Blood From a Stone (96 page)

S
he
w
as
w
a
iti
ng
f
or
h
i
m by
t
he
e
l
e
v
a
t
o
r
w
hen
he
g
ot
t
he
r
e.
H
e
j
u
m
ped
out
and opened
t
he door
f
or
her
b
ef
o
r
e she cou
l
d do
i
t
he
r
se
lf
.

S
he
s
m
il
ed.
“My a
r
en
’
t
w
e
t
he
g
en
tl
e
m
an
t
on
i
g
h
t
? What
happened
t
o
t
he
ass
-
g
r
abber
I
m
et
at
V
e
l
v
e
t
?”
S
he
l
au
g
hed.

“
O
h,
he
’
s
s
til
l
he
r
e.
J
e
ky
l
l
and
H
y
de
…
.he
’
s
w
a
i
t
i
ng
f
or
t
he
ri
g
ht
m
o
m
en
t
.”

D
a
m
n.  
H
e 
had  
t
o   s
m
il
e 
because 
so
m
ehow
t
he s
t
a
t
e
m
ent
d
i
dn
‘
t
seem so
f
ar
fr
om
t
he
tr
u
t
h
w
hen
he
t
hou
g
ht about
it
.
H
e
w
as
a
ft
er
a
ll
,
pa
r
t
hu
m
an
and
pa
r
t
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng e
l
se,
w
asn
’
t
he?

S
he
s
i
g
hed.
“
Y
ou
k
now
m
a
y
be
w
e
can
’
t
rea
ll
y do
t
h
i
s
t
on
i
g
ht
a
ft
er
a
ll’’
.
S
he
opened
her
coa
t
.
“
I
’
m
so
rr
y
,
a
l
l
I
ha
v
e
i
s
m
y
sc
r
ubs.
I
d
i
dn
’
t
b
ri
ng
a
chan
g
e
of
c
l
o
t
hes
fo
r
a
ft
er
w
o
r
k
. I
d
i
dn
’
t
k
now
I
w
as
g
o
i
ng
an
y
w
he
r
e,” she sh
r
u
gg
ed.

“
Y
ou
l
ook
fi
ne.”
H
e
c
l
osed
her
doo
r
,
w
a
l
k
ed
a
r
ound and
j
u
m
ped
i
n
bes
i
de
he
r
.
“
B
es
i
des…
t
h
i
s
w
ay e
v
e
r
y
one
w
il
l
k
now
I
g
ot
m
e
a
da
t
e
w
it
h
t
he
hot
nu
r
se,
ri
g
h
t
?”
H
e
w
i
n
k
ed and
l
au
g
hed.
“
T
he
y
’l
l
be
w
onde
ri
ng
w
hen
y
ou
’r
e
gonna
t
a
k
e do
w
n
t
he
ha
i
r
and
sha
k
e
i
t
ou
t
…
ri
p
o
f
f
t
he
sc
r
ubs
a
nd
g
et do
w
n
t
o
t
he
g
a
rt
e
r
s.
Y
ou
k
no
w
.
T
he
w
ho
l
e
r
ou
ti
ne.”

S
he
w
ri
n
k
l
ed
her
nose
and
g
a
v
e
h
i
m
‘t
he
schoo
l
m
a
r
m
l
oo
k
’
li
k
e
she
w
an
t
ed
t
o
s
l
ap
t
he
li
v
i
ng sh
i
t
out
o
f
h
i
m
.
D
a
m
n she
w
as sexy
w
hen she d
i
d
t
ha
t
.

H
e 
r
eached 
out 
and 
g
r
abbed 
her 
hand 
s
m
i
l
i
ng
w
i
c
k
ed
l
y
.
“
I
’
m
j
ust
k
i
dd
i
n
g
.
I
t
o
l
d
y
ou
H
y
de
w
as
w
aiti
ng
f
or
t
he
ri
g
ht
m
o
m
en
t
.”
H
e
l
au
g
hed
as
she
shook her
head
i
n
m
ock exaspe
r
a
ti
on.

H
i
s
exp
r
ess
i
on
so
ft
ened
and
he
tr
aced
a
fi
n
g
er do
w
n
t
he
s
i
de
of
her
chee
k
.
“
Y
ou
l
ook beau
tif
ul
no
m
a
tte
r
w
hat
y
ou ha
v
e
on
so don
’
t
w
o
rr
y
.
N
o
w
…
w
he
r
e
do
y
ou
w
ant
t
o
g
o
,
m
y
l
ad
y
?”
H
e
pu
ll
ed out
on
t
o
t
he
s
tr
eet
and headed no
r
t
h up
t
he h
il
l
t
o
w
a
r
ds
t
he
s
tri
p
w
he
r
e
se
v
e
r
al
r
es
t
au
r
an
t
s,
and
bar
&
g
rill
s
w
e
r
e
l
oca
t
ed.