This was probably true too.

Tate kept pushing. “She’ll trust you.”

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

“Can’t know, unless you try.”

I bit my lip. His arms gave me a squeeze.

Then his face got close to mine and he whispered, “Babe, we need this.”

I stared into his face knowing he was right. We needed this. For Tonia and those seven other girls and the girls who were out there, marked by this lunatic and unsafe. We needed this, even for Sunny.

I just didn’t want it to be me who got this.

So I asked softly, “Do I have to be wired?”

Tate’s arms gave me another squeeze, this one reassuring and maybe a little proud (yes, I could read that in an arm squeeze). “They’ll need to hear everything she said and, she won’t even talk to Shambles, I reckon they can’t be in there.”

“But, a wire?”

“You need to be you. You need to pose no threat. You can tell her you’re wired but you need to look like you. Not holding a recorder. Not with someone with a notepad at your back. She’s gonna talk, it’s gotta be just you.”

I wasn’t sure Tate was right about Sunny talking to me and, even if he was, I still wasn’t sure I wanted to do it.

What I was sure of was someone killed Tonia and seven other women and the same someone may have attacked Sunny. Even if it wasn’t the same someone, still, someone attacked Sunny.

And whoever it was, they had to be stopped.

I looked at Tambo standing silently at our side then I looked at Tate.

“Can we ask Shambles first if it’s okay?” I whispered.

Tambo turned immediately and walked toward another agent while Tate’s arms gave me yet another squeeze.

Then he answered, “Yeah.”

* * * * *

I thought I’d not be able to take my mind off the microphone taped to my chest but the minute I walked into Sunny’s hospital room that thought flew away.

Her ash blonde hair was cut blunt, her skin was pale under her tan, she had some bruising and swelling on the left side of her face, there were a bunch of tubes sticking in her and her eyes were dead.

Those eyes came to me the minute I walked in and that was all I could think, her bright, shining, usually smiling, always friendly eyes were dead.

I swallowed back tears and looked across the room to see two women, an older one, dressed conservatively, a younger one, dressed a lot like me but in jeans rather than shorts. I knew, because Shambles told me, they were Sunny’s Mom and sister.

“Hi,” I said softly. “I’m Lauren, a friend of Sunny’s.”

The Mom nodded and looked at Sunny.

The sister said, “Hey.”

“I…” I looked at Sunny before I looked back at her family. “Can I talk to her?”

They both stared at me without speaking.

Shambles, who had come in behind me, said quietly, “Mom, Moonbeam, she means alone.”

They looked at me again, they looked at Sunny. I tried to look reassuring, Sunny just looked blank and Shambles took control, herding Sunny’s family out the door.

He stood in it and nodded to me then it closed on him.

I walked to Sunny and sat at the very edge of the seat of a chair that was pulled close to her side. I looked to her and she was staring at the ceiling.

I took her hand in mine. It was limp. I leaned forward and pressed it against my face, my eyes smarting and I felt the wetness escape and glide down my cheeks. I knew she had to feel it too.

My eyes closed.

“I’m sorry, baby,” I whispered to her hand. “I had magic, I’d take this away.”

I opened my eyes, kept her hand to my face and looked toward her head which had turned and her gaze was on me.

Still dead.

“I can’t do that,” I was still whispering.

She didn’t reply.

“You and me,” I kept whispering, “honey…” I pulled in breath and let it out, “we have to do the next best thing.”

Nothing about her face changed. Not a thing.

“You don’t think you’re strong enough but we’ll find your strength together.”

She looked back at the ceiling.

“He has to be stopped, Sunny.”

Suddenly, she yanked her hand forcefully from mine.

Too fast, I went too fast. Darn.

I gave it a minute then got up and sat on the side of her bed but she turned her head away.

I leaned toward her, not too close, not threatening and I laid it out.

“I’m wired. They’re listening, the police, the FBI, you need to know that.”

She swallowed.

“They can hear but this is just you and me, baby. Right now it’s just you and me.”

No response.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip, opened them and urged, “Please, talk to me.”

Sunny remained silent.

I wiped my face and looked out the window not seeing the landscape there only thinking of finding some way through.

Then it came to me. I should tell her the truth.

“I stayed in Carnal because of you,” I whispered.

I heard movement and I looked back down at her to see she was looking up at me.

I nodded. “It’s true. You and Shambles. Betty and Ned too. Banana bread and Middle Eastern night and knowing I was going to have friends, good ones, ones who genuinely cared, didn’t just say it but acted it… when I met you guys, I knew I was home.”

Her lip quivered.

“I’d been far from home a long time, Sunny, lost and wandering, it’s scary to be in that place alone.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “Thank you for bringing me back home.”

“Petal,” she croaked, her voice thick.

“Talk to me, baby,”

She shook her head.

“You’re safe here, you’re safe with me,” I promised her.

She kept shaking her head so I grabbed her hand, leaned deeper and pulled her hand to my chest, encasing it in both of mine and holding strong.

“You’re safe with me,” I repeated and squeezed her hand. “You can’t wander, lost and alone in your head forever. You can’t.” I squeezed her hand again. “Give me the chance to return the favor, honey, let me give you a little of what you gave me. Let me bring you back home.”

She stared in my eyes for a long time.

Then she opened her mouth and talked to me.