“I left it at home. It needed washing.”
“Okay.” Mandy yawned and laid her head on Dawn’s shoulder. “I’ve been wishing and wishing, and now my wish has come true.”
“Yes, it has, honey.” Dawn hugged her close, tears in her eyes. I hope.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Dawn turned around with Mandy in her arms.
Suzie was walking toward them, a paper bag in her hand.
“That’s the mean lady,” Mandy whispered, holding tighter to Dawn’s neck.
“I’m taking this little girl back home to her dad,” Dawn said firmly. She wasn’t scared. She didn’t know if Suzie had a gun or a knife, but she was ready to fight.
“Fuck you.” Suzie pulled out a gun and pointed it at them. “Get back in there, both of you.”
Mandy started trembling and crying into her shoulder. “Please don’t make me go back in there.”
“You don’t want to do this, Suzie.”
“Do what? Shoot your Goody Two-shoes ass? I know who you really are. You used to work at Carla’s store. Now you think you’re too good for us. Ice told me about you. Said you had some psychic powers. That you might come by and try to steal the kid.”
“I’m not stealing the kid. I’m taking her back home where she belongs.”
Dawn could sense Suzie’s fear. She was holding the gun, but she was shaking. Or maybe she just needed a fix.
“I can help you, Suzie. Let me help. You can turn your life around.”
Suzie snorted. “Yeah, Ice told me you’d try that bullshit on me too. What he saw in you, I’ll never know. I guess you’re a good lay or something.”
Dawn was about to reply when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a bird swoop down from the sky.
Luca! He was moving so fast, Suzie didn’t even have time to react. His talons grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her away. She screamed and dropped the gun. He deposited her in the dumpster across the street.
“That big bird just grabbed the mean lady,” Mandy said, her eyes wide. “It’s like he knew she was mean.”
“Let’s go.” Dawn tightened her hold on Mandy and rushed to pick up the gun. She ran across the street to the car. Luca had transformed back to his human form and pulled on his T-shirt and jeans. Sounds of yelling and cursing were coming from inside the dumpster.
Dawn could tell Luca was pissed.
“What the heck were you doing?”
Yup. He was definitely pissed. “I was rescuing Mandy,” she replied calmly.
“I told you to wait.”
“Yes, but then Suzie left, and I couldn’t let another chance slip by.”
“Yes, but then she came back with a weapon.”
“Yes, but then you showed up and saved us.” Dawn grinned.
Luca sighed. “It’s hard to stay mad at you.” He opened the back door for Dawn to strap Mandy into the back seat.
“Get me the hell out of here!” Suzie yelled from inside the dumpster. “Help!”
“The mean lady is yelling,” Mandy said.
