Gabriella hugged Dawn and whispered in her ear. Luca couldn’t hear what she said, but he was sure it had something to do with him.
“I’ll be back soon.” Luca escorted Dawn out to his car parked on the street.
“I’m sorry I caused such a fuss,” Dawn began as Luca held the door for her. “Your parents are such good people. I saw blood in a vision, and you know what happens then…”
“You faint.” Luca blew out a breath. “It’s okay. Thanks for not telling them anything about seeing blood.”
“Uh-huh.” When he hopped into the driver’s seat, she said, “Luca?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t freak out, but I think the blood was yours.”
“Whoa. I’m really glad you didn’t say anything back there. It’s not exactly news that my parents—heck, my entire family—disapproves of me going into law enforcement.” He turned to her. “Are you sure you saw me covered in blood?”
“Yes, but I don’t think there was a bullet wound, so there is that.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, there is that. Did you see anything else besides the blood?”
“Sometimes I’ll just get a quick flash of something. I saw bars, like maybe you were at a prison. The second vision—the one that happened in the middle of Mass. Ave.—confirmed the bars and you lying on the ground beside them. I might get another vision. If I do, I’ll call you.”
“Yeah. After you wake up,” he teased. “So what did my mom whisper in your ear?”
Dawn blushed and plucked at the backpack on her lap. “She just said she appreciates me helping you.”
“Hmm…” he said, glancing at her pink face. I bet there was more to it than that.
“So if everyone in your family is a firefighter, why did you decide to become a cop?” Dawn was clearly trying to change the subject.
Luca put the car in drive and maneuvered out of the tight space. “Like I said, it has to do with my ex.”
“Seriously? She was the whole reason?”
Luca glanced at Dawn. “Lisa’s dad is on the force. He’s a sergeant.”
“That must make it tough at work. Is he harder on you than the other cops?”
“Remember, he’s not supposed to know I was dating his daughter.” Luca kept his eyes on the road. “So let’s keep that little secret between us.”
“Sure, I understand—I think. Why did you never tell your parents? From what I can tell, they seem understanding.”
Luca glanced at her and then back at the road. “It’s kind of complicated. We started dating when we were in college, pretty young. So we kept it quiet, because we were both living at home, and she said her dad was an overprotective hard-ass.” He hesitated, thinking back on his relationship with Lisa. Maybe it was for the best that he hadn’t told his parents. His mother might have had them halfway to the altar by now.
“Oh, I haven’t given you my address. But you’re headed in the right direction anyway.” She told him her address on North Street.
He already knew where she lived. Damn. He hoped she couldn’t read minds too.
“Why are relationships so complicated?” Luca asked, changing the topic.
“I don’t know. But what I do know is if you can’t tell your family about someone you’re dating, then that’s kind of a warning sign, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Hey, how come we’re always talking about me?” He turned to her with a grin. “What about you? Are you dating anyone?”
Dawn shook her head. “Nope.”
“That’s all you’re going to say on the subject?”
“Yep.”
