking her by the hands and lifting her back up. "Nothing cures a hangover better than fast food and cola."

"I think I'll just lay here and die if you don't mind. Feel free to go on with your day. Maybe if you have the time, throw a blanket over my corpse at some point."

"Well, when you drink your own weight in alcohol..." her mother started.

"Please, don't, Mom. No lectures," she mumbled while wrapping her arm around to cover her eyes.

"Fine, but you should be grateful your mother is forgiving and is not going to dwell on her daughter suddenly becoming a lush." Her mom removed the sandwich from the wrapper and set it out next to Kate's drink. After a second's hesitation, she asked her, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what? How I basically threw myself at a guy with a girlfriend and made a complete ass monkey out of myself?" Kate took a long gulp of soda followed by a huge bite out of her sandwich. Thinking about Jared made the urge to vomit even stronger. "I mean, what's wrong with me?"

"I may be biased, but you're perfect. You can't blame yourself for falling for him," she reasoned. "There's this old quote from a French philosopher named Pascal. 'The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing.' I think the sentiment applies to your situation." Her mother gently patted her leg.

Kate swallowed hard and tried not to cry again. "I don't understand why I even like him. First of all, he's _old._ He freaking calls me kiddo for god's sake. His work wardrobe is in serious need of an improvement and he's dating Malibu Barbie."

Her mother didn't say anything and Kate had a sense she wasn't very convincing. She lamented, "I should've known he would never be interested in someone like me."

"Maybe it wasn't all one-sided? Maybe he threw signals your way which made you suspect something could happen?"

God, her mother was the worst, Kate stewed silently. She was supposed to sit here and trash him with her. Not make her think Jared maybe liked her, but rejected her anyway. Cringing, she recalled how she basically admitted everything she was feeling for him. The damn alcohol had made her break through her reserve and she had practically begged him to give her a chance.

"I don't know, he never came out and said he liked me. I want to die every time I think about how he told me one day I would find someone and that someone wasn't him. If I'm honest with myself, I want more than anything for it to be him," Kate said morosely. She softly added, "I mean he's obviously gorgeous."

Her mother gave a slight smile. "Obviously."

"But it's more than that. He made me feel special—like being psychic didn't make me a total freak of nature. It felt good to be admired for a change instead of having to deal with the accusations of being a fraud or something worse. He actually told me he wouldn't care if I saw into his head because he had nothing to hide from me."

She felt her eyes well up with tears again. It was impossible to imagine meeting another man who would be open to accepting her second sight as something to marvel over. "I should just face it. I'm destined to be alone forever."

"Honey, I wish there was something I could say to make this feel better. Getting your heart broken is painful and you may feel you won't get over it. When your dad left...it felt like the day of reckoning had come and the world would end. Yet, each day brings you hope and you learn to live without that person." Taking Kate's hand, she gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Awesome, Mom. _Now_ I definitely want to jump off a bridge."

"My point is, nothing's wrong with you and you'll get over this," she said and came to sit next to her daughter on the couch.

Kate rested her head against her shoulder. Her mother was comforting and it felt good to have someone take care of her. "I don't think Jared intentionally meant to hurt you. You may be psychic, but I can read people well. He seems to be one of the good ones and probably was trying to do the honorable thing and not take advantage of you."

"Mom, you're supposed to be convincing me of his suckiness," Kate bemoaned. "I think it will be too hard for me to see him. I still want to help with Cori, but maybe you could be in contact with him if I envision anything? I think I'll die of embarrassment if I come face to face with him. I know I'm totally in the wrong here and he never led me on, but I can't deal."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk to him? I know it's complicated since he has a girlfriend, but maybe you could be friends and down the road if anything changes..."

"No, it's better to stay away. You should know I can't face any type of conflict better than anyone. That's the reason I've been holed up here since I woke up from the coma." She shoved the rest of the sandwich in her mouth and slurped up the soda. Surprisingly enough, the food did seem to be settling her stomach.

"Maybe it's time to stop hiding, Katie," her mother said gently.

She gave her mother a half grimace and half smile. Clearing the wrappers off of the table, she placed them in the empty fast food bag. "Thanks for breakfast, Mom. I'm still kind of wiped and don't feel like spending the day looking like a run-over hooker."

"Ok, but I'm here if you want to talk," her mom said. Kate nodded and left to take a shower and to sleep the rest of the miserable day away.

***

Cori must have been there always. Calling to Kate from the back of her brain and reminding Kate to never forget about her. Kate had no idea if Cori could sense her, but hoped in a way she could. It might be a comfort to know she's with her and trying to get Cori away from that horrible man.

It was late afternoon in the basement. A minimal amount of light filtered through a few small windows. Most of the windows had boards on them and the light only came in through the cracks. The basement was as dismal looking as the rest of the house. Small puddles were scattered throughout the flooring. The moldy smell of the basement and the cloth around her mouth made it hard to breathe. Some old furniture and tools were arranged in piles. About a dozen large black garbage bags were placed along the perimeter.

Kate felt herself drifting in and out of Cori's mind. She would see through her eyes for a few seconds and then feel disconnected from the girl. When she was in her head, Kate sensed Cori's fear and discomfort. She was hungry and thirsty and could barely move into a relaxed position with the plastic zip-ties still in place around her wrists and ankles. She had no sense of time and wondered if the man had left her there to die. Her soiled clothing burned and irritated her skin. Cori heard the man upstairs from time to time yelling and blasting music, but he had yet to come back down to the basement.

The late afternoon sun didn't last long and soon the basement was cast in shadows. Cori knew it would be pitch black again. Suddenly, the basement door swung open and she saw the outline of the man. Bright light from behind him irritated her eyes and she had to blink several times to get accustomed to it. She closed her eyes and wished she could simply disappear and be back home in her bed. His loud footsteps came down the steps.

He grabbed her roughly and lifted her off the floor. He pulled the cloth away from her mouth and before she could say a word, he threatened, "Scream and I'll kill you." Cori nodded and still kept her eyes shut. Brutally, he dropped her back onto the cement floor. "Here, you're going to eat this."

Cori opened her eyes and almost cried from relief. He held a couple of pieces of bread in his hand and a can of soda. Maybe he wouldn't kill her after all. Why bother feeding her if he was only going to murder her soon? He shoved pieces of bread in her mouth and Cori chewed quickly. Before her hunger could be sated, the bread was gone. Since she could not move, he held the soda up to her mouth and let her drink. She choked on the soda several times, but finally managed to keep it down by slowing down her gulps.

Cori was terrified, but couldn't help but beg for her freedom. While keeping her head facing the floor, she moaned, "I want to go home."

" _You're not going anywhere until I get my money. Your family is gonna pay me a lot if they want you back in one piece." He spat on the floor in front of her. Although he sounded tough, his hands were trembling. It was uncertain whether it was from nerves or from some type of withdrawal from drugs._

" _Did you ask my daddy for it? I know he'll give anything to have me home," she cried._

" _Listen brat, I'm trying to figure it all out. As long as your piece of shit dad gives me what I want, I'll let you go."_

Cori had no idea if he was telling the truth, but it gave her hope. Even though he was menacing, he hadn't laid a finger on her since throwing her down in the basement. If it was money he was after, she knew her family had plenty of it. She dared a look at him as she lifted her head up slowly to meet his gaze. Although it was dusk she managed to clearly make out his face...

***

Kate's excitement threw her out of the vision and she ran out of her bed. "Mom!" she screamed.

She found her mother sweeping the kitchen downstairs. Kate couldn't get any words out and was breathing heavily. Her mother sent her a questioning look. "Katie?"

"I finally saw him, Mom. I know what Cori's kidnapper looks like!"

Kate was positively gleeful. If anyone knew him and could match the description, the police could get his address and rescue Cori from the basement. A description of the car and the abductor would certainly narrow down the possibilities enough for him to be located. Although Cori was in distress, a vision of her obviously meant she was still alive.

Her mother wrapped her arms around Kate and practically spun her in the air. "That's amazing news! Tell me everything..."

### Chapter Twelve

Less than two hours later, Kate was watching TV alone in the house. Her mother had called Jared and reiterated the entire vision to him. Kate had drawn a sketch of the kidnapper and her mother had agreed to drop it off to him. She hadn't stayed in the room to hear their phone conversation. The anxiety was coming off of her mother in waves when she retrieved Kate from her room after the phone call.

Chewing on her lower lip, her mom shifted uncomfortably. "He kept insisting on talking to you directly..."

"And what did you tell him?" she asked narrowing her eyes.

"I said you were no longer comfortable with the situation and preferred I'd act as a liaison. Katie, maybe you should be the one to bring your sketch down to the police station. He mentioned maybe meeting with one of their people to do a professional rendering."

"No way. If anyone recognizes me and calls in a tip, I'm moving away and changing my name. It took months for me to go anywhere without some loon coming up to me and harassing me about Matt Spencer. I only want to have a normal life again."

"He could come over here and pick up the drawing," her mother suggested. "Then, if he has any other questions, you could answer them. I'll insist he only talk to you about things pertaining to the case if you want. However, I know he wants to apologize to you and it would be good for you to hear what he has to say when you're sober. You know how much drinking can heighten emotions."

"Listen, Mom, I can't be in his presence at all right now. Yes, it's selfish, but I don't want to have to sit and pretend I'm fine when I feel completely heartbroken. I told you every single detail about the vision and the sketch is pretty damn good if I do say so myself." She held up the piece of paper and knew it was a good representation of the man she saw in the vision. Almond shaped eyes with a large wide nose centered on his face. His bushy eyebrows and full lips were very distinctive. He had a closely shorn haircut and a rounded shape head. He appeared to be of mixed descent; possibly Hispanic or Italian.

Her mother finally hedged. "I don't exactly feel right about this, Katie, but I'll do what you say. But I still think you should give him a call."

Kate sighed. "Look, I'll do anything to find Cori. I guess you could have him send me a text with any questions and we'll go from there."

Her mother relented and dropped the subject to head off to the police station. Kate assumed if Jared really wanted to question her, there was probably nothing she could do about it. He could probably lock her up on obstruction of justice or something like that. Conversely, Kate had a feeling he would let her be. She was confident he felt as uncomfortable around her as she did. He would probably worry she would jump on top of him at any given moment and attack him with her tongue.

While waiting for her mom to return home, she was vegging on the couch. The phone rang and Kate cringed looking at the call display. Knowing she was in for an earful, she whispered a meek hello.

Julie's voice was rich with venom. "Oh good, you are _alive_. Now I can come over and kill you myself."

"I know I'm a horrible person, you should totally ditch me for someone who's not completely inept at being a good friend."

"Would it have killed you to return a call or a text?"

"I'm sorry, sort of recovering from an emotional breakdown. Honestly, I've been sleeping all day. I was trying to see if I could force my mind into a state of amnesia about last night."

"What did happen last night? Sebastian called Gage at like two in the morning to say you disappeared. You went to the bathroom and never came back apparently..."

"Sebastian wanted to do an exploration of my bodily cavities and I didn't know how to politely decline. Completely immature of me, but I slipped out instead of telling him I was unenthusiastic about him seeing my control top underwear just yet."

She got at least a chuckle out of Julie. "Well, next time, call me! I could care less if you hook up with Sebastian—he's a complete man-whore. I figured if you were looking for something casual, you'd be interested. Don't make me worry that something happened to you!"

"You're right. I should've at least sent you a text. He was plastered and I was worried he'd wrap his car around a tree with me in it. I knew you were sick and didn't want you and Gage to have to come out and get me. I called for a ride and slept like twelve hours and swore a sacred vow that I was never drinking again."

"No prob, I'm already over it. Did you call your mom? Did she freak?"

She was tempted to tell Julie the entire story, but wasn't sure where to begin. Kate never even told her she still had visions after the coma. She didn't know how to get into the whole Jared saga without coming clean. As she mulled these things over, the doorbell rang.

Kate was slightly relieved. Despite this, she decided to talk to Julie soon. Julie was her best friend and it wasn't fair she kept such a big part of her life concealed from her. "Let me call you back, someone's at the door."

"Another handsome stranger?"

"God, I hope not," she muttered and disconnected.

Swinging open the door, she almost had the temptation to slam it shut. Nikki stood on her doorstep and by her expression, she wasn't there to thank Kate for the new lead on Cori.

"Can I come in?" It definitely didn't sound like a request. She simply nodded and Nikki strode past her into the foyer.

Situating her hands on her hips, Nikki turned and faced her. "I'm going to make this short and sweet for you. You're going to stay away from Jared and my family."

Kate had a feeling if she refused Nikki would go all gangster on her and beat her up—even if she appeared all sweetness and light in a yellow sundress. Kate measured her up. She had at least five inches and twenty pounds on her—Kate was pretty sure she could take her. However, Nikki did have much longer fingernails; she might end up gouging her eyes out.

"Fine," she said shortly.

Nikki eyed her up skeptically. "Fine? You're not going to argue or tell me to get the hell out of your house?"

Kate shook her head. "I know you're going to find this hard to believe, but I do care about Cori and want to bring her back to your family. I don't need to be around Jared in order to help with the case."

"Don't you want to know the reasons why I don't want you near Jared?"

"I have a pretty good idea why and don't need it spelled out. I'm guessing Jared told you about last night..." Leaving the sentence hang, Kate silently vented. Jared was turning into a major pain in her ass. Why did he have to run home and tell Nikki about her blundering seduction? Talk about pouring salt on the wound.

"How dare you! My sister has been abducted and you're so warped that you try and pinch my boyfriend! You've been acting wildly inappropriate since the day you met him. I tried to warn Jared about you. Instead, he has to go and feel _sorry_ for you and takes it upon himself to be your friend."

"Are you looking for a battle, Nikki? We can go outside and throw down if you want. It's really unnecessary, though, since I don't want anything to do with Jared. He's spelled it out to me and you're the clear winner. He loves you," she said and couldn't conceal the defeat in her tone.

It was hard not to feel a sense of loss over what could have been. Albeit, she reasoned that maybe things wouldn't have worked out anyway if this was the type of girl Jared was attracted to. The two women couldn't be any more dissimilar. Kate was more of a beer and chips girl while Nikki was more of the fine wine and foie gras type.

Nikki looked far from satisfied. "Good, take care to remember that. I've been with him for three years and he would never leave me for a freak like you."

"If I'm not a threat, then what are you doing here?" Kate knew she should have let her depart and have the last word, but her words stung. Skank? Home wrecker? Gold digger with a crazy figure? All these she could see, but freak? _Ouch_.

"I'm here to tell you whatever you _think_ was happening between you and Jared means nothing. You know what you are? His quarter-life crisis. He's like every guy in the world that goes berserk over the idea of marriage. So, they go out and look for some young girl with stars in her eyes who strokes their egos. At the end of the day, though, _that_ girl doesn't get the guy." Nikki edged her way closer to Kate and practically spat the words in her face.

It took everything in Kate to keep her composure and not sucker punch her. "Nikki, leave me alone and go home to Jared. If I never see both of you again, it'll be too soon."

Kate anticipated Nikki had a few more digs in her, but Nikki simply gave her a pitiful stare and marched out of the house. Slamming the door shut, Kate tried to wrap her head around what had just transpired. She knew she should only blame herself for this mess. Nikki had every right to be pissed at Kate, but holy hell; did she have to be so _mean_? She had waved the white flag—couldn't Nikki merely accept her victory with grace? At the very least, cut her some slack for helping out on her sister's abduction.

Her mother returned about ten minutes later. She decided to stay mum on the impromptu visit from Nikki. If she piled any more problems on her, she might end up checking herself into the nearest psych ward to get away from Kate. She looked tense enough when she returned and Kate felt guilt nag at her for sending her to the police station. "How'd it go?"

"It went good, sweetheart. Jared was very excited that they finally have a physical description of the guy. He complimented your drawing and said he'd be able to use it to distribute to police personnel."

Following her into the kitchen, her mother began taking food out of the refrigerator and setting it on the counter. Her mom still cooked for them both almost every night. For the most part, she also did the meal planning. Kate was grateful; she lacked the culinary skills to make anything that did not have a ton of fat in it. With her high level of stress, her eating habits lately would prove disastrous to her figure. Alternatively, her mom could whip up the most delicious meals and still keep them healthy.

"Did he have any questions you couldn't answer?" She really wanted to inquire if he had asked about her, but she definitely wasn't going there.

"No, he was relieved to hear at that point he hadn't physically...or sexually abused her and he had given her food. He guessed the guy was trying to figure out how to get a ransom from the Prestons without getting caught." Her mother explained and began to chop vegetables without meeting her eyes.

"Ok, and...thanks for going there for me," Kate said awkwardly. She stood silently and began to pull apart a split end she'd just noticed.

Glancing up, she saw her mother watching her closely. "He asked about you, about how you were. He tried to apologize for leading you on. He looked horrible, if that's any consolation."

Kate doubted that was possible. Jared was a heartbreaker; even if he rolled around in a pile of horse shit, he'd still look better than the average Joe. It was nice he apologized, but he never had done anything wrong. She was the one who had to cross a line and ruined an amazing new friendship. Something she knew she'd be kicking herself over for a long time. "How did you tell him I was?"

"I said it wasn't my place to discuss it, but I would be in touch if you had anything else to offer up about the case," she explained.

Kate nodded and decided to drop the conversation. Even conversing about Jared was making the pain raw again and she wondered how long it would take for her to get over him. Right now, she only felt anguished as she comprehended that the only guy who ever understood her completely would never be the one to fall in love with her.

### Chapter Thirteen

Disappointment set in by the weekend when Kate discovered Cori still had not been found. She'd had high hopes that as soon as the guy's picture was released, the cops would have him in jail and Cori back home within a few hours or days. Her mother reassured her that the man was bound to be discovered any minute and it took time for the right person to see the sketch.

In the meantime, Kate had tried to keep Cori on her mind constantly in the hopes another vision would result from it. She even attempted to concentrate on the face of the abductor. If she could worm her way into his mind, she might be able to get the exact location of where he was keeping the little girl. Her efforts were fruitless and Kate's frustration grew. She couldn't understand why she couldn't simply close her eyes and see what she wanted to see. What kind of vicious joke was it to show her random images and not give her the ability to help the person in the visions?

It was a seemingly quiet Sunday morning when all hell broke loose. Her mother had mentioned the night before she would be heading out early to go to church (Kate suspected she'd felt guilty after she had remarked about their lackadaisical church-going ways) and would then be heading to breakfast with a few of her girlfriends. It was a sad day when your mother had a more exciting social life than you.

Kate awoke to their house phone ringing. The ringing would go on until the machine picked up and then start over again without the caller leaving a message. Glancing at her nightstand clock, Kate observed it was barely nine o'clock in the morning. She speculated about who would be desperate enough to keep up the repetitive calling. Moreover, her cell phone sat next to her and when examining it, she didn't find any missed calls.

Climbing out of bed, she headed to her mother's bedroom to pick up the cordless phone. After probably at least fifteen minutes of constant calling, she finally picked up. She barely got out a hello when someone who definitely had way too much caffeine in their system was blaring in her ear.

"Hello, is this Kate Edwards?"

"Yes, who's this?"

"This is Lois Speedman of the _Franklin Times_ , do you mind answering a few questions for me?" The woman talked about a mile a minute, with her words melded into one another. What did she have for breakfast? A line of cocaine and three pots of coffee?

Kate was utterly confused and still disoriented from sleep. "About what?"

"We want to know about your involvement in the Corinne Preston abduction case."

"I'm not involved," she answered shortly as a knot began to form in her stomach and her chest tightened.

"We have received reports that you're working as a psychic advisor on the case."

"Shit!" she cursed and quickly disconnected the call.

Within seconds, the phone began to ring again. Kate immediately felt dizzy and her heart began to race. It didn't take her long to realize her cover had been blown by someone and the media had been alerted that she was providing information about Cori's kidnapping. Running downstairs, she headed for the front door. Her mother had several newspapers delivered daily and she wanted to see if anything was written yet about her. As she pulled open the door, she heard some yelling and noticed about a half dozen reporters swiftly moving towards her. A couple of camera flashes momentarily blinded her, but she was able to quickly back into the house and lock the door behind her. Looking down at her ratty pajama bottoms and ripped t-shirt, she really hoped they weren't able to get a clear photo of her.

The phone continued to ring. Disconnecting the cord from the wall, she slumped down on the cold tile of the kitchen floor. This was bringing back memories of how things were two years ago when she found Matt. The media wanted her to prove the legitimacy of her story and explain how exactly she had found the little boy. When she had refused to do any interviews, the reporters became pretty persistent. They asked her to make predictions that could be proven or to give information on other missing persons' cases. She loathed being the center of attention and didn't know how she could live a normal life after waking up psychic.

Kate sat shocked and unmoving. Finally she rallied enough to crawl over to the den in the back of the house. The den offered privacy by being windowless and the farthest room from the front door. There was no way she was permitting the cameras to get a shot of her in all her early morning glory through the living room's large bay windows.

Switching on the desktop computer in the den, she quickly logged on to the _Franklin Times_ website. Scanning the latest headlines, she didn't see any new information about Cori's abduction. She closed out the page and headed to the website for the local rag. It was a poor excuse for a newspaper and printed mostly gossip items with only the occasional news story. In all honesty, most people bought the paper for the bikini shot of the girl located next to the horoscopes.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me," she mumbled to herself.

The third story down featured the headline "Seer or Scammer? Local Psychic Enlisted to Solve Preston Abduction." Clicking on the web link, she quickly scanned the article. It basically painted her out to be fraud who was giving generalized information about the case. It referred back to the Matt Spencer case and how she'd been out of the limelight since then. It also included her photo taken in her senior year in high school. Good Lord, they couldn't find something more recent? Kate thought, cringing at the image. Kate had been experimenting with her hair and at that time had a chin length cut with bangs—really not a good look for her. The only consolation was maybe it wasn't as bad as printing the pictures from this morning of her braless in her pajamas. Without looking in the mirror, she only guessed her hair was a mix of frizz and knots. At the very least, the paparazzi could have given her enough time to get in the shower and run a comb through her hair.

Most of the information provided was attributed to an "anonymous" source. Well, Kate was going to give this anonymous source an ass whooping. She ran upstairs and grabbed her cell phone. Thankfully, it seemed as though the media hadn't discovered the number yet. She quickly dialed her mother's cell phone.

Darlene picked up on the first ring. "I just saw the paper, honey. I'm on my way home now."

"There are reporters hanging outside and they keep calling the house," she moaned. Then, she began to cry and found it difficult to speak. She wondered if she could be having a mental breakdown. The walls felt like they were closing in. It had taken a long time for her anonymity to return and she was finally gaining the nerve to maybe start going out again and actually attending school on a college campus and not over the computer. Although Franklin was a small town, there had been enough scandals over the past two years for Kate's story to almost fade to a distant memory.

"Katie, calm down. It's just a news story, it doesn't mean anything. It will die down soon, I'm sure of it. I'll be home in a few and I'll let the reporters know we have no comment. I'll also tell them to get the hell off our property."

"Now everyone's going to know about me and realize I've been lying about not being psychic. The letters are going to start coming again. What am I supposed to say to these people? I don't want to be these people's only hope for finding their loved ones and then fail them miserably."

Tightening her hand over the phone, she began to wonder if her original promise to run away and change her identity would be that bad of an idea. Besides her mom, what was keeping her in Franklin? Her dad left her and the guy she liked wanted nothing to do with her. When her best friend found out about her deception, she was certain to be shunned by her as well.

"I'm sorry this has happened and I pushed you into the case. I thought you could help Cori and that would be the end of it," her mother sighed. "I can't imagine who would have leaked your name."

"I have a pretty damn good idea," Kate fumed.

***

"Come in," Jared yelled while pulling his phone away from his ear and covering the speaker with his palm.

Nikki entered their bedroom, but before she could speak he held a finger up to silence her. He continued on with his conversation. "I'm absolutely aware of that, sir and I apologize again. I'm not sure how this happened."

After saying a hasty goodbye and ending the call, Jared turned to face Nikki. He gestured to the phone. "That was my supervisor. You can imagine how thrilled everyone is with me right now," he drawled sarcastically.

Nikki shrugged noncommittally and sat down on the corner of the bed. "I got your text. You said it was urgent I come over right away."

She said it like a question and Jared inwardly groaned as he realized what he suspected was true. He didn't know why she was playing dumb. The story about Kate working on the case was being picked up by all the local news outlets. It was almost a near certainty reporters would've contacted Nikki's family for their response to the news. A migraine, slowly built over the course of the day, threatened to worsen as he looked over at her. As he watched her examine her nails with a bored expression, he saw red. Had he really provoked her to this level of callousness?

"I _assume_ you heard Kate Edwards' name was leaked to the press," he said tightly.

"Yeah, I saw the paper this morning. Is that the reason you called me here? We are back to discussing Kate?"

"I distinctly remember telling you and your parents multiple times that Kate's involvement was supposed to be confidential." He felt himself losing his temper and wondered if another wall would wind up being punched by day's end.

"What's your point? I didn't tell anyone. It must've been someone from the station." She picked at a hangnail and looked uninterested at the idea of continuing the conversation. Seeming to sense his anger and refusal to back down, she demanded, "What's the big deal anyway? The press will get over it and move on to something more exciting than a fraudulent psychic in a couple of days."

Jared silently counted to five before speaking. "The _big deal_ is it completely compromises the investigation. The perp knows we're using a psychic and she provided us with a description of him and his car. We don't know what could set him off. Who's to say he doesn't retaliate and hurt Cori?"

Nikki gazed at him with wide eyes and he knew he had struck a chord with her. Her lips trembled and he knew she hadn't thought of how her sister could be inadvertently harmed because of her irresponsibility.

When she didn't reply, he continued, "What about my job, Nikki? My supervisors are pissed that the case has turned into a media circus with a psychic at the center of it. The paper painted her out to be a con artist. This makes me and the rest of the department look like bumbling idiots. Not to mention the call I got today from Darlene Edwards. She's threatening to sue me for breaking our agreement about Kate's anonymity." He shook his head at her. Lowering the pitch of his voice, he stated flatly, "I know it was you, Nikki."

Without a reply, she turned her head to look away from him. He remained relentless. "The details in the story you gave and the timing fits. We have a huge blowout over Kate and within days her cover is blown. It doesn't take much deductive reasoning to figure out you called."

"What if I _did_? Is it so horrible the world will be able to see what a huge fake this girl is?" Her tone dripped with venom and Jared felt a sudden weariness. He'd known Nikki had a vindictive side, but had always chosen to ignore it. He should've suspected she would go after Kate after she had guessed Jared was falling for her.

"Yes, what you did is horrible. Your actions could harm a lot of people, including your sister. I feel like...you're a complete stranger," he said flatly.

"That's funny, Jared, because I kind of feel the same way about you. You suddenly seem to care less about my feelings or desires. My _sister_ is missing and you're making moves on another girl."

He cut her off. "You know that's not true. You can't use that as justification for what you did."

"I asked you not to involve her and told you she wouldn't be able to help us. Yet, you refused to listen to me and still consulted with her. And guess what? Cori is still not home. Most likely, she's dead," Nikki choked on the last words and continued with a strangled voice. "And you're letting a fraud fill us with false optimism. Believing in a psychic is like believing in fairy tales. To be honest, it makes you appear foolish and causes me to doubt your aptitude to even find my sister."

"Why couldn't you trust me?"

"I stopped putting my faith in you a long time ago when I figured you had no intention of marrying me," she said sourly.

Her blue eyes sent him a challenge and Jared felt a strong divide between them. The reasons for his reservations over getting married were suddenly bubbling to the surface. How could he marry someone who thought this little of him?

"Nikki, we've only been together for three years and living together for one. Why do you need to push this so much? Why can't you let me propose when I feel the time is right?"

"Because I know the time will never be right." She walked over to him. "I've been unhappy for months, Jared, and couldn't figure out what it was. Being home with my parents gave me time to think about everything. I'm tired of fighting for our relationship. It's awful the reasons why I'm home again, but it feels like a relief being away from you. If you have to constantly fight for something, maybe it's not right to begin with."

He gave her an uncomfortable look and wasn't certain how to best respond.

"I think we need...a break. It will give us time to both get our heads together and re-evaluate what we want," she said with conviction.

"We shouldn't even be getting into this stuff right now. Emotions are high and it would probably be better to discuss things after your sister is found."

"Jared, come _on_ ," she said with annoyance. "Don't pretend you're not feeling the same way, but feel obligated to stand by me. If you were happy, you wouldn't be attracted to someone else," she explained.

He began to speak, but she covered his mouth with her palm to silence him. "I'm not going to debate you about Kate right now. Deny it all you want, but you've never been good at concealing how you truly feel about something. This is why I'm certain you don't want to marry me. I know you're a good guy and want to do the right thing. However, staying with me out of pity isn't the noble thing to do."

"I never wanted it to be like this. I really wanted to make things work with you," he mumbled, peering down at the floor. He couldn't look her in the face. He had too many mixed emotions then and he couldn't discern what his face would reveal.

"I'll be fine. I'm tougher than I look." She moved her arms around his body and gave him a tight hug. "I know you're mad at me, but please don't give up on my sister."

"Never," he swore.

She pulled away and tears began to pool in her eyes and a glimpse of the Nikki he knew from years ago made a brief reappearance. With a nod, she left the room and hurried out of the apartment. Sitting in the same spot for a long stretch of time, Jared was unsure of how to feel about what had just transpired. It was glaringly obvious he had made the right decision when the strongest emotion he experienced was relief.

### Chapter Fourteen

Kate and her mother spent most of the day holed up in the den and the kitchen since both rooms obscured them from the reporters loitering in front of the house. Thankfully, by the afternoon all the reporters had cleared out. Kate hoped a more stimulating event than a psychic working on a kidnapping case would take her out of the limelight as soon as possible. When her mom got home, Darlene made it clear to the reporters present that they wouldn't be talking to anyone about the case. After a couple of hours, Kate had plugged in the house phone briefly, but disconnected the line again when it began ringing off the hook. She wanted to scour the Internet to see if other stories were being published, but her mother insisted it would be better to remain in the dark. Who knew what type of skewed facts had been given to the press?

The highlight was when her mother had called Jared and tore him a new asshole. She demanded to know why Kate's name and picture were plastered all over Franklin. She could tell by her mother's end, Jared was contrite, but her mother was hearing none of it. Before she hung up, she said something like he'd be lucky to own the clothes still on his back once their lawyers got through with him.

Her mother looked on the verge of a stroke, which prompted Kate to diffuse some of the tension in the room. "Mom, maybe I should be flattered I was in that paper. A lot of girls I went to high school with aspire to be. I mean their goal is to be the page six half-naked pin-up, but a girl has to start somewhere."

"Ha-ha, but tell me seriously, are you alright?"

"Of course this is far from ideal, but there's nothing I can really to do about it now. I'll deal with the fallout and hopefully move on after laying low for a bit."

Her phone chirped. Kate felt nauseous as she read the text message from Julie. **Is it true what the papers are saying? I thought we were best friends! How could you keep something like this from me?**

Kate looked over at her mother. "Julie just sent me a message. She's mad I didn't tell her about all the psychic stuff. What should I say?"

"Tell her the truth. Maybe she'll understand why you felt like you had to keep it secret," her mother advised. Instead of messaging her back, Kate decided to phone her and air things out.

Without a greeting, Julie said, "I don't even know why I'm picking up."

Kate continued on despite the chill in her friend's voice. "Julie, please don't be angry. I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Well, why the hell haven't you? I have to find out from everyone else that my best friend is psychic."

"I'm sorry. I was embarrassed by the whole thing. I didn't want you to think I was a freak," she said meekly.

"Not good _enough_ , Kate. It's insulting you think so little of me that you assumed that's how I would've reacted. Every time someone brought up the old story about you, I defended you and told them to back off."

"I wasn't sure how anyone would react. I didn't let a single person know the truth, not even my mother. I had the vision of Matt and then they kept coming." Kate persisted, "You don't know how hard it's been not only keeping it a secret, but witnessing people's memories and thoughts. I've seen things that'll haunt me the rest of my life."

"I knew you didn't want to talk about the whole Matt thing, so I left it alone. I never thought in a million years you were lying and still saw things. I just don't get if it was hard on you, why didn't you come to me? I tell you _everything_."

It was true, Julie did share everything. Even things Kate wished she kept to herself—like the time Gage drunkenly suggested to Julie they ask Kate if she'd be interested in a three-way make-out session. Vomit.

"You have to forgive me, Julie. I promise I'll never keep anything from you again."

Julie let out a lengthy groan. "I don't know what to say. I'm not super mad at you, just really hurt you felt you couldn't confide in me. I mean, how can I say you're my best friend when there's this whole other part of your life I knew nothing about?" Julie paused.

Before Kate could answer, Julie pressed on, "Listen, Gage just got here, I'll call you later."

Kate sensed the blow off, but said nothing. She was obviously right and Kate hoped with time she would offer up absolution. Julie put up with a lot of crap in order to be Kate's friend and she prayed this wouldn't be the last straw.

She hung up and looked at her mother helplessly. Before she could launch into a lengthy dissection of the conversation she'd had with Julie, the phone rang in her hand. "Oh Lord, here we go," she muttered, looking at the caller ID.

"Hi Dad, what's up?" she asked, attempting to use her most chipper sounding voice. She produced an eye roll for her mother's benefit.

"What's _up_? Why don't you tell me? How about explaining the reason I've received about a dozen calls today about my daughter, the psychic?" he demanded without bothering with a greeting. "By the way, your Aunt Irene wants to know if you could contact your Uncle Larry from the grave and ask him where he put the keys to their Cadillac." His patronizing tone dripped with anger. Kate realized she should've known the news would have reached him one way or another.

"Tell her the keys are in the third drawer of the toolbox in the garage." When her Dad did not laugh, she responded weakly, "Just kidding."

"Glad you can find anything remotely funny here. What's going on? Apparently, you're involved in some sort of abduction..."

Kate interjected, "You make me sound like a co-conspirator."

"I have no idea what you're thinking. What are you gaining by telling these people you know where this little girl is? Is it money? Are you looking for attention?"

She could imagine how her father looked at the moment. Salt and pepper hair and blue eyes probably filled with exasperation. It had been three months since she last saw him and she wondered if he had changed in that time. Was his paunch more pronounced? More gray throughout his hair? He had made plans with her over the past couple of months, but something always seemed to come up. He blamed it on his investment firm keeping him swamped. If he was putting off the visit to avoid telling her about Carly, she should save him the trouble and admit she was already aware of his girlfriend.

"That's what you think this is? It never occurred to you it may only be about me wanting to help someone?"

"Kate, I don't fully comprehend what happened when you revealed where the police could find Matt. There's probably a logical explanation we haven't realized yet. Nevertheless, you're not going to sit here and make me believe you're psychic. If you were, why wouldn't you be making millions in the stock market? Or selecting the correct lottery numbers?"

"Seriously Dad? That's your big argument against it?" She covered the phone and whispered to her mother. "Dad doesn't believe I'm psychic because I haven't won the lottery." Her mom shot her an exasperated look and Kate could tell it was killing her to overhear parts of the conversation and bite her tongue.

"Kate, you've been overindulged for too long. You're twenty-one and it's time for you to grow up," he said with steel in his tone.

"Overindulged? What do I have a trust fund I don't know about? Last time I checked I have a part-time job and go to college," she snapped back.

Things had always been pretty easygoing between her and her father. Even in high school, she avoided the wild parties and bad boys most of her friends seemed so fond of. Her grades were good and she had worked since she was old enough to drive and wanted her own set of wheels. Her dad rarely felt the need to break out the "why, god, did I get stuck with such a degenerate?" voice he was currently using on her.

"You need to begin facing reality and learn how to take responsibility for your actions. Your mother has allowed you to stay hidden away in the house and catered to your every whim. From what I can see, you two have had a codependent relationship for some time. I think it would be best for everyone if you left Franklin for awhile and moved in with me. You'll be out of the media spotlight and we can set out to get you back on track." The thought of living with her father and his new squeeze was almost enough to make her puke up the contents of her lunch in her mouth.

"No," she said simply.

"It wasn't a request, Katie." Her father's voice was hard and firm.

"Dad, like you said I'm twenty-one, you can hardly tell me what to do. My life is here and I'm not leaving." She couldn't help, but add, "I'm not you, Dad—I actually have a hard time deserting my family."

Her mother saw her becoming distraught and walked over to her. "Do you want me to speak with him?"

Kate shook her head in response. Her father had been partially right. For too long, she had depended on her mother entirely. She needed to learn how to start standing up for herself and not leaving her mother to do all her dirty work. Although her mom would do anything for her, Kate couldn't always exploit that side to her advantage. Her emotional growth had been stunted since the day she left the hospital. It was time for her to play catch up and begin acting her age. This was especially important if she wanted her father to respect her and accept her decisions.

"That's out of line, Kate..."

"What's out of line is I haven't seen you in months even though you live an hour away! Or how about the fact you have a secret girlfriend I'm supposed to know nothing about? If you want me to grow up and act like an adult, stop treating me like a child and be honest with me." She left her father speechless and she knew their conversation was taking a quick downturn. "Dad, we'll talk another time. I have to deal with this story breaking and don't want to fight with you on top of it. Love you, bye."

She did not wait for his reply and instead disconnected the call. Her mother gave her a questioning look. Kate moaned, "Looks like I completely alienated my limited circle of friends and family."

"Your father will come around. He's not a bad man. I don't agree with everything he does, but I know he loves you and is only trying to protect you. But you were right to hold your ground and explain to him that you are an adult and can manage your own life. When things cool down, arrange to have dinner and talk about everything," her mother advised.

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Kate decided she was going to tackle everything in her life head on from now on. For months, she'd been tiptoeing around these feelings about her dad and it felt good to tell him exactly how upset she really was with him. It made her realize that she needed to apply this doctrine to the rest of her life and it would help her avoid a lot of problems.

### Chapter Fifteen

Aimlessly, Kate stared at her ceiling as the night wore on. Claiming a massive headache, she told her mom she was going to crash early. Holding her phone in her hand, she peeked again at the text that had come about an hour ago.

It was from Jared and it simply said, **I'm sorry.**

Debating whether to reply, she was trying to piece together what to say. A part of her craved to call her mother in and tell her she must make Jared promise to never call or text her again. However, the insight from earlier plagued her and she knew she was done with hiding from confrontation.

He picked up on the second ring. Without a hello, he launched into an apology. "Kate, I can't tell you how sorry I am about the story. Your mother said reporters were hounding you two all day."

"Was it Nikki?"

"Yes," he replied and swallowed hard. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," she said dryly. She was glad to have a definite confirmation—she now could begin working on her voodoo doll. "It's not your fault this happened. I just wanted to call and explain that this doesn't change anything. I'm still trying to see into Cori's head and I'll pass any info along to you."

"Well... I'm grateful for that," he said awkwardly. "Kate, about the other night..."

"Oh no, we're definitely not going _there._ I've had a traumatic enough day to not rehash that particular humiliating debacle. Listen, we're good, no hard feelings. I'll call you, Detective Corbett, if I see another vision of Cori." She hoped her formalizing his name conveyed her need to keep things professional.

She had never heard him sound so off kilter. "I feel horrible about the news story and everything else..."

"Really, don't worry, it will work out. To be honest, I'm getting to the point where I no longer give a rat's ass who knows I'm psychic. Talk to you later," she said and abruptly ended the call. She was thinking maybe that would be her new calling card: hang up mid-conversation before anyone had a chance to say anything she didn't want to hear.

***

Julie gave her the silent treatment until Wednesday. It had been Kate's prerogative to stay home for a few days to avoid any reporters. When she requested a week's vacation from her job and they didn't argue, she figured they were probably relieved she wouldn't be there causing a stir among the patients. Reporters had come to the house regularly until Tuesday. Tragically, that night on the other side of town, an abused wife had killed her husband after one too many beatings. Kate was horrified that this was what it took for the media to back off. Her mother had changed the number of their house line and her cell phone was never compromised. Not that it mattered since it remained silent without calls from her father, Julie or Jared.

She was having trouble sleeping. As days passed without any visions of Cori, Kate prayed she hadn't been hurt. In the meantime, the only vision she had was lifted from her father's memories. It was a recollection he had of Kate as a preschooler. She was trying to show off for her parents and slid down the railing of their stairs. They weren't impressed and she landed herself in the emergency room with a deep cut on her knee. Two needles and five stitches later, she was allowed to leave. Her father had taken her to the toy store immediately and allowed her to pick out any toy she desired. A huge dollhouse was brought home for her that day and it was still stored in their attic after all these years. The stitches were long forgotten by the time he took her and her mother out for ice cream.

It was obvious Kate was on his mind and she had a good feeling their relationship could be mended. He needed to accept her for who she was and she had to forgive him for his shortcomings. It sucked her parents were getting a divorce, but it wasn't the end of the world. She could still have a healthy relationship with both of them. Getting along with her father didn't have to be a betrayal of her mother. If anything, her mom encouraged her to work things out with him. She wasn't a young child pitted against parents in the midst of a nasty custody battle. Labor Day was in two weeks and she planned to see if her father would be interested in maybe planning a mini-getaway.

When someone came to the door around lunchtime on Wednesday, she was starved for human interaction. She was almost ready to do a tell-all with a reporter in order to talk to someone besides her mother. She almost burst into song at the sight of Julie through the peephole. She didn't allow her to speak and instead forced her into an embrace.

"Whoa there, chica. I'm still with Gage. He hasn't yet pushed me to play for the other team," she chided.

Kate gave her an unabashed grin and pulled away. "You don't know how good it is to see you. I don't remember the last time we went more than twenty-four hours without speaking. Can you stay and hang out?"

"I suppose I can come in for a bit. I came here to grant you an audience in order to beg for my forgiveness," Julie replied haughtily.

Kate led her into the kitchen before saying, "I'm ready to grovel, whatever you want. I went to call you like a zillion times, but I knew the mature thing would be to give you time." Motioning to the cold cuts on the counter, she asked, "Do you want some lunch? I was making a sandwich, if you want one. Anything to drink?"

Julie requested an iced tea and whatever kind of sandwich she was having. Kate assembled a couple of turkey sandwiches on wheat and brought the plates over to the kitchen table.

Julie took the seat across from her. "As much as I loathe admitting it, I've hated not talking to you. No one is a better sounding board for my numerous complaints about Gage."

"I always told you, you could do better..." Kate said while taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Do you know that for sure? Do you know if I'm going to end up getting married to Gage?" Julie questioned her with a wide-eyed look.

Kate almost spit out her sandwich. After a slight coughing fit, she regained her composure and was able to swallow. "Oh Julie, it doesn't work like that. I don't see the future, only the past."

"Damn, you know how awesome it would be to have a friend who could know the outcome of everything and steer you clear of every bad decision? Oh well, guess I'll just have to settle for you," Julie said with a smile.

"We're ok, then? You forgive me?"

"You know I'm terrible at holding grudges. I tried to figure out why you didn't tell anyone and I think I understand a little better. Half the people don't believe you and the other half likely want something from you."

Kate nodded. Julie was typically easily dismissed because she was obsessed with shopping and had a reputation for being the life of the party. However, she had a cunning insight that never failed to surprise Kate.

"I wish I hadn't kept the psychic thing from you or my mom. It was even harder because I don't control what I see. A few of my visions involved my parents fighting about me. They were terrified over the possibility I woke up from the coma with this strange gift. I thought at the time it would be best to pretend it only happened the one time in the hospital," Kate said, keeping her hazel eyes lowered.

"Have you ever seen me?" Julie didn't sound freaked, merely curious.

"Yes, a couple of times. One of the visions was when you first met Gage at a frat party and he tried to impress you with his dynamo beer pong skills. Another involved a time when you snuck around the back of the middle school and had your first kiss with Jeff Daniels."

Julie clapped her hands together and laughed. "That's super cool."

"It's not going to change anything? Mess up our friendship?" she asked warily.

"No way! It only means you know me better than anyone else and we're extra special best friends." Kate felt some of the stress she'd been experiencing leave her body after receiving these assurances from Julie. Julie chewed on her thumbnail thoughtfully. "Anyway, what's going on with the whole Preston thing? How did you end up working on that?"

"Remember the mystery guy on the doorstep? He came here asking for my help," she explained. Bringing up Jared was grueling, especially since she hadn't heard from him. Her mother had a brief message from him yesterday explaining no new developments were made on Cori's case.

"The cop?"

"Yeah, he's a detective and the girl missing is his girlfriend's sister. He heard the story about Matt and I guess figured he'd see if I could help."

"No luck though?"

"I was able to create a sketch of the car and what the kidnapper looked like. They still haven't found anything yet though. It's very frustrating to not simply reach into the guy's brain and pull out an address." She gave her friend a forlorn expression. "I feel like I'm letting everyone down—Cori, her family, Jared..."

"Jared?"

"Yes, the detective." Kate gave her an uncertain look and decided she better hold up her end of the bargain and divulge everything to Julie. "I kind of had a thing for him."

"I knew it! As soon as you saw him, I could tell you were madly in love. What happened?" Julie leaned forward expectantly.

"We hung out a lot—working on the case and stuff. He was the one I called for a ride home the night we went out to the bar. Although he has a girlfriend, it didn't stop drunken Kate from trying to seduce him."

"You slut!" Julie cackled.

Kate placed her head down on the kitchen table. "Ugh, don't rub it in. I'm embarrassed enough. Clearly, he decided to pass on the make-out session. Guess drunk and desperate girls aren't his bag." She took another bite of her sandwich before continuing. "Anyway, I ended up in hysterics and have kept my distance ever since."

"Aww Kate, that's shitty. Sorry it didn't work out. His loss," Julie told her loyally.

"Thanks, Julie, it's amazing to finally be able to have someone to confide in." They finished up their meals and Kate began clearing their plates.

"Any plans to leave the house this decade?"

"Yes, not by choice though. My cousin's wedding is this weekend. My mother told me in no uncertain terms I am to put on a dress, lipstick and my best smile and forget about everything shitty about my life right now."

"It could end up being fun! Have a few drinks, catch the bouquet, do some dirty dancing with dudes from the groom's side," Julie suggested.

"Maybe," she hedged, and twirled a strand of her light brown hair in her fingers. Weddings could be entertaining and maybe her family would even pretend to have amnesia for the night and not bring up her latest scandal. It could also be amusing to do a baby-bump check on her cousin and guess how far along she could possibly be.

"To further cement our friendship, I'll let you borrow the Jimmy Choos for longer."

"Ah, now I know the real reason you came over here. You weren't worried about our friendship, you just wanted to make sure your shoes were ok," Kate joked. "Thanks for everything, Julie."

"No need to thank me. If you want to return the favor, feel free to share any visions you have of Gage. I have a sneaking suspicion something happened between him and the redhead who was staying next door to him in the Hamptons last summer." Julie gave her a long hug and Kate had the urge to cry. It was such a relief to know being honest and revealing her true self didn't mean she was going to lose her best friend.

### Chapter Sixteen

"Oh god, they put us at the reject table," Kate mock whispered to her mother as they arrived at her cousin's wedding on Saturday evening.

Her charcoal colored dress was pretty spectacular and Kate lamented over the fact that her date was her mom. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and fitted bodice. She swore her boobs never looked so good. Kate wasn't a big fan of her stomach or butt and loved how the ruching style of the chiffon hid every flaw. The hem lifted to her knee while staying longer in the rear. Although she felt like a goddess in the dress, she couldn't help but note how her cousin had stuck her in the farthest and darkest corner of the ballroom.

"Kate, I'm sure the seating was done arbitrarily. It must be extremely difficult to arrange the tables," her mother said.

Her mom could see the bright side during Armageddon. Kate was impressed by what a knockout her mother looked like. Maybe finding an older gentleman to sweep her mom off her feet could take Kate's mind off her own dismal love life. Kate's mom wore an eggplant colored gown with an empire waist and cap sleeves. They both had gone to the salon earlier for manicures and to have their hair styled. Her mother had settled on a formal updo, while Kate had decided to keep her hair down, but had the stylist add soft waves using large rollers.

Kate examined each of their tablemates and couldn't help but think the slight was deliberate. "We're not even sitting with anyone from our family? I'm guessing this was definitely on purpose."

Their dining companions included two preteen boys, a couple whose idea of formal wear consisted of jeans and a collared shirt for the guy and a dress for the girl that looked like a beach cover-up and an elderly couple who looked like they'd rather be anywhere but there.

Collapsing into her chair, Kate took a swig of the champagne in front of her. Her mother slapped her hand. "You're not supposed to drink the champagne until the toast."

Kate rolled her eyes and noticed one of the boys across from her giving her the stink eye. "What?" she challenged, staring back at him while knitting her eyebrows.

"You're the weird girl that my mom says is full of shit." Both the boys began to snicker as if they were the funniest assholes in the room.

"Well, my mom says you're a mouth breather who won't amount to anything in life," she retorted.

Her mother gave her a painful pinch on the leg. "Ow!" she exclaimed as her mom gave her a look that said stop acting like a brat. She turned back to the boy. "Ha-ha, just kidding." The tension level increased at the table and she knew the rest of the guests were wondering how they ended up at this freak show.

The happy couple was introduced and Kate could barely manage a slow clap for their entrance. She told her mom it was a bad idea for her to come when she was in such a sour mood. At least she got out of attending the ceremony earlier in the afternoon by claiming she was suffering from a horrible bout of menstrual cramps. Her mom didn't buy it, but let it slide since she figured no one would notice if Kate wasn't at the church. The reception had been non-negotiable.

After she had reconciled with Julie, Kate foolishly thought she could get past everything including her heartbreak. She assumed Jared might try to make further amends and reach out to her again. However, she had not received one single call or text from Jared all week. Dick. Nikki must have threatened to cut off his balls if he had any further communication with her. Put this on top of Cori still being missing and she wanted nothing less than witnessing a wedding, such an ostentatious display of love.

The only bright spot of the week besides Julie's visit had been the conversation with her dad last night. He took her up on her offer to spend time together over the Labor Day holiday. His friend owned a property along the shore and he was going to check to see if they could stay there for the weekend. It would be just the two of them. He decided it would be too soon for her to meet his lady friend. Maybe the weekend would give them a chance to sort out a few of their differences.

After about an hour of toasts and first dances, her mother permitted her to finally finish off the rest of her champagne and request another glass from the waiter. Her mom urged her to go mingle with their family members, but she decided to stick with the good time bunch at her table. Due to the high number of odd looks she had received since their arrival, she could only imagine the comments from her family in regards to her latest media blitz. They would probably accuse her of perpetuating the whole thing to one-up her cousin on her wedding day.

Although she wanted to lay low, she smiled at her Aunt Lucy when she came over to the table. Her aunt was dressed in a simple black dress with a hem resting an inch below her knees. She was five years her mother's junior and was by far Kate's favorite aunt. After a hug to say hello, she inquired, "What are you doing hiding back here? Come out and dance with me! The _Cha Cha Slide_ is bound to come on any minute."

"I'm trying to keep a low profile, you know, after the whole news story thing," Kate replied.

"You say that, but your dress says otherwise. Let's get out on the dance floor! I could even act as your wingman and rustle you up a few cute guys," she said with a wink. Her aunt had a perpetual string of boyfriends and Kate didn't doubt she would be able to have her hooked up with someone within the hour.

Kate laughed. "Alright, I should probably go and give my congrats to Jessica and Abe too."

Kate tried not to let her paranoia kick in as she walked across the ballroom and felt the stares. Walking up to the head table, she gave a gracious smile to her cousin. Jessica had settled on a princess-style dress which seemed to swallow her tiny figure. It took all her willpower to not let her eyes wander down her dress and check to see if it fit snugly around the tummy area. "Congratulations Jess! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you, glad you could make it," she said formally and turned back to talk to her newly-minted husband.

Kate stood there awkwardly for a minute until it was painfully obvious that she was being dismissed. She felt her Aunt Lucy grasp her from behind and steer towards the dance floor. Kate whispered, "Does everyone have to act like I have the plague? Is it that horrendous I'm a psychic helping out on an abduction case? It's not like I was plastered all over the front page for running a meth lab."

"It'll blow over, hon. Plus, not everyone has a negative reaction. I personally think it's amazing you have these abilities. You probably don't feel like getting into it now, but let's plan lunch sometime soon and you can tell me all about it."

Kate nodded and they arrived at the dance floor. Deciding to simply have a good time, she began to dance with her aunt. Her mother joined them a couple of dances later and they had a few belly laughs while displaying their silliest dance moves. By the time dinner was served, Kate found herself in much better spirits. They returned to the table and she began to dig into the roast chicken she had ordered. Her pimply-face friend from across the table said snidely, "Your ringtone is gay, you should change it."

Ignoring him, she reached for her purse and pulled out her phone. She had received a text from Jared about twenty minutes earlier. **Can I come over? I need to talk to you.**

She sent him a quick message back. **No can do, I'm at my cousin's wedding at Cedar Brooks. What's going on?** She waited for his reply and wondered if anything had happened with Cori. Hopefully, it was good news. She grew annoyed when he did not reply right away. She had no idea why she would be remotely surprised that he would leave her hanging.

Her mom finished her entrée and headed back out to dance. Kate debated whether to join her, but figured she should maybe wait a few minutes to hear back from Jared in case it was important. After polishing off the rest of her dinner and another glass of champagne, she realized it was unlikely she would be hearing back from Jared anytime soon. Tucking her cell phone away in her purse, she rose to leave. She heard it chime just as she was about to walk away.

Her jaw dropped as she read his reply. **I'm outside.** He was outside? Like outside the wedding? Kate was beyond confused and turned to her favorite prepubescent pest. "Can you tell my mom I had to step out for a couple of minutes?"

"Blow me, loser," he said and gave her the middle finger. Kate could see a bright future in juvie stretch before him.

After wandering out of the ballroom, she exited the double doors of the reception hall. A few random chain smokers stood outside, but no one she recognized. She wondered if she had misconstrued the message. Why would he want to talk to her here of all places? Before she turned to walk in, she noticed a lone figure off to the side of the building standing next to a pillar.

Kate was surprised she hadn't spotted him sooner. He looked completely out of place among the formally dressed guests. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt with a random logo printed in the center. His hair had a sexy mussed-up style going for it, but Kate doubted he had purposely styled it that way. His eyes looked troubled as he watched her move towards him. With his hands stuck in his pockets and his shoulders tense, Kate guessed he wasn't there to convey good news. Dread began to build as she noted the tension coming off him in waves.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Is Cori ok?" Her voice rose to a panicked pitch as she rushed over to stand in front of him.

Jared visibly relaxed at her question. "Yes, sorry for scaring you. I want to let you know there has been a new development. We've received a ton of tips since releasing your sketch. Most lead to dead ends, but we've actually had about half a dozen concentrated in this area of Irvine. We're thinking it's not coincidental and he must be from there."

Kate nodded at this piece of information. Irvine was about half an hour away and the location fit in with the time frame of how long she suspected Cori was in the trunk. It also had several high-crime areas which were known for heavy drug use and prostitution. One of the worst disses in middle school was saying someone saw your mama working the corner in Irvine.

"No one in the family recognized the man in the sketch? I just can't shake this feeling that he's met them before."

Jared shook his head emphatically. "No, I was hoping the same thing. I had Nikki and her parents look at your sketch again and again to see if he appeared familiar to them. They weren't able to identify him."

"At least you have a lead on where he could be living. I haven't seen anything else, but that doesn't mean anything. I had a lot on my mind this week and it could have kept me from connecting with her."

He didn't say anything, but continued to stare at her. Even in her heels, he still stood several inches above her and she tried to look past him instead of gazing up into his face. As much as she could fool herself into thinking she could get over him in a short amount of time, glimpsing him in the flesh again confirmed that her emotions had not changed. It also convinced her of his previous sentiment that they could not be friends.

She grew uncomfortable as the silence stretched on and blurted, "You didn't have to come out here to tell me that. You could've just left a message or sent me a text."

"I probably should go," he said in response and looked away from her. The amount of stubble since the last time she saw him seemed to have doubled on his chin. It looked sexy on him and she was envious at the thought of Nikki getting to feel it against her face as they kissed.

"Is something else wrong?" she prompted as her patience began to wear thin. Didn't he know how painful it was for her to stand there with him and not fall apart?

"No, nothing," he said and abruptly turned back to her. Looking her up and down he pronounced, "You look amazing."

The compliment threw her off balance and she knew her face must have revealed her surprise. "Thanks," she said primly.

When he didn't say anything, she started, "I mean, I'd invite you inside, but I'm pretty much persona non grata as it is with the whole news story thing. My family keeps looking at me as if any minute I'll set up a table in the back of the room and start charging the guests tenners for a psychic reading."

Kate grew more uneasy under his piercing stare and the heady silence. "I'll probably be missed if I stay out here for too long. So, I'll just head back in..."

"Nikki and I are broken up," he stated flatly without forewarning. His gray eyes probed her and she wasn't certain what he was searching for. It felt like he was testing her to gauge her reaction to the confession.

"I'm sorry?" She said it as a question and shrugged her shoulders.

It seemed to take a strong effort for him to move his eyes away from her face and focus on the ground between them. "It was mutual. We both realized it wasn't working anymore and we haven't been in sync for a long time."

"Oh?" she said lightly although her heart began hammering in her chest. Folding her arms against her chest, she was able to slow down the trembling that now racked her body.

Jared looked at her hopefully. "And I guess she knew...that something was happening....between you and me."

"Something was happening? That's news to me," she said tersely.

Jared looked surprised and ran a hand anxiously through his hair. His confidence was gone and it seemed to take a lot for him to admit how he was feeling. Yet, Kate knew he would have to be on crack if he thought she was going to make this easy on him. "Oh, sorry, I thought maybe..."

"You thought what, Jared?" she questioned with bite. "You thought you would come here and tell me you were broken up and I'd still be _interested_? That I would be your rebound girl?"

He looked taken aback and shot her a guilty look. His face revealed he likely thought she would launch herself frantically into his arms at the news of him breaking up with Nikki. He started, "I didn't say..."

Kate interrupted him. "Do I look that desperate that you figured you'd come here and I'd drop trou for you?" She cast a look at his car parked at the rear of the reception hall. "Or, I don't know...we would get into your backseat and play tonsil hockey?"

He raised an eyebrow and butterflies erupted inside of her.

### Chapter Seventeen

"Ouch!" Kate cried as her elbow slammed into the car window. She winced and began to rub at it.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to remind you that this was your idea."

"It was meant as a rhetorical question," she responded and began to giggle as Jared kissed her neck.

He caressed her cheek and then planted several soft kisses on her lips. The kisses grew more heated and she gripped him tightly. His lips were seductive as they moved against her mouth expertly. Within seconds, she literally felt like she was melting. Without a word, his lips had told her everything she needed to hear. His need for her was obvious by the way he couldn't keep his hands off of her. It was apparent she hadn't been the only one harboring feelings this entire time. The idea of breaking away and _not_ kissing him was unimaginable. Nothing else seemed to matter but this moment between them.

Gently, he pushed her back into the leather seat of his car and began exploring her body with his hands. She put her hands under his shirt and kneaded his back. His body was perfect and Kate swore she would have to ask him for some workout tips if she could ever pry her body away from his.

Her lust grew as he covered her with more intense kisses and began to nuzzle her chest. His hands rested on her thighs and were slowly inching up. She wanted him more than she wanted anything in her life. However, once his fingers made it around the sides of her panties, she grew anxious. In a broken whisper, she stammered, "Um...maybe we should talk."

"Yes?" he smiled down at her. He was completely sexy, even after a backseat make out session. His shirt was scrunched up around his belly and his jeans hung low revealing the top of his boxer shorts. His lips seemed swollen from their kisses and his eyes gave her a tender look. It was almost impossible to say what she needed to when he was looking entirely too delectable.

"I'm not sure what your....um, expectations are. I mean I'm not well versed in any sort of sexual gymnastics," she confessed. Thankfully, the car was dark and he wouldn't likely see her blush.

His eyelids lowered and he gave her a lustful look. "Sexual gymnastics? I'm intrigued, tell me more." He nibbled at her earlobe and starting working on the zipper at the rear of her dress.

She pulled back with a concentrated effort. "I'm being genuine with you. It's pretty embarrassing to admit, but I'm like seriously inexperienced." He gave her a questioning look and she continued, "Like practically a virgin."

He climbed off of her and planted himself down in the seat. He straightened out his shirt and said resolutely, "Well then, we better stop..."

Kate crawled over and sat on his lap. Turning to face him, she said, "I didn't say we couldn't do _it_. I only wanted you to know I might not be that good at it. Simply a pre-sex advisory."

His grin was devastating and she thought it should be a crime that someone would be this good looking. Also, the way he was staring at her was making her all lightheaded as if he thought she was beautiful as well. He ran his thumb across her lips before cupping her face in his hands. "Well, if you're _practically_ a virgin, we should make it special, not a quickie in my backseat."

Kate gave him an uncertain look. "I mean you want to, right?"

"Even though we're not going to do it right at this moment, it doesn't mean I don't have plans to ravish you in the near future." The way his eyes were undressing her, she had no doubt he meant it.

She was about to argue, but figured he probably had a good point. Not to mention, if they waited she could start doing some sit-ups or something in the meantime. Her poor eating was definitely catching up and making her feel flabby. She wanted to look extra sexy if he was planning to ravish her. She pressed up against him and asked, "What am I to you?"

Jared seemed slightly amused by the question. "Not sure what you mean."

"Am I your quarter-life crisis? Nikki came by and told me that's what I was to you. Is it true?" she questioned and began chewing on her lower lip as she waited for his reply. She knew it was completely against dating rules to ask a guy from the get go what his intentions were, but Kate didn't want another bout of emotional torment in the near future.

"When did Nikki see you?" he countered.

"The day after you drove me home from the bar. You still didn't answer the question," she reminded him.

His amusement seemed to build. "What do you want to be?"

She pulled away and huffed. "Well, I definitely don't want to be your girlfriend. You would make a terrible boyfriend. Probably go around to weddings and accost poor girls outside and seduce them into your cars. Perv."

He grazed his fingers down the length of her arm. She quivered under his touch and again began to rethink their decision to not go all the way right then and there. "Forgive me. I thought you were enjoying being seduced."

Wrapping her arms around him, Kate surrendered to his kiss. She felt breathless when she dragged her mouth away from his. He held her face between his hands and his expression grew serious. "Kate, I am sorry about hurting you. I hope you understand if anything had happened last week it would've tainted anything that might develop between us."

"It doesn't matter, you're here now," she whispered and moved in for another kiss. Kate swore under her breath. "And so is my mom apparently."

Out of the rear window, she spotted her mom exiting the doors of the reception hall and glancing around. While pushing Jared's head down, she simultaneously ducked further down in the backseat. Kate poked her head up and saw her mother seeming to give up on her search and reenter the building. "This feels like a prom night or something. We snuck out of the dance to make out in your car and now the principal is going to catch us," she joked.

"Now I do feel like a perv," he responded. "My prom would've been ten years ago."

"Would've been? You didn't go?"

"No," he replied. "I didn't have a date."

"You didn't have a date? How is that even possible? I figured you for the player in high school who would've had to beat the girls off with a stick," she laughed as they both sat up again. Leaning over, she rested her head against his shoulder. It felt painful to not touch him now that they were together again. Spotting her mother clued her into the requirement to return to the wedding straightaway, but it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Not at all. When I told you I get you, I meant it. I felt like an outsider in middle school and high school. My aunt was gossiped about and called the town witch. I was tall and gawky, with barely any friends," Jared confessed.

"I would've never guessed it," she admitted. "I bet you can't wait to go to your high school reunion and tell everyone to suck it."

He chuckled. "Something like that."

"As much as I hate to cut this short, I probably should go in before my mom has a meltdown looking for me," she sighed. Opening the car door, she climbed out and smoothed out her dress. He followed her out. She turned to him expectantly. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, are you going to ask me to dinner or something? Or is the backseat of your Beemer the only place you plan to take me?"

"Sure, dinner works. I know your fondness for fast food, so I imagine you'll be a pretty cheap date." He leaned against his car and a slight smile played on his lips.

Giving him her most withering gaze, she socked him in the arm. "Better watch it, buddy. I'm going back into a wedding with plenty of hot and single guys who are _dying_ to wine me and dine me." She did a little hip shake and head roll which almost made her lose her balance and fall flat on her butt. He had the grace to stifle his laughter.

"Hope this helps put any of those guys out of your mind." He grabbed her around the waist and pressed her body against his.

His hand worked its way through her hair as his mouth moved in rhythm with hers. Kate tilted her head and parted her lips. The intensity of the kiss deepened and she felt dizzy from the heat between them. When he finally pulled away, she felt a physical pain.

"Call you tomorrow. Now you better go before I refuse to let you out of sight and take you back to my apartment and have my way with you," he whispered and gave her a playful nibble on her ear.

"Ok," she mumbled, dazed.

Stumbling away from him, Kate tried to regain her composure. Daring a glance back, she saw him watching her closely with an affectionate smile. He met her eyes and gave a small wave. She had no idea how he could maintain his cool while she felt completely weak in the knees. If he wasn't so damn hot, his confidence would almost be infuriating.

Once in the foyer, Kate dared a look in one of the decorative mirrors. Her face was completely flushed and covered in smeared lipstick. Her previously coiffed hairdo now looked like a hair don't. Hastily, she made a beeline for the bathroom and did her best to pull herself together. She tried to work out the hair knots with her fingers and wiped off the lipstick with the help of several sheets of paper towels. Her coloring seemed to refuse to return to normal. She guessed because her head kept replaying Jared's parting kiss and she couldn't stop blushing.

Her mother did not look pleased in the slightest when she made her way back to the table. "Where have you _been_? They already did the bouquet toss and cake cutting, it'll be over any minute."

"I needed some fresh air," she said and hoped she was keeping a straight face. She felt like Jared was embedded inside of her and anyone would be able to discern she had just been kissing him.

"I looked outside, I didn't see you," her mother accused.

"I took a walk around, wanted to see the gardens." Even as she said it, she knew how lame the lie was. It was pitch black outside, she wasn't likely to even find the gardens, no less admire the flora.

Her mother looked like she wanted to continue the conversation, but Kate was quick to cut her off. Looking at her empty dessert plate, she demanded, "Hey, where's my cake?"

Her mom gestured over to her preteen nemesis. "Logan was still hungry and asked me for it. And since you were nowhere to be found..." Her mother trailed off with a shrug. Logan looked at her smugly and she wondered if she could get away with throttling him. Her body was really craving the sugar after her hot make out session with Jared.

She still couldn't wrap her head around what had happened between them. The idea that he had shown up here for her seemed like such an implausibility before. Although she had tried to exude confidence during their encounter, she was a mess inside. She never craved someone like this before and wasn't positive how to get a handle on her feelings. Instead of gazing at her like she was some sort of science experiment, he looked at her as if she was beautiful and he wanted her as his own. She still tingled with the memory of his hands and lips on her. Drawing in a deep whiff of her hands, Kate found his clean scent of soap and aftershave lingered. With little control over her raging emotions, she knew a huge goofy grin erupted on her face.

The smile slipped when she noticed Logan looking at her like she was an escaped mental patient across the table. "Wow, someone needs to lock your cray cray ass up and throw away the key."

Thankfully, the wedding soon ended. Kate found herself completely mentally and physically drained. She couldn't wait to go home and overanalyze the Jared situation. She was unsure about sleep since Jared had penetrated her brain. It was definite she'd have a vision of him that night. She only desired it would be a good one and not another traumatizing one like the previous mental picture of him and Nikki.

After pulling her car in front of their house, Kate turned to her mother. "Since you let that juvie wannabe steal my cake, I'm having a major low blood sugar attack. Think I'm going to the convenience store and buying a box of Tastykakes. Maybe a coffee, too. Want anything?"

"Kate, it's awfully late for you to be driving around town alone. You should've simply stopped before we got home if you were that hungry. Why don't you just come inside and find something to snack on?"

Kate checked the time on the dashboard; it was a few minutes after eleven o'clock. The convenience store was only a few blocks away and the round trip would probably take less than fifteen minutes. In addition, she had pent up nervous energy and wanted a few minutes alone before her mom started grilling her about her disappearance at the wedding.

"You only buy health food and we have nothing good to snack on," Kate accused and then added, "I'll be right back."

"Fine, I'll wait up for you. I'm dying to hear all about those _gardens_ you were exploring for more than an hour," Darlene said, giving her a pointed look.

Kate gave her an innocent smile as her mom exited the car. She wasn't sure how much of the night she intended to disclose to her mother about Jared. It seemed too new to share and she didn't want to jinx anything by gushing about him. For all she knew, he could have a crisis of conscience and be thinking what happened between them was a huge mistake. However, if his parting kiss was any indication, he was likely fantasizing about her as well at that moment.

Entering the convenience store, she grabbed a couple of candy bars and a box of Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes. Looking down at her stockpile, she sighed and returned them to the shelves. Instead, she picked up a single package of the Kandy Kakes. If she was going to get all hot and bothered with Jared, she had to cut back on the junk food. After preparing a large coffee, she brought up her purchases. The clerk took in her disheveled wedding attire and shook his head while ringing her up.

She barely made it to the car before devouring the entire package of Kandy Kakes. Taking a long sip of coffee, she drove her Toyota out of the parking lot. Besides daydreaming about Jared, she was anticipating the moment she'd be getting out of her dress and shoes. Unlike her skanky bar outfit though, she would unquestionably be saving this dress. If things progressed with the detective, it would serve as a reminder of their first kiss. Kate laughed at herself. She was practically already imaging them married with a couple of hell raisers with gray eyes.

Her mood shifted dramatically as she parked her car curbside in front of her house. She wasn't sure what it was, but she immediately felt uneasy. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she had the strongest sensation of being watched. The night was still, but something felt off and she couldn't put her finger on what it could possibly be. Her stomach knotted up and she knew if she didn't do something fast, she was in danger. Panicked, she slammed the car door shut and began to hurry towards her house.

The silence was shattered by a quick movement and the sound of someone rushing towards her as soon as her feet hit the sidewalk. She swung around to react and fight off her would be attacker. Her mouth snapped open to cry out, but Kate did not have the chance. Something slammed against her skull and her body collapsed.

### Chapter Eighteen

Although it was almost two o'clock in the morning, Jared tossed in his bed wide awake. He had returned to his apartment after seeing Kate and now couldn't stop thinking about her. He had surprised himself by going to the wedding to seek her out. Initially, after things ended with Nikki, he focused solely on work and checking out leads on Cori. However, reflections of Kate never drifted too far from his brain. He knew it would probably be for the best if he kept his distance. It seemed disrespectful to break up with Nikki one day and immediately jump into something with Kate. He also was reminded of how much he had hurt her and wasn't sure if she would even want to give him a chance. Not only had he turned down her advances, but also destroyed her chance at anonymity in Franklin.

Since he woke up that morning, he was miserable the entire day. All he wanted was to see her and tell her she had been on his mind persistently. Explain that what she had felt wasn't one sided—that he had felt something from the moment she answered the door with that beaming smile. It was a marvel to Jared that Kate was one of those rare girls who seemed to have no clue how absolutely beautiful she was. If she gave him another chance, he planned to remedy that as soon as possible. Jared was exhausted and disillusioned over Cori's abduction and he craved the comfort of being with her. All the reasons why he shouldn't be with her didn't seem to matter as much anymore. Without a second thought, he had sent her a text asking to see her. It seemed like an eternity before she replied about her being at a wedding at Cedar Brooks.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Jared had hopped in his car and drove straight to the reception hall. When he laid eyes on her, it was difficult to think straight. She looked breathtaking and he was touched at her concern for Cori, a girl she had never met. Then, when they kissed, it was nothing like he'd experienced before. It was hard to contain his desire for her and he was glad he'd finally come to his senses. She was young and sweet and it wouldn't be right to pressure her into taking things farther than she was comfortable with. He wanted to take his time with her and make certain they both enjoyed things. His aunt had instilled within him the importance of treating woman with respect and the lesson had stayed with him throughout his past relationships.

After he returned home from the wedding, he had received a message from his aunt to give her a call as soon as he arrived home. She picked up on the first ring. "Jared, I've been waiting for you to call!"

"It's not too late? Don't you country folk retire at like five in the afternoon?" he chided his Aunt Lizzie.

"You sound cheerful, I'm guessing your reading was right, then," she said with a hint of smugness in her tone.

"Could you remind me again, which reading would that be?"

His aunt called him almost on a regular basis to give him updates on his future. Although she wasn't psychic, she owned a set of tarot cards and their revelations were like her religion. His open-mindedness had some boundaries and relying on card symbols to make major decisions about his life felt like a stretch. Most of the time, he humored her since most of the interpretations were vague enough where they could fit into any aspect of any person's life. However, he never counted anything out absolutely and knew there were things in the world that defied explanation. Kate Edwards was further proof of this assertion.

"I knew you weren't paying attention!" she accused in mock indignant tones. "I'm going to have to convince William to get us Internet access and then I can email you with the revelations after I lay out the cards for you. You really need to think about getting your own set."

"Hmmm...kind of busy for that right now, Aunt Lizzie, but I'll consider it."

"Does your new girlfriend read tarot cards?" she asked innocently.

Jared stilled and asked, "What did you say?"

"Well, I don't know how serious you are yet, but I know it has to involve Kate for you to be in good spirits. When I talked to you a few days ago after your break-up with Nikki, you sounded positively dreadful. That's when I dealt the cards on your behalf. The Queen of Wands came up and although I didn't say so at the time, I knew it represented Kate. I'm sorry, but you know I never felt Nikki was the right one for you...."

He made a noncommittal grunt. His aunt and Nikki's family had only met a couple of times over the course of their relationship. When Nikki's father had brought up the subject of religion upon their first meeting, they had all looked at his aunt like she was a mad woman when she declared herself a Wiccan. His aunt was shrewd and picked up on their judgments. From that point on, joint family gatherings were awkward enough to lead to Nikki and Jared typically spending holidays apart. For the first time ever, he actually looked forward to introducing a girl to his sole living family member.

"It's fine, Aunt Lizzie. Anyway, what does the Queen of Wands mean?"

"It represents a woman who will become influential in your life. She's stubborn and strong-willed, but also chaste, intuitive and kind. The kindness of the Queen of Wands should never be mistaken for weakness, though. She sits on a throne constructed from rocks and carved into the shape of lions."

Jared almost laughed and resolved to pay more attention to his aunt's tarot card ramblings. Admittedly, most of the time he balanced his checkbook or read through his mail when she phoned about a reading. "Yes, I suppose that fits. The answer to your unspoken question is _something_ did happen with Kate, but I'm not sure how to label it just yet. I'll keep you posted though."

His aunt grew quiet. "Jared, you know I only want you to be happy. Without you, I would've never been able to survive losing my sister. I hope...things work out for everyone."

"You sound doubtful? What aren't you telling me?"

"Jared, the Tower came out too," she said dramatically.

He normally didn't recall what each tarot card looked like, but he could visualize the Tower. If he remembered correctly, it featured a stone tower being struck by lightening and catching fire. Bodies were falling out of the tower and the figures were screaming. Oh fuck—that couldn't be good, he thought, gritting his teeth. "What's the interpretation?"

"Typically, the Tower is a representation of chaos, crisis and hard times. It's usually a warning of an upcoming catastrophe in the person's life," his aunt relayed with a hefty sigh.

"It's not always bad, right?"

Jared had to admit his aunt was getting into his head a little bit. If the reading held any merit, he hoped the card wasn't related to Cori. Although he was barely on speaking terms with Nikki, he still cared for her younger sister a great deal and didn't believe he could stomach anything atrocious happening to her.

"No," she admitted softly. "It may be nothing to worry about. Some interpret the Tower as simply meaning a change or a renewal, which could apply to your love life."

"Well, if the Queen of Wands also came up in the deck that would probably make the most sense," he reasoned.

"I hope so," she said and then added, "Jared, promise me you'll be careful. If anything...unfortunate does happen, please come to me. We have plenty of room up here and you've been promising a visit for months now. Don't let anything break you completely." Reluctantly, he made the promise to her and they soon ended the call.

His aunt's forewarning of doom was another reason he couldn't get to sleep. When Jared finally began to drift off, he was startled to hear his phone ring. He wondered if Kate was giving him a call after returning home from the wedding. A part of him was concerned she was having second thoughts about seeing him. It was difficult at times to get an accurate read on her due to her combativeness, which could be a barrier to knowing her true feelings. Yet their final kiss was scorching enough that he suspected neither of them would be too quick to put the brakes on anything developing between them.

Although it would have to wait until Cori was found, Jared had already begun planning an amazing first date for her. He knew the security guard at the local sculpture grounds and could get them onto the property after it had been closed to the public. He could pick up a sampling of food from the Italian restaurant she had mentioned wanting to try the day they went to the diner and they could eat amongst the statues. He had been there for work once when it was closed and it was pretty amazing to explore when no one else was around.

Looking at his phone, he was surprised to see it was work. His apprehension grew as he thought about his aunt's tarot reading and wished to god this wasn't a call to inform him they had found Cori's body. He picked up quickly. "Hello."

"Hi Jared, its Marc." Jared recognized the voice of one of his supervisors from the detective bureau. "I have some bad news for you."

"What is it?" he demanded and tightened his grip around the receiver.

"You know the girl you were working with on the Preston case? We got a call from her mother tonight. It looks as though she was abducted in front of her house."

Jared fought the urge to vomit as Marc relayed the information he had. Kate went to the convenience store about three hours earlier after dropping her mother off at their home. Darlene had grown anxious when, after forty-five minutes, Kate had yet to return. She was shocked when she looked outside and saw Kate's car parked out front. After stumbling upon her cell phone and purse on the sidewalk, Darlene had immediately phoned the police to report her missing. Patrol officers were dispatched to the scene and detectives were on their way to the Edwards' home.

Jared could barely remember getting dressed and driving to Kate's house. It was like he was on auto-pilot and couldn't even form a single coherent thought. How could this happen? Why would someone take her? Whoever it was, he swore he would kill the person with his bare hands if they laid a single finger on her.

He noticed the flashing lights of the patrol cars as soon as he turned on Kate's street. Jumping out of the car, he nodded to a few of the officers working the scene. Although it was the middle of the night, the entire front of the Edwards' house was illuminated.

Before heading over to speak to the sergeant on the scene, he approached Darlene Edwards. She was still dressed in her wedding attire and had mascara tracks down both cheeks. An officer was standing with her on the front porch and seemed to be trying to comfort the trembling woman. The man was trying to coerce her inside, but Darlene refused.

Jared addressed the officer. "I'm a friend of the family. I'll be able to sit with her for a bit." The patrolman nodded and walked away from the two of them and headed towards the evidence technicians working near Kate's car.

Darlene met his eyes and began to sob. "Oh god, Jared, this can't be happening."

Jared reached over and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Don't worry, we'll find her. I promise you." Jared knew he wasn't in the position to be making guarantees to the distraught woman, but he would do everything in his power to get Kate back. It wasn't in his nature to sit idly by—his connection to Kate was too strong and he wouldn't trust anyone but himself to do the best possible job to find her. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Darlene cried and then wiped at her eyes with a tissue she was clutching. "Kate said she was hungry after the wedding and went to grab a snack and a coffee. I knew it was late and I should've never let her go alone..."

Jared interjected. "There was no way you could've known this would happen."

Darlene shook her head. "It was getting late and I was about to call her. Something told me to look out front. I saw her car and almost passed out from shock. Everything in her purse was strewn all over the sidewalk and her coffee cup was spilt on the ground. I called the police right away. I'm trying to figure out why this happened. I'm thinking maybe she was familiar with the person."

Jared looked at her with unconcealed astonishment. "Why would you think that?"

"Her behavior was really off tonight. We went to her cousin's wedding and she disappeared for over an hour. She was being very dodgy about where she'd been and I'm good at sensing when Kate is keeping something from me. Do you think it could be related?" Darlene asked him innocently, not sensing Jared's discomfort.

Although it was a necessary to divulge his encounter with Kate, it was definitely unpleasant to admit to her mother. Things were pretty heated for awhile there—he hoped there wasn't evidence left behind of their encounter on his face or neck.

"I actually have an explanation for that...I came to the wedding to talk to Kate," he admitted softly.

"You did?" Darlene couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice.

"I wanted to smooth things over with Kate. I know things were bad the last time I saw her and I came to apologize and talk," he said lamely. Darlene shot him a look that assured him she knew more than talking had been on his mind.

However, her expression softened and he suspected she wasn't angry with him. His connection had not only been immediate with Kate, but her mother as well. It had meant a lot to him when she sought him out at the police station and helped encourage Kate to volunteer her services for the case. Plus, her maternal bond with Kate was one of the strongest he had ever witnessed. He couldn't help but feel drawn to her since his own mother was a phantom in his head that seemed to fade more and more every day. He could no longer recall what she smelled like or the exact sound of her voice.

"To be honest, it's a relief you were the one she was with. Then who did take her?"

"Unfortunately, I think whoever has Cori probably took Kate, too," he sighed.

### Chapter Nineteen

As Kate opened her eyes, she wondered if she had been run over by a truck. Her entire body felt paralyzed and the pounding in her head made her speculate that her brain was about to explode. She was lying on her left side and felt cold concrete against her bare arms. Although she felt her eyes were opened, all her surroundings were still steeped in darkness. A groan sounded from her throat and she heard a shifting sound nearby.

She attempted to move, but found it impossible. Her hands were secured behind her back and she couldn't get control over them. Shaking her arms, she felt the dangle of handcuffs on her wrists. When she tried to flex her legs, she was startled to discover her ankles were bound as well. It felt like some type of tape was wrapped around her legs. Pushing against the tape to try and loosen it proved fruitless.

After scraping her elbows against the concrete, she was finally able to get into a sitting position. Being upright did nothing to help orient her. It was so dark wherever she was, she could barely make out the outline of her own body. She swallowed hard and attempted to yell. "Help." Her voice was meek and it was barely a whisper.

Drawing her breath, she was about to call out again when a voice from the shadows whispered urgently, "Don't yell, he said he'll kill us."

Kate thought for a second she was having another psychic vision. It threw her off balance to hear Cori's voice in person and not inside her mind. "Cori? Is it really you?" she asked with awe in her voice.

"Yeah, who are you?"

Kate blew out a long breath of air. The haze was clearing from her mind and she was beginning to sense the horror of her predicament. A part of her wanted to sink back to the floor and cry hysterically. She was in the terrible basement from her visions and probably would end up killed by the crazy man who had abducted Cori. After taking a moment to calm herself, she resolved to pull it together. It wouldn't help either of them for her to freak out. At the very least, she had to remain strong to keep Cori from growing more fearful.

"My name is Kate, I'm a friend of your sister's....er, boyfriend." No need to get into semantics at the moment and mention she had been horizontal with Jared only a few hours earlier.

Following the sound of Cori's voice, she scooted on her bottom towards her. On closer inspection, she was able to barely make out the girl's blond hair through the darkness. Cori had her back against the concrete wall of the basement and sat with her knees drawn to her chest in a fetal position. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"I'm hungry and I want to go home," Cori sobbed. "My hands hurt, he keeps them tied up."

"Has he done anything to you? Has he been feeding you?" Kate demanded urgently.

"He keeps me locked in here all day long. He had my feet tied up, too, but they got all purple and he cut them loose. When it isn't so dark in here, I'm able to walk around. At night, it's too scary to move. Some days he gives me food, but not always."

She sounded very tired and terrified. Weeks had gone by since Cori was taken. Kate felt guilty over the fact she'd been warm and comfy in her own bed and eating like a glutton during the time that Cori had been suffering.

Cori meekly added, "He's been acting real crazy the last few days, screaming and throwing things. Something must've gotten him real mad."

Kate had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as Cori relayed this information. A few days ago, Kate's involvement was revealed and the sketch she drew of him published in the local papers. She wondered if he had been stalking her movements and that was how he came upon her outside of the house. Maybe he had decided to get rid of her before she could reveal any more information about him.

She grew irate again at Nikki for releasing her information to the press. She was now convinced more than ever that Nikki ruined _everything_. It certainly assuaged Kate of any guilt she felt for stealing her boyfriend. Although the likelihood of Kate being alive long enough to enjoy the boy she stole seemed to be diminishing. She could have totally kicked herself for not doing it with him when she had the opportunity.

"We'll get out of here, I'll come up with a plan," she declared. Cori's silence let Kate know she had little faith in her ability to get them out of the basement alive. Kate stiffened in anticipation as she heard the door unlock.

After he switched on the overhead light, Kate had to blink several times to get accustomed to the brightness. Daring a glance his way, she ascertained he looked much scarier in person than in her visions. Outfitted in a ratty tank top, he had seemingly dozens of scars that covered both arms. His right bicep sported a large tattoo of a handgun with red ink covering it. His low-slung shorts were covered in a variety of colored stains. Silently, Kate prayed that none of them were blood stains. He gave her a deadly stare which made Kate wish she could evaporate into the floor. Her knee-jerk reaction was to cry and beg for her life. Yet, she remembered hearing somewhere you should never show a criminal your fear. She forgot the exact reasoning, something about them getting off on your terror.

Locking eyes with him, Kate tried to give him her toughest expression. Without addressing them, he began to descend the stairs. "What did you hit me with? You know you really knocked my head hard. I could have _died_! You know how easy it is to slip into a coma after a head wound? They would've had you on murder one for that!" she spat at him.

The look he shot her indicated he thought she should shut if she knew what was good for her. She continued on despite his menacing facial expressions. "You should let us go before things get worse for you."

"Shut up before I hurt you," he threatened, clenching his jaw and tightening his hands into meaty fists. On closer inspection of his arms, a few track marks were visible enough to confirm her early suspicion of him being a major drug addict.

"Do what you want, but know although you may hurt my body, you'll never hurt my _soul_!"

He punched her hard enough across the face to knock her head against the wall behind her. "Shut up, bitch!"

He looked as if he might hit her again, but a cell phone began ringing upstairs. Before he departed up the stairs back into the main house, he gave her a ferocious look. Without turning the light off, he slammed and locked the door.

"What kind of bad soap opera crap was _that_? We're so dead," Cori lamented.

"It sounded a lot better in my head," Kate replied lamely.

She had to admit Cori had a point. She was never relying on TV again to get her out of precarious situations. A slight relief came from realizing she only had a viciously throbbing cheek and a growing headache instead of a set of knocked-out teeth from his punch. Maybe it would be better from here on out to appear compliant to the crazed kidnapper.

Glancing down at her body, Kate was shocked at how dissimilar from a few hours ago she appeared. Her ankles were bound with duct tape and scrapes covered her legs. A pair of silver handcuffs were secured to her wrists. She still wore her shoes, but one of the heels was broken off. Her dress was filthy—covered in whatever grime was on the basement floor. Another thing to add to her list of reasons she wanted to kill this guy. He ruined the dress she planned to save to show her future children with Jared.

Giving a sideways look over to Cori, Kate felt the nausea from before come up once again. The girl appeared as if she'd been through hell and back. While lengthy weeks had passed since she'd been taken, she wore the same clothing. It was covered in grime, as was Cori. Under the thick layer of dirt, Kate could see how pale the girl had become. In her first vision, she was glowing with browned skin and was obviously a girl who spent long hours playing in the summer sun. Her face was thinner, too, and she presumed the young girl had lost a lot of weight in her time here. Cori had Kate realized if she didn't get out of here soon, the probability of her falling ill and dying was scarily high.

They remained silent as they listened to the man screaming at the caller on the phone. The distance made it sound like garbled gibberish to Kate and she hadn't heard anything which could prove helpful to their predicament. Kate swallowed hard when the yelling stopped and the basement door swung open again.

Panic took over as she began to babble. "I'm sorry about before. I didn't know what I was saying. Please, do whatever you want with me, but just let Cori go. She's only a little kid and if it's money you need I'm sure my family would be willing to pay a huge ransom for me..."

He cut her off and curled his lips in distaste. "I saw your house, it ain't that nice. The Prestons are one of the richest people around."

He was saying her house wasn't that nice? Compared to this shithole, her house was like a palace. She had to remind herself not to incite him and bit her tongue to keep from giving a snotty retort.

He said in a low gravelly voice, "How did you know what I looked like? And don't try to give me that shit like the paper says that you're psychic."

"Lucky guess?" she shrugged. She hurried on after he looked ready to strike out at her again. "I am psychic. I saw what happened to Cori through her mind. These visions come to me sort of randomly, it's happened for the past couple of years."

He gave her a look which made her suspect he thought she was full of crap and he was trying to work out some sort of conspiracy theory. With a dull look in her eyes, Cori seemed uninterested in the conversation and Kate wasn't certain the girl understood the concept of psychic phenomenon. The man itched at the smattering of facial hair that was growing out of his chin.

When he did not reply, she attempted to soothe any fears he might have about his identity being revealed. "In all honesty, I didn't give the police much to go on. I have no idea where you live or your name. Now that I see you in person, my sketch was _way_ off."

Her depiction was pretty accurate, but she had a feeling it would be better for her and Cori if he didn't think the police were close to catching him. Her hypothesis was confirmed when she noted the look of satisfaction in his brown eyes; he seemed to believe her assurances of safety.

"Maybe I should have just killed you when I had the chance. No witnesses, no crime," he muttered. "You better be telling the truth. I can't have them catching me before I get my money from Cori's daddy. He _owes_ me," he spat out. Kate wanted to question him further on how he knew Mr. Preston. However, she figured he wasn't about to trust her enough to suddenly disclose his biography. A few hours in captivity wasn't exactly enough time to prove to him she had developed a case of Stockholm syndrome and wouldn't be turning his ass into the police as soon as she got the chance.

A thin hope suddenly came to Kate. Without the use of any psychic ability, she had a strong impression the guy wasn't really a killer. He had the chance to kill her and Cori and he hadn't. He was definitely a messed-up dude with a serious drug problem, but she had a feeling he wasn't sure about crossing the line and murdering them. However, he had taken them for a reason and Kate wasn't sure exactly what his plans were. Although he could possibly be freaked out about killing a kid, Kate wasn't confident he was above murdering her. His hands twitched from time to time and she was not certain if that resulted from drug withdrawal or the urge to choke the life out of her.

Before she could further fool herself into thinking she and Cori were safe, the man grabbed her by the back of the hair and pulled her face close to his. Keeping her lips pursed, she tried not to gag from his rank breath.

"Keep your mouth shut while you're down here or I'll kill you. You're going to help me get a hell of a lot of cash tomorrow. They pay a lot of money for white girl ass in Irvine. And if you don't do everything I say, I'll hurt you and the little girl." Bile rose in her throat as she felt his spittle on her face. He pushed her away and exited the basement. The overhead light went off and they were cast in blackness again.

"Shit, we're toast," Cori mumbled.

"Hey, watch your language," Kate admonished.

"Are you seriously going to lecture me right now?"

"Yeah, guess you're right," Kate agreed. "Shit."

"What are we gonna do?" Kate hated the hopeful tone in Cori's voice.

She wished she had a brilliant plan of escape, but nothing was coming to mind. Actually, she was hoping there was some sort of clue left behind at her house when he grabbed her. Earlier in the evening, Jared had mentioned they had narrowed down the area where the abductor was from. Maybe he was on his way there now to rescue them. However, she couldn't pin her aspirations on Jared. Especially with the threat hanging in the air of her having to do god knows what tomorrow. The only consolation was he planned to pimp her out instead of Cori. If she hadn't let handsome and charismatic Jared between her legs, she would most definitely die fighting off whoever this guy had in mind. If it took biting off a portion of his nether regions, so be it. Whoever paid him for her would most certainly be asking for their money back.

"I don't know yet, but we're going to get out of here. I'm going to find a way to save us both," she promised.

Kate really hoped she wasn't pulling things out of her ass here and wouldn't be letting Cori down. They both sat quietly next to each other for a long time and Kate imagined Cori was praying just as hard as she for some sort of miracle.

### Chapter Twenty

It seemed as if hours had passed until an iota of light finally entered the basement. It was still dim, but Kate could finally get a look around at her surroundings and ponder over any possibilities for escape. It was tough to get over how surreal it felt to be in the same place as her vision. Cori dozed on and off and Kate tried to convince her it was safe to sleep. It wasn't like Kate would fall asleep with her adrenaline pumping. Now, Cori was huddled in a small ball on the floor with her body still full of tension even in sleep. Being held captive for weeks by a sicko who barely fed you and had to take you on supervised bathroom trips was enough to make anyone break. However, Cori was doing a pretty good job of holding it together.

The silence from upstairs was almost too much to take. Kate guessed he was sleeping, but there was no way to be positive. For all she knew, he could be sharpening the knives he planned to use to butcher her into a million pieces.

For a while, her only thoughts were how much it was going to suck if she died already. She still lived at home and was nowhere near finishing college. She swore if she made it out of here alive, she would no longer be spending her life in hiding. Screw that. She had wasted these past two years when she could've been dating, going to college and meeting new friends. The idea of having some Irvine pervert be one of her first real sexual experiences was horrifying.

Was she going to turn into a _Dateline_ special and not be found for years after being forced into sex slavery? Diane Sawyer would interview her while she would sit there with a dead look in her eyes, since any spirit would have been doused out long ago. How did a girl survive _that_ with her body and mind intact? She already felt her sanity was a precarious situation. She saw people's private memories on a regular basis. Years of this might end up making her certifiable as it was—no need to speed up the process.

As much as she wanted to block it out, she also comprehended she had a responsibility to protect Cori. If he wanted her to service his friends for money, Kate doubted he had the moral scruples to not demand the same of Cori. If it came to it, Kate would try everything to convince him to ransom the girl back to her family instead. Determined to figure out a plan, she began to jiggle the handcuffs. Looking behind her body at her bound wrists, inspiration struck. "Cori, wake up," she called over to the girl, trying not to have her voice travel upstairs.

Cori stirred and then rubbed her eyes. With some manipulation of her body, she was able to get up into a standing position. Looking around with a confused gaze, she inquired, "What's the matter? Is he back?"

"No, but I broke my wrist when I was ten!" Kate told her in a delighted voice. Cori gave her a look that conveyed how annoyed she was to be woken up by her idiocy. Kate continued on, "I've been too panicked to think straight, but I just remembered something that could help us. I fell off my bike and although I wore a cast, it never healed completely right. I have really small wrists on top of it. I bet I can get out of these cuffs!"

"What, are you a magician now?" Cori sounded disbelieving of her plan. Kate began pulling against the handcuffs.

As she wiggled her right arm, she felt concerned that maybe Cori had a point and she shouldn't have bothered to wake the girl up. Maybe she'd be better off if she simply followed the guy's orders and hope he'd let them go after she performed her service. Perhaps the john would end up being a handsome businessman and he'd be captivated by her beauty and agree to help rescue them.

Who was she fooling? It would be another crackhead like their abductor and he'd rape and beat her until she wished she was dead. Moreover, Kate didn't remember hearing of any abductors who suddenly decided to free their captives. Both she and Cori had seen his house and what he looked like. Why would he risk letting them go?

Kate tucked her knees to her chest and tried to use her body weight to pull against the handcuffs. She winced in pain as the steel dug into her skin. Tucking her thumb as close to her other fingers as possible, she gave it another unsuccessful try. Closing her eyes and bracing herself for terrible pain, she pulled with all of her might. She no longer cared if she broke her thumb to get these things off of her, she was that determined. A scream caught in her throat as the metal pushed into the bones of her finger and the handcuffs scraped against her skin.

"Oh crap!" Cori exclaimed.

Kate's right hand hurt like almighty hell, but she was able to move it freely. What was a little wrist pain compared to the full body agony caused by her captor's earlier assault? Repositioning her hands in front of her body, she now saw the handcuffs dangling from her left wrist. Her right hand was bleeding, but the cuts looked superficial and she doubted she'd done any major damage to the area. With hurried movements, she began to pull off the duct tape which secured her legs together. She was glad she had shaved before the wedding because she was certain removing the tape would've been much more agonizing. Cori walked over to her and seemed awestruck as Kate unbound her legs. It took a few minutes, but once she was freed they both stared at one another.

Cori whispered, "What now?"

Now that she was actually unbound, Kate wasn't sure how to proceed. The guy had the door bolted from the outside. She could attempt to break it down, but there was a strong possibility he was still in the house. If he heard her, it would alert him to her escaping the cuffs and it would foil any potential for escape.

Kate glanced around the basement. "He's got enough crap down here, maybe I could look for something to use as a weapon?"

Standing up took a few tries. She felt weak and it was painful to move out of the same position she'd been in for hours. Immediately, she slipped out of the shoes and set them next to the basement wall. Looking at the ruined shoes, Kate inwardly groaned. If she did make it out of here, she'd probably owe Julie five hundred dollars to replace the shoes.

Whirling to address Cori, she said, "Sit by the stairs and keep a lookout for me. Call to me as quiet as possible if you hear him coming." Cori nodded and returned to the base of the stairs to watch the door.

Tiptoeing around the basement, Kate tried to dig quietly through the various objects he had strewn around. Most of it consisted of old clothing, newspapers and drug paraphernalia. She had no idea why he was saving all of this crap, but decided to stop digging through the trash bags. The way things were going, her luck would cause her to get punctured with a needle and catch some type of disease from it.

Noticing a workbench in the corner, Kate prayed he had something she could use to retaliate against him. After pulling open several empty drawers, she was relieved to finally find a drawer filled with odds and ends including nails, drill bits, a screwdriver and a hammer. Kate picked up the hammer and returned to Cori.

Kneeling before her, she said softly, "I think I'm going to try and sneak up on him with this. I didn't find a knife or scissors to cut your arms loose. I could keep looking, but I think I should stop digging around and try to keep as quiet as possible. Since your legs are no longer tied up, you'll have no problem running when the time comes. When he walks down here, I'll jump out and hit him as hard as possible. Don't look back twice if you have the opportunity to get out of the basement. Run out of the front door and try to find help."

Cori looked terrified and Kate had doubts whether she should've let her in on her plan. "What can I do to help when he comes down here?"

Kate gave her an encouraging smile. "Maybe distract him somehow? Hmm... claim to be hurt and maybe he won't notice right away that I'm no longer tied up next to you."

"You have to hit him hard or else you're just going to get him mad," Cori warned.

Kate had her doubts over this one. She wasn't exactly strong when she was in the best of health and now she was sore and exhausted. "People can get superhuman strength when they're scared and they get an adrenaline rush. Like I heard of this guy who got run over and lifted up the car that he was trapped under."

"You're totally making that up." Cori shook her head.

"Ok, maybe, but there's no way I'm going to let us die in this dingy basement. You have a family who loves you and wants you home and I have a boy I'm really looking forward to kissing," she said with resolve.

She would use Jared as part of her motivation. He promised to ravish her and she planned to hold him to that when she got out of here. His sexy smile from the night before flashed in her head again and she decided to hold onto that memory to help her through whatever came next.

"Ugh gross, you have a boyfriend?"

"Um...not really...not yet," she told her guiltily. Cori gave her another look like she was certifiable when they both turned their heads towards the upstairs.

They heard movement and Kate knew any minute he would likely come down to them. "I'm going to hide behind the basement stairs. Remember, if you get the chance, Cori...get _away_. Don't worry about me, just get the hell out of here and get help."

Kate snuck over to behind the basement stairs while Cori sat in her usual spot a few feet in front of the stairs. The layout of the basement would provide him with only a view directly in front of him. He might not be alarmed to not see her at the bottom of the stairs immediately. It wasn't like she'd been secured to anything in the basement. Theoretically, she could crawl around to other parts while still bound. Her plan was to run like a maniac and slam the hammer as hard as possible into his skull. She was feeling kind of nauseous over the thought she might deliver a death blow, but it was better than the alternative. She would choose her and Cori over any reservations about killing another person.

She held the hammer with a death grip and readied her body to spring into action. Sitting there waiting was worse than anything. She seriously needed to pee, but had no idea when he would be coming down there. She didn't want to be off popping a squat when he decided to check on them. She thought about having Cori cry out, but decided it wouldn't be worth the risk. He threatened to kill them if they yelled out and it might mean he would bring a weapon down with him. Alternatively, he may be on higher alert for possible trouble from them. Cori gave her an anguished look with her watery blue eyes and Kate motioned for her to remain quiet.

It must have been at least an hour before she heard the basement door unlock. Fear threatened to consume her as she lifted the hammer.

As if on cue, Cori began to cry softly. "I feel sick. Please help me."

The man said nothing, but began his climb down the stairs. Kate rose to her feet and tried to keep from shutting her eyes. As soon as he came to the base of the stairs, she propelled her body towards him. Swiftly, he turned, but luckily she had the element of surprise; it gave her a small advantage. His eyes widened as she swung the hammer and hit his left temple with as much force as she could muster. She pulled the hammer back again to hit him again, but the first time seemed to be enough. His entire body collapsed and he fell to the floor with a loud thud. She looked him over and noted the large divot in the spot where the hammer had connected with his head.

"Is he dead?" Cori rose from her fetal position and walked over to where his body laid. Her voice lacked any concern, only a hopeful curiosity. At least the Prestons had money; their little girl would likely need massive amounts of therapy to ever get back any semblance of normalcy.

Kate peered closely at the man. He was definitely knocked out, but the rise and fall of his chest indicated he was still alive. "He's breathing, should I hit him again?" Kate asked uncertainly. She looked over at the girl. "Maybe we should just get out of here."

Cori nodded enthusiastically at the idea of escape from her personal hellhole. "We should find a phone and call the police."

"Good idea. Let's get the hell out of dodge. Are you ok to walk?" Cori nodded as a reply and they began to run up the stairs.

Cori was obviously weakened from being held captive for weeks and Kate helped pull her along. Exiting the basement, they ran into the kitchen. Kate did a quick survey and did not see a phone. On the counter was a butcher's block. Reaching in, she pulled out the largest knife she could find. Facing Cori, she said urgently, "Come here. Let me cut the zip ties off your wrist."

Cori held out her arms in front of her and Kate quickly sawed off the plastic. Rolling her wrists for a few seconds, Cori was obviously relieved to be freed. "I don't see a phone. I know you're tired, but we're just going to have to make a run for it..."

Kate didn't finish; the basement door flew open. She could barely scream, "Cori run!" before the man was on top of her.

She had never seen rage this up close and personal. Murder was in his eyes and Kate wanted to kick herself for being such an inept rescuer for Cori. They'd been in such a hurry to leave—she should have locked the door behind them. At the very least, knock him in the head a couple more times to ensure he wouldn't be gaining consciousness anytime soon. His powerful hands wrapped around her throat and she gasped for breath.

"You're dead now, bitch," he hissed at her.

A million random thoughts ran through her head. How long would it take for her to die? What would her mother do without her? Would Cori make it out alive? Would Jared throw himself on her casket and declare to never love another again?

She tried to claw at him, but he wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't a hulking beast and probably only outweighed her by twenty pounds, but he was pissed off and crazy. Guess she proved herself wrong that he wasn't a killer at heart. She rationalized that anyone hit in the head with a hammer would probably find it in him to murder. Her pathetic attempts to scratch him didn't even seem to faze him.

Blackness seemed to creep around her vision and she knew it would be over soon. The lack of oxygen was painful; she almost found it to be a relief to let go and die. Unlike the last time, there would be no coming back from the dead and she would get no more opportunities to use her second sight to assist others.

Suddenly, his grasp loosened and she was able to draw in a breath. She had no idea what had happened, but he suddenly grew still. While greedily sucking in as much air as possible, Kate was able to shimmy out from under his body and climb into a sitting position. Shocked, she saw Cori standing behind him. The butcher knife Kate had used to untie Cori now was sticking out of the man's back. Cori stood behind him with a blank expression on her face. It was almost frightening, like one of those freaky _Children of the Corn_ kids.

A few weak attempts to pull the knife out of his back and he was then passed out face first in a pool of blood. The crimson liquid was pouring out of him at a such a rate Kate imagined it unlikely he was going to jump up and surprise attack them again. Not that she was taking the chance and going anywhere near him to check for a pulse. Hurrying over to Cori, she pulled the girl close to her and tried to shield her from the sight of the potentially dead man.

"Is it over?" the girl asked in a small voice.

"Yes, you saved us. It's over," Kate whispered.

### Chapter Twenty-One

"I should really transport you to the hospital," the EMT was insisting as she examined Kate in the back of the ambulance.

The woman looked to be about ten years older than Kate. Her red hair was held back into a ponytail and her green eyes gave off a stern look. She had a pleasant figure, although the EMT uniform did nothing to enhance it. EMT Lady wasn't as soft as Kate and it made Kate wonder if the toned woman would've done better in the precarious situation Kate was just in. Maybe she needed to think about toughening up. It was extremely humiliating to know you had to be saved by an eight year old.

"Listen, I'm just going to lie here and wait for my parents. The cops said they are on their way here. Maybe just give me a valium or something in the meantime," Kate managed to croak out.

Talking was still difficult and she had no idea if her attacker had permanently damaged her voice box. She leaned back into the stretcher and closed her eyes. It was probably not even an hour later, but it felt like an eternity since she was standing over the bloody body in the kitchen. A minute or two after Cori had stabbed the guy, Kate realized Cori was in too much shock to do much of anything and running would probably be too difficult for both of them. Kate's throat ached and she was feeling light-headed. She guessed the lack of oxygen from asphyxiation might have killed a few brain cells.

It took all of her willpower not to puke buckets, but she finally gathered up the nerve to conduct a quick search of the body. In his pocket she found a cell phone. After calling 911 and figuring out the address by looking through a pile of mail on the table, the police were able to get there within minutes. The ambulance had rushed in and she was barely able to say goodbye to Cori before the girl was rushed away. The police had escorted her to a second ambulance as the EMTs worked on the stabbed man.

Eventually, he was taken out of the house on a stretcher. Kate was shocked to learn he had actually survived. It was hard to believe a knife in the back and a hammer to the head hadn't done him in. Christ, he was more tenacious than a cockroach. A part of her was relieved that Cori wouldn't have to live with the fact she killed someone. Another side of her was disappointed, since him surviving meant he could always go after them again. The idea of him spending his life in prison cooking up revenge schemes was kind of terrifying.

The police had questioned her briefly, but obviously saw she wasn't in a state for her answers to make much sense. They called her mother and told Kate to stay put until she arrived. The officers later told her that her father was also on the way. Not exactly the reunion she had been imagining. The EMT Lady tried to fuss over her again and she attempted to shoo her away by waving her hands wildly.

Physically, she actually felt things could be much worse. Besides her neck, most of her wounds seemed superficial and would probably only require a dab of Neosporin and a few ice packs. With some rest and hot tea, she imagined her voice would return as well. Mentally, she felt any minute she would fall apart and they would rush her to the nearest padded room.

"Katie!" she heard her mother call.

Kate sat up on her elbows and saw her parents running over to the ambulance. Her mother looked like she was auditioning for a part in a revival of _Sophie's Choice_ , with her eyes pouring out tears and yelling out "my little girl!" as she made her way over. Her father took quick and measured steps while steering her mother through the street. A few of the junkies who had finally rolled out of bed now sat on their porches. They didn't even bother to glance their way. Although it was mid-morning by the time the police and ambulance arrived, the street had been deserted. She guessed seeing the cops on the street was like an everyday occurrence for the neighbors and no more exciting than watching paint dry.

Her parents climbed into the back of the ambulance and her mother pulled her into an embrace as she sank to the floor next to the stretcher. Her dad joined in and they kind of embraced in an awkward three-way hug for a few minutes. Her mom was sobbing and her dad looked kind of misty eyed. Kate wanted to cry along with them but, strangely enough, felt numb and couldn't allow the tears to come.

"Thank the good lord, you're alive!" her mother cried.

"Oh honey, we couldn't believe it when we got the call. We've been combing the streets all night looking for you," her dad explained. Kate was grateful she was found when she was. Her dad worked in finance and her mother sold make-up. The two of them out roaming the seedier sections of the area would likely put them worse off than she had been.

"I'm ok. I only want to go home and forget about this whole nightmare," she groaned in a painful whisper.

Her mother looked at her uncertainly. "Honey, you look and sound like hell. You need to go to the hospital and get checked out."

Kate looked down at herself and did feel the urge to cry as she took in the state of her dress again. Blood, dirt and who knows what else covered the fabric. The crystal beading on the bodice had mostly fallen off. The hem was ripped and frayed beyond repair.

"Look at what that dick did to my dress, it's ruined!" she shouted out with a great degree of difficulty. If her voice never returned to normal, she would have to consider getting a job as a sex phone operator.

Her mother and father exchanged glances. Her father said as gently as possible, "Katie, you've been through a horrible ordeal and you can't go home without making sure you're physically fine." The mental part of the sentiment went unsaid, but was still understood.

She fell back onto the stretcher and looked at the ceiling of the ambulance. The last thing she wanted was to be poked and prodded at the hospital. Shutting her eyes tightly, she decided to tune her parents out for a few minutes. She appreciated their concern, but didn't have the energy to debate them about seeing a doctor. A hot bath followed by a few days hiding under her comforter sounded like the best possible cure for her ailments.

She heard her mother's fake cheerful tone. "Honey, look! It's Jared, you remember him, right?"

"Mom, I was almost killed, I don't have amnesia," she murmured, opening her eyes.

Turning her head, she met Jared's worried gaze as he took a spot behind her parents next to her stretcher. His eyebrows were knitted in concern and his gray eyes did a quick survey of her unkempt appearance. His eyes lingered on her neck and she imagined it wasn't from a desire to give her a hickey. Maybe a mirror should be checked to see what that animal had done to her delicate throat. She couldn't help but feel her vanity hurt at the thought of him seeing her in this half-dead state. Even in an old t-shirt and worn jeans, he was utterly gorgeous.

"How is she doing?" he addressed the female EMT.

The EMT looked flustered for a moment and Kate couldn't blame her. Jared was definitely a heartbreaker and it was easy to become distracted by his good looks. Why was he blessed with the ability to roll out of bed and look like he belonged on the cover of _GQ_ while she always felt like she should be a regular on the People of Wal-Mart website?

Kate closed her eyes again as the EMT answered Jared's question. "She's refusing medical attention. Maybe one of you could talk some sense into her. The only thing she wants is a valium."

God, EMT Lady was making her look bad in front of the guy she liked. The woman shrugged after she saw Kate shoot her a hateful look. Wasn't there such thing as girl code or something?

"We think she's in shock," her mom whispered to Jared while clearly still in earshot of Kate.

"Also not deaf, Mom. Fine, I'll go to the hospital if it gets you all off my case," she replied haughtily. She addressed her question to Jared. "How's Cori?"

"She's going to be fine, thanks to you. I talked to Nikki briefly on the drive over here and Cori had just arrived in the emergency room. She's dehydrated and malnourished, but nothing that'll likely affect her permanently. The Prestons are beyond grateful for everything you've done," he said.

Good, she thought; hopefully, it would be enough to give her a free pass to date Jared without feeling like a complete harlot. Something good should come out of this experience besides a raging case of post-traumatic stress disorder. Hopefully, Cori would fare better mentally and be able to recover from those weeks away from home with only a crazed fucker for company.

"Not sure why they would be grateful to me. Cori is the one who saved us," she stated flatly. Then continued, "I'm glad she'll be alright. And the guy?"

"We have his name now—Billy Rizzo. You were right about his connection to the family. Nikki's father had hired him about four months ago to do some outdoor repairs and deck maintenance. He was fired after a couple of days for showing up late and drinking on the job. Nikki's father Jacob refused to pay Billy for the work he had already done for him. Jacob explained to us that he hadn't recognized Billy from the sketch because he worked with so many people." Kate quelled the urge to roll her eyes. The Prestons were so rich they didn't even bother to remember the faces of the menial help.

"He has a ton of priors—everything from assault to possession charges. He's in serious condition. I'm guessing a hammer to the head and a knife in the back will do that. He'll live though, but he won't be getting out of prison for a _very_ long time," he explained.

The ambulance fell silent and Kate wondered if maybe she was in shock. Would she be able to tell if she was really in shock? Would it be like how they say if a person thinks she's insane, she's really not?

"Robert," her mother addressed her father and rose to a standing position. "Why don't we leave the two of them alone for a minute before they take Katie to the hospital?"

Her father shot her mom a glance which conveyed his confusion over why the hell they would do that. "Come on. Katie, we'll be right back," Darlene assured her daughter and practically had to pull her dad out of the ambulance before he could voice any of his protestations. Kate wondered how her mother would explain her and Jared's relationship, when to be honest Kate had no idea what to call him.

Jared moved to the spot next to her head previously occupied by her mother. He rubbed her cheek and looked at her affectionately. His hand pulled away from her face and Jared took her hand in his. Kate hoped the moment wouldn't be ruined by him having blood stuck to his skin. "You are _never_ to do this to me again."

"What? Not get abducted and held captive by a psychopath? It'll definitely be one of my New Year's resolutions," she replied and finished the sentiment with a hacking cough.

He ran his fingers over her neck once her coughing fit subsided. "Did he hurt you badly? Because I'll gladly go to the hospital now and finish him off," he said edgily.

His sensuous lips were set in a stern line with his gray eyes stormy. It made her realize he was probably partially serious about knocking Rizzo off at her behest. She was tempted to take him up on the offer, but figured she'd leave it to the justice system to take care of him.

She shook her head. "I'm good, it's not like I almost got killed or anything."

Looking into his eyes was definitely dispelling that numb feeling and making her feel all sorts of vulnerable. She had broken all of her self-made rules with him. It made her feel weak to want nothing more than to be in his arms and ask him to protect her from all the bad guys in the world.

Her lower lip trembled and she said shakily, "I don't know if I want you to see me like this. As if you couldn't tell, I'm sort of a hot mess. Maybe you should go be with Nikki and her family and I'll call you when I'm back to my normal charming self."

He brushed her lips with his and it was enough to instantly change her mind about wanting him to depart. "I'm not going anywhere, Kate. When I found out you were taken...I went crazy. Now that you're back, why the hell would I want to leave you? Besides, don't I owe you a date?"

Finding it difficult to speak, she gave a dazed nod. Moving his lips close to her ears he whispered, "Plus, I heard you were able to get out of a pair of handcuffs. You're going to have to show me that trick later."

She was finally able to crack a small smile and said, "God, you have such a dirty mind."

He leaned in and she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. His kiss was gentle, but persistent. Although they had only known each other for a short time, she knew he was trying to show her how much he already cared about her. It also reminded her of how grateful she should be to be alive. She would now have the chance to see what he looked like sans clothing. Wasn't that one of her major motivators in the crack house? She questioned if she could get EMT Lady to take a hike and do the deed right then and there. If being psychic was this dangerous, she couldn't take the chance to wait for a more opportune moment.

He whispered huskily, "You're with me now and nothing bad is going to happen to you ever again."

Kate did not reply and instead parted her lips for another kiss from him. She appreciated his positive outlook and hoped it was true. However, she wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep that promise. Something had changed when she had connected psychically with Cori and was held captive alongside her. It was like everything suddenly made sense and she realized her calling in life. Whoever had gifted her with her psychic ability when she was in the coma intended for her to use these powers to help others. She would have to get involved no matter how dangerous the situation might end up being. She knew if another abduction case was to come her way—she'd have to help. This meant danger would likely find her again and again.

The End

### About the Author

Heather Topham Wood's obsession with novels began in childhood while growing up in a shore town in New Jersey. Writing since her teens, she recently returned to penning novels after a successful career as a freelance writer. She's the author of the paranormal romance Second Sight and The Dark Dreamer series and the standalones Falling for Autumn and The Disappearing Girl.

Heather graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2005 and holds a bachelor's degree in English. Her freelance work has appeared in publications such as USA Today, Livestrong.com, Outlook by the Bay and Step in Style magazine. She resides in Trenton, New Jersey with her husband and two sons. Besides writing, Heather is a pop culture fanatic and has an obsession with supernatural novels and TV shows.

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

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