In the Shadow of the Shield (Secret Lives Series Book 2) Read online

  “Thank you for recognizing that.” Her cell phone rang; the display said it was Jackson. “Excuse me for a second, it’s my son.”

  Carter nodded and waited while she took the call.

  “Hi, honey. Are you home for the night?”

  “Yeah. How’re you feeling, Mom?”

  “Better. I am sitting up a little now, and I don’t feel like puking my guts out.”

  Jackson laughed. “That’s good, I think.”

  “It is. I’m going to be just fine, don’t you worry about me.”

  “It’s hard not to.”

  “I’ll be home tomorrow.”

  “What time? I’ll be there to pick you up.”

  “I’ll call you when I know.”

  “Okay, Mom. Get some rest.”

  “You too. Love you, Jackson.”

  “Love you too, Mom. Good night.”

  “Good night. Oh—Jackson?”

  “What?”

  “Set the alarm tonight, please. I don’t like you to be home alone.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Just humor me and set the alarm, okay?”

  “Okay. I will, I promise.”

  She ended the call, and set the phone down on the bed beside her. Carter was busy sending a text. When he was done, he dropped the phone in his shirt pocket and smiled at her. “I have arranged for a cruiser to keep an eye on your house tonight.”

  “Thank you. I don’t like the idea of him being there all alone after what happened today.”

  “You should try and get some rest.”

  “No one sleeps in hospitals. Don’t you know that?” she replied. “Besides, I could never sleep now. What if someone sneaks in here?”

  “Not gonna happen. You have your own personal bodyguard now.”

  “No, Carter, I can’t let you do that.”

  He stood up and smoothed the blankets around her legs. After fluffing and rearranging the pillows, he moved the chair to the other side of the bed so he could face the door to the room. Sitting back down, he threw his feet up on the edge of the bed, one foot crossed over the other, and did the same with his arms over his chest. “Nothing you can do about it now.”

  She should insist that he leave, but Diana felt safe with Carter in the room—almost like having Donnie back by her side again. It had been so long since she’d had a man in her bed. Not like Carter was in her bed, but his presence in the room was still calming.

  “I am kind of tired.” Her eyelids drooped, and her words sounded slurred, even to her own ears.

  “Sleep. I’ll be right here.” He patted the holster on his hip. “No one will get by my old pal Glock.”

  “Maybe for just a little bit.” Her eyes were closed before she ended the sentence.

  ***

  The sun felt warm against her face as Diana’s eyelids fluttered open to reveal unfamiliar surroundings. The confusion multiplied when she saw the man sleeping in the chair beside her bed—feet propped up, arms folded over his chest, and a gun in his hand. Closing her eyes once more, she reached up and massaged her temples. Images flickered through her mind—Donnie’s grave, a black van, Officer Carter Ryan taking her for coffee.

  “Are you awake?” a vaguely familiar voice asked. She opened her eyes again to the handsome young man—Carter—looking at her with a bit of concern in his eyes.

  “Mmm…hmm…My head hurts.”

  “You took a good noggin whack when that car pulled out in front of you.”

  “Oh, right. I was in an accident.”

  “Don’t you remember?”

  She nodded. “It’s coming back to me now. I slept so soundly, I think I forgot where I was—and why.” It was true—she hadn’t slept like that since before Donnie died.

  “Do you want me to call a nurse?”

  “No, I’m fine. Just a little groggy still. Must be the pain meds. You stayed here all night?”

  “I told you I would.” He flashed her a grin that warmed her insides a little bit.

  “Thank you. I haven’t slept like that since…well, since before Donnie died.”

  “So glad Glock and I could make you feel safe. The nurse came in every couple of hours to check your vitals, and you never even stirred.”

  “Like I said, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a good night’s rest. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you giving up your bed for me.”

  Carter stood up and returned the chair to its original position. “I didn’t mind at all. Unfortunately, I have to go home now and get ready for work, but you have my number. If you need anything, you can call or shoot me a text.”

  “I wouldn’t want to bother you at work.”

  “It’s no bother at all.” The slightest hint of huskiness brushed over his words, and it made her cheeks warm. Diana felt like a schoolgirl, with the blushing and butterflies Carter kept stirring up in her.

  You are an old woman, much too old for him. Get over yourself, Di.

  No amount of mental admonishment seemed to lower her racing pulse as he picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “If it’s all right with you, I would like to stop by this evening and see how you are faring. I’m going to do a little poking around today too, so I might have something to report.”

  Her brain was demanding she pull her hand away, but her stubborn muscles weren’t listening. His touch spread heat to parts of her that hadn’t been warm for a very long time and she liked the feeling.

  Donnie is barely cold in the ground, and here you are panting over some young buck with a sexy smile and shoulders that really know how to fill out that flannel shirt.

  Barely cold? Donnie died a year ago. The only thing colder than his body was her bed. What would it hurt to indulge herself a little? He was only holding her hand; it meant a whole lot more to her than it did to him. She had a sudden longing to touch him, to test those muscular shoulders under her fingertips.

  Diana!

  She shook her head as though trying to clear the myriad thoughts that had begun to cloud it. Years of working the phones had given her a very vivid imagination.

  “No?” Carter asked.

  “No, what?” she answered, confused.

  “No, it’s not all right if I dropped by this evening?”

  “Oh. Yes. Sorry. Yes, of course. I won’t be going anywhere. My car is in a bit of a mess at the moment.”

  Carter chuckled. “Yeah, about that. Let me know if you want to go car shopping.”

  She groaned. “I hate car shopping. Surely you have something better to do than trudge through dealerships with me.”

  “No, I really don’t think I do.” He let go of her hand and tipped an imaginary hat. “I must be off to work now, Miss Diana, but I will return. Have a safe day, and set that alarm I heard you mention last night until I get there.”

  Before she could respond, Carter was gone. Diana leaned back against her pillow and let her eyes fall closed again. The last twenty-four hours had been a roller coaster of action. She went from wandering around the house, a lonely, old widow, to discovering her body still liked the touch of a good-looking man, even if he was way too young for her.

  She should have told him not to come over. She should have insisted she didn’t want to know any more about Donnie’s death. If she had half a brain in her head, she would leave it alone. Donnie was gone. She should leave well enough alone—let her husband rest in peace.

  Unfortunately, now that Pandora’s Box had been opened, she wanted to know more. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to know more about: how Donnie died, or how Carter looked without that flannel on.

  Dirty old lady!

  She giggled. A light rap on the door to her room caused her body to tense. She relaxed when Jackson walked into the room.

  “How are you this morning, Mom?”

  “Much, much better, son.”

  “The nurse at the desk said the doctor should be by soon. She said you are going home.”

  “Thank goodness. I miss my own bed.”

>   Of course, she had slept pretty well in the hospital bed.

  It’s not like Carter will be there every night when you sleep. Time to get back to the reality of cold sheets and pillows piled up to make the bed smaller.

  She had the distinct feeling he would warm her bed if she asked him to. Diana groaned as her nether regions warmed and tingled.

  “What’s wrong?” Jackson looked concerned. “Does your head hurt or something?”

  She smiled at her son. When had he grown up so much? “I’m fine. Just anxious to blow this popsicle stand.”

  A woman in a white coat entered the room then. “Good morning, Mrs. Massey. I’m Doctor Barrington. Are you ready to get out of here?”

  “Most definitely, Doctor.”

  “Well, your vitals looked good through the night. We are going to run one more CT scan this morning to check for swelling in your brain. If everything looks good, you will be home before lunch.”

  “Sounds good. When is the CT scan?”

  “How about right now? I’ll be back to talk to you later.”

  An orderly walked into the room and started setting her bed up for the trip to the imaging lab as Doctor Barrington left.

  The test moved along fairly quickly, and an hour later she was back in her room, waiting with Jackson for the results.

  “Why were you so worried about me setting the alarm last night?” Jackson asked as he flipped through the channels on the television.

  “Because you were home alone, and I was concerned about you. I’m your mother, it’s my job.”

  “I stay home alone all the time.”

  “I know, but not like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “What’s the problem, Jackson? I simply asked you to set the alarm. That’s why we have one.” Why was he pushing the issue? She always told him to set the alarm at night.

  “I don’t know. Something seemed off when I talked to you.” If she told him the real reason, Jackson would worry, and she didn’t want that. On the other hand, if she didn’t tell him and then something happened to her—or worse, him—that would be exponentially worse. Of course, there was the possibility that nothing at all would happen to either of them. Carter promised to look into things during the day and talk to her more about it that night. She could wait until after she talked to Carter, and then decide if she wanted Jackson to know about his father’s death.

  “It was nothing, Jackson. Maybe some nerves from the accident. Did everything go okay last night?”

  “For the most part. The phone rang a couple of times, but no one was there when I answered. Probably a wrong number. Oh, and this was stuck to the door this morning when I left.”

  He pulled a white envelope from his pocket and handed it to her. Her name was printed in tiny letters on the front. Otherwise, the envelope had no markings on it.

  With shaking hands, she broke open the seal and looked inside. Inhaling sharply, she dropped the envelope to her lap and let out a little cry.

  “Mom? Mom, what is it?”

  She picked up the envelope and dumped the contents into her lap. Jackson gasped as a plain gold band picked up the midday sun.

  “Is that Dad’s wedding ring?”

  She poked it gently with her finger, almost afraid to touch it. She finally picked it up and held it between two fingers, peering inside. The familiar inscription, ‘Blessed Are The Peacemakers,’ brought tears to her eyes. She had chosen that inscription for their wedding day herself, when Donnie was barely a rookie on the force.

  “Yes.”

  “I thought the hospital lost it.”

  “Me too.” She slipped the wedding band over her thumb. Donnie had had large hands; the ring was much too big for her, but she was comforted by the weight of it on her hand.

  “So, how did it end up taped to the front door?”

  “Good question. I wonder if one of the guys found it somewhere and dropped it off, but didn’t want to wake us.”

  Or maybe someone has had it all along and is now trying to send a message. She slipped the ring off and held it tight in her palm. She could almost feel Donnie with her. Diana didn’t care if aliens had dropped it off in the middle of the night; she was beyond thankful to have it back.

  “Are you crying, Mom?”

  She blinked back tears and sniffed. “Maybe a little. I just miss your dad.”

  “I know, I miss him too.”

  “If you don’t mind, I think I am going to close my eyes and rest for a few minutes before the doctor comes back. I have a bit of a headache.”

  “Maybe I’ll run down to the cafeteria then and get something to eat.” As if on cue, Jackson’s stomach let out a loud rumble. They both laughed.

  “There’s money in my wallet. Go ahead and grab some. I don’t want the staff here to think I starve my boy.”

  He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, Mom. I won’t be gone long, I promise. And I am glad you got Dad’s ring back.”

  She let out a long sigh. “Me too, honey. Me too.”

  The appearance of Donnie’s ring actually worried her a great deal. She debated whether to call Carter, or wait until he dropped by the house later that evening. Why would the ring suddenly show up now, a year after Donnie’s death, and a day after someone tried to kill her too?

  The ring slid off her thumb and into her lap. She studied it for a long while without touching it. Not that it mattered—any fingerprints that had been on it were likely ruined by her holding it. Grasping it and holding it close to her heart, she closed her eyes against the onslaught of memories it revived: the day he proposed; her daddy chasing him down the driveway with a shotgun, telling him to get a job first; how handsome he looked when the chief pinned the badge to his uniform for the first time. Over two decades of love filled her heart and her mind. To hell with how the ring had showed up—it was back with her, where it belonged.

  “I love you, Donnie,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to the ring before dropping it in her purse on the bedside table. “I’ll always love you, but life goes on, and I need to go with it.”

  Chapter Seven

  “You look absolutely hideous.” Diana cursed the image in the mirror as she held her hair back and examined the nasty bruises that had formed on her forehead and around her left eye. “Carter’s going to take one look and run for the hills.”

  Why she cared what Carter thought, she didn’t know, since they were only supposed to be working on investigating Donnie’s death together. But care she did.

  She twisted Donnie’s ring around her thumb. It had sat in her purse for a couple of hours before the need to touch it again grew so strong, she couldn’t resist digging it back out. She still needed to tell Carter about it anyway. Wearing it would help her remember.

  As if she would forget.

  “I’m heading out, Mom!” Jackson called from down the hall. “You sure you don’t want me to stay home with you?”

  She left the bathroom and joined her son in the kitchen, where he was putting on his jacket. “I’ll be fine. You go on and have fun at the game.”

  “Call me if you need me, and I’ll come home. I don’t like basketball all that much anyway.”

  “You love basketball.”

  “But I love you more. Call me, okay, Mom? I won’t mind.”

  “I’ll be fine. Really. You don’t have to worry. I’ll probably go to bed early.”

  Jackson hugged her and left. The house fell silent instantly. She checked her pocket for her cell phone, set the house alarm, and then settled in the living room with the television remote. By nine o’clock she had pretty much given up hope that Carter would stop by.

  She was in the kitchen making a cup of tea when the doorbell rang. When she went to the front door, she could see him, hands shoved in his pockets of his jacket and breath clouding in the chill night air. He looked exhausted. After turning off the alarm, she pulled the front door open and stepped back, letting him in.

  “Whew! It’s a cold one
tonight!” Carter rubbed his hands together as she secured the door and reset the alarm. “I hope it’s not too late?”

  “No. I was just making a cup of tea. Would you like some?” Diana did her best not to make eye contact. She was suddenly very self-conscious of the bruising and swelling on her face.

  “Actually, I would love some. My grandmother raised me on a cup of tea before bed.”

  She led the way to the kitchen, grateful the lights were dim in there. “Your grandmother?”

  “Yeah. My mom disappeared when I was a baby. Over the years she came by every so often, looking for money or food or a place to crash, but she was always so high my grandmother would send her away again.”

  “I’m so sorry.” His story saddened her. She filled the tea kettle and set it on the stove. While it heated, she busied herself with another cup and a tea bag for Carter.

  He shrugged. “No reason to apologize or feel bad. I had a great life with my grandmother. My mother did me a favor by leaving.”

  “Is that what made you go into police work?”

  Carter laughed without humor, and she snuck a glance at him over her shoulder. “No. A very kind judge is the reason I became a cop.”

  “A judge?”

  “Despite my grandmother’s best efforts, I fell in with a rough crowd when I was a teenager. They were into cars.”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing. Unless you steal them, dismantle them, and sell their parts. Chop shops are big business where I come from on the west coast.”

  “You’re a car thief?” She couldn’t even attempt to hide the shock. She'd let this man she hardly knew into her home, and he was a criminal. What was she thinking? Wait. He was also a cop. People could change.

  “Was. And I didn’t actually steal anything. I couldn’t bring myself to, so I was more like a scout. After school I hit the streets on my skateboard and took note of all the hot cars. After I reported in, the repo team went out and brought them home.”

  “Repo team? Home?” The whistle on the tea kettle sounded, letting her know the water was ready. After pouring out two cups, she passed one to Carter, and then turned quickly back to the sink to empty the pot and put away the tea bags. She had no idea how she would hide her face for much longer.