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.