NAT'S POV

"So... how's it going with you and mr. Harrison?" I tease once we're back in the car, drumming my fingertips against the center console as I watch the field disappear in the rearview mirror.

"Good. It's going good" she mutters, clearing her throat.

Mr. Harrison is her boss and her boyfriend.

I hold in a chuckle, really enjoying the blush that tints her cheeks. It's an extremely rare site, and it warms my heart that she's found someone.

"So are y'all exclusive now, or..?" I prod.

"Yeah" she admits, oddly sparse on details. "What's the plan for today?" She not so subtly changes the subject as she parks in front of my apartment, following me inside.

"Finding Andy's dad and the man that killed her mom" I answer simply, wishing it was as easy as it sounds.

"How?"

I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge, tossing her one.

"I have a friend doing a deep dive into destiny's life in the hopes of finding out Lenny's last name and locating him and i'm going to show the sketch I made to one of my contacts on the street and see if he recognizes him."

"And if he doesn't?"

"I know the gang that owns the street where the shooting took place so I'll show the sketch around the rival gangs neighborhood. It's possible it was an initiation."

"Sounds like a plan" she drawls, pushing off the counter, tossing her now empty bottle into the recycling bin.

My eyebrows inch towards my hairline.

"You're not coming Sam. It's danger-"

"Dangerous? Well guess what; so is being shot at. I'm helping you whether you like it or not. I'm your family, and family helps family" she states defiantly.

I hesitate a moment, biting my lip as I consider my options. I know that if I tried to leave without her she'd just follow me. I could easily lose her, but that's not the point. She's my best friend and she's worried about me. She just wants to help. Plus all we're doing is talking to people. Why not?

Surprise warms here eyes when instead of protesting I simply nod and head for the door.

By the time I park in front of Luca's building he's sitting on the front steps, waiting for us.

"What do you need mi luz?" He offers genuinely, his latino accent out in full force on the familiar term of endearment as he meets us on the sidewalk, eyeyeing Sam skeptically.

"Do you recognize him?" I ask, showing him the sketch.

He leans closer, studying the features a moment before catching my eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I don't."

I've been doing this too long to truly be surprised by much anymore, but i'm disappointed.

"Thank you Luca."

"I saw the news. I don't know exactly what happened, but I know it isn't good. Just some advice from a friend. Watch your back" he advises grimly, making Sam stiffen next to me, but I simply dip my chin in appreciation. I know Luca and I know he means well. He may look intimidating and have some very dangerous friends, but he has a heart of gold. From the outside it may look like he's threatening me, but I know he's just trying to protect me.

"I will. Thank you again."

He offers me a lopsided smile, and while it now holds a little apprehension he offers the same tip of his lips to Sam before taking the stairs two at a time, disappearing inside his building.

"So.. time to show the sketch around?" Sam guesses.

"Yeah" I confirm, fighting a sigh as we get back into the car.

"How do you know Luca?" Sam asks carefully, though careful to her is different from most peoples definition of the word.

"A few years back his mom was gunned down and he came to me because the police didn't care. She was a nurse living in a shit neighborhood with a criminal son. She wasn't high on their priority list, so he hired me to find the person who killed her."

"And did you?"

"Luca was a low level dealer at the time and he ripped off his supplier. The supplier retaliated. Luca has made some bad choices, but he's a good kid who was forced to grow up too fast and survive the best way he knew how. After the trail I helped him get a job and he's been straight ever since" I admit, more proud of him than I can even express.

Seeing my obvious fondness for him and knowing me all too well, she decides not to comment.

"Don't tell anyone why you're asking about him, don't press too hard and if someone slams the door in your face just move on and let it go. You take the right side of the street, i'll take the left" I instruct once we reach the rival gangs territory, offering her a copy of the sketch.

The neighborhood is the poster child of rundown. Graffiti, littered sidewalks, cracked road, hell even the trees are dead.

"Got it" she assures, crossing the street, looking determined as ever.

I smile to myself as I head to the house closest to me, knocking on the door. A young woman answers it with the security chain still in place, and while I can only see two inches of her face the wariness is clear as day.

"Hi, i'm Nat. I was wondering if you could help me. Do you recognize him?" I ask, showing her the sketch.

"No."

I take a step back so that when the door slams shut it doesn't hit me.

Alright then, moving on..

The building next door is a small store with a handful of cars in the parking lot. I walk up to the checkout counter, trying to ignore the various scents that identify this place as a butcher shop.

The cashier looks up with a polite enough smile.

"Can I help you?"

"I hope so. Do you recognize him?" I repeat, showing her the sketch.

Just like the first woman she barely looks.

"No."

Next up is an apartment complex with twenty four units.

Perfect.

I knock on the first door, grimacing when a rat pops out from behind a broken piece of baseboard, scurrying down the hall.

Tv static is the only sound to pierce the silence until I hear heavy, unsteady footsteps.

Oh great. He's drunk.

An extremely overweight man in a very stained wife beater opens the door, looking menacing and a little greasy.

"Hi. Do you recognize him?"

He doesn't look at the picture or even answer, just slams the door in my face.

Half an hour and about three hundred steps later, I stop in front of the last apartment. A petite woman with dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail and even darker eyes opens the door, making the sound of children's laughter drift out to me. She instinctively moves to block my view of the four year old boy and six year old girl playing in the living room.

I purposefully keep my eyes on her, making her relax slightly.

"Do you recognize him?" I try for what feels like the millionth time, showing her the sketch.

"Is this about the driveby yesterday?"

I simply nod in response, truly having no words for the horror of it all.

"I saw on the news that he killed a woman with a daughter" she notes sadly.

"He killed her in front of her daughter" I correct quietly.

She flinches, unconsciously looking back to her children, watching them laugh and play without a care in the world.

"I can't even imagine, but i'm sorry, I don't recognize him. I wish I did" she apologizes genuinely.

Me too.

I thank her before taking the stairs back to the lobby and leaving the building.

Three hours and a lot of nos later Sam and I meet back at my car, both mentally and physically exhausted. I know the answer, but I ask anyway.

"Any luck?"

She shakes her head as we get back in the car.

"Nope. You?"

"Not a damn thing" I chorus, pulling away from the curb.

"What now?"

"I'm pulling complete histories on everybody who was outside the gallery during the shooting to see if maybe someone was a target and he wanted it to look random. My friend called twenty minutes ago and she's going to drop everything she got on Destiny off at my house in an hour. Hopefully i'll have her safe and sound with her dad by dinner."

Sam falls silent, getting lost in thought before deciding to change the subject.

"Nat.. how are you going to find your guy?"

It takes a moment to realizes she's talking about Alex.

"I'm running everybody on the guest list, searching for relatives or friends named Alex, but it's probably going to take a few days and there's no guarantee i'll find him that way" I admit grimly.

She doesn't press, just lets it go, hearing the pain in my voice.

Since we have an hour to kill, we run a few errands to keep ourselves busy. We eat a late lunch, I buy a few extra burner phones and we talk about nothing important.

Before I know it the hour has passed and I have Lenny's last name and address.