The 22nd Secret (54 page)

Read The 22nd Secret Online

Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
5.1Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub


You

ve
p
rob
a
b
l
y
f
i
g
u
re
d out w
h
y
she
d
o
e
sn’t
g
e
t h
i
t on
m
o
r
e
oft
e
n.
I
f m
o
re
men h
a
d
g
uns pointed
a
t
t
h
e
ir
b
a
l
l
s she

d be
the most popular
g
irl on
ca
mpus
.

H
e
n
r
y
a
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
ted
B
e
n
’s
ca
ndo
r
.


M
y
b
i
gg
e
st f
e
a
r is
that she

s not
fee
l
i
n
g
the
s
a
me
tow
a
rd m
e
.
I
m
e
a
n, w
e

r
e
d
a
t
i
n
g
,
I know
I
’ve
g
ot
t
e
n that
f
a
r.
And
we
’ll prob
a
b
l
y
h
a
ve
s
e
x
.
S
he
se
e
ms wil
l
ing
to be
w
i
t
h m
e
.
S
h
e
’s
e
v
e
n
a
f
fe
c
t
i
on
a
te tow
a
rd
m
e
, but
m
a
r
r
i
a
g
e
, l
if
elong
d
e
vot
i
on,
e
no
u
g
h to
g
i
ve
up
c
ount
r
y
a
nd f
a
m
i
l
y
a
nd
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
.
T
h
a
t’s a
pr
e
t
t
y
tall or
d
e
r.
I
know
m
y
l
i
fe
is at s
t
a
k
e
h
e
r
e
, but be
s
e
nsib
l
e
.
I
ca
n

t
g
u
a
r
a
nt
e
e
that wou
l
d h
a
pp
e
n
e
v
e
n if she
s
a
y
s
she

ll
ma
r
r
y
me
.


Th
a
t’s not ne
c
e
ssa
r
y
.
I
to
l
d
y
ou
I
h
a
ve
a
plan.
I
t
hink
i
t wi
l
l wo
r
k but
i
t
i
s
e
nt
i
r
e
l
y d
e
p
e
nd
e
nt on
P
a
t
t
y
fa
l
l
i
n
g
in
l
ove
with
y
ou to
t
he
e
x
tent sh
e
’d be
wil
l
ing
to
ma
r
r
y
y
ou. You th
i
nk
y
ou
ca
n
g
e
t
t
h
a
t f
ar
?


I
a
t
l
ea
st
g
ot a
c
h
a
n
c
e
.”


Good, that’s
a
ll
we
ca
n
e
x
p
ec
t. You

ve
g
ot un
t
il
Nov
e
mber
5th. Th
a
t’s
a
c
ouple of mon
t
hs.
W
e
’ll m
ee
t a
g
a
i
n
a
t
t
h
a
t
t
i
m
e
.
I
f sh
e
’s in
love
w
i
t
h
y
ou
a
nd
y
o
u

r
e
in
l
ove
with
h
er
,
I
’ll take
it
f
rom the
re
.
I
’ll
g
e
t
h
e
r to
g
o
with
y
ou to
C
h
ina.”


I
t
’s not
g
oing
to be
h
a
rd
f
or
m
e
.
I
c
a
n

t belie
v
e
I

ve
g
ot
t
e
n th
i
s
f
a
r.
I
ho
p
e
she
fee
ls
t
he s
a
me w
a
y
to
w
a
rd m
e
. H
o
w
a
re
y
ou
g
oi
n
g
to
g
e
t h
e
r to
g
o to
C
hina
?


L
e
t
m
e
wo
r
r
y
a
bout
t
h
a
t
.
I
’ll e
x
plain it
to
y
ou lat
e
r.
F
or
now
c
on
c
e
ntr
a
te
o
n d
e
v
e
lop
i
ng a r
e
a
l
r
e
lationship wi
t
h
P
a
t
t
y
. None
o
f this fu
c
k
-
m
a
nd le
a
ve
-
m bul
l
shi
t
.
I
f it isn’t
rea
l
,
m
y
plan won

t wo
r
k.”

H
e
n
r
y
turn
e
d to Tino, w
h
o h
a
d b
ee
n
quiet the
wh
o
le m
ee
t
i
n
g
.


Tino,
a
sk
y
our Chinese
p
e
ople how
th
e
y
w
a
nt us to deliver
h
e
r. W
e
’ll n
ee
d to know th
i
s
b
y
the ti
m
e
w
e
me
e
t
i
n
N
ov
e
mbe
r
. T
e
ll
them
I
th
i
nk we
ca
n
h
a
ve
h
e
r th
e
r
e
b
e
fo
r
e Th
a
nks
g
iv
i
n
g
.”

H
e
n
r
y
f
i
l
led Pat
t
y
in
b
y
p
hone
on the
f
l
i
g
ht
b
ac
k
t
o N
e
w M
e
x
ico. She
a
sk
e
d him
if he kn
e
w
w
h
y
B
e
n s
e
e
med
t
o
g
r
o
w
p
re
o
cc
upied
w
i
t
h
his
t
e
st
i
c
l
e
s wh
e
n th
e
y
t
a
lked s
e
rious
l
y
a
bout their
r
e
lationship.
H
e
n
r
y
to
l
d h
e
r
a
bout
t
he
g
un incid
e
nt
during
t
h
e
ir
f
irst
me
e
t
i
ng
a
nd th
e
y lau
g
h
e
d.

P
a
m would
e
v
e
ntual
l
y
do
som
e
th
i
ng
with
B
e
n she
h
a
d n
e
v
e
r do
n
e
with ano
t
h
e
r m
a
n
.
S
he would make
B
e
n f
a
ll
d
ee
p
l
y
in
l
ove
with he
r
. T
h
e
y
spent a
lot
of time
t
o
g
e
t
h
e
r ov
e
r t
h
e
n
e
x
t f
e
w w
ee
ks.
C
lass, lunch, din
n
e
rs
a
nd mov
i
e
s, da
n
c
in
g
,
jog
g
i
n
g
a
nd d
r
ives in the
Me
rce
d
e
s
. Th
e
y
e
nj
o
y
e
d
e
a
c
h othe
r
’s
c
o
mpa
n
y
.
B
e
n
found
he
w
a
s not on
l
y
fa
l
l
i
n
g
in
l
ove
with
P
a
t
t
y
, but she
w
a
s b
ec
om
i
ng
his b
e
st
f
ri
e
nd.
H
e
r l
a
y
e
rs of
r
e
t
i
ce
n
c
e
s
low
l
y
disapp
e
a
r
e
d,
a
nd
s
he
f
re
e
l
y
a
dm
i
t
t
e
d to n
e
v
e
r b
e
i
n
g
a
s close
to
a
nother
ma
n
, or
e
v
e
n h
a
v
i
ng
a
m
a
n
a
s a
f
r
iend.
I
t
w
a
s a p
e
r
f
e
c
t
l
y rom
a
nt
i
c
re
lationship
in ev
e
r
y
w
a
y
. Ben
e
v
e
n fo
u
nd hi
m
s
e
lf
re
spe
c
t
i
n
g
P
a
tt
y
. He
h
a
d seen h
e
r in a
bik
i
ni and other
se
x
y
c
l
oth
i
n
g
. He
k
n
e
w it would be
fa
bulous to have
s
e
x
with he
r
. He
w
a
nted h
e
r d
e
sp
e
r
a
te
l
y
but he
a
lso w
a
nted h
e
r to
b
e
r
e
a
d
y
.
He
c
a
r
e
d f
o
r h
e
r too
d
e
e
p
l
y
to
j
ust
tr
y
a
nd take
h
e
r.
T
h
e
y
kis
s
e
d
a
t
t
he
e
nd of
their
d
a
tes
a
nd
these
kis
s
e
s
slow
l
y
g
r
e
w
p
a
ss
i
on
a
te. B
e
n w
a
s p
a
t
i
e
n
t
. He
kn
e
w t
h
e
w
a
i
t would be
w
o
r
th
i
t. Th
e
se
w
e
r
e
n
e
w
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
ce
s
f
or
B
e
n
.
He
h
a
d
n
e
v
e
r loved a
wom
a
n l
i
ke
he
l
o
v
e
d
P
a
t
t
y
.

Other books

Paradise Falls by Ruth Ryan Langan
Suspicion At Sea by Nichols, Amie
Lords of Trillium by Hilary Wagner
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
The Lover by Robin Schone
What the Librarian Did by Karina Bliss