Blood From a Stone (233 page)

“
Y
eah, she
does now,
”
he
sa
i
d
ca
l
m
l
y
.
“
S
o…now
a
r
e
y
ou
g
o
i
ng
t
o
g
i
v
e
m
e sh
i
t
f
or
not
w
a
l
k
i
ng
a
w
a
y
?”

S
he
s
t
a
r
ed
at
h
i
m
l
ong and
ha
r
d
and he
k
new
t
hat
he
’
d p
r
obab
l
y
v
i
o
l
a
t
ed
so
m
e
‘r
u
l
e
’
….hope
f
u
ll
y
not
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
t
hat
w
ou
l
d
a
ff
ect
h
i
s
b
r
ea
k
i
ng
t
he
cu
r
se.  
N
o
m
a
tt
e
r
,
he
w
asn
’
t so
rr
y
f
or
w
hat
he
’
d
done,
any
m
o
r
e
t
han
he
w
as
so
rr
y
f
or sa
v
i
ng
H
a
r
o
l
d and
t
he bo
y
.

“
Y
ou
l
o
v
e he
r
,” she sa
i
d
m
a
tt
e
r
-
o
f
-
f
a
c
tl
y
.

H
e
nodded.
“
Y
eah, I do.
A
nd
e
v
en
i
f
I ne
v
er
fi
nd
m
y
w
ay
out
of
t
h
i
s
t
h
i
n
g
,
I
i
n
t
end
t
o
m
a
k
e
w
hat
littl
e
ti
m
e
I ha
v
e
w
it
h her
coun
t
.”

A
d
ri
e
ll
e
l
oo
k
ed
a
b
i
t
sad 
f
or
a 
m
o
m
ent  and 
t
hen s
m
il
ed.
S
he
r
eached
f
o
r
w
a
r
d
and
t
ouched
S
a
m
son
and
he
f
e
l
t a
w
a
r
m
t
h
filli
ng
h
i
m
as
w
a
v
es
of
her
ene
r
g
y
pene
tr
a
t
ed
h
i
s soul
and she
r
ead h
i
s
t
hou
g
h
t
s.

“
A
r
e
y
ou
t
a
k
i
ng
m
e
w
it
h
y
ou?
T
he
boy
sa
i
d
I
w
ou
l
d be one of
y
ou.
I
s
t
hat
tr
ue?”

S
he
bac
k
ed
up
and
sa
i
d
qu
i
e
tl
y
,   “
F
r
ee
y
our
m
i
nd.
L
ook
t
o
t
he
r
h
y
m
e.”

I
a
lr
eady
d
i
d
t
ha
t
.
A
l
l
I ca
m
e
up
w
it
h
w
as
t
hat
ti
m
e does
seem
t
o
g
o
bac
k
w
a
r
ds
a
b
i
t
w
hen
a
s
i
ck an
i
m
al
or
h
u
m
an
t
as
t
es
m
y
b
l
ood.
T
he b
l
ood of
m
y
w
ill
?”

“
L
ook
t
o
t
he
r
h
y
m
e…”

W
it
hout
ano
t
her
w
o
r
d,
she
sh
i
mm
e
r
ed
o
u
t 
l
ea
v
i
ng h
i
m
a
l
one
i
n
t
he
r
oo
m
.

H
e
s
i
g
hed
hea
v
il
y
as
he
p
i
c
k
ed
up
a
s
m
a
l
l
s
tr
ong box
fill
ed
w
it
h
h
i
s
m
ost
i
m
po
rt
ant
pape
r
s
and
o
t
her
of
h
i
s
m
ost
v
a
l
uab
l
e
it
e
m
s.
H
e
g
r
abbed
sun
g
l
asses
and
so
m
e
l
oo
s
e
chan
g
e
and sho
v
ed
t
hem
i
n h
i
s
j
ac
k
et
poc
k
e
t
.

H
e
g
l
anced at
t
he c
l
oc
k
.
T
he
i
r
fli
g
ht
w
ou
l
d be
l
ea
v
i
ng
i
n
j
ust
a
coup
l
e
m
o
r
e
hou
r
s.
H
e
w
a
l
k
ed
ou
t
,
l
oc
k
ed
up
t
he door
and
headed
t
o
W
ill
o
w
’
s
house
t
o
d
r
op
o
f
f
h
i
s
c
a
r
,
and ca
l
l
a cab
t
o
t
he a
ir
po
rt
.