“I’m not interested. That part of my life is over.” She began to close the door until he stuck his foot in the doorway.
The smile disappeared. “Fine. But say there is something big about to go down. Are you getting vibes? Any reason to think we could have problems?”
She paused for a moment. “No. I’m not getting any vibes.”
“You sure? Because the cops have been spending more time in the hood lately.”
“I’m sure.”
He shrugged. “Okay. Good to know.” He knocked on the railing and said, “Take care of yourself.” Then he sauntered down the walk and turned into her neighbor’s driveway. She didn’t relax until she heard a clang as he vaulted over the chain-link fence behind the houses.
Dawn blew out a breath of relief as soon as she shut the door, locked it, and slid the dead bolt into place. She closed her eyes and leaned against it, composing herself before she had to see her grandmother.
“Dawnie, is that you?”
“Yeah, Gran.”
Her grandmother met her in the tiny hallway. She looked about twenty years older than her fifty-six years. She’d been a young single mother, and Dawn’s mother was also very young when she got pregnant. It was part of the cycle when you were poor and didn’t have many options. Dawn was determined to break that cycle. She had succeeded so far. She just needed to keep saving and steer clear of the lowlifes she used to hang with.
“Is everything all right?” Annette eyed her with suspicion.
“It’s nothing to worry about, Grandma. You always say I have a good head on my shoulders, and you’re right. I’m taking care of myself.”
Her grandmother’s posture relaxed and she smiled. “I know, honey. I’m very proud of you. How did work go today?”
“Good. Nancy, my assistant manager, thinks I’m a whiz with the software.”
“I knew your going to college was a good idea. You’re the first college graduate in our family. I’m so proud of you. Even better things are coming. I can feel it.”
“It’s only an associate’s degree.”
“Never say ‘it’s only’ about your accomplishments. You’ve really turned your life around. It’s more than anyone else in this family has done.”
“I guess. Thanks, Gran.” Dawn didn’t want her grandmother to know the gang was still keeping tabs on her. It would just worry the older woman, and she worried enough. At least Dawn hadn’t repeated the pattern of teenage pregnancy. She may have gone through a rebellious phase, but that wasn’t part of it. Thank goodness for Planned Parenthood!
Dawn smiled at her grandmother and then jogged up the stairs to her small room. She fell on her bed and took a few deep breaths. Something about that cop kept flitting through her mind. She didn’t think it was just the fact that he was about six feet tall and drop-dead gorgeous. Or that his dark hair and cobalt-blue eyes captivated her like no one had in…well, ever.
Even if she hadn’t sensed some disturbing energy around him, she may have wanted to stop and talk to him anyway. She had noticed the name on his uniform. Fierro. He was probably Italian, but maybe his family came from the northern part of Italy. She had heard there were blue-eyed people in the Italian Alps.
She daydreamed about other countries sometimes. She was barely getting a fresh start in this one. If she had the money, she’d want to go somewhere warm, where it was sunny all year. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the money, and her incarcerated mother needed her close for the time being.
Her grandmother had done her best, but her mother had landed in jail anyway. Drugs were rampant all over the city but more so in poor areas like theirs. Her mom had latched onto dealing as a way to make enough money to get them out of there. At least that was the excuse she gave. By now, Dawn had realized her mom was feeding her own habit as well.
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” her grandmother always said. Back when Dawn was little, she didn’t know what that meant. Now, she did. Her mother described jail as hell.
She sensed someone in the doorway of her room and knew it was her grandma.
“May I come in?”
“Sure, Gran.”
Annette perched on the edge of her bed. “I’ve been thinking…”
“Uh-oh.”
She grinned, but only for a second. “I know we’ve talked about it before, but I really do think you need to move out of the city.”
Dawn sighed. “And what are you going to do without me?”
