" Certainly, Sweetheart," she replied. "In the meantime, I've got to call Daddy and have him ship some of my medical books to me." Have him ship them ...o the ranch," I suggested. "I think that since Mikeya is leaving, maybe we ought to just head back there. I think it would be safer." Good idea, Michael," Kip replied, as he excused himself."Good morning, general. How did it go last night?" I thought as I connected to him. I figured I would save Anna a trip out to find a payphone.Before he could. After the chief came his two bodyguards, dragging a slender,pale-skinned figure between them whose head was obscured by a burlapsack. After them followed an ancient, hunchbacked, emaciated Khazrawhose face was half-covered by a tattered hood covered in infernalrunes. The almost skeletal creature supported itself on a tall, twistedstaff adorned by the skulls of animals and monsters, but its eyes shonewith a malicious intensity which showed that the old Khazra was far frompowerless. Next to the. Or "The Smithy" as the decrepit old sign said.Old Mr Walker, who'd lived there ever since I could remember, passed away that Christmas time and for quite a few months afterwards the old house lay deserted. Then one Saturday morning I think it was, the whole street was woken up at an unearthly hour by the roar of a powerful motorcycle. I looked out of my bedroom window to see who had disturbed my slumber and saw the motorcycle parked outside the Forge house. Someone dressed all in leathers was. Over the years she'd had other boyfriends but her feelings for Ryan had never gone away. Her head was so full of all the times she'd been jealous of other girls and all the times she desired him that she didn't even notice when he pulled up. The car horn had her jumping a mile and when she looked up and saw him sitting there smiling at her - her belly flipped and her heartbeat skipped. 'Fuck!' she thought, 'This'll be torture!'. Getting up, she got in the car."Hey Max. How's it going?" Ryan's.