Blood From a Stone (127 page)

Damn. H
e  needed
t
o
g
et
h
i
s
m
i
nd
o
f
f
t
he
sub
j
ec
t
now, o
r
he
w
ou
l
d
indeed
be
t
a
k
i
ng a
li
t
tl
e
so
l
o
fli
g
h
t
.
N
ot
exac
tl
y
w
hat
he
w
as
hop
i
ng
f
or
a
ft
er
b
ei
ng as
l
eep
f
or
fift
y
y
ea
r
s.
Wa
k
e
up
and
y
our
fir
st
f
un and
g
a
m
es
i
s do
i
ng
t
he
fi
v
e
k
nuc
k
l
e
shu
ffl
e
by
y
ou
r
se
lf
?
P
a
t
he
ti
c.
A
nd
y
et
he
r
e he
w
as
ac
t
ua
ll
y cons
i
de
r
i
ng
t
he
poss
i
b
ilit
y because
he
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o ho
l
d out
f
or
W
i
l
l
ow
D
a
lt
on.

I
t
w
as
bad
enou
g
h
t
hat
he
’
d
a
lr
eady been
Aw
a
k
e
f
or
w
ha
t
?
T
h
r
ee
da
y
s
now
and
no
ac
ti
on.
B
y h
i
s
o
w
n
cho
i
ce
t
oo.
C
h
ri
st
a
l
m
i
g
h
t
y
he
w
as
l
oos
i
ng
h
i
s
m
i
nd!
We
ll
,
he
s
u
p
posed he
cou
l
d
cha
l
k
t
h
i
s
one
up
a
l
ong s
i
de
a
l
l
t
he
o
t
her
l
ess
t
han sa
v
o
r
y
and
/
or
s
t
up
i
d
t
h
i
n
g
s
he
’
d
tri
ed
du
ri
ng
v
a
rio
us
Aw
a
k
en
i
n
g
s.
S
u
i
c
i
de
ca
m
e
t
o
m
i
nd.
A
s
d
i
d
po
i
son
i
ng and be
i
ng
r
un
o
v
e
r
.
B
e
i
ng
ce
li
ba
t
e
see
m
ed
t
o
g
o
n
i
ce
l
y next
t
o
t
hose!

U
sua
ll
y
he
’
d
’
w
a
k
e
up’
and
w
as
i
n
a
bar
and
on
t
o
b
e
d
w
it
h  at
l
east
one
w
illi
ng
pa
rt
ner
w
it
h
i
n
hou
r
s
of
c
li
m
b
i
ng do
w
n
fr
om h
i
s
pe
r
ch.
H
e
’
d
s
t
a
rt
ed
do
w
n
t
hat
r
oad
a
g
a
i
n
t
h
i
s
ti
m
e,
but
so
m
e
w
he
r
e
a
l
ong
t
he
w
ay he
t
ook an
o
f
f
r
a
m
p,
and dec
i
ded
t
hat
h
i
g
h
w
ay
w
as
t
he
w
r
ong
r
ou
te
.

H
e
co
m
bed
t
h
r
ou
g
h
h
i
s
ha
ir
,
t
h
r
ew
on
so
m
e
j
eans
and a
l
ong s
l
ee
v
ed
t
-
sh
ir
t
and
headed
back out
t
o
t
he
k
it
chen
f
or so
m
e
m
o
r
e co
ff
ee.

H
e pou
r
ed
ano
t
her
cup  and  sat
do
w
n  at
t
he
t
a
b
l
e,
r
es
i
s
ti
ng
t
he
u
r
g
e
t
o
ca
l
l
W
ill
o
w
.
H
e
needed
t
o
spend
so
m
e
ti
m
e
t
h
i
n
k
i
ng
t
h
i
s
t
h
r
ou
g
h
and
m
a
y
be
i
t
w
ou
l
d
bene
fi
t
h
i
m
t
o not
ha
v
e
her
on
h
i
s
m
i
nd
w
h
il
e
do
i
ng so.
T
hen
a
g
a
in
,
k
eep
i
ng her
o
f
f
h
i
s
m
i
nd
w
asn
’
t
g
o
i
ng
t
o
w
o
r
k
,
so
he
fi
g
u
re
d
sc
r
ew
i
t and p
i
c
k
ed up
t
he phone.

T
he
ce
l
l
r
ang
a
coup
l
e
of
ti
m
es
be
f
o
r
e she
p
i
c
k
ed
up. “
H
e
y
, a
r
e
y
ou
up?”
he
as
k
ed,
l
oo
k
i
ng  o
v
er
at
t
he
c
l
oc
k
, no
ti
ng
i
t
w
as
w
e
l
l
past
n
i
ne and she
w
as p
r
obab
l
y
a
w
a
k
e.