Dawn heaved a deep sigh, leaning against the inside of her front door. Relief washed over her. And fear as well. She had to get her stubborn grandmother out of this neighborhood. It was becoming far too dangerous. Thank goodness she knew Luca. She felt safer knowing he was just a phone call away, but at the end of the day, she could only rely on herself and Annette. Besides, it wasn’t like they were dating or anything. He was still hung up on his ex-girlfriend, Lisa. She shook her head and went back into the living room. Annette was probably exhausted by now.
“Gran, are you okay?” Dawn flicked on the lamp, and her grandmother poked her head up from the couch where she was lying down.
“I’ll be fine, sweetie. I’ve been through worse before and likely will again.”
Dawn helped Annette stand and then held her arm as they started upstairs. “That’s just it, Gran,” Dawn began. “I don’t want you to go through anything like this ever again. You already got shot in the leg before I was born. You still limp sometimes.”
Annette patted Dawn’s hand. “Don’t you worry about me, dear. I’ll be just fine. I want you to focus on your career and your own life. Maybe even a nice young man.”
Dawn rolled her eyes at Annette’s twinkly expression.
“Was that police officer the same young man you were telling me about?”
“Yes. How did you see him from inside? Did you peek out a window?”
“I just heard his voice. Seems like you’re sweet on him and vice versa.”
“Oh, Gran.” Dawn laid her hand on Annette’s shoulder. “I do like him, a lot, and that’s what scares me. I’m not exactly a great catch.”
Annette suddenly stopped and grabbed Dawn’s shoulders. “Don’t ever say that, young lady.”
When Dawn hesitated, Annette gave her a little shake. “You are an amazing and strong young woman. Any man would be proud to have you in his life. Don’t ever doubt that. Okay?”
Dawn smiled at Annette. “Okay, okay. You’re one tough cookie.”
“Well, it takes one to know one.” Annette tapped Dawn on the nose. “And speaking of cookies. Since we never got our tea, how about one of my homemade peanut butter cookies and a cup of hot chocolate before bed?”
“That sounds fantastic right now.”
As her grandmother limped back downstairs, Dawn followed and pulled out her cell phone to check her messages. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a new text from Luca: I like the penguins BTW ;)
She texted back her own smiley face and thanked him again. Then as she waited for her snack, she stretched out on the couch and thought about those blue eyes. She sighed again. She was in big trouble as far as Luca Fierro was concerned.
A cop and an ex-gang girl? Talk about opposites!
* * *
“You could get in big trouble for doing what you did tonight.”
After Luca and Joe hauled the shooter in and processed him, they went back out on the road, stopping for a quick coffee at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through.
“I’m sorry, Joe. I don’t want to disappoint you.” Luca glanced at the older man as he bit into a cinnamon cruller.
“Don’t give me that look, Fierro.”
“What look?”
“That ‘you shouldn’t be eating a doughnut’ look,” Joe said around a mouthful. “This is stress eating.”
“What about the other eleven doughnuts in that box?” Luca asked with a grin.
“I’ve got a lot of stress,” Joe replied, licking his fingers and reaching for a Boston cream. “Besides, we’re talking about you, not me. What happened in there?”
Luca sighed. “It’s like I said, I climbed up a pile of junk, got into the upstairs bedroom through an open window, and as I was making my way downstairs, the perp swung his gun away from the woman and pointed it at the front door. That’s when I made my move. He had his back to me, so he didn’t see me coming. I had no choice. He could have shot her or whoever came through that door.”
Joe wiped the side of his mouth with a napkin and then reached for his coffee. Taking a sip of the strong brew, he said, “I believe you, but next time, wait. We have protocol for a reason. I won’t say anything in the report about it.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
