Blood From a Stone (54 page)

C
H
AP
T
E
R
SI
X

W
ill
ow
opened her
e
y
es.

S
un
li
g
ht 
peeped  
t
h
r
ou
g
h
t
he
b
li
nds
and
as
she scanned
t
he
r
oom
she
r
ea
li
z
ed
t
hat
S
a
m
son
w
as
n
o
w
h
e
r
e
t
o be
seen.
T
he
b
l
an
k
et
she
’
d
g
i
v
en
h
i
m
w
as
t
uc
k
ed
a
ro
und
her and
she
k
new
he
m
us
t’
v
e
g
o
tt
en
up
and s
li
pped out
s
o
m
e
ti
m
e be
t
w
een
t
he
ti
m
e
she
’
d
do
z
ed o
f
f
and da
y
li
g
h
t
.
S
as
h
a
w
as
s
til
l peace
f
u
ll
y as
l
eep
on
t
he
couch.
A
nd
t
he
r
e
at
her
f
eet
w
as
t
he do
g
.
H
e
’
d
l
e
f
t
t
he
dog!
H
e
s
tirr
ed
next
t
o
her
and
w
a
gg
ed h
i
s
t
a
i
l
li
g
h
tl
y
as
she
r
eached do
w
n and pa
tt
ed h
i
s
head.

We
ll
,
she
fi
g
u
r
ed
she
w
ou
l
d
w
a
l
k
h
i
m
and
f
eed
h
i
m
f
or
now
and hope
t
hat
S
a
m
son
r
e
t
u
r
ned
f
or
h
i
m
l
a
t
e
r
.

S
he
sat
up
and
sh
i
v
e
r
ed
as
she
s
li
pped
fr
om
b
e
nea
t
h
t
he
doub
l
e
l
a
y
er
of
b
l
an
k
e
t
s
and
s
tr
e
t
ched,
l
oo
k
i
ng a
r
ound
t
he
r
oom
f
or
so
m
e
s
i
g
n
t
hat
she
m
i
g
ht
be
w
r
ong and
he
’
d
s
til
l
be
t
he
r
e.
T
he
r
e
w
as
none…and she cou
l
dn
’
t
he
l
p but
no
t
i
ce
t
he d
i
sappo
i
n
t
m
ent
she
f
e
lt
.
D
i
d
you
rea
ll
y
expect
any
t
h
i
ng any
d
iff
eren
t
?,
she
t
hou
g
ht
t
o he
r
se
lf
.

S
he
s
i
g
hed
r
e
m
e
m
be
ri
ng  her
l
ast
r
e
l
a
t
ionsh
i
p. 
T
he
w
ay her
bo
y
fri
end
had
been
so
k
i
nd
as
t
o
du
m
p
her
v
i
a a
t
ext
m
essa
g
e.

H
i
s
na
m
e
w
as
M
i
k
e,
and
he
w
as
an
x
-
r
ay 
t
ech
w
o
r
k
i
ng
t
h
r
ou
g
h
an
a
g
ency at
t
he
hosp
it
a
l
.
T
he
y
’
d
m
et
and
h
i
t
i
t
o
f
f
i
mm
ed
i
a
t
e
l
y
.
R
o
m
an
ti
c
d
i
nne
r
s,
l
ong
w
a
l
k
s,
m
o
v
i
es,
a co
mm
on
i
n
t
e
r
est
i
n
t
he
hea
lt
hca
r
e
i
ndus
tr
y
.
T
he
sex
w
as
g
r
eat and
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
see
m
ed
pe
rf
ec
t
.
T
he
y
’
d
spent
m
on
t
hs
g
e
tti
ng
t
o
k
now
each
o
t
her
and she
w
as
ce
rt
a
i
n he
w
as
‘t
he
one’
a
ft
er
t
hey
m
o
v
ed
i
n
t
o an apa
rt
m
ent
t
o
g
e
t
he
r
.

B
ut
t
hen,
w
it
hout
w
a
r
n
i
ng  he
announced
t
hat
he
w
asn
’
t
r
eady
f
or
a
se
ri
ous
r
e
l
a
ti
onsh
i
p
and
dec
i
ded
t
o
b
r
eak
t
h
i
n
g
s
o
f
f
and
t
o
ad
i
nsu
l
t
t
o
i
n
j
u
r
y
,
he
’
d
t
ex
t
ed
h
i
s a
n
nounce
m
en
t
.
D
i
dn
’
t
e
v
en
ha
v
e
enou
g
h
ba
ll
s
t
o co
m
e
ho
m
e and
t
a
l
k
about
i
t
or
t
e
l
l
her
t
hat
he
w
as
unhappy
and
tr
y
t
o
w
o
r
k
i
t
ou
t
!
J
ust
a
f
ew
sho
r
t
w
o
r
ds
on
t
he
ce
l
l
ph
o
ne
and
he
w
as
out
of
her
lif
e
i
n a
fl
ash.
N
o dan
g
er
s
i
g
ns.
N
o
w
a
r
n
i
n
g
…
j
ust
ca
m
e
ho
m
e,
pac
k
ed
up
and
m
o
v
ed out
t
he
next da
y
.