Blood From a Stone (261 page)

W
ill
ow
w
as
s
itti
ng on
t
he
couch
w
a
t
ch
i
ng
t
he
e
v
e
n
i
ng ne
w
s
and
w
as
s
t
a
rtl
ed by
h
i
s
ab
r
upt
en
tr
y
.

“
H
e
y
!
Y
ou
sca
r
ed
m
e,”
she
s
m
il
ed
as
he
l
eaned
i
n and
k
i
ssed her
p
l
un
k
i
ng
do
w
n ha
r
d on
t
he couch.

“
L
i
s
t
en,”
he
s
i
g
hed.
“I
m
a
y
be
fi
g
u
r
ed
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng ou
t
, but
y
ou
’r
e p
r
obab
l
y
g
o
i
ng
t
o not
li
k
e how
I
fi
g
u
r
ed
i
t
ou
t
.”

“
S
ay
w
ha
t
?” she sa
i
d
l
oo
k
i
ng
con
f
used.
“
S
l
ow
do
w
n.”

H
e
t
ook
a
deep
b
r
ea
t
h.
“I
s
t
opped
by
the
she
lt
er
to
check
on
H
a
r
o
l
d.
D
on
’
t
w
o
rr
y
,
he
’
s
fi
ne.
A
nd
w
hen
I
ca
m
e ou
t
…so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
happened ac
r
oss
t
he s
tr
ee
t
.”

“
G
o on,” she sa
i
d cau
ti
ous
l
y
.

“
T
h
i
s
i
s
t
he
pa
r
t
y
ou
m
i
g
ht
not
li
k
e,”
he
sa
i
d
m
a
t
t
e
r
- o
f
-
f
ac
tl
y
.
“
B
ut
he
r
e
g
oes.
T
he
r
e
w
as
so
m
e
k
i
ds
ac
ro
ss
t
he s
tr
eet
and
t
hey
g
ot
i
n
t
o a
fi
g
ht
and one of
t
hem
g
ot
sho
t
.”

W
ill
ow
d
r
ew
i
n
a
deep
b
r
ea
t
h,
because she
a
lr
eady
k
new
w
hat
he
w
as
about
t
o sa
y
.

“
A
nd
y
ou
k
now
w
hat
I
had
t
o
do.
H
e
w
a
s
….d
y
i
n
g
.
H
e
w
as
l
y
i
ng
t
he
r
e
i
n
a
pool
of
b
l
ood.
A
nd
I
w
a
l
k
ed
o
v
er
t
he
r
e and
w
e
ll
,
y
ou
k
now
w
hat
ca
m
e nex
t
.”

S
he
nodded
r
each
i
ng  out
t
o 
t
a
k
e  h
i
s
h
a
nd.  “
I
t’
s a
lri
g
h
t
.
Y
ou
w
e
r
e
g
i
v
en
t
h
i
s
ab
ilit
y
f
or
a
r
eason.
I
k
now
t
hat no
w
.”

S
a
m
son
con
ti
nued
exc
it
ed
l
y
.
“
A
ft
e
r
w
a
r
d
,
t
h
i
s
k
i
d….h
i
s
na
m
e
w
as
D
an
i
e
l
,
he
g
ot
up
and
w
a
l
k
ed
a
w
ay and
I
t
o
l
d
h
i
m
t
hat
i
f
he
d
i
dn
’
t
chan
g
e
h
i
s
pa
t
h
he
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o
end up
i
n
tr
oub
l
e.
A
nd
I
don
’
t
k
no
w
,”
he
shook
h
i
s
head.
“I don
’
t
k
now
but
I
r
ea
li
z
ed
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
t
h
i
s
ti
m
e.
I
r
ea
l
i
z
ed
t
hat
it’
s
not about
how
m
uch
ti
m
e
w
e
ha
v
e,
it’
s
about
w
hat
w
e
do
w
it
h
i
t
t
hat
m
a
tt
e
r
s.
T
i
m
e
r
ea
ll
y does
s
t
and
s
till
,
and
it’
s
li
k
e
t
he
r
e
i
s no
ti
m
e
at
a
l
l
w
hen
w
e
a
r
e
do
i
ng so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
i
n
t
h
i
s
w
o
rl
d
of
v
a
l
ue.”

H
e
s
i
g
hed.
“I
don
’
t
k
now
i
f
t
h
i
s
r
ea
l
i
z
a
ti
on
w
il
l
m
a
k
e a
d
iff
e
r
ence,
or
w
he
t
her
i
t
w
il
l
chan
g
e
m
y
f
a
t
e,
b
u
t
e
v
en
i
f
i
t doesn
’t
,
it’
s
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
t
hat
has
chan
g
ed
m
e.”