The 22nd Secret (104 page)

“
No p
r
oblem,”
J
im
said.
“
G
lad to h
a
ve
y
ou
.
”
J
im
sw
a
l
l
ow
e
d h
a
rd.
I
t w
a
s c
l
ea
r
T
om kn
e
w
P
a
ula, whi
c
h
c
ould sp
e
ll
troubl
e
.

“
Good,
I
’m
c
old
a
nd hu
n
g
r
y
.
L
e
t’s
g
e
t b
a
c
k to
t
he
lod
g
e
.
” Tom l
e
d the m
e
n
out of the tent.

The
c
onv
e
rs
a
t
i
on du
r
i
n
g the d
r
ive b
ac
k to
t
he
lo
d
ge
w
a
s pl
ea
s
a
n
t
.
J
im
rec
ounted the his
t
o
r
y
of the
lo
d
g
e
a
nd
his
a
n
g
e
r ov
e
r
the b
r
i
d
g
e
d
a
m
a
g
e
.
B
i
l
l
not
i
ce
d t
he
y
w
e
re
b
e
ing follow
e
d
b
y
one
o
f the
A
r
m
y
ca
ts.
T
he
y
di
s
e
mba
r
k
e
d qu
i
c
kly
w
h
e
n th
e
y
g
ot
t
o
the lod
g
e
, st
r
e
tchi
n
g
their le
g
s and
b
r
e
a
th
i
ng
the
f
r
e
sh ai
r
.

“
I
w
a
nt
t
o make
s
u
re
th
o
se
A
r
m
y
b
o
y
s know to b
r
ing
the
F
AA
men
b
ac
k
h
e
re
w
h
e
n th
e
y
’
re
r
ea
d
y
,
”
Tom sai
d
.
“
Go on i
n
.
I
’ll be
r
i
g
ht
t
h
e
r
e
.”

J
i
m and
B
i
l
l w
e
nt
i
nto
t
he
lodge
a
nd
r
e
moved the
i
r p
a
rk
a
s
a
nd
g
loves.
B
i
l
l sat in one
of the l
ea
ther
c
h
a
irs
b
y
the
f
ir
e
pla
c
e
while
J
im
thr
e
w some
lo
g
s on the
f
i
r
e
.
T
o
m
ca
me in le
a
vi
n
g the door
op
e
n b
e
hind h
i
m. He
quick
l
y
w
a
lked up
to J
i
m wh
e
re
he
stood in f
r
ont of the
f
i
re
,
g
r
a
bb
e
d him
b
y
the shirt
c
ol
l
a
r
, pul
l
e
d him
c
lose to his f
ac
e
a
nd d
r
e
w his .45. He
shov
e
d it
h
a
rd up to
J
i
m’s thro
a
t
b
e
n
ea
t
h his chin. The
f
o
r
c
e
of
T
om
pul
l
ing
on
J
i
m
’s shirt
a
nd the pistol under his chin m
a
de
J
im
stand
on his toes.

“
W
h
e
r
e
’s the
g
irl
?
”
B
e
f
o
re
J
im
c
ould answ
e
r
, T
o
m
poin
t
e
d the
g
un down
a
t
J
i
m
’
s foot
a
nd squ
ee
z
e
d off
a
r
ound
that hit
the
f
loor one
in
c
h
a
w
a
y
f
rom
J
i
m
’s
f
oot.
The
shot h
a
d not stopp
e
d
ec
hoi
n
g
wh
e
n
B
i
ll
ju
m
p
e
d up out of his ch
a
ir
a
nd
r
a
n tow
a
rd th
e
m
.

“
J
e
sus
C
h
r
i
s
t,
W
a
lker.
Y
ou just c
a
n
’
t–”
he
f
roze
wh
e
n he
h
e
a
rd the
two s
o
l
d
i
e
rs st
a
nding just
ins
i
de
the op
e
n door
ra
ise th
e
ir
a
uto
m
a
t
i
c
w
e
a
pons.

“
Kill
him
if he
move
s
,”
Tom
g
e
stu
r
e
d tow
a
rd
B
i
l
l.
Tom shov
e
d his
g
un j
u
st behind
J
i
m’s
c
hin
a
g
a
i
n.

“
W
h
e
r
e
’s the
fu
c
ki
n
g
g
i
r
l
?
”
Tom low
e
r
e
d the
g
un
a
se
c
ond t
i
me
a
nd sq
u
e
e
z
e
d o
f
f
a
nother roun
d
, hi
t
t
i
ng
the
f
loor
b
e
tw
ee
n
J
i
m’
s f
e
e
t. This t
i
me
w
h
e
n he
b
ro
u
g
ht
t
he
g
un u
p
, he
poin
t
e
d it dir
ec
t
l
y
a
t
B
i
l
l’s
c
h
e
st.

“
Those
soldie
r
s won
’
t
,
b
ut
I
wil
l
. T
e
l
l
m
e
w
h
e
re
t
he
g
irl is now
o
r
I
ki
l
l
t
he
she
r
if
f
.”

“
T
e
ll
hi
m
,
J
i
m
.
Ch
r
is
t
,
e
v
e
n
I
know
y
ou
’
re
l
y
i
n
g
.
S
h
e
’s a
g
odd
a
mn
s
c
ientist de
fec
t
i
n
g
to the Chin
e
s
e
.
I
f
y
ou know
wh
e
re
s
h
e
i
s
, for
God
’
s
s
a
ke
tell h
i
m.”

Tom fi
re
d
a
noth
e
r
r
o
und
that str
e
a
k
e
d
b
y
B
i
l
l
’s h
e
a
d,
e
x
plod
i
ng
the
wind
o
w b
e
hind h
im
.

The
soldie
r
s didn’t
f
l
i
n
c
h
.
B
i
l
l
l
ook
e
d
a
t Tom with hor
r
o
r
.

“
L
a
st
C
h
a
n
c
e,
d
a
m
m
i
t
,”
said
J
i
m
.
“
S
h
e
’s
a
t
L
a
st
Ch
a
n
ce
.” Tom
r
e
le
a
s
e
d
h
is
g
rip on
J
i
m
’s shirt and tu
r
n
e
d tow
a
rd
t
he
doo
r
.

“
You know
wh
e
re
that i
s
, sh
e
ri
f
f
?
”

“
Y
ea
h s
u
r
e
.”

“
T
a
ke
me t
h
e
r
e
.
I
’ll n
ee
d
to use
y
our
r
a
dio.”
Tom
looked
a
t h
i
s w
a
tch.
I
t
w
a
s
6:45
a
nd the je
we
ls at sev
e
n
a
nd
e
i
g
ht
w
e
re
ac
t
i
v
a
ted.