“I have a feeling this is only scratching the surface.”
“Oh, you better believe it, baby,” Lynda quipped.
“Well, I will definitely reach out to Minerva if I need her help.”
“You can just show up any time. She’ll know when you’re ready. Until then, you have a lot on your plate, so dig in.” She chuckled at her own joke.
An hour later, Dawn stepped on her subway, feeling good about her session with Lynda and what she needed to do in order to clean up her karma. She had also learned next week’s code phrase was “I’m here to pick up my son’s ninja costume.”
She glanced at her watch and noted it was just after 4:00 p.m. on a Friday and she would be part of the usual commuter traffic. Her baton firmly in hand, Dawn reached the steps to the subway terminal when an arm grabbed her shoulder from behind. Lifting her baton, she turned, ready to strike.
“Whoa, Dawn! It’s just me.”
Luca’s wide blue eyes looked a little startled.
“Oh. Sorry. I thought…”
“Yeah. You can relax. Those are some impressive reflexes you have.”
“I…uh…I was just thinking about my past. Where I came from, I had to be tough and ready for anything.”
“Have you been attacked?”
She worried her lip. How much should she tell him? Probably enough to explain herself and maybe even let him get a glimpse of the real Dawn. Hopefully, he wouldn’t run in the opposite direction. “I don’t mind answering your question, but this isn’t really a great place to talk.”
“Yeah.” He glanced around. “Do you have time for a coffee? Or a short walk?”
“Sure. I’ll just text my grandmother so she doesn’t worry.”
They walked toward Copley Square. As soon as Dawn had sent the reassuring text, she stuffed her phone in her leather jacket’s pocket. “So, how are you doing?”
“Not bad. My training officer, Joe, said he’d take me to JJ Kelly’s for dinner. It’s a cop bar.”
“That’s nice of him.”
Luca chuckled. “Yeah. He said it’s because I didn’t quit or get killed during my first week on the job, which would have made him look bad.”
Dawn grinned. “Is that typical cop humor?”
“Pretty much. So, not to get distracted…you were saying something about being attacked? Was it recent?”
“No. I didn’t mean to alarm you. I’ve never really been attacked—at least not by a stranger.”
His brows lifted. “By someone you know?”
She stopped. “It’s not what you think.”
“What do I think?” He just gazed at her.
“I may be able to sense things, but I can’t read minds.”
“Neither can I.”
They just stared at each other for a few moments. At last, she heaved a sigh. “I think I told you about my involvement with a gang at one point. Right?”
“Yeah. Was it one of them?”
“Sort of. I mean, it wasn’t really an attack. They used me.”
