Abruptly, her voice got stronger. “They hurt you.”

Shit, she was looking at him again.

“Don’t worry about me—you worry about yourself.”

A sound, like something dropping or maybe a metal door shutting, echoed up, startling her and focusing him. Undoubtedly, Devina was going to come soon enough and put Sissy back wherever she had been so he had to act fast. He didn’t know when he was going to return here or how exactly to free his girl.

Sissy, that was.

“Is that her?” Sissy asked tightly as footfalls sounded from far away. “It’s her, isn’t it. I don’t want to go back into the wall—please, don’t let her—”

“Sissy, listen to me. I need you to calm down.” She had to have something to focus on, something to keep her head together while he figured out how to get back to her. Searching his mind, he tried to pull an image out of his ass, something to ease her. “I need you to listen carefully.”

“I can’t go back there!”

Fuck, what could he give her to concentrate on? “I have a dog,” he blurted.

There was a beat, as if he’d surprised her. “You do?”

As the footsteps drew closer, he wanted to curse. “Yeah, I do.”

“I like dogs,” she said in a small voice, her eyes locking on his.

“He’s gray and blond and he’s shaggy. His fur . . .” The footsteps grew ever louder and Jim spoke quicker. “His fur is kind of rough—like it’s made up of old-man eyebrows, and he has little paws. He likes to sit in my lap. He has a limp that comes out if he runs too fast and he likes to eat my socks.”

Sniffle and a hitch of breath. Like she knew what was approaching and she was going to do her best to hang on to the lifeline he was trying to give her. “What’s his name?”

“Dog. I call him Dog. He eats pizza and turkey subs and he sleeps on my chest.” Faster. Faster with his words. “You’re going to meet him, ’kay? You’re going to take him out onto a patch of grass and . . . You know how you can tuck one sock into another?”

“Yes.” Urgent now. Like she wanted as much as he could give her. “A sock ball.”

“Sock balls—that’s right.” Fast, fast, fast. “You’ve got a sock ball and you’re going to throw it and he’s going to bring it back to you. Sun is out, Sissy. You can feel it on your face—”

“When are you coming back?” she whispered.

“Soon as I can.” He was talking at a blur now, the footsteps so close he knew they were stilettos with sharp, pointed heels. “You remember Dog. You hear me? When you feel like you’re losing it, you remember my dog—”

“Don’t leave me here—”