Blood From a Stone (196 page)

S
he
pu
ll
ed
back
fr
om
h
i
m
s
m
ili
n
g
.
“
S
o,
ho
w
’
d
w
e

do?”

             
H
e
l
oo
k
ed
pu
zz
l
ed
f
or
a
second
be
f
o
r
e
t
he
li
g
ht
of

co
m
p
r
ehens
i
on
c
r
ossed
h
i
s
f
ea
t
u
r
es.
“
P
r
e
tt
y da
m
ned
g
ood
i
f
y
ou
ask
m
e.
We can a
l
w
a
y
s
p
r
ac
ti
ce
m
o
r
e
l
a
t
er
i
n c
a
se
w
e d
i
dn
’
t
qu
it
e
m
a
k
e
it
.
B
ut
I
t
h
i
nk
I can
sa
f
e
l
y
sa
y
,
t
h
i
s
day
i
s s
t
a
rti
ng
o
f
f
v
e
r
y
w
e
ll
.”
H
e
k
i
ssed
her
a
g
a
i
n
and
t
h
en
w
it
hout
w
a
r
n
i
n
g
,
she
squea
l
ed
as he hea
v
ed h
i
m
se
lf
, and her
up out
of
t
he
w
a
t
e
r
.
H
e
popped
t
he
p
l
ug  out
of
t
he
t
ub,
c
l
osed 
t
he cu
rt
a
i
n
a
r
ound
t
hem and
fli
c
k
ed
on
t
he
sho
w
er
o
v
e
r
h
ead d
r
a
g
g
i
ng
her
a
g
a
i
nst
h
i
m
i
n
t
o
t
he
w
a
r
m
j
e
t
s
of
w
a
ter
.

H
e
l
a
t
he
r
ed
her
body
and
ha
i
r
be
f
o
r
e
t
u
r
n
i
ng her a
r
ound
and
a
i
m
i
ng
t
he
j
e
t
s
of
w
a
t
er
t
o
ri
nse
her
o
f
f
,
t
hen he
l
ped
her
s
t
ep
out
on
t
o
t
he
m
a
t
.
H
e
ri
nsed h
i
s o
w
n ha
i
r
and bod
y
,
sa
v
o
ri
ng
t
he
heat
of
t
he
w
a
t
er
pound
i
ng
t
he
m
u
s
c
l
es
i
n h
i
s
w
i
de
bac
k
.
A
f
ew
m
i
nu
t
es
l
a
t
e
r
,
he
shut
o
f
f
t
he
s
t
ea
m
y
t
o
rr
ent
and
opened
t
he
cu
rt
a
i
n
t
o
fi
nd
her
s
t
and
i
ng
t
he
r
e ho
l
d
i
ng
a
t
o
w
el
f
or
h
i
m
.

H
e
s
m
il
ed
and
t
ook
i
t
fr
om
he
r
,
d
r
y
i
ng o
f
f
and
f
o
l
l
o
w
i
ng
her
back
t
o
t
he
bed
r
oom
w
he
r
e
she
w
r
apped
he
r
se
l
f
i
n a
r
obe as
he s
li
d on h
i
s
j
eans.

S
he
t
ook  h
i
s  hand  and 
l
ed  h
i
m
do
w
n 
t
he  ha
l
l
w
ay
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he
k
it
chen.
H
e
sat
do
w
n on
t
he
couch
i
n
th
e
li
v
i
ng
r
oo
m
,
C
i
sco
happ
il
y bound
i
ng o
v
er
t
o
l
ay at
h
i
s
f
e
et
,
as
she b
r
e
w
ed
co
ff
ee.
A
f
ew
m
o
m
en
t
s
l
a
t
er
she
appea
r
ed,
h
a
nd
i
ng h
i
m
a
m
ug  of
t
he
s
t
ea
m
i
ng 
li
qu
i
d,
p
l
un
k
i
ng  do
w
n
on
t
he couch next
t
o h
i
m
,
t
a
k
i
ng
h
i
s
hand he
r
s.

“I
g
uess
I
don
’
t
ha
v
e
t
o
ask
w
hy
y
ou
ca
m
e
back
l
ast

n
i
g
h
t
.”

             
“
N
o
y
ou
don
’t
.
U
n
l
ess
y
ou
t
h
i
nk
i
t
w
as
on
l
y because
I

w
an
t
ed
t
o
t
a
k
e
y
ou
t
o bed.”

S
he
l
au
g
hed.
“We
ll
…
t
ha
t’
s
exac
tl
y 
w
hat
y
ou
d
i
d, now
i
sn
’
t
it
.”

“
O
k
a
y
.
Y
ou
ha
v
e
m
e
t
he
r
e,“
he
sh
r
u
gg
ed and
s
m
il
ed sheep
i
sh
l
y
.
“
B
ut
t
ha
t’
s
not
t
he
r
eason
and
y
ou
k
now
it
.
L
ove
b
r
ou
g
ht
m
e
back
he
r
e
l
ast
n
i
g
h
t
.
A
nd
as
f
or
t
a
k
i
ng
y
ou
t
o bed…
w
e
ll
, 
i
t
w
as
i
n 
m
y
hu
m
b
l
e
op
i
n
i
on,
t
he
best
w
ay
t
o exp
r
ess
t
he
t
h
i
n
g
s
t
hat
w
o
r
ds
w
on
’
t
co
v
e
r
.”