Blood From a Stone (83 page)

H
e
f
e
l
t
her
fli
nch as
h
i
s
hand s
li
pped do
w
n and a
w
a
y
.
S
he
r
eached
up
t
o
put
i
t
bac
k
,
but
t
hen
t
h
i
n
k
i
ng b
ett
er
of
it
, s
i
m
p
l
y
r
es
t
ed
her
hand
on
h
i
s.
Just
brea
t
he…don
‘
t
w
ant
t
o
t
ake
t
h
i
s
t
oo
f
as
t
,
or
he
’
s
go
i
ng
t
o
t
h
i
nk you are
t
oo easy, she
t
hought
t
o herse
lf
.

A
f
ew
b
r
ea
t
h
l
ess
m
o
m
en
t
s
l
a
t
e
r
,
t
hey
c
a
m
e
up
f
or
a
i
r and
he
p
l
aced
h
i
s
li
ps
g
en
tl
y
t
o
her
cheek and
b
r
u
s
hed
t
he
ha
i
r back 
fr
om
her
f
ace.
H
e
p
r
essed
h
i
s
f
o
r
ehead 
t
o  he
rs
,  and be
f
o
r
e she cou
l
d say
a
w
o
r
d he sa
i
d, “I
w
on
’t
,
y
ou
k
no
w
.”

S
he
pu
ll
ed back
s
li
g
h
tl
y
and
l
oo
k
ed at h
i
m
li
k
e he
w
as c
r
a
z
y
.
“
Y
ou
w
on
’
t
w
ha
t
?
What
a
r
e
y
ou
t
a
l
k
i
ng abou
t
?
”
she s
m
il
ed
as
she
tr
aced
t
he
sha
ll
ow
l
au
g
h
li
nes
next
t
o
h
i
s
m
ou
t
h
w
it
h
her
fi
n
g
e
r
.
H
e
c
l
osed
h
i
s
e
y
es
f
or
j
ust
a
second, sa
v
o
ri
ng
t
he
f
ee
li
ng
of
her
fi
n
g
e
r
s
on h
i
s
s
k
i
n.

“Ma
k
e
y
ou
r
e
g
r
et
l
e
tti
ng
m
e
k
now
t
hat
y
ou
at
l
east so
r
t
of
li
k
e
m
e.
Y
ou as
k
ed
m
e not
t
o
m
a
k
e
y
ou
r
e
g
re
t
i
t
w
hen
w
e
w
e
r
e
i
n  s
itti
ng
i
n
C
h
i
co
’
s.”
H
i
s
a
r
m
ti
g
h
t
ened
s
li
g
h
tl
y a
r
ound her
w
a
i
st
as
he spo
k
e.

S
he
s
t
a
r
ed
at
h
i
m
f
or
a
m
o
m
en
t
,
l
eaned
i
n
and
p
l
aced ano
t
her
g
en
tl
e
k
i
ss
on
h
i
s
li
ps. “
P
r
o
m
i
se
y
ou
w
on
’
t
m
a
k
e
m
e
r
e
g
r
et
t
h
i
s
e
it
he
r
.”

H
e
hes
it
a
t
ed
f
or
j
ust
a
second
and
l
o
o
k
ed her
i
n
t
he e
y
es
w
e
i
g
h
i
ng
t
he
w
o
r
ds
he
w
as
about
t
o sa
y
.

“I
p
r
o
m
i
se,” he
w
h
i
spe
r
ed.

H
e
s
t
o
l
e
one
m
o
r
e
qu
i
ck
peck
be
f
o
r
e
he
f
o
r
ced
h
i
s a
r
m
s
t
o
l
et
her
g
o,
opened
t
he
door
and
s
li
pped
ou
t
. 
H
e qu
i
c
k
l
y
s
li
d
i
n
t
o h
i
s
car
and bac
k
ed out
of
t
he d
ri
v
e
w
a
y
.

H
a
r
d
as
i
t
w
as
f
or
h
i
m
t
o
be
li
e
v
e….he
m
eant
w
hat
he
sa
i
d.
H
e
w
asn
’
t
exac
tl
y
su
r
e
w
hat
t
he
he
l
l
w
as
w
r
o
n
g
w
it
h h
i
m
because
he
k
new
be
tt
er
t
han
t
h
i
s.
H
e
w
as
w
e
l
l
a
w
a
r
e
of
t
he
consequences
of
f
ee
li
ng  an
y
t
h
i
ng 
f
or
an
y
one
be
y
ond casual
or
m
a
k
i
ng
any
k
i
nd of
p
r
o
m
i
ses.