Trust Me (37 page)

    Virginia fixed her tired eyes on Karen and said, "You look vaguely familiar. Do I know you?"

    Karen said, "How're you doing? Are you all right?" She looked terrible.

    "I'm hanging in there," Virginia said.

    "You mind if I have a word with my sister?" Karen said to O'Clair.

    O'Clair glanced at Virginia and said, "I'm going to get something to eat. Can I bring you anything?"

    Virginia shook her head. O'Clair got up and moved past Karen and walked out of the room. Karen sat in O'Clair's chair next to the bed. Virginia had a bandage under her lower lip, and her right forearm was in a cast. Karen held her hand.

    Virginia said, "Why'd you come back?"

    "I was worried about you," Karen said. "Why do you think?"

    "I'm okay," Virginia said in a quiet voice.

    She didn't look okay. She had two black eyes and her face was bruised and swollen. "I'm sorry you got involved in this," Karen said.

    Virginia said, "Then I never would've met Oak."

    "Oak, huh?" Karen said. "What's the story with you lovebirds?"

    "He's going to take care of me," Virginia said. "Nurse me back to health."

    It was difficult for Karen to think of O'Clair as a caregiver. "You don't even know him."

    Virginia said, "I know enough."

    Karen was going to say, you thought you knew Fly and look what happened. But then she thought she knew Samir and Lou. There was no guarantee. You could never be sure.

    "He's nice to me," Virginia said. "He likes me and I like him. We're talking about moving to Florida together. He's going to buy a motel on the beach. Doesn't it sound great?"

    She sounded excited and Karen wasn't going to spoil it.

    "You should come and visit."

    Karen tried to picture herself on a beach with O'Clair, and couldn't.

    "I'm serious." Virginia tried to smile. She looked like she was in pain. "Don't worry about me, I've got Oak."

    "I'm happy for you," Karen said.

    "What about you?" Virginia looked at her with affection. "What're you going to do?"

    "Get my passport, try to explain things to Mother, and take off."

    "He told me what happened in Chicago. Aren't you worried about Ricky and Samir and all those freaks looking for you?"

    "No," Karen said. Johnny was dead. Samir was in the hospital, barely hanging on, and Ricky was in the trunk of a car, and even if he got out he was so inept she wasn't concerned.

    "Come on," Virginia said, "I don't want anything to happen to you."

    Don't worry," Karen said.

    "You sure?"

    "Trust me."

    I want to thank:

    Pete Wolverton. He knew I could give him more and kept challenging me until he got it all. That's what a good editor does.

    Jeff Posternak, the perfect agent. He's always cool and calm behind the scenes and tries to keep me that way.

    Robert Gal and his mother, Edith Gal, for their help on the Hungarian translation.

    Joe Young, for his insightful point of view on relationships.

    Jennifer Ness, an expert on blackjack, twirling, and life in Garden City.

    Gregg Sutter, master researcher.

    The Bodary twins, Julie and Jean, my advance readers.

    Jane Jones, ace proofreader.

    Kenneth J. Silver, superb production editor