The 22nd Secret (127 page)

“
Oh,
J
im
th
a
t’s just not
tru
e
.
I
n
ee
d
y
o
u
.
I
c
a
n
’
t su
r
vive
w
i
t
hout
y
ou.”

“
W
e
l
l
, isn’t
t
h
a
t k
i
nd of
t
he
d
e
finit
i
on of
a k
e
pt
m
a
n?
The
wom
a
n w
a
nts h
i
m and p
a
y
s his bi
l
ls.”

“
W
h
a
t’s that
g
un doi
n
g
o
v
e
r th
e
r
e
h
a
n
g
i
n
g
with
y
our
c
o
a
t
?
”
P
a
m
g
e
stur
e
d
tow
a
rd
J
i
m
’s
c
o
a
t ha
n
g
i
n
g
on
a
n old
c
o
a
t r
ac
k
, with
t
he
L
u
g
e
r
i
n i
t
s ori
g
inal holster
h
a
n
ging
with
i
t.

“
Oh th
a
t?
I
do
n
’t know
I
j
u
st
t
hou
g
ht–”

“
I
t
’s th
e
r
e
b
e
c
a
use
T
om
t
old
y
ou
to k
ee
p it
h
a
n
d
y
,
ri
g
ht?
I
t’s the
r
e
b
e
c
a
use
y
o
u
’
re
m
y bo
d
y
gu
a
rd
a
nd
I
n
ee
d
y
o
u for
m
y
s
u
rviv
a
l.
L
i
t
e
r
a
ll
y
,
m
y
l
i
fe
is dep
e
n
d
e
nt
o
n
y
our
a
bi
l
i
t
y
to p
r
ote
c
t
m
e
. The
mo
n
e
y
is
j
ust as much
y
ours
a
s it
is
m
ine, or
W
a
lker
’
s. The
mon
e
y
is
t
h
e
r
e
f
or
us b
eca
use
we
a
re
L
e
v
e
l 2
1
,
y
o
u
, m
e
,
B
i
ll
,
a
nd a
c
o
u
ple of
other
p
e
op
l
e.
W
e
’
r
e
L
e
v
e
l 21.
W
e
’
r
e
i
t
. Th
e
r
e
’s no mi
l
i
t
a
r
y
b
a
s
e
no
h
a
rd
e
n
e
d
b
unk
e
rs, ju
s
t us.
S
o we
g
e
t w
h
a
t
e
v
e
r
y
o
u th
i
nk we
n
ee
d to k
ee
p our
s
e
c
r
e
t
s
a
f
e
.
”

J
i
m
shot up
a
nd looked
a
t
P
a
m
.
“
B
i
l
l
?
”

“
H
e
’s o
n
e
of us.
T
om
t
h
o
u
g
ht
i
t
w
a
s b
e
st f
o
r
y
ou to have
som
e
one
h
e
re
in
B
e
a
r Bre
a
th
to h
e
lp
y
ou out
i
f
y
ou n
e
e
d
e
d i
t
. Tom w
a
nts
t
o b
u
y
the lodg
e
. H
e
’s
r
e
t
i
ri
n
g
an
d
…”

“
B
i
ll
?
W
h
e
n did he
f
ind ou
t
?
”

“
I
’m not sur
e
,
p
rob
a
b
l
y
o
n the
f
l
i
g
ht b
a
c
k to
B
ea
r
B
re
a
th
y
e
ste
r
d
a
y
.”

“
I
f
i
g
u
re
d
I
’d ke
e
p the p
l
ac
e
a
nd let
B
i
l
l run it
f
or
me.”

“
W
a
lker
f
i
g
u
re
d t
h
a
t
t
o
o
, l
e
t’s let them wo
r
k it
out.”

J
i
m sta
re
d
a
t
P
a
m
,
a
dm
i
ring
h
e
r b
e
a
u
t
y
.
S
he
f
e
lt
i
t
, making
h
e
r
blus
h
.
“
I
g
u
e
ss who owns wh
a
t and how
much mo
n
e
y
a
n
y
one
ma
k
e
s r
e
a
l
l
y
d
o
e
sn’t matte
r
.”

“
Not
rea
l
l
y
.
I
s
n
’t it wond
e
r
f
u
l
?
W
e
ca
n do
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
w
e
want and so
ca
n
y
o
ur
f
ri
e
n
d
,
B
i
l
l.” Pam
’
s
e
y
e
s
d
a
rt
e
d
a
bout h
i
s f
ac
e.

“
I
’ve
g
ot
a
l
i
t
t
le mon
e
y
I
’
ve
sav
e
d
,
”
J
im
said.
“
About $50,000
a
nd, w
e
l
l
,
I
w
a
nted to
f
l
y us up to An
c
hora
g
e
, put
us up in the b
e
st room
i
n tow
n
,
a
nd take
y
ou on a
s
hopping
spr
e
e
. You
’
ll w
a
nt so
m
e
th
i
n
g
s
,
I
'm s
u
r
e
. Your
p
a
r
e
nts
a
re
c
om
i
ng
in a
f
e
w
w
ee
ks f
o
r
T
h
a
nks
g
iv
i
n
g
a
nd
a
l
l
.
I w
a
nt
t
o sp
e
nd most of the
mon
e
y
on
a
n
e
n
g
a
g
e
m
en
t rin
g
.
I
t’s i
m
port
a
nt
t
o
me th
a
t
I
do t
h
a
t
m
y
s
e
lf.
I
t
’s import
a
nt
t
h
a
t
i
t’s
m
y
mo
n
e
y
that
g
e
ts
y
o
u that.”

P
a
m
t
h
re
w h
e
r
a
rms
a
ro
u
nd
J
i
m
’s n
ec
k
a
nd pul
l
e
d h
e
r h
e
a
d
n
e
x
t
t
o his.
“
Oh,
J
im
th
a
t’s so rom
a
nt
i
c
. You
ca
n
’t im
a
g
ine how
m
u
c
h that me
a
ns to me.
I
’ll c
a
ll
m
y
mo
t
h
e
r
f
rom the h
o
tel room
a
nd inv
i
te th
e
m up for Th
a
nk
s
g
iv
i
n
g
.
W
e
c
a
n
a
nnoun
c
e
o
u
r
e
n
g
a
g
e
ment to ev
e
r
y
one
t
h
e
n.”
S
he
l
i
c
k
e
d
J
i
m
’s
ea
r, s
e
nding
c
hi
l
ls down his ba
c
k
.
“
I
love
y
ou,
J
im
Mitch
e
l
l
,
”
she
w
his
p
e
r
e
d.
“
I
a
lw
a
y
s ha
v
e
a
nd
I
a
lw
a
y
s
wil
l
.”