Blood From a Stone (201 page)

“We
l
l
so
r
t
o
f
,” he sa
i
d.

S
he
nodded,
s
w
a
ll
o
w
i
ng back
t
he
t
ea
r
s
t
hat
t
h
r
ea
t
ened
t
o s
ti
ng
her
e
y
es.

“
I
s
i
t
because
y
ou
don
’
t
tr
ust
m
e
w
it
h
y
our
sec
r
e
t
?
B
ecause I
s
w
ear
t
o
y
ou
t
hat
I
w
ou
l
d ne
v
er
t
e
l
l
an
y
one.”

H
e
r
ea
li
z
ed
i
n
t
hat
m
o
m
ent
w
hat
she
t
h
ou
g
ht
and
r
eached
o
v
er
t
o 
t
a
k
e
her
hand 
i
n  h
i
s.
S
he
pu
ll
ed 
i
t
back qu
i
c
k
l
y
, but
he
t
ook
i
t
an
y
w
a
y
.

“
I
t’
s
not
w
hat
y
ou
t
h
i
n
k
.
I
’
m
not
t
e
lli
ng
y
ou
t
hat
I
w
ant
t
o
s
l
ow
do
w
n…or
l
ea
v
e…or
t
hat
t
h
i
s
i
sn
‘
t
a
r
e
l
a
ti
o
n
sh
i
p.
B
ecause
i
t
i
s,
and
I
‘
m
not
g
o
i
ng an
y
w
he
r
e.
U
n
l
ess
s
o
m
eone
or so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
be
y
ond
m
y
con
tr
ol
hau
l
s
m
e
a
w
ay  a
g
a
i
nst
m
y
w
ill
.”

S
he
d
r
a
gg
ed
i
n
a
deep
b
r
ea
t
h,
tr
y
i
ng not
t
o
m
a
k
e
i
t ob
v
i
ous
how
m
uch she
g
a
v
e a da
m
n.
B
ut
he
k
ne
w
.

“I
m
eant
e
v
e
r
y 
w
o
r
d
I
‘
v
e
sa
i
d.
L
ast
ni
g
h
t
.
T
o
da
y
.
P
i
n
k
i
e
p
r
o
m
i
se.”
H
e
s
m
il
ed
r
e
m
e
m
be
ri
ng
littl
e
D
a
v
id’
s
rit
ual as
he he
l
d out
h
i
s
ri
g
ht
p
i
n
k
i
e.

S
he
s
m
il
ed
p
l
a
y
f
u
ll
y and
l
ooped
her
o
w
n
t
h
r
ou
g
h
h
i
s, and
a
ft
er
a
qu
i
ck
sha
k
e,
her
b
r
ou
g
ht
her
hand
t
o
h
i
s
li
ps
and
k
i
ssed
her
fi
n
g
e
r
s,
hop
i
ng
t
o
li
g
h
t
en
t
he
m
ood
a
l
i
t
tl
e
and ease her
m
i
nd.
A
t
l
east
i
f
he
cou
l
d
do
t
ha
t
,
i
t
m
i
g
ht
t
e
m
per
t
h
i
n
g
s
f
or
w
hat
w
as
t
o co
m
e.

A
deep
sense
of
r
e
li
ef
w
ashed
o
v
er
her
and she
t
u
r
ned a
w
ay so
he
w
ou
l
dn
’
t
see
t
he
t
ea
r
s
t
hat
t
h
r
ea
t
ened
t
o
sp
il
l
fr
om her
l
ashes.
H
e
saw
t
hem an
y
w
a
y
,
and
t
u
r
ned
her
f
ace
t
o
h
i
s o
w
n.

H
e
k
i
ssed
her
li
ps
so
ftl
y
and
b
r
ushed
her
ha
i
r
bac
k
, and
a
m
o
m
ent
l
a
t
er
she
s
li
d
c
l
oser
t
o
h
i
m as
he
put
h
i
s
a
r
m a
r
ound her
and c
r
ad
l
ed her
next
t
o h
i
m
.

S
he
cou
l
d
f
eel
h
i
s
hea
r
t
beat
a
g
a
i
nst her
chee
k
.
T
h
i
s
w
ho
l
e
t
h
i
ng see
m
ed…so
su
rr
ea
l
.
R
i
d
i
cu
l
ous.
U
nsa
f
e.
P
eop
l
e don
’
t
f
a
l
l
i
n
l
o
v
e
i
n
a
f
ew
da
y
s.
T
hat
on
l
y happen
e
d
i
n
m
o
v
i
es…or
r
o
m
ance
no
v
e
l
s!
A
nd 
y
e
t
,  he
r
e
t
hey
w
e
r
e
a
nd
t
he
r
e
w
as
no
den
y
i
ng
w
hat
w
as
happen
i
n
g
.
S
he
w
i
shed
she cou
l
d
t
a
l
k he
r
se
l
f
out
of
it
….
t
o
r
ep
ri
m
and
he
r
se
lf
,
and
y
e
t
,
t
he
r
e
w
as
no
r
eason
i
ng
w
it
h
he
r
se
l
f
w
hen
i
t
ca
m
e
t
o
S
a
m
son.
A
n
y
m
o
r
e
t
han
t
he
r
e
’
d
been
any
r
eason
i
ng
w
it
h
h
i
m
la
st
n
i
g
ht
w
hen
he
’
d
sho
w
n
up
at
her
doo
r
s
t
ep
and
ca
rri
ed
her
t
o
bed.
S
he
fl
ushed
at
t
he
t
hou
g
ht
of
l
y
i
ng
i
n
h
i
s
a
r
m
s,
r
e
m
e
m
be
ri
ng e
v
e
r
y
an
g
l
e of
h
i
s body
as
he
’
d
w
o
r
k
ed h
i
s
m
a
g
i
c on her
o
w
n.