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Chapter Twenty-One

The sun warmed ht had been a dilly for dreaht into Murphy’s

"Aarck!" I squeaked, and scra I was naked, I yanked the blanket off of him and over me

"What the hell?" he snapped "You can suck me off until I nearly explode, I can screw you until you scream, but I can’t see you naked?"

"That--that--was a dream"

"Really? Then what’s this?" He lifted his hair away from his neck to reveal a whopper of a hickey

Now that I took inventory of my body, the aches and pains told the tale I hadn’t drea with Murphy; I’d actually done it

I groaned and covered my face with my hands "I don’t suppose you buer"

"The villagers haven’t exactly been neighborly," he said "At least not to s to worry about than waking up in Murphy’s bed I’d had ht, and if this one had been real, then--

"How did I get here?" I de," he lifted his are, "I was a little woozy"

"Sorry"

"I lived Though with Mezareau around, I can’t say how long that condition will continue I passed out, and next thing I knew you were naked in uy, I couldn’t complain"

"You couldn’t stop, either, I suppose"

"I half-thought I dreah his hair, and his silver thuh the"I was pretty out of it"

Drugs or blood loss, either e’d both been loopy We’d behaved stupidly, though not completely of our own accord What I couldn’t understand hy it was suddenly OK for the two of us to inhabit the saht of my backpack in the corner, I pounced on it, thrilled to find my extra pair of clothes

Also inside were the re powder, as well as my knife--why did no one seem to fear sharp and shiny silver around here? However, the salt was suspiciously absent

I got dressed, stuffed the zo powder into ht need some, then fastened the knife at my waist I felt much better in my own clothes, with my favorite weapons "What did Mezareau tell you about me?" Murphy was dressed, too, but he sat hunched in a corner, appearing very un-Murphy-like Since when did he care what people said?

"He said you were a thief, had been for a long time"

"Huh," he ht you were a construction worker"

"I alanced up "But I was a thief--as a kid, after I left home Sometimes I didn’t have a choice"

I saw hi was understandable Then "I was very good at it"

He appeared to be good at everything he set his one professional"

"I’m supposed to believe that you haven’t?"

"I’ve been working for a living Seriously," he said when I lifted my brows "Look at my hands"

I’d felt his hands He’d definitely been using thes than me

"I came to Haiti and I heard ruot out of this place?"

"Someone must have, or there’d be no rumors"

Good point

"So instead of leaving when the j ob ended, you stayed"

He lifted his shoulder "I figured… one last tiain I’d never wake up in the night thinking I was back on the street, that sory I ached with it And what’s so bad about stealing fro, Murphy," I said softly "You know that"

He lowered his gaze, and his hair shrouded his face

I went to theand glanced outside The nuers appeared to have doubled They were allany attention to us

"Come on" I slipped out the door and into the trees No one raised a hue and cry, even when Murphy followed

"Where are we going?" he asked

"Last night Mezareau showed lance at his face and I knew he planned to argue with ed

He nodded and we continued on until we reached the clearing I stepped into the field, which seemed to have been rototilled recently, or perhaps just excessively jumbled by the newly arisen dead

Nowhere could I see any signs of growth, not a stray finger to be had I went on my knees where Helen’s body had sprouted forth, pulled out

"Cassandra, what are you doing?"