Blood From a Stone (75 page)

“
N
ah.
E
v
e
r
y
one
na
m
es
t
he
i
r
dog
t
ha
t
.
W
e
need so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
d
iff
e
r
en
t
,
cause
he
’
s
a
d
iff
e
r
ent
do
g
.
L
ook how
w
e ended
up
w
it
h
h
i
m
!
”
S
a
m
son
’
s
e
y
es
na
rr
o
w
ed as
he
s
a
t
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
t
h
i
nk
of
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
w
it
h
m
ean
i
n
g
.

“
H
ow
about
C
i
sco?”
he
sa
i
d
sudden
l
y
.
“
T
he
box
I put h
i
m
t
o
s
l
eep
i
n
a
ft
er
y
ou
ye
ll
ed
at
m
e
t
o
ca
l
l
A
n
i
m
al
C
on
tr
ol sa
i
d
“
S
y
sco”
on
it
,
spe
ll
ed
S
-
Y
-
S
-
C
-
O
.
We
cou
l
d
ca
l
l
h
i
m
t
hat but
spe
l
l
i
t
d
iff
e
r
en
t
,
li
k
e
T
he
C
i
sco
Ki
d
i
ns
t
ead
.
”
H
e
t
ook ano
t
her
s
w
i
g
of
h
i
s
co
ff
ee
w
a
iti
ng
f
or
her
r
e
spons
e
.

“
H
mmm
…
C
i
sco.
I
li
k
e
it
”
S
he
paused
f
or
a
m
o
m
ent and
t
hen
added
v
e
r
y
m
a
tt
e
r
-
o
f
-
f
ac
tl
y
,
“I d
i
d
not
y
e
l
l
at
y
ou,
by
t
he
w
a
y
.
I
qu
i
e
tl
y
o
r
de
r
ed
y
ou
t
o
ca
l
l
t
he
pound.
T
he
r
e
’
s
a d
i
f
f
e
r
ence,
y
ou
k
no
w
.”
S
he
lift
ed her
cup
i
n a
t
oa
st
.

“
O
k
a
y
,
so
y
ou
d
i
dn
’
t
y
e
ll
.
Y
ou
qu
i
e
tl
y ba
r
k
ed
y
our o
r
de
r
s.
B
ut
t
hen,
ha
v
i
ng a
beau
tif
ul
w
o
m
an
o
r
der
y
ou
a
r
ound
i
sn
’
t
a
l
w
a
y
s
a bad
t
h
i
n
g
.”
H
e s
m
il
ed.

T
he
i
r
e
y
es
m
et
and
he
w
an
t
ed
t
o
r
each out
push
back
t
he
l
ock
of
ha
i
r
t
hat
had
f
a
ll
en do
w
n
t
he s
i
de of
her
f
ace.

What
w
as
i
t
about
t
h
i
s
one?
S
he
w
as
p
r
e
tt
y
.
H
e
’
d been
w
it
h
p
l
en
t
y of
p
r
e
tt
y
ones.
S
m
a
r
t
and
w
itt
y
t
oo.
B
ut
t
he
r
e
w
as
j
ust
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
about
t
he
w
ay
she
s
m
il
ed
and
t
he
fl
ush
t
hat
c
r
ept
i
n
t
o her
chee
k
s
w
hen she
l
oo
k
ed at
h
i
m
.
T
he
r
e
w
as no
doubt
he
des
ir
ed
he
r
, but
not
i
n
t
he
i
nsane and se
lfi
sh
w
ay he
’
d
w
an
t
ed
D
an
i
a.

H
e
s
t
opped
fi
g
h
ti
ng
t
he
u
r
g
e
and
fi
na
ll
y
r
eached
out and
put
t
he
littl
e
t
assel
of
ha
i
r
beh
i
nd
her
ear a
n
d
t
hen
li
g
h
tl
y
tr
aced
h
i
s
fi
n
g
e
rti
p
do
w
n
t
he
s
i
de
of
her
chee
k
.
S
h
e
d
i
dn
’
t
say a
w
o
r
d
but
j
ust
s
m
il
ed
at
h
i
m
,
ne
v
er
t
a
k
i
ng
her
e
y
e
s
fr
om
h
i
s.
A
nd she
f
e
l
t
t
hat
da
m
n
heat
c
r
eep
i
ng
up her
neck
a
g
a
i
n.