“You did great.”
* * *
Meanwhile, in the living room, Jack told Luca, “I can’t thank you enough. If it weren’t for you and Dawn, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“I’m just glad it’s all over and Mandy is back where she belongs.”
“I can’t believe that bastard Butts.” Jack shook his head. “To do that to his own niece. You know that Patricia and Craig Butts’s wife were half sisters, right?”
“Yeah, Captain Moore and my TO told me. Crazy.”
“Yeah, Patty’s dad had already been married once and divorced before he met Patty’s mom. We spent holidays together.”
“That is cold.” Luca realized Butts was a sociopath who wielded his power like an old-school mobster. “But it all caught up to him in the end.”
“I went to Butts,” Jack went on. “I asked him what was going on with the investigation and if he could tell me anything. He told me they were doing everything they could do. Can you fucking believe that? That same night, I got drunk, and then you found me passed out.”
“I’m so sorry. That guy was a bastard through and through.”
“Then he ends up crashing his car in the same place where he had my wife run off the road. I just feel bad for his wife. She’s a good woman. His daughter is another story. Butts spoiled her to no end. It all makes sense now. He was a dirty cop, and that was where he got all the money for his big house and fancy cars.”
“Well, he got what he deserved.” Luca left the part out about Karma and her own brand of justice, of course. Any mention of her existence to a human would have been met with instant and severe punishment. “The important thing is that Mandy is safe with you, and you guys can get on with your lives.”
“What about you? Butts was your sergeant, and from what I know of him, he must have been brutal to have as a boss and a police sergeant.”
“Yeah, it was no picnic.” Luca told him about quitting the force. “It feels good. Now I have to get my own PI business up and running.”
“I think you guys are gonna be great,” Jack replied. “If you ever need a reference, you know how to reach me.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
Chapter 18
“Family meeting at the Fierros’ can mean anything,” Luca said. “But the one thing you can count on is Ma’s great cooking and a dining room table groaning under the weight of it all.”
Dawn smiled. “Are you sure we should be there? I mean, they’ve been wonderful to Gran and me, but we’re not really part of your family.”
“My dad told me what the meeting was about, in case I wanted to have you attend, and I do.”
“Okay. Can you tell me what it’s about too?”
The front door opened, and his brothers began filing in with their respective wives.
“Sorry. Not anymore I can’t.”
He greeted each couple and made sure Dawn was reintroduced, in case she had forgotten their names. Her grandmother was already sitting at the dining room table folding napkins, and Antonio was introducing her to each of his sons and daughters-in-law.
“What can I do to help with dinner?” one of the women called out.
“Damn. I should have offered to help your mother too,” Dawn said to Luca.
“Don’t worry about it. She’s not shy about asking for help if she needs it. I think Misty’s in there with her. She’s been taking cooking lessons from Mom.”
Dawn groaned. “I should probably do that at some point. I can toast a mean bagel, but that’s about it. Gran has always done the cooking.”
“I can cook. Ma made sure I learned how as soon as she realized I wasn’t going to be a firefighter. All firefighters learn to cook, since they’re stuck at their firehouses for days sometimes.”
