Wings of Deception (29 page)

Honey handed them
bottles of
coke
and pretended hurt feelings. “I guess I am not invited, but do
n’t
worry about me, I will just work in my flower
beds
…or something.”

Dwight
knew she was teasing but offered, “I can still get another one if you want to come.”

“That’s
okay
.
I don’t think I would enjoy it,
being
the odd one out. But now if you can get that cute guy on CSI for my date…”

They
all
laughed
for she was a serious CSI addict. They
went out to the patio
and
Dwight
told
them
funny stories
about Gem. He kept
them laughing for
Gem was
becoming
quite the
little
character.

They had been lounging out there
about fifteen minutes when
Honey felt something brush against her arm. Screaming
,
she jumped up out of her chair causing both her guest
s
to do the same.

“What is it Honey, what’s wrong?”
Dwight
was by her side instantly.

She swallowed hard and still shaking said, “There was something there.” She pointed to behind where she was sitting in her chair near a butterfly bush. “It is gone now.” She was looking for whatever it was, moving the branches around some.
Dwight
walked behind the bush and came back with a half grown kitten.

“Would this be the
guilty party
?” He laughed but
seeing
Honey was
still upset he turned serious. “Aw, come on, it
’
s just a kitten, not the big bad wolf. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh.”

He put the cat down and watched it scamper away.

“
Dang
, it scared the
daylights
out of me!
And it didn’t feel like a cat either, it felt wet and that kitten was not wet!
”

It would not have made her feel
any
better to know that gathered around them was something worse than
Dwight
’s big bad wolf
. Forces of evil were being held back by
angelic beings
. A fierce battle was going on, but Ragas was a champion and he had many friends with him.
The imp that had actually touched his charge was now deep in the abyss. But there were more and more coming at Honey and he definitely had his hands full.

A
fter
Dwight
and Sheila left Honey felt as if a dark cloud had settled over her home. She went to her bedroom and kneeling
in front of her window
she prayed, for
exactly
what she did not know but her prayers were like a sweet savor in the nostrils of her God
and the evil that hated her so
,
had to back off
.

She slept fitfully that night
.
Jacks was
in and out of her dreams.

The next morning she called his cell. It went straight to voice mail.

“Hi Jacks,
this is
Honey. If you get time today give me a call back.”

She was surprised when he did. It was after she went to work and was in a session with a patient so when she was
through
,
she called
him
again. This time he answered.

“Hi
,
s
orry
I missed your call this morning but on my way to work there
are
lots of holes in the service on
my
road.
What’s up?
”

She
got right to the point
with why she was calling. If he was going to say no, she did not want to prolong the conversation.

“I wanted to invite you to my going away party Friday night. I am having some people over and thought you might come. You may have heard that I will be teaching a semester at CU. I
really
would like it if you could be there.”

“Friday?”

“Ye
ah
,
around seven
,
I’m j
ust having a few of my friends over before I leave
so I can say good-bye
.
”

“Okay, I can do that.”

“You will
come?”

“Sure, why wouldn’t I?”

Honey
cautiously
said, “I don’t know, I guess I thought since you have been avoiding me…”

He
interrupted her
,
for though she was right and he had been avoiding her, he jumped at the invitation because he
was anxious
to see her
before she left
. “Honey, things have been super busy for me lately. Really, I would love to see you before you leave. The only thing is
,
I won’t be able to stay very long. I have an early flight Saturday.”

“Oh. Where are you going? I’m sorry
Jacks,
you do not have to answer that. It is none of my business.”

“Hey, it is no big deal
.
I
am
just going to New York for overnight.”

“I see.” Honey was not sure
she did see and asked,
“Jacks, would you answer me if I asked you why you are making these trips? You know, when all the stuff was going on with Carol
,
you told me about the men behind it all
.
I am worried that you are getting mixed up with these same people.”

“Hey, you are jumping to conclusions! Slow down, and I will answer your question. Yes, it does involve
some of
those men indirectly
but
the trips are to see…someone else. You know it was Morgan behind the whole Carol thing and who had Judge Langley murdered. What you do not know is that he was working alone, it had nothing to do with the council.”

“What council, you never
mentioned anything
about a council.”

“It is a group of people who strive for a
N
ew
W
orld
O
rder, making the Earth a better place to live. They do all sorts of good things and of course they also get blamed for lots of bad too. Just like what Morgan did
. It
reflected
on anyone he was asso
ci
ate
d
with.”

Honey could not believe what she was hearing
,
for it sounded like Jacks was
making
friends with the very same people he
once abhorred
.

“I
am
not sure I understand
.
”

“
Hey,” He cut in. “
I got to go, someone is here to see me. I will see you Friday night.”

“Okay.”

They both hung up. While Jacks was so busy he did
not
have time to think about the conversation, Honey could think of nothing else. It explained
why he had been acting strange
towards her.
How could he dismiss what Carol had said to him? How could he trust anyone associated with that Morgan man? She asked Sheila that evening when they were having supper together and she
had
repeated the conversation to her.

“Why do you think he is getting involved
with them
?”

It was hard for Sheila to imagine Jacks could like any of the men she had met but then again they all had a common denominator. They were not believers. She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know Honey. I am pretty sure Jacks won’t be explaining to me considering he knows
what I suffered with Morgan
,
but you know the saying, birds of a feather flock together.”
Quickly she added, “Now, saying that does not mean I believe Jacks is like them. I’m just saying, they do have common ground
so
maybe he …oh, I don’t know Honey. I just want him to be alright because I know he is confused about everything. And now I am too. Did he really say that they did all this ‘good’ stuff for the world?”

“Yes, he did and when he talked he seemed almost excited, like maybe he was one of them or something. I got this creepy feeling and I am worried.
He told me once that no matter what happened, I should never believe he was like them.
His words.
So now it does not make sense that he is basically telling me that he is like them and maybe even one of them now and that it is okay. Something is not right, I just know it!
”

Sheila nodded, “Me too, now I feel like I haven’t been paying attention
, with all the house renovations and all going on, I have been so caught up in my new life. I feel so bad.
He was there for me before, now I want to be there for him.
What can we do?”

“I
am
not sure, but we have to do something. We have to try and find out more about these trips…he is coming to my party Friday night
. H
e said he could not stay very long because he is leaving Saturday morning
for New York
. I will be wrapped up with everything but maybe you can get him alone and find out more, you think?”

“I can try.” Sheila looked doubtful. “He hates when I question him.” Suddenly she brightened up. “Wait a minute! What about Carol? She will come with her parents; maybe she can ‘see’ something.”

“No, absolutely not!”
Honey voice was sharp and she immediately repented. “I am so sorry
Sheila;
I did
not
mean to snap at you.”

“It was a bad idea I know, and what was I thinking? Anyway
,
I will do what I can to get Jacks to open up to me. I just wish you could find some time to be alone with him.
I believe he would be more willing to talk to you about all this.
”

Honey was silent as she finished her meal. Maybe there was a way she could have some private time with him but she was not ready to share her thoughts with her young friend yet. She waited for her to leave before she made her move.

It was not something that most people would approve but Honey had never been one to care about what people thought
. When Sheila had left, s
he got Jacks on the phone and when she got off she had convinced him to stay the night
at her place
and leave
for the airport
directly from
there
. It made sense she told him
,
for she had a guest room and he could get more sleep by not coming
to her party
and going
back home
Friday night.

There was one problem. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was being completely honest with herself. Was
this to help Jacks or was
she
doing this
hoping to bring back the closeness
she felt
had been
coming to their
relationship? It was something she could not answer but she prayed
that
what she was doing was for the right reasons
,
for in h
er heart
she
knew
it was too late;
she
already loved the man called ‘just Jacks
.
’

                                                                            TWENTY-FOUR

The patio was decorated in vivid colors
.
L
ights were strung overhead and soft
background
music was coming from the den. Dozens of people wandered in and out with glasses of juices, cola’s and plates of finger foods, chips and sweets. Children were playing
chase and
tag as
parents
watched laughing
at some of
their
carefree
rambunctiousness
. Some women hovered in the kitchen where they felt the most needed and some were hanging out in the den discussing a variety of topics. The men seemed to be having an intense debate on political matters
.
Jacks sat back and watched it all with a yearning he could not describe deep inside his being. Several of the guests had spoken to him and Sheila popped in and out of his view but Honey was constantly busy playing hostess and they had barely had time to talk.