Shadow of My Heart - By Caryn Moya-Block Page 0,44
Gwen and Lindy. I’m sure they’re having a good time shopping. I hope she doesn’t return before I do, but if so, Gwen and Lindy will keep her company.”
“Homeland Security picked up Davidson. He is spilling his guts. He’ll get jail time for sure.”
“Did you contact Fred Black’s sister yet? I would hate for her to learn of her brother’s death on the television or some other way like that,” Raven said sadly. What a terrible waste, and now the general had been attacked. Was Cara right to fear living in Raven’s world?
The elevator opened, and Raven and Joe walked down the hall to the private room the general occupied. Through the door, Raven could see that the older man looked haggard, his skin pasty-white and sweating. He was hooked up to several machines and an IV bag. Breathing deeply to steady himself, Raven opened the door and walked over to his friend’s bed.
“General, we came as soon as we heard,” Raven said gently.
The general’s eyes fluttered before they opened, and Raven felt better seeing keen intelligence still shining in his eyes.
“Good to see you, Son. They almost got me this time. Damn traitors. But I asked for you because of this,” the general said, leaning forward and holding an object out to Raven.
Raven reached for the object, and in his hand was a silver ring depicting a large hawk. “General, where did you get this?” Why did he have Derek’s ring?
“It was found at the crime scene. I told the cops it was mine. Someone is setting Derek up. I didn’t see much. The criminals came out of an alley, wearing black hoods, and started shooting. I dove for cover, but not before I got hit. Luckily, a police car was just down the street, and they saw what was going on. The shooter ran. I know it wasn’t Derek. Hell, he called me this morning to tell me he was being released from the clinic today, but was put on bed rest for the next two days.”
“I don’t understand how someone got Derek’s ring. Why would anyone try to implicate him in your shooting?”
“I don’t know, Son. But you need to find out who is behind this,” the general said, falling back exhausted on his pillows. Raven knew he and Joe needed to leave him so he could rest.
“All right, Sir. I’ll get people on this right away. Thank you for protecting Derek. You need to rest now.”
“Yeah, I know. Keep me informed, Darkwood,” the general said as his eyes fluttered shut and his breathing deepened.
Raven nodded to Joe and walked into the hall. “Get one of our men over here to keep an eye on the general. I don’t want someone to come in here and try to finish what the terrorists started.”
“You got it. Fighting Eagle is just getting off leave. He can be here right away.”
“I think we need to find out when Derek last had his ring,” Raven said.
“Didn’t Isanti give that to him?”
“Yes, when he passed the tests of manhood. Normally, the brave’s father gives him a gift. But our father was already gone by then. Isanti made the ring himself. He is a gifted silversmith. We can take so little with us into Shadow.”
“Well, we can speculate as to when he lost it or we can just go ask.”
“Let’s go then. I want to get back to Cara,” Raven said, striding down the hall. It was going to be a long night.
§
Cara opened the door from Shadow while Gwen and Lindy looked on proudly. They had insisted Cara memorize the location of each store they visited so she could always find her way back. Then, after a scrumptious dinner at a little café in Paris, they asked Cara to hold the image of the ranch house to allow the group to get home.
“I did it. I’m a real Shadow-walker now,” Cara said, carrying the leather bags full of her purchases. Lindy had insisted she buy several outfits to wear through Shadow. Cara couldn’t wait to show Raven what she had bought, including a very short, black mini-skirt.
“Yes, you are. Now you can travel through Shadow without harm. Just remember to always keep a clear image of where you want to go in your mind at all times,” Gwen said, carrying her own bag. She walked to the front door and opened it.
“I always love being able to hop from country to country. I think that is my favorite part of Shadow-walking,” Lindy