Blood From a Stone (107 page)

S
he
tri
ed
t
o
s
m
o
t
her
it
,
but
she
had to s
m
ir
k
.
D
a
m
n h
i
m
!
H
e
had
a
w
ay of
m
a
k
i
ng her
s
m
il
e e
v
en
w
hen she
w
as sca
r
ed, or
an
g
r
y
or
an
y
t
h
i
ng
e
l
se.

“
Y
eah, y
ou
can
s
til
l
ca
l
l
and ha
v
e
v
i
s
it
a
ti
on
ri
g
h
t
s.
U
nsupe
r
v
i
sed
…
i
f
y
ou
p
r
o
m
i
se
not
t
o
expose
h
i
m
t
o
a
n
y bad
i
n
fl
uences.”

“
S
o, n
o
do
gg
i
e
s
tri
p
c
l
ubs
or
g
a
m
b
li
ng cas
i
nos?
H
mmm
, 
I   don
’
t 
t
h
i
nk 
he 
w
il
l 
li
k
e 
t
h
i
s 
m
uch. 
B
u
t
, o
k
a
y
…dea
l
.”

H
e
s
m
il
ed,
r
eached
f
o
r
w
a
r
d
and
cau
ti
o
u
s
l
y
t
ook her hand
i
n
h
i
s
o
w
n,
b
ri
n
g
i
ng
her
fi
n
g
e
rti
ps
t
o
h
i
s
lip
s.
H
e
p
l
an
t
ed a
g
en
tl
e
k
i
ss
t
he
r
e
r
es
i
s
ti
ng
t
he
u
r
g
e
t
o
pu
l
l
her
body a
g
a
i
nst h
i
m
.

S
he
su
r
p
ri
sed
h
i
m
by
s
t
epp
i
ng
f
o
r
w
a
r
d
i
n
t
o
h
i
s
a
r
m
s of
her
o
w
n
fr
ee
w
ill
.
S
he
r
eached
up
and
b
r
ushed
an
e
rr
ant
l
ock
of
h
i
s
ha
i
r
back
fr
om
h
i
s
f
o
r
ehead.

“I
k
now
I
shou
l
d
be
r
unn
i
ng
a
w
ay
fr
om
y
ou
i
n
t
he o
t
her
d
ir
ec
ti
on
as
f
ast
as
m
y
l
e
g
s
w
il
l
t
a
k
e
m
e.
B
u
t
,
t
hey
w
on
’
t
m
o
v
e
no
m
a
tt
er
how
m
uch
m
y
b
r
a
i
n
t
e
ll
s
t
hem
t
o.”
H
e
r
v
o
i
ce
w
as ba
r
e
l
y
abo
v
e a
w
h
i
spe
r
.

H
i
s
li
ps
w
e
r
e
on
he
r
s
i
n
one
second 
f
la
t
,  h
i
s
so
f
t
t
on
g
ue
danc
i
ng a
g
a
i
nst
he
r
s
as
he c
r
ushed her
i
n as
c
l
ose as poss
i
b
l
e
a
g
a
i
nst
h
i
m
.
H
er
a
r
m
s
w
ound
a
r
ound
h
i
s
s
tr
ong neck and
he
lift
ed
her
up
o
f
f
t
he
g
r
ound 
ti
l
she
squea
le
d  and
l
au
g
hed
out
l
oud.
H
e
put
her
back
do
w
n
and
m
o
v
ed
b
a
ck
i
n,

so
ftl
y en
v
e
l
op
i
ng her
li
ps
a
g
a
i
n
w
it
h
h
i
s
o
w
n.
T
o
hi
s
su
r
p
ri
se, he
f
ound
t
hat
h
i
s
m
i
nd
w
as
not
en
v
i
s
i
on
i
ng an
y
t
h
i
ng
be
y
ond
t
he
m
o
m
en
t
…
i
t
w
as
a
k
i
ss
of
s
w
ee
t
ness, not
l
us
t
.

A
m
o
m
ent
l
a
t
er
w
hen
t
he
i
r
li
ps
fi
na
ll
y pa
rt
ed,
he s
i
m
p
l
y pu
ll
ed
her
t
o
h
i
s
chest
and
r
es
t
ed
h
i
s
ch
i
n
on
t
he
t
op of her
head, en
v
e
l
op
i
ng
her
i
n
t
he
w
a
r
m
t
h of
h
i
s bod
y
.

“
Listen,
I
k
now
y
ou
’r
e
sca
r
ed.
I
g
uess
I am a
littl
e
t
oo.
B
u
t
,
I
’
m
not
so
m
e
c
r
ea
t
u
r
e
or
w
ha
t
e
v
er
y
ou
m
i
g
ht
i
m
a
g
i
n
e
,
e
it
he
r
. I s
w
ear
it
.
I
j
ust
happen
t
o
ha
v
e
t
h
i
s…
t
h
i
s
ab
i
l
it
y
.
B
ut
y
ou
k
now
it’
s
not
a
bad
t
h
i
n
g
.
I
t’
s
a
g
ood
t
h
i
n
g
!
I
’
v
e
sa
v
ed
t
w
o
li
v
es
w
it
h
i
t
a
lr
ead
y
.
Ma
y
be
t
he
r
e
’
s
a
w
ho
l
e
l
ot
m
or
e
I can
do
w
it
h
t
h
i
s
g
if
t
I
’
v
e been
g
i
v
en.”