Blood From a Stone (229 page)

“When a
r
e
y
ou
l
ea
v
i
n
g
?”

“
I
n
a
day
or
t
w
o.
I ha
v
e
acc
r
ued
v
acat
i
on
ti
m
e,
so
I
g
uess
as
soon
as
I can
g
et
a
passpo
rt
.
T
hey
ha
v
e
so
m
e
k
i
nd
of exped
it
ed se
r
v
i
ce so
i
t
shou
l
d be
f
a
irl
y
qu
i
c
k
.”

“
O
h,
m
y
G
od!
I
’
m
so
exc
it
ed
f
or
y
ou,
b
ut
a
r
e
y
ou su
r
e?
I
m
ean
a
r
en
’
t
t
h
i
n
g
s
m
o
v
i
ng
a
littl
e
t
oo
f
as
t
?
A
f
ew hou
r
s
a
g
o
y
ou
w
e
r
e b
r
ea
k
i
ng
up.”

“
Y
eah,
I
k
no
w
.
A
nd
I
k
now
w
e
’r
e
m
o
v
i
ng
f
as
t
er
t
han co
mm
on
sense
shou
l
d
a
ll
o
w
.
B
ut
so
m
e
ti
m
es
y
ou ha
v
e
t
o
j
ust
g
r
ab
t
he
m
o
m
ent
and 
li
v
e
li
k
e
y
ou  don
’
t
ha
v
e
f
o
r
e
v
e
r
.
B
e
cause,
w
e don
’t
.”
W
ill
ow
sa
i
d
m
a
tt
e
r
-
o
f
-
f
ac
tl
y
.

“Wo
w
.
We
a
r
e
ce
rt
a
i
n
l
y
g
e
tti
ng ph
il
osoph
i
cal
t
o
n
i
g
h
t
, a
r
en
’
t
w
e?”
l
au
g
hed
S
asha.
“I
g
uess
y
ou
k
now
w
ha
t’
s
best
f
or
y
ou.
L
i
s
t
en,
m
y
b
r
ea
k
’
s
o
v
er
and
I
ha
v
e
t
o
g
et
back
t
o
w
o
r
k
.
I
’l
l
ca
l
l
y
ou
l
a
t
e
r
.”
S
asha
hung up
and
W
ill
ow
put
her
ce
l
l do
w
n on
t
he co
ff
ee
t
ab
l
e.

“
N
o
w
. Whe
r
e
w
e
r
e
w
e?” she sa
i
d s
m
ili
n
g
.

“We
ll
,
I
w
as
ri
g
ht
about
he
r
e,”
he
sa
i
d,
lifti
ng
her sh
ir
t
and p
l
ac
i
ng
h
i
s
li
ps
t
o her
s
t
o
m
ach.

H
e
pu
ll
ed
her
up
and
w
r
app
i
ng
t
he
b
l
a
n
k
et
a
r
ound he
r
,
lift
ed
her
up
i
n
one
s
w
if
t
m
o
ti
on
and
ca
rri
ed
her
t
o
her bed.
H
e
g
en
tl
y set
her
do
w
n
and
un
w
r
apped
her
fr
om
t
he co
n
fi
nes
of
t
he
t
h
i
ck
qu
il
t
as
he
b
l
an
k
e
t
ed
her
bo
d
y
w
it
h
h
i
s o
w
n.

S
he cou
l
d
f
eel
h
i
s
hea
r
t
beat
a
g
a
i
nst her
b
r
eas
t
s
as he
m
o
v
ed o
v
er
he
r
, en
v
e
l
op
i
ng
her
li
ps
w
it
h h
i
s
o
w
n.

H
e
deepened
h
i
s
k
i
ss,
as
her
fi
n
g
e
r
s
d
ug
i
n
t
o
h
i
s
w
i
de back
and
back up
i
n
t
o
t
he
l
en
g
t
h
of
h
i
s
sandy ha
ir
.
B
ut
i
ns
t
ead of
t
a
k
i
ng o
f
f
any
m
o
r
e of
her
c
l
o
t
h
i
n
g
, he sudden
l
y
r
o
ll
ed o
v
er on
t
o
h
i
s
s
i
de
next
t
o
he
r
,
as
a
p
l
an
be
g
an
t
o
b
l
o
s
som
i
n
h
i
s
m
i
nd
’
s
e
y
e.

S
he
s
t
a
r
ed
at
h
i
m
i
n
con
f
us
i
on.
“Wha
t
?
I
s
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
w
r
on
g
?”