by Ashlyn Chase
“Oh.”
“But you didn’t come here to discuss war. You came for wisdom. There are several key points I will tell you, and they are all here in this book.” She snapped her fingers, and a slim leather-bound book appeared in her hand.
Handing the book to Dawn, she continued, “I want you to close your eyes, sit back, and breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. Breathe deeply from your very core, your diaphragm. Not your chest.” The goddess took Dawn’s hand and laid it where her chest met her abdomen.
“Feel it expand as you draw in nature’s life-giving force. Feel it contract as you expel all that nasty negative energy that humans absorb throughout the day.”
Minerva’s soft voice floated through Dawn’s mind. Was she speaking aloud or in Dawn’s head? It didn’t matter, as Dawn felt herself becoming more and more relaxed.
“I want you to picture yourself in a garden surrounded by nature’s beauty and concentrate on one flower in that garden. Picture each petal, see the dewdrops trickling down, the long, elegant stem…”
Minerva continued to guide Dawn through the meditation, lasting about a half hour. When she was done, she instructed Dawn to open her eyes.
“How do you feel?”
“I feel calm. Peaceful.”
“That’s a different feeling for you, isn’t it?”
Dawn blinked a few times, tears coming to her eyes. “Yes.”
“You have had a difficult life, my little dove. But you have a special gift that lifts you up and that must be used wisely. I want you to practice this exercise every night before you go to sleep and every morning, sitting in a comfortable chair just as you are now. The moment you open that book, you will hear my voice in your head, guiding you through the exercise. Some people might call this meditation, while others might call it simply being in the moment. You must learn to clear your mind of the buzzing nonsense of everyday life. All the stresses and problems of your day. Let it all go. So that when you have a vision, you will remain calm, and it won’t cause your body such physical distress. When you see blood, fear makes you hold your breath. You may not even realize you’re doing it.”
“I can’t thank you enough for your help.”
“No, it is I who must thank you. Ours is not an easy path. But it’s an important one. And you have much good work still to be done. You will do it all, but from this point on, you will do it with clarity of mind and strength of spirit.”
“What about your other suggestions?”
“Sleep well. Eat well. Move well. Play well. Meditate well. These are my five pillars of living that make up the five points of a star.” Minerva lifted the book from Dawn’s lap and opened it. It wasn’t a book at all but a cleverly created box. Inside was a gold star with five points. Each point had a symbol that Minerva pointed out to her. “Practice these five things, and your inner force will grow strong.”
Dawn must have looked skeptical, because Minerva wagged her finger at her. “Tut-tut. You would be surprised how many people like you had that exact same expression on their faces. Eventually, they all follow my creed. You cannot do one without the others. I have looked into your past, and I have seen that you have turned away from darkness and are capitalizing on the good foundation your grandmother already set in place. Oh, and make certain you follow up on those weekly sessions with that girl at the community center. She needs you.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
“I don’t know. But you’ll be helped by helping her.”
* * *
“Are you okay, Fierro?” Mary Beth asked. “You’re too quiet.”
“Nothing gets past you, does it?”
“Nope. I’ve got three sons and a daughter at home. Nothing much gets by me.”
Luca and his new TO were driving back to the station after a grueling shift. Two muggings, one stolen car, and a street fight between two prostitutes, and that was just in the morning. He’d managed to send a quick text to Dawn, asking her to be careful with the unicorn, not to try another vision unless she was at home and in bed.
She replied that she wouldn’t and was getting some advice from someone who could help with her fainting problem. Also that she would call him later in the evening.
It felt good. Natural. Texting or talking with Dawn. She was fast becoming an important person in his life. He asked her out for that pizza they hadn’t had yet, and she’d said yes, instantly. None of those Let me check my calendar games.
Once he’d come to realize the kind of person Lisa really was, it made him see what he’d been missing. His brothers’ girlfriends and wives were all wonderful women. Their concern for each other outweighed all other priorities. He sensed Dawn was like that too.
Man, what a moron he’d been. An immature fool who could only see with his dick and not his mind and heart.
Mary Beth startled him out of his reflective mood.
“Look, I know Butts was hard on you this morning,” she began.
“Yeah, but I guess it’s all part of the rookie hazing process.”
“No, it’s not. He isn’t usually that enthusiastic with the Taser. I barely got out of the way in time.”
“Yeah, he seemed more than ready to take me down.”
“Just be careful. I’ve been doing this job for ten years, and I know what Butts is capable of. This seemed above and beyond mere ‘rookie hazing.’ Avoid him if you can.”
Luca nodded and flashed her a grin.
“Ah, my kids give me that smile when they listen but don’t plan on obeying. I’m serious. Butts is not someone you want to mess with.”
“Have you had a run-in with him?” Luca knew he could be overstepping, but she seemed to know a lot about Butts.
“He’s a slimeball who doesn’t respect boundaries. I’ve spoken to the captain about it, and she’s reprimanded him at least once already. Being a cop is tough. Even more so if you’re a woman or minority.”
Luca was about to state that he wasn’t a minority until he realized he was—a paranormal shifter is a rarity. Of course, she couldn’t know about that, right?
“Hiring practices may have changed, but there are still cops out there who have the ‘old boys club’ mentality,” Mary Beth was saying.
“Yeah, but Captain Moore’s a woman.”
“True, and she’s also in a tough spot. She has to answer to the higher-ups, who are powerful men, and the union reps, who can be intimidating.”
“So you have to just put up with his bullying and inappropriate behavior?”
“We have our ways of dealing with guys like Butts that sometimes piss him off. I’m not usually passive-aggressive like he is, but sometimes it seems to be the only language he understands. And believe me when I say this stays between you and me.”
“You got it. Thank you for the warning. I’ll steer clear.”
“Good. Now let’s fill out our reports, and then we’re done for the day.”
Luca wondered if Butts’s harsh hazing had to do with him finding out about Lisa or something else.
Antonio had warned him when he’d made his decision to become a cop that there were shape-shifting wolves on the force. Could Butts be one of them? Could Butts have sensed the shifter in Luca? Did that make him defensive?
How could Luca figure out for sure if Butts was a wolf or not? He’d have to do some investigating and fast. If Butts had it in for him, he’d have to figure out how to deal with him or risk something even more extreme than a tasing. Wolves could eat a phoenix if one didn’t stay out of reach.
* * *
“Please don’t say you love white sauce on pizza.”
“I don’t. Please don’t say you love pineapple on pizza.”
“I don’t.”
Dawn and Luca had just settled into a cozy booth at Ronaldo’s Pizzeria, an old traditional pizza place in Boston�
�s North End. Luca had told her it was one of his favorite restaurants. She had never been there, but it was well-known. The place was packed.
Perusing the menu, she couldn’t decide what she wanted. “Spicy Italian sausage and roasted red pepper with caramelized onions looks good.”
“That one’s actually my favorite.” He grinned.
“Really?”
“I love it.”
“Wanna get it?”
“Let’s do it.”
She giggled at the double meaning. “You want to do it? Right here?”
He rolled his eyes, but his subsequent grin meant he didn’t mind her deliberate misinterpretation in the name of humor. They ordered a large pizza, and in the meantime, they sipped the local craft beer Luca had recommended and tucked into the warm, crusty Italian bread, dipping it into the plate of seasoned olive oil.
“This bread is delicious,” Dawn said as she broke another piece off and dipped it into the oil.
“Focaccia,” he said around a mouthful of it. Luca stared at her as she licked her fingers.
Feeling self-conscious, she took a sip of her beer. “Um, you’re staring.”
“I’m sorry.” He seemed to shake himself out of his reverie. “It’s just that you eat with such gusto. Like you really love food.”
“Uh, yeah, I do.” She frowned. “Why, is that weird?”
“No, it’s not weird at all.” He leaned in and whispered, “It’s super hot.”
“Oh.” Her face heated, and she took another sip of her beer. “I never thought my appetite was sexy.”
“Oh, it is. Believe me.”
“Well, in that case…” Feeling a little daring, she broke off another piece of bread, swirled it into the oil, and lifting the dripping oil-soaked bread, opened her mouth and popped it in.
Luca groaned in reply and took another swig of his beer.
* * *
Their first official just-the-two-of-them date. Luca was relieved that it was going well.
Dawn was wearing a tight black top with crisscross straps at the back, black skinny jeans, and black leather boots. She looked hot. Her hair was spiked a bit, but not as severely as when he’d first met her. He hadn’t realized how sexy short hair could be on a woman, but she rocked it.
Dawn had a tight bod, but she was definitely not a “dressing on the side” kinda girl. Being Italian with a mother whose cooking could rival a religious experience, he loved that about her. Man, I really dodged a bullet with ‘salad only’ Lisa. Why the hell didn’t I see it sooner?
And Dawn was fun to be with. He didn’t have to try so hard. He was having a great time with her, and he didn’t want it to end.
They were halfway through their dinner when a commotion broke out in the booth next to them, a clatter of cutlery followed by a yell.
“Help!”
Luca leaped up and rushed to the next booth. Assessing the situation in moments, he saw an older man, about his dad’s age, choking and struggling for air. The woman he was with, no doubt his wife, was frantically slapping him on the back. Luca went into rescue mode, pulling the man out of the booth and standing behind him. He wrapped his arms around the man’s middle and pushed in and up just beneath his diaphragm with one strong movement. A piece of meat flew out of the man’s mouth, landing on the floor. The man breathed in great gulps of air, teetered, and slumped to the floor, unconscious.
“He has a heart condition,” the woman cried, falling to her knees.
“Someone call 911.”
“I called.” It was Dawn’s voice, from behind.
Luca felt for a pulse and watched the man’s chest to see if it was rising and falling. When it was clear the victim had gone into cardiac arrest, Luca tore open the man’s shirt, knelt by his side, located the correct spot on his sternum, then began CPR, alternately compressing the man’s chest and opening his mouth to breathe life-saving oxygen into his air passage.
The man didn’t respond, but Luca kept it up. He could keep the blood circulating until the paramedics arrived. Not giving up was key.
Finally, he heard the welcome words “Stay back. Get back, everyone.”
Within moments, two paramedics rushed up. Luca knew them both. Jeff Dresden and Bob O’Rourke, both friends of his brothers and long-time paramedics.
“Hey, Fierro, good thing you were here.”
They quickly went into action using their portable defibrillator and Ambu bag.
When the man came to, everyone in the restaurant cheered.
Luca helped the paramedics lift the man onto the stretcher. Jeff slapped him on the back. “Good work, Fierro.”
Bob grinned. “You Fierro guys. You’re always making first responders look good with your heroics.”
The man’s wife turned to Jeff. “Is my husband going to be all right?”
“He’s stable, ma’am, thanks to this hero cop here.”
She turned to Luca and hugged him. “Thank you for saving my husband. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
“I’m just glad he’s stable. They’re going to take good care of him.”
She nodded and left with the paramedics.
By then, a crowd had gathered around him. Strangers were slapping him on the back, congratulating him. The manager came up to him. “You… Fantastico! Grazie. Pizza on the house for a month!” He pulled him aside and lowered his voice. “We’d love to have you come back and give our staff some training. You are amazing.”
“Sure. I’ll mention it to my captain. I’m sure she’ll approve someone giving a class to your staff. If not me, someone who does it regularly.”
“Dinner’s on us tonight too, of course.”
“Thanks, sir.”
“No, thank you.” The manager slapped him on the back and then with enthusiastic hand gestures, he shepherded the spectators back to their seats.
Luca glanced around, searching for Dawn. He found her standing behind a cluster of people chatting about the events of the night.
He reached for her hand and pulled her up beside him. “Thanks for calling 911.”
“You saved that man’s life.”
“I just did what I’m trained to do.”
She stared at him wide-eyed, as though she’d just seen a miracle.
“I’m not a hero. This is what cops are trained to do. We don’t just give people speeding tickets.” He chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed at all the attention.
“You are a hero,” she whispered, giving him a peck on the lips.
“Do you want to get a coffee somewhere quiet?”
She nodded.
“Let’s go.”
* * *
Dawn glanced up at Luca. She was feeling kind of shy. Watching him in action had left her speechless. She’d never seen anything like it. In her neighborhood, she’d only seen people try to hurt or evade each other, and she’d never seen a cop act with kindness, let alone heroically.
They were sitting at a Starbucks in the corner, sipping lattes.
“I think what you did was wonderful.”
“Shoot, you’re making me blush.” He grinned.
“No, it’s true. You’re a natural. Yes, you’re a cop, but you have an instinct to save people. Most people freeze for a few seconds. Or wonder if they should get involved, even if they know what to do. You didn’t lose a second. You just went into action and did what needed to be done.” She smiled. “You’re amazing.”
“If I’d known I’d get this kind of reaction from you, I would have saved someone a lot sooner.”
She shook her head at his joke. “Don’t underestimate what you did.”
“Hey, the manager gave me free pizza. And he asked me to come in and teach his staff.”
“That’s great!”
“Of course, I’ll need some help eating all that pizz
a.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, a month’s worth.”
“Well, if you insist.”
“I do.”
“Any time you want a pizza date, I’m your girl.”
“Deal.”
“So, can I ask you something?” Dawn felt awkward, unsure of her words.
“Sure, anything.”
“You didn’t hesitate back there. Was that just all about your training or was it something inside of you that switched on? Something supernatural. I was just wondering, since your whole family are first responders.”
He blew out a breath. “I never really thought about it that way before. Sure, the training prepares you and makes you ready for action. But in the moment when it happens, we just kind of know it’s up to us. I don’t think it’s anything supernatural. I think some people are just made that way, and some aren’t. Does that make sense?”
Dawn nodded. “Yeah, I think it does. But some people are afraid they might be sued if something goes wrong, or that their involvement might be unwelcome.”
“Maybe that’s where the training comes in. When you’re faced with a situation where someone’s life hangs in the balance, you don’t stop to think about consequences. You just do what you have to do, because you can.”
“That makes sense, I guess.” She’d never known people who approached life that way. To her, doing what had to be done meant looking out for number one. Even she was guilty of that. Well, except for Annette.
Now, that meaning had shifted for her. She was no longer just thinking about herself. She had Rita and the community at large to think about. Maybe her karma had been altered too. And finding Mandy was part of it.
Chapter 11
“C’mon, Pink Unicorn, help me out here.”
It was early on Saturday morning, and Dawn was sitting up in bed, holding Mandy’s unicorn in her lap. She’d done everything Minerva had told her to do, the breathing exercises and meditation, over several days. So today, she would try again. She didn’t have to rush to the community center, because they were closed for a couple of weeks for renovations. So she had time to concentrate and focus.