Blood From a Stone (118 page)

S
he nodded. “
D
ea
l
.”

“We
can
t
a
l
k
m
o
r
e
t
o
m
o
rr
ow
about
t
h
i
s
w
ho
l
e hea
l
i
ng
t
h
i
ng
t
oo,
i
f
y
ou
w
an
t
.
A
lt
hou
g
h
I
don
’
t
k
now
m
uch
m
o
r
e about
i
t
t
han
w
hat
y
ou
’
v
e a
lr
eady
seen.”

A
c
t
ua
ll
y he
w
as
g
r
a
t
e
f
ul
f
or
t
he
ti
m
e apa
r
t
so he cou
l
d
t
h
i
nk
of
so
m
e
ans
w
e
r
s
t
o
poss
i
b
l
e
ques
ti
ons
she
m
i
g
ht
as
k
, and
poss
i
b
l
y
do
a
littl
e
m
o
r
e
i
n
v
es
ti
g
a
ti
ng
i
n
t
o
h
o
w
i
t
w
o
r
k
s h
i
m
se
lf
.
H
e
w
asn
’
t
su
r
e
how
j
ust
y
e
t
.
T
i
m
e
de
fi
n
itel
y
w
asn
’
t h
i
s
fri
end, but
i
t
w
as
at
l
east
a
fri
end
l
y
e
n
e
m
y
i
n
t
h
i
s
case.

H
e
g
ot
up
fr
om
t
he
cha
i
r
and
o
ff
e
r
ed
her
h
i
s
hand, pu
lli
ng
her
up
w
it
h
h
i
m
.
T
hey
w
a
l
k
ed
t
o
t
he
door
a
n
d
he p
l
aced a
v
e
r
y
g
en
tl
e
k
i
ss
on her
li
ps.

“
I
’
m
not
g
o
i
ng
t
o
g
o
nu
t
s
he
r
e,
because
I
on
l
y
j
ust now
g
ot
m
y
‘fri
end’
do
w
n
t
he
r
e
t
o
beha
v
e,”
he
sa
i
d
po
i
n
ti
ng
t
o
h
i
s
z
i
ppe
r
.
“
B
ut
I
w
il
l
t
e
l
l
y
ou…I
ha
v
e ne
v
er
b
e
en any
m
o
r
e ce
rt
a
i
n
t
han
ri
g
ht
now
t
hat
I
li
k
e
g
irl
s.
A
nd
w
e
ll…
y
ou
‘r
e
a
g
irl
.”

S
he s
m
ir
k
ed and
r
a
i
sed an e
y
eb
r
o
w
. “W
e
ll
,
y
ou
t
e
l
l
y
our
‘fri
end’
I
’
m
g
l
ad
t
o
hear
t
ha
t
.
T
hank
y
ou
v
e
r
y
m
uch.”
T
hey
bo
t
h
s
t
a
rt
ed
l
au
g
h
i
ng as
he
r
eached
f
o
r
w
a
r
d
t
o
open
t
he doo
r
.

S
he
s
t
opped
h
i
m
,
push
i
ng
h
i
m back
a
g
ainst
t
he
w
a
ll
, p
r
ess
i
ng
her
body
a
g
a
i
nst
h
i
s
and
k
i
ssed
h
i
m a
g
a
i
n.
H
i
s
body eased
up
and
he
deepened
t
he
k
i
ss,
not
bo
t
he
ri
ng
t
o
w
o
rr
y about
g
e
tti
ng
w
o
r
k
ed
up
or
fi
g
h
ti
ng
it
.
A
nd
f
or
j
u
s
t
a
sp
li
t second, he
f
e
l
t
a
l
m
ost
as
i
f
t
hey
w
e
r
e one.

S
he
fi
na
ll
y
pu
ll
ed
back
fr
om h
i
m
,
but
k
ept
her
a
r
m
s a
r
ound h
i
s
nec
k
.

             
“I
t
h
i
nk
I
’
m
….ne
v
er
m
i
nd,”
she
sa
i
d
a
nd
shook
her
head.

             
H
e
t
ook
her
hands
fr
om
a
r
ound
h
i
s
nec
k
,
b
r
ou
g
ht