"People don't always have a hidden agenda," I said.

"Exactly. And that's why you have to teach me to trust. I spent six years in an environment where everyone had an agenda—even I had one. Nothing was done for the sake of doing it. There had to be a reason. Trying to figure out someone's motivation was all part of the game. An agenda was part of life there. At first for me it was all about trying to survive—and when you come right down to it, that was the underlying motivation for us all. But once you figured out the basics, it got more involved. You needed something, you found a way to get it. Sometimes you had to take advantage of someone, but usually it was a simple trading process. I have what you need and you have—or can get by trading with someone else—what I need."

She took a breath.

"I distrust everyone, Del. Everyone but you. You are the only person since I was a young girl that I trust implicitly. And I've only known you for a few days."

"Your editor and agent?"

"I like them, and obviously I had to open up to them about my past. But I can't honestly say that I trust them."

"Your therapist?"

"Oh God, no. I mean, she's a sincere person and I like her, but I'm always on guard with her. She can get me to talk about almost anything, and yet, I can't allow myself to trust her because I don't like the control she has over me when I'm there."

"Why me?" I asked. "I mean, why is it me that you trust? Here I am, ashamed of the fact that I don't have the street smarts or skills that you have. I'm a middle-management drone. I'm boring. I'm still trying to figure out why you like me at all."

"Because you're honest and you're caring. You sacrificed your life for three years to take care of your mother. Do you have any idea how rare that is? You had the humility to allow yourself to ask me for fighting tips. You've got more street-smart skills than you think. You just need to find your passion. I found mine with my writing. You'll discover yours."

I had to think about that for a minute.

"Okay. I will do my best to teach you how to trust, but I don't think there are any tricks to it. Eventually it all comes down to what's inside you. That will be the defining test."

"Funny," Sabrina said. "That's exactly what fighting is all about. Maybe we will be treading on similar ground in our teaching."

"You said the gist of self-defense could be taught in the car. How?"

"By changing your attitude. The reason Mo can't teach you is because to her, it's meant to be complex. I don't know her, but I can guess that she strips every move down to its basic form, and then builds on it from there, adding complexity as she goes. I bet she thrives on that."