Blood From a Stone (208 page)

A
f
ew
hou
r
s
l
a
t
e
r
,
W
ill
ow
s
t
epped out of
t
he e
l
e
v
a
t
or
o
n
t
o
t
he
fift
h
fl
oor
at
S
t
.
L
u
k
e
’
s.
S
he
’
d spent
t
he
be
t
t
er
pa
r
t
of
t
he
past
coup
l
e
of
hou
r
s
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
g
et
he
r
se
l
f
t
o
g
et
her
enou
g
h
t
o co
m
e
i
n
t
o
w
o
r
k
.

B
ut
her
m
i
nd
w
ou
l
d
not
s
t
op
w
r
es
tli
ng
w
it
h
w
hat
had happened
w
it
h
S
a
m
son.
H
ad
she
been
t
oo ha
r
d on h
i
m
?
H
ow cou
l
d
she
poss
i
b
l
y a
g
r
ee
w
it
h
w
hat
he
’
d done?
H
e
’
d
v
i
o
l
a
t
ed her
tr
ust
and
f
or
a
l
l
she
k
ne
w
,
he
’
d
on
l
y co
m
e
back
t
o
her house
t
o
g
et
i
n bed
w
it
h her
be
f
o
r
e she
f
ound ou
t
,
d
e
sp
it
e h
i
s
i
ns
i
s
t
ence
t
hat
he had
i
ndeed
f
a
ll
en
i
n
l
o
v
e
w
it
h he
r
.

S
he
s
i
g
hed
deep
l
y
.
S
he
had
t
o
tr
y
t
o
p
ush
a
l
l
of
i
t
fr
om
her
m
i
nd
so
she
cou
l
d
f
ace
her
sh
if
t
at
hand.
A
nd
t
hen, of
cou
r
se,
she
w
ou
l
d
ha
v
e
t
o
con
fr
ont
w
a
l
k
i
ng
i
n
t
o
556
and see
i
ng  
littl
e 
D
a
v
i
d. 
K
no
w
i
ng  
S
a
m
son 
had   been  
t
he
r
e.
K
no
w
i
ng
t
he
littl
e
boy
w
as
a
li
v
e
and
w
e
l
l
because
o
f
w
hat he
’
d done.

S
he
w
as
i
n
t
he
b
r
eak
r
oom pu
tti
ng
her
pu
r
se
a
w
a
y
,
w
hen
S
asha
w
a
l
k
ed
t
h
r
ou
g
h
t
he
doo
r
.
“
H
e
y
!
D
i
d
S
a
m
s
o
n
g
i
v
e
y
ou 
m
y
m
essa
g
e?
I
d
i
dn
’
t
hear
back
fr
om
y
ou  and
I
was s
t
a
rti
ng
t
o
w
o
rr
y
.”

“
Y
eah.
H
e
g
a
v
e
m
e
t
he
m
essa
g
e.
I
’
m
sor
r
y
I
d
i
dn
’
t ca
l
l
y
ou
or
t
ex
t
.”
W
ill
ow
f
o
r
ced
a s
m
il
e but
S
asha
w
asn
’
t bu
y
i
ng
it
.

“Wha
t’
s
up? 
D
i
d 
y
ou  and 
R
o
m
eo  ha
v
e 
fi
g
h
t
? 
H
e spent
t
he
n
i
g
ht
fi
na
ll
y
,
ri
g
h
t
?” 
H
er
b
r
o
w
s
k
n
i
t
to
g
e
t
her
and her
s
m
il
e
f
aded
t
o
l
ook of
conce
r
n,
as
she
p
l
un
k
ed
do
w
n ha
r
d on
t
he
cha
i
r
next
t
o
her
fri
end.
“
P
l
ease
t
e
l
l
m
e he d
i
d not
g
i
v
e
y
ou
t
he
‘
I
’
m
not
r
eady
f
or
an
y
t
h
i
ng se
ri
ous’
m
o
r
n
in
g a
ft
er speech?
D
i
d he du
m
p
y
ou or
so
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
?”
S
he
r
eached out
and
r
ubbed W
ill
o
w
’
s
shou
l
de
r
.

W
ill
ow
shook
her
head.
“
N
o.
N
ot
exac
t
l
y
.”

S
he
l
oo
k
ed up at
S
asha as
her
e
y
es
g
l
a
z
ed
w
it
h
t
ea
r
s.

“
H
one
y
,
w
ha
t’
s
w
r
on
g
?
T
e
l
l
m
e
w
hat ha
p
pened,”
S
asha sa
i
d so
ftl
y
,
r
each
i
ng
o
v
er
t
o hug
her
fri
end.