The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series by J.M. Pierce Page A

it, but something about this man seemed familiar. Without saying anything, she walked to the booth and took a seat. Thad followed and sat opposite her.
    Holding out his hand, he introduced himself. “Well, my name is Thadeus Johnston, but people just call me Thad.” He watched as s he cocked her head at an angle in a curious way. Slowly, she lifted her hand from beneath the table and shook his hand. He noticed the needle marks in her arm.
    “Nicole, Nicole Paxton,” she replied.
    Trying hard not to show that he’d seen her marks, he answered politely. “Nice to meet you , Ms. Paxton.”
    Cupping her hands together atop the table, she looked at him through bloodshot eyes. “It’s funny,” she began, stopping to take a sip of her coffee. “You remind me of someone I used to know.”
    Thad grinned and took a sip of his own coffee. “Oh yeah, who’s that?”
    “You wouldn’t be related to a Cliff Johnston, would you?”
    Tha d ’s heart stopped. He tried to contain himself, the anxiety and excitement of the moment nearly overwhelming. He set his cup down softly on the table and stared blankly at the wall.
    “You know,” he began, “the world is so big, yet every once in a while we all are reminded that it isn’t so big.”
    Nicole placed her palms flat on the table, waiting tensely for him to answer her question. “What is that supposed to mean? ” she asked.
    He turned back to her and leaned over the table, looking the pale young girl square in the eyes. “My grandfather’s name was Clifford T. Johnston.”
    He watched as her mood instantly changed and her hands began to tremble. Her jaws clenched tightly and she gripped the edge of the table, pulling herself out of the booth.
    As she stood, Thad raised his hands. “Hold on, Nicole. What’s the matter? I’m sorry if I…”
    “I don’t want this,” she replied, cutting him off abruptly, her index finger stabbing at him in the air. “I don’t know why you’re here or what you want, but I don’t want it.”
    Thad sat stunned in his seat as she walked away.
     
    ****
    Invisible to everyone in the room, Cliff stood behind Thad. His spirit was overwhelmed with emotion at the fact that he’d just discovered his grandson. He studied his every feature; the premature gray in his hair, the wide nose, his small frame; he was amazed that he hadn’t seen the resemblance sooner.
    Thad stood from the booth, looking around the room and noticing the other patrons staring at him . Cliff reached out to him, wanting nothing more than to ta ke his grandson in his arms and hold him, but h is fingertips slipped through Thad’s shoulder as he began to walk towards the door. Cliff followed him to the car and placed himself into the back seat. He studied his grandson’s eyes in the rearview mirror, seeing more and more of himself in Thad the longer he looked.
    Thad pulled out of the parking space and turned into traffic, talking to himself in a frustrated tone.
    “What the hell did I say?” he muttered.
    Cliff leaned forward so as to hear him better.
    “How did she know Grandpa Cliff ? ” He huffed in anger. “ None of this makes sense.”
    Cliff watched as Thad gripped the steering wheel more tightly. “Dad’s right, these damn vision s ain’t a gift, they’re a damned curse!” he shouted, pounding a fist on the dash.
    Cliff leaned back aghast. His grandson had the sight. He’d never once considered that his son or one of his descendants would inherit it, even though he knew that his own grandfather had passed it on to him.
    The drive went quickly as Cliff’s mind raced to get a handle on his emotions and thoughts. Just as he’d begun to bring his focus around, Thad pulled into his apartment complex . Taking the turn at a high rate of speed, and ignoring the speed bump at the entrance, he flew into a pa rking stall. Cliff watched as he flung the door open mindlessly, slamming the edge into the car parked next to him. Thad didn’t even look. Instead, he