Mark of the Lion by Suzanne Arruda Read Free Book Online

times like this. Immediately after leaving the Hackett-Lowther ambulance unit, she returned to London to tie up some loose ends in her language studies at Winsor College. Too restless to stay in one place, she took a Christmas trip home to her parents’ New Mexico ranch and occupied it with hiking, hunting, and ranch chores. She went out of her way to pack every moment of every day with something useful to occupy her mind so she didn’t have to think about the front and David’s death. Especially David’s death. It wasn’t until New Year’s Eve when the crisis came to the forefront.
    Her father’s foreman and ranch hands had sequestered some Roman candles to shoot off in celebration. Jade was in the living room of the big stone house with her parents when the explosions began. New Mexico suddenly dissolved into the French front lines. After first hitting the floor behind the chair, she raced out into the night, searching for her ambulance. Later that night, she woke screaming from a nightmare in which she carried David’s bloody body across fields of broken airplanes.
    That was when her father suggested it was time to put David to rest, and the only way to get rid of the burden was to carry out his last request. He convinced her she didn’t know everything about David, including any illegitimate siblings tucked away somewhere. He also said she needed independence, so he contacted an old editor friend who decided that her language skills and adventuresome nature made her ideal to write travel articles for his magazine. Jade went back to London in February and began the search for David’s brother.
    Together, Jade and Mr. Jacobs had surmised a few key points: the second son was four or more years younger than David and was sired in East Africa during Gil’s first trip. The name on the packet hinted that the young man’s name was Abel, and since Gil wanted to pick up a trail in Tsavo, the son might still live there. Now here she was in Nairobi with the second ring and the sealed packet tucked away with her clothes. As far as she knew, she was still a thousand miles away from a conclusion, but she’d made her resolve, and that was the first step towards the end and her own recovery. The chicken bone dropped from her hand onto the carpeted floor as Jade slipped into an uneasy sleep filled with diving planes and wild hyenas with eyes glowing like the stone in David’s ring.

CHAPTER 4
    “The residents of Nairobi are as diverse a set of people as any group of pioneers. Some go to help build the empire, others to seek personal fame and fortune, and still others look for adventure and freedom from the rigid confines of society. They all carry treasured parts of civilization with them as well as a spirit of rebellion.”
    —The Traveler

    “GRAB YOUR RIFLE AND HEAD FOR the flume!”
    A loud shout woke Jade with a start, and she jolted upright in her chair. When she realized the room was dark, she reached for her pocket watch to see the time. Funny. I don’t remember turning out the lights. Perhaps Jelani had come back for the tray and, seeing her asleep, had switched them off. She glanced at the table beside her. No, the tray was still there. She felt her way to the far wall and flipped the switch. Still, no lights.
    The power must be out. More shouts from the street drew her onto the upper veranda. A crowd milled below in the fading daylight. Several men called for help at the generator flumes, and suddenly Jade had the urge to tag along. She grabbed her leather notebook and ran out the door and down the stairs to the street.
    Outside, people raced for cars and horses. She spied a slender middle-aged woman and a tall man walking towards a box-bodied car. Jade ran after them. “Please,” she called, “may I ride with you to the generator?” The pair turned and looked at her in openmouthed surprise. “I’m an American reporter for The Traveler ,” she explained. “I’d really like to see what’s happening. May