They were quiet, staring into each other’s eyes. Chichi looked away first.

“Even if you will suffer for making them suffer?” Chichi asked, looking at her feet.

“Yes,” Sunny firmly said. “It will be worth the sacrifice. My brother will at least be able to go back to school. Just help me with what I have to do and then step back. I don’t want you to . . .”

“Oh, I’m not going to let you take the fall alone,” Chichi said, looking up.

“No . . . no, Chichi, if it’s just me, maybe . . .”

“You came to me for a reason, right?” Chichi said. Now she was smiling that smile she only flashed when she was up to something. “You know I know . . . ways.”

Sunny said nothing. She had never been a good liar.

“You waited until Orlu had to go see his auntie. You knew Sasha would be with Kehinde today. You wanted to speak to me alone,” she said. “You’re smart, Sunny. And when you need to use them, you have claws. Listen, I may know a way around the rules. We will get caught but not for the worst of it, if we do this right.”

“Do what?”

“Well, they think his sister is a witch, right?”

“Yeah, but not a Leopard Person, just one of those child witches,” Sunny said.

“Well, be what they say you are, then,” she said. “The Red Sharks always meet at night. So, let’s meet them in the night.”

Sunny reported back to her mother to tell her where she was and that she’d be home in a half hour while Chichi made some tea. As soon as Sunny got off the phone, Chichi said, “Come sit down.”

She’s set up two mismatched and chipped porcelain cups and filled them with tea, making Sunny’s just as she liked it, Lipton with just a hint of sugar. “Let’s relax for a second before we do this,” Chichi said, pulling up a stool and picking up a cup.

The tea was nice and Sunny allowed herself to settle down for the first time since before seeing her brother. Her tea was bitter and hot. It warmed her throat. She took a deep breath and slumped back into her seat, pushing away all the questions that tried to crowd her mind. All the while, Chichi leaned forward and watched her intensely as she, too, sipped her tea.

“You feel better now?” Chichi asked.

“Actually, yes, I do.”

“Okay, let’s call him,” Chichi said.

“What? Now?”

“Yes, now. If we don’t act soon, those crazies are going to show up at your house. We need to get fast and clear information.”

“About what?”

“The Red Sharks,” she said. “The members. Especially this Capo guy and Chukwu’s friend Adebayo.”

“Why? Why them?”

“You want to make them leave your brother alone, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we need information.”

Sunny frowned, squeezing her cup. She brought out her cell phone and brought up Chukwu’s number and gave it to Chichi.