Blood From a Stone (17 page)
Read Blood From a Stone Online
Authors: Cynthia Lucas
“
O
k
ay
t
hen.
Ma
y
be
I
’
l
l
be
bac
k
,”
she
s
m
il
ed,
r
a
i
s
i
ng
one e
y
eb
r
ow
s
m
u
g
l
y
.
S
he
b
r
ushed
past
h
i
m
and
he
cou
l
dn
’
t
h
e
l
p
but
d
ri
nk
i
n
t
he
s
m
e
l
l
of
her
pe
rf
u
m
e
and
t
he
cu
r
v
e
of
her
b
o
dy
as
sh
e
w
a
l
k
ed b
y
.
S
a
m
son
w
a
t
ched her
d
i
sappear
i
n
t
o
t
he c
r
o
w
d.
T
he
r
e
w
as
no
m
a
y
be
about
it
.
H
e
w
ou
l
d
de
fi
n
it
e
l
y be see
i
ng her
a
g
a
i
n be
f
o
r
e
t
he n
i
g
ht
w
as o
v
e
r
.
H
e
k
new
i
t
as su
r
e as
he
w
as
s
t
and
i
ng
t
he
r
e
and
he s
m
il
ed
t
o h
i
m
se
l
f
be
f
o
r
e he
t
u
r
ned
and
w
a
l
k
ed
t
o
t
he
s
t
a
ir
s
t
o
check
out
t
he
b
al
cony
bar and sea
ti
n
g
.
C
H
AP
T
E
R
T
W
O
H
e
g
r
abbed
a
co
l
d
beer
and
m
ir
acu
l
ous
l
y
f
ound
an e
m
p
t
y seat
on
one
of
t
he
c
r
ushed
v
e
l
v
et
couches
pe
r
ched near
t
he h
i
g
h
r
a
il
ed ba
l
con
y
.
H
i
s
m
i
nd
d
rift
ed
back
t
o
t
he past
se
v
e
r
al
hou
r
s
w
h
e
n he
’
d
f
u
ll
y
co
m
e
t
o
lif
e,
na
k
ed
and
fr
ee
z
i
ng as
he
’
d
c
li
m
bed do
w
n
fr
om
h
i
s
pe
r
ch,
j
ust
as
he
’
d
done
so
m
any
ti
m
es
b
e
f
o
r
e.
A
nd as
a
l
w
a
y
s, be
f
o
r
e
he
’
d
g
one
i
n
t
o h
i
s
ha
r
d, s
t
o
n
e
-
co
l
d
tr
ance
of
t
he a
g
es, he
’
d been of
g
ood sense enou
g
h
t
o
t
a
k
e
t
he
ti
m
e
t
o
m
a
k
e
su
r
e
h
i
s
c
l
o
t
hes
and
i
mm
ed
i
a
t
e necess
i
ti
es
w
e
r
e bu
ri
ed c
l
ose by
under
a
l
oose s
t
one
i
n
t
he
m
auso
l
e
u
m
.
H
e
had
p
r
a
y
ed
t
he p
r
ec
i
ous
it
e
m
s
w
ou
l
d
r
e
m
a
i
n u
n
t
ouched
i
n
t
he
fir
e and
w
ea
t
her
-
sa
f
e box, and
w
as
r
e
li
e
v
ed be
y
ond
m
easu
r
e
t
o
fi
nd
t
hat
i
t
w
as
i
ndeed
i
n
t
act
w
h
en he c
li
m
bed
do
w
n
and
he
pu
ll
ed
f
o
rt
h
h
i
s
c
l
o
t
hes;
a
l
o
n
g s
l
ee
v
ed bu
tt
on
-
do
w
n
sh
irt
,
so
m
e
j
eans
and
a
l
ong b
l
ack
l
ea
t
her
dus
t
er and a pa
i
r
of
b
l
ack
boo
t
s.
H
e hoped
t
hat
w
ou
l
d not
be
t
oo out
of
s
t
y
l
e
w
hen he a
w
o
k
e,
as
had
happened
a
f
ew
ti
m
es
t
o
h
i
m
i
n
past
Aw
a
k
e
n
i
n
g
s.
T
hen
a
g
a
i
n
he
d
i
dn
’
t
r
ea
ll
y
g
i
v
e
a
da
m
n
ed
.
S
u
r
e, he
w
asn
’
t
g
o
i
ng
t
o
g
o
p
r
anc
i
ng a
r
ound
i
n
b
r
eeches
a
nd a
li
nen
t
u
n
i
c
as
w
as
t
he
s
t
y
l
e
i
n
past
cen
t
u
ri
es,
but
i
n
r
ecent
ones, he p
r
e
tt
y
m
uch
w
o
r
e
w
hat
he
li
k
ed and
t
hat
w
as
t
ha
t
,
n
o
m
a
tt
er
w
hat
decade.
H
i
s
j
eans,
l
ea
t
her
j
ac
k
e
t
s
and
boo
t
s
w
ent
w
it
h h
i
m e
v
e
r
y
w
he
r
e.
I
t
w
as
a
s
i
m
p
l
e
and
f
unc
ti
onal
w
ay
t
o
d
r
ess
t
hat
he
’
d
p
i
c
k
ed
up
i
n
t
he
past
cen
t
u
r
y
and
l
uc
k
y
f
or
h
i
m
,
i
t
w
as
so far, a classic that hadn’t gone out of style.
H
e
’
d
a
l
so
p
l
anned
ahead
and
set
as
i
de a
w
a
ll
e
t
,
f
o
r
g
ed pape
r
s
w
it
h
t
he
co
rr
ect
da
t
es
and o
t
her
i
n
f
o
r
m
a
ti
on he
‘
d need
t
o
g
et
a
d
ri
v
e
r
s
li
cense
and
passpo
rt
.
A
nd
t
hen
t
h
er
e
w
as
t
he subs
t
an
ti
al
s
t
ash
of
coun
tl
ess
hund
r
eds
of
t
housand
s
of
do
l
l
a
r
s
i
n
sa
v
i
n
g
s
bonds,
g
o
l
d
co
i
ns,
j
e
w
e
l
s
and cash bu
rie
d
i
n se
v
e
r
al d
iff
e
r
ent
g
r
a
v
es
a
r
ound
t
he
g
r
a
v
e
y
a
r
d.