by Maria Dean
Lorenzo escorted her across the road and helped her sit in a leather chair. He disappeared to get them coffee as Astrid tried to readjust her breathing rate. When he returned, he handed her a small cup of coffee. "I remembered your last order," he said. "White mocha, right?"
She gave him a nod and reached for it, her hands slightly shaking. "Thanks," Astrid said quietly. It wasn't common for one of her friends to help her through the attack. Winston tried his best, but that usually meant just coaching her through it and yelling at Sally to get her more water. "Don't mention this to your brothers, okay?" She asked when she felt good enough to speak. "I don't want this to be something that defines their impression of me."
"What do you mean?" Lorenzo sipped on his tea.
"I just," she sighed, "I just don't want to be the one who has panic attacks in public. You know, there are other important things to know about me." She eyed the curious dragon shifter.
"Then again, you and your brothers know me primarily as an Alice, so I guess there are worse things."
Lorenzo smiled softly. "Glad to see you're recovering," he said. "So what happened that made you want to leave? If you're okay with talking about it, that is."
Astrid nodded. "Right, okay." She put her coffee back on the table. "I was Alicing today and found this other-realm that was filled with alchemical symbols. Nova and I agreed that I shouldn't go back until I've figured out my powers more. But when I suggested that I talk to my mother about it, Nova just dropped this bomb on me." She lowered her voice, in case there was some alchemist nearby. After all, her last time in a mainstream corporate coffee shop ended in her Alicing to another dimension. "My mom vanished when I was younger. No one has seen or heard from her since."
Lorenzo raised his eyebrows. "That's a lot," he murmured. "I'm so sorry, Astrid."
"I'm not exactly done," Astrid said. "My father is also an alchemist. My father, who still calls me for holidays and mails me cookies when he thinks I'm having a bad day. My father, who I really thought I would be able to reconcile with after years of him neglecting me as a child." Her hands began to shake again, and she stopped talking, trying to calm herself down. "And yet he's still an alchemist. He threatened to expose me unless my mom gave me to him."
He reached out and wrapped his hand around hers. "You're not your father, Astrid."
"I know," she said hanging her head. "But that doesn't make me feel any better."
Lorenzo stood up and rounded the table. He sat down next to her and squeezed her shoulders, pulling her head onto his chest. "Do you want to talk about your mom?"
"I don't know," Astrid said again. "It's not like I knew her very well. She's just the only person I know who has the same powers as me. And she just vanished." She tried not to focus on how her heart started to pound when they touched. She didn't want to think about the fact that he made her feel safe or at home. "I just feel abandoned."
Lorenzo nodded. "That's fair," he whispered.
Astrid could've fallen asleep there. She pulled away from him, squeezing his hand to say thank you. "Out of curiosity, why were you at my apartment?"
"I wanted to see you," Lorenzo shrugged. "You're different. I don't like to waste my time with humans like my brothers do. I go to the gallery in my spare time, but my social circle is very limited to Donny and his artists. But you, you make me want to go out of my way to see people."
Astrid returned to drinking her coffee. "Thanks, I guess," she said. "You know, it's still kind of weird hearing you refer to us as 'humans'. If I didn't know about your family, I wouldn't know that y'all were different."
He snorted. "I suppose it could be weird. I can stop if it will make you feel better."
"Nah," Astrid shook her head. "It's not a big deal. It's not like you're saying humans are terrible or useless." She looked up at him. "Right?"
"Well," Lorenzo paused, "not exactly." Astrid whipped her head around and examined him. "I just don't really think humans and dragons are on the same level of evolution. We're much stronger, we're faster, we can heal at remarkable speeds..." He listed off the traits as if they were facts. "And it's dangerous to live around us. Alchemists, the church of the slayers, and monster hunters are all hunting us. Things would just be better for both species if we lived apart."
"Uh-huh," Astrid said, unsure of whether she was buying his crap. Maybe it wasn't crap for him, she reminded herself. That didn't mean she had to believe it. "Hey, this has been nice and all, but I need to go home." Never mind that Nova was at home and probably still upset with her. "I'm going out for brunch with Winston and Sally tomorrow. I need to call them and solidify plans." Winston was the world's best scapegoat. He was incredibly forgetful and needed to be reminded if he had made plans with someone.
Lorenzo offered to give her a ride home, but she turned him down, choosing to walk back to the apartment and clear her head. It was a short enough walk, timed to the Twin Cities sunset. Astrid watched the sky change colors as she moved down the block. It warmed her heart, soothing her paranoia from the last few hours. She didn't even realize she'd arrived home when she did, as she was still watching the sun set in the sky.
"Nova," Astrid said when she entered the apartment, "I need to apologize..." The apartment door swung open to an empty living room. Nova was gone, completely moved out without another word. This time she'd taken all her trinkets too. Astrid searched for some sort of note, explaining her absence, but she was just gone.
Just like Calypso, a cruel voice in her head said. They're all going to leave you eventually. Lorenzo said he thought things would be better if humans and dragons lived apart. You will be alone if you keep driving these people away.
Astrid didn't realize that she'd fallen to the floor to cry until her head began to hurt.
Saturday evening blurred into Sunday morning, which blurred into Monday before Astrid's eyes. She tried to function like a normal human being but couldn't, still drained from everything that happened with her aunt. Nova didn't call her afterward, though Astrid used social media to track her aunt's progress. The woman could NOT stop tweeting.
Nova was safely back in North Carolina, still without telling Astrid why she left. It was a dick move, if you asked Astrid. Especially after her aunt told her that Calypso vanished too. Astrid knew she could've called Nova and tried to reconcile, but she held back. The Gray women were stubborn. If they were going to fight, Astrid would not give in.
Winston and Sally knew something was up when Astrid came in on Monday without a cup of coffee. Sunday brunch had gone well, though they assumed she was just tired and not interested in drinking. But two days without coffee was a shock.
"Do you want me to grab you anything?" Winston offered. "I'm going across the street for some Starbucks."
Astrid shrugged. "I guess," she murmured.
Her office mate sighed. "Astrid, you can't mope all day. Is there something wrong?"
"Just go get me coffee, please," Astrid sighed. She waved Winston off and tried to open her computer and work on a case. She got as far as opening her computer, greeted with her aunt's Facebook profile. Astrid shut the computer and groaned.
Sally walked in just as Astrid face-planted into the desk. "Oh," she squeaked. "I was going to ask you how you were doing, but I guess that's my answer." The receptionist circled Astrid's desk and enveloped her in a hug. "I don't know what's going on, but you're always welcome to tell me if you want. And I swear I won't tell anyone. That's a promise."
Astrid mumbled out something along the lines of a thanks and tried to get up. "I'm just going through the motions," she said as Winston returned with her coffee. "I got into it with my aunt this weekend and she up and left without telling me." She accepted the coffee gratefully. "It's not a big deal. I'm just adjusting."
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened? Normally you cant wait to see the back of her," Winston leaned on the side of her desk.
Astrid sighed, trying to find the right way to explain the situation. It ended in a simple, "I
t was about my mom."
That was enough for her friends. They knew enough about Astrid's past to understand that she hadn't seen her parents in years. "Let us know if there's anything we can do," Sally said. "Winston can keep Tom out for the rest of the day if you want." Winston shot her a glare at being volunteered for something he didn't sign up for. "Or I could just tell him you're booked all day."
"Who's booked all day?" Tom entered at the worst moment possible. "Oh, man, Astrid you look terrible."
"Thanks, Tom," she grumbled.
He entered her office and shut the door. "Really, if you want to take the day off you can. You just don't look like you're all together." He looked at Sally and Winston. "While we're all here together, though, I want to make sure you get the message. HR wants everyone to be aware of a string of burglaries in both sides of town. They're hitting everything from upscale luxury housing to beaten up warehouses. Make sure your doors are locked when you leave home."
"Has anyone got injured?" Sally asked.
Tom shook his head. "Not yet. There've been a few close calls though. Look it up." He turned away from them and started to leave Astrid's office, stopping only to remind Astrid that if she wanted to take a day off she could. "Don't worry about it, I won't take it out of any pay you'd get. Take care of yourself first."
She thanked him as he left her office. Something about Tom's news shook her up more than Nova's departure. "Do you think there's a list of locations that were broken into?" She asked Winston and Sally.
"Not publicly," Sally said. "Do you want me to look into my connections?"
Astrid nodded. "I saw one of my friend's houses getting surveyed a while ago. I just want to make sure she wasn't hit up." The Lionheart receptionist might be a rampant gossip, but the woman had resources in every corner of town. If you needed information, Sally Stannis was your source. She retreated to her desk just outside of Astrid's office, close enough that Winston and Astrid could hear her. She dialed a contact in the police department and began to type at her keyboard while balancing the phone in the crook of her arm.
Astrid reopened her computer to find a new email from the receptionist. "God bless that woman," Astrid muttered as she opened up a pdf attachment.
With Winston leaning over her shoulder, Astrid scrolled down the list, searching for Nicole's name or address. While no Russo family homes came up, Astrid noticed that one of the warehouses that got ransacked belonged to Matilde. She made a mental note to track her down later and find out what was in that building. Astrid had an in-depth look at what every Russo grandkid did for a living except for Beatrice and Matilde. Beatrice wasn't a target yet, but Matilde probably was. Maybe if Astrid could figure out why she was a target, Matilde wouldn't threaten to kill her again.
"That's weird," Winston said from above her. He pointed out one location that stuck out from the rest of the targets. "Why would someone want to rob a library?"
Because they're a sick bastard, Astrid said to herself. Winston was right, every other location on the list was either a warehouse or a wealthy estate. "Win, were you a Nancy Drew kid or a Hardy Boys kid?"
"Oh, Nancy Drew all the way," Winston said as he returned to his desk.
"I preferred Agatha Christie's novels," Sally added as she returned to the office. I felt a kinship with Miss Marple. "Why do you ask?"
Astrid saved the library's address to her phone, shut her computer, and rose. "I can't believe I'm saying this," she said to her two best friends, "but it's time to get our Nancy Drew on."
Winston leapt out of his seat, grabbing his car keys as he said, "I call Bess!"
CHAPTER 4
Winston's driving made Astrid remember why she didn't get into cars often. After their fourth surprise, last-minute turn, Sally demanded Winston pull over and let her drive.
"Relax," Winston said, "we're already here." He jerked into a parking spot at the Merriam Park library and let a shaken Astrid and Sally out. "My driving wasn't that bad," he said.
"No, it really was," Astrid said as she staggered over to a fence to catch her breath. "I thought we were going to get hit by a truck at least twice on the ride over." Sally helped her up and they entered the library. Workers were busy redoing the window panes with sturdy glass, while another man wrapped up scraps of caution tape from the ground. "God, who would do this to a library?"
"That's what we're trying to find out," a police officer stopped them from going further. "I'm afraid they're still closed. We're trying to get more statements before we can release the scene." He looked them over. "Are you all here to place witness reports?"
"Oh, no," Astrid replied. "I'm a lawyer. A friend of mine wanted me to come by and talk about his rights. Right now it's hard to determine if he can sue anyone for the damages without a culprit. I know it's a long shot, but I'm just here to help ease the stress."
Sally and Winston gaped at their friend. "We're from a firm downtown," Winston said when he recovered. "If you need us to wait outside, we can do so."
The officer clearly wasn't sure whether he was buying their story. "You're not from the Law Tigers, are you?" He asked. "We get those guys a lot. Motorcycle lawyers aren't the same as criminal lawyers."
"Lionheart," Sally corrected him. She offered him her business card. "We're not the Law Tigers. But my brother works there, in case you needed a motorcycle lawyer."
Their firm was enough for the officer. He didn't have to know Astrid and Winston were will executors and not criminal lawyers. Lionheart was a multipurpose firm and had respectable attorneys working in different fields. He didn't ask them any further questions about their jobs, though he directed them to wait outside.
"Hey! You came!" A man jogged over, his baggy jeans slowing him down. "Oh, thank god. I was really worried about this whole situation." A man worker waved to the officer. Astrid guessed he worked at the library. "I may be a college graduate, but I know next to nothing about law. I needed a friend to come work it out. They won't mess with the crime scene, I promise."
He was nerdy in that kind of post-college, still plays dungeons and dragons with his friends but at a cool brewery kind of way. The librarian put his hand on Astrid's shoulder and guided her away from the cop, with Winston and Sally closing in behind. He brought them to a sitting area near the entrance of the library, checking over his shoulder to make sure the cop wasn't watching them.
"Thanks," Astrid said warily. "You should probably know we're not that kind of lawyers. We do work at Lionheart, but as will executors."
"So what you're saying is next time one of my grandparents looks like they're not long for this mortal coil, you can hook us up with a discount," the librarian joked.
Astrid smiled. "Something like that." She offered her hand. "I'm Astrid Pfeiffer. These are my coworkers, Winston Majors and Sally Stannis. Win's another lawyer, and Sally's our receptionist."
"I'm Xander Dougherty," he introduced himself. "Short for Alexander. And even if you're not able to help me out here, you're clearly here to investigate something. You're wondering about the break-in."
"Yeah, actually," Astrid nodded. "Is there anything you can tell us? We're not here to get in trouble with the law, but whatever helps."
"Was anything stolen?" Sally jumped in. "Was anyone injured? How much is the library going to have to pay in damages?"
Winston pulled her back. "Calm down, Miss Marple. Don't overwhelm the guy." He looked back at Xander. "We're just trying to figure this out. Most of the recent burglaries have been warehouses or wealthy homes. This one stands out. Do you think it was in any way connected to the other ones?"
Xander shrugged. "I'm not sure it would be. Geographically, the library is nowhere near the rest of the locations. It could've been a pattern if a lot of the homes were in Mac-Groveland or Merriam Park, but they're more clustered near South Minneapolis and the downtown areas. Besides, they stole nothing. I think it was just some kids being ass holes." The Lionheart employees stared blankly at him. "What? I did my homework. But it just do
esn't make sense for them to be connected." He smiled again, trying to ignore the slight twitching of his left eye.
"Are you okay?" Astrid asked him.
"Ah, yeah," he said, rubbing his eyes. "I have bad allergies this time of year." Xander adjusted his glasses. "Well, I'm sorry I can't help you guys out. If I knew more, I'd tell you." He nodded to the police officers at the entrance. "If they ask, tell them I said I'd call you at the office for more information." Xander shooed them out of the library. "See you next week!" He called as the cop watched them leave. "Those guys are great at D&D," he said to the officer.
"He was hiding something," Astrid noted. "I just don't know what."
She didn't get the time she wanted to investigate. A blue sports car pulled up to the side of the road next to them. The driver rolled down the passenger side window and shouted, "Astrid? What are you doing out here?"
Astrid registered Lorenzo's face, she said, "I didn't realize you had a car."
He smirked. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me." Lorenzo waved her into the car. "I'm going to steal her for a minute, is that okay with you two?"
Sally grabbed Winston's arm and started to pull him away from Astrid. "We were just leaving! Don't worry about it. Astrid, we'll tell Tom you took the day off. Bye!"
As her coworkers ditched her on the sidewalk, Astrid muttered, "Conniving bastards." She opened up the passenger side door and slid in. "We were investigating the break-ins," she explained as she buckled up.
"Right. You were worried about Nicole's place getting ransacked," Lorenzo replied. "She's safe, but her cameras have picked up some strange activity. If it wasn't for you, she might've gotten hit too."
Astrid tightened the seatbelt. "Well, I'm not a hero yet. One of your sister's warehouses got hit. And now this library got attacked too. We were hoping to find a connection, but the weird librarian in there said nothing was stolen."
"Probably just some kids capitalizing on the trend to cause a little mayhem," Lorenzo said. "No big deal." He merged back onto the road and pulled a U-turn in the street. "While you're out here with me, do you want to come back and see my place? I'd love to show you my personal garden."