In the Shadow of the Shield (Secret Lives Series Book 2) by Carolyn LaRoche Page A

hour later, she was idly clicking between reruns of Law and Order and the new episode of Wheel of Fortune . Jackson had finally left at her insistence. He looked haggard and exhausted. The gamut of emotions he had experienced had worn him out. She hated to see her baby boy look that way, no matter how tall and how old he got.
    The phone on the bedside table rang. She was in no mood to talk to anyone, but it might be Jackson, so she reached over and grabbed the receiver. Her concussion must have fogged her thinking, because it never even occurred to her that Jackson would call the cell phone that sat next to her on the bed.
    “Hello?” she said into the receiver.
    “Consider today a warning. You and Officer Do-the-right-thing need to let it go.” The line went dead. The handset fell from her hand and dropped to the floor, pulling the phone base with it. The resulting crash drew a passing nurse into her room.
    “You all right, sugar?”
    “Ye—yes. I knocked the phone off the side table.” She leaned over to reach for it. The floor swam in front of her, and Diana lost her bearings. The nurse grabbed her as she started to tumble over the bed side.
    “Whoa there, young lady—I’ll get that for you. You be a good patient and rest up on those pillows of yours.”
    Diana waited while the nurse straightened the phone and tucked her blankets back in around her. Her heart was racing, and the nausea made her stomach churn, but the nurse didn’t seem to notice anything wrong. Jeopardy started, so Diana pretended to pay attention to the television until the nurse was gone. As soon as the door to her room shut, Diana grabbed her cell phone and dialed Carter’s number.
    “Hello?”
    “Ca—Carter?”
    “Diana?”
    “Yes.” Her voice shook, and the word came out in a squeak.
    “Is everything okay?”
    “Someone called me. On the hospital phone. They said today was a warning, and you should let it go.”
    “I’m coming there right now.”
    “No. You don’t have to.” She didn’t sound convincing, even to her own ears.
    “Sit tight, and don’t answer that phone again.”
    “Okay.”
    Carter hung up before she could say anything else.
    Twelve hours ago, she had been a grieving widow. Now, she was a hit-and-run victim mixed up in God knows what.
    “What have you gotten me into, Donnie?” she whispered, closing her eyes against the nausea.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
     
    Diana tried not to jump out of her skin when a knock sounded at the door. With so many people coming and going from her room, her heart was in a constant state of high-rate panic. The relief that flooded her entire body when Carter entered the room made her want to cry. She was not a weak woman, and she had never fancied herself one who needed a man, but when Donnie was around she had the comfort of knowing a loaded gun wasn’t far. Donnie ran into some very unsavory characters.
    “I need to get my concealed carry permit.” The words even surprised her.
    Carter sat down in the chair beside her bed. “You don’t have one?”
    “No.”
    “What about in the cemetery?”
    “Yeah, about that.” She offered up a sheepish grin. “I held out for years. I was always worried about our son getting hurt, or having some other kind of accident. Besides, Donnie carried everywhere, and I knew he always had my back.”
    “Do you know how to shoot?”
    “Yup. Donnie used to take me to the range with him.” She pushed the button to raise her head in the bed a little. If she moved slowly, maybe the dizziness wouldn’t be so bad.
    “You don’t have to sit up on my account.” He reached over to stop her, but ended up grabbing her hand instead. Without meaning to, she yanked it away. Hurt flashed across Carter’s face, but it was gone in a flash as he offered up a grin.
    “I don’t bite, you know.”
    “I’m sorry. It’s just strange, you know? I was with Donnie for over twenty years and…”
    “It’s okay, I understand. I