Marriage is Murder

Jack made the man stand and walk out of the bedroom to Roberts office. As they walked the corridor he struggled but jack merely spoke softly to him " try it I will take great pleasure in snapping your neck but Robert needs some thing from you first " he snarled at him as he spoke. Soon they reached the office and he sat him down his hands holding the man in his seat making sure he could not move one inch. Cassidy dove to the room and saw Robert with Khaat.

" need me to help?" she asked stepping in but staying by the door seeing they needed each other and space.

"Yes. Please. Stay with her. I need to take care of business across the hall," Robert said. "Brian will be back any time now, but he needs to check on the kids first. He'll understand. Once that's done, he may or may not be free to see to her. She can have more firewhiskey, and I know she'll soon want to get fresh clothes and get her hair combed out before it dries. Thank you. If you get a chance, double check her room and make sure that, first, its secure, and second, he didnt leave anything behind. If you see something amiss, let me know at once. As soon as I get a chance I'll ask Angus to send her up some food. I know we're all getting hungry." He left Cassidy with Khaat and went over to his office.

"Well, well," Robert said. "Shall we get to it then? Do you intend to tell me what you know I want to know? Or...shall I take things into my own hands?"

The man tried to fire a wandless magic spell at Robert, who merely folded his arms and stared, unphased.

"It really would help you if you had magic before you did that," Robert said. "It is a bit anticlimactic without it."

Cassidy moved to Khaat and sat with her she looked around the room but found nothing that had not been in the room before , returning she pored out a small shot of whiskey and handed it to Khaat " feeling any better ?" she asked smiling gently at her. Jack held the man down buy his shoulders he chuckled as the man tried to use his magic on Robert and dug his nails in the mans shoulders " answer him" he said but felt him just tense under him and he gave a growl again " don't think hes going to tell us of his own free will " he said to Robert.

"Fine," Khaat replied softly. She picked up the glass and sipped on the firewhiskey.

Across the hallway, Robert looked at his captive. "I didn't think he'd talk." He got out a bottle of veritaserum and fed him a dose of it. Then he took a seat on the edge of his desk. "Now let's try it again. Who do you work for?"

"James Blood," the figure said proudly.

"Does he know where this place is?"

"No, just us who work for him."

"There are more of you?"

"Of course," the man laughed bitterly at Robert.

Jack let a groan leave him as he heard the name blood was spoken by the man his nails digging in so that the mans shirt speckled with red. " so we have more than one leak in the organization " he said " Don't worry Khaat safe with Cassidy she'll let nobody gt close to her. Cassidy sat with Khaat glad she was feeling better she moved to grab Khaats clothes placing them next to her on the bed where Khaat sat " you should dress before you catch a cold " she said

"Not to worry," Robert said to Jack. "I thought this might be a possibility. Brian and I have looked at that." He looked back at the traitor. "Their names. Now. All of them." The man was unable to resist Robert's veritaserum and he reluctantly and angrily spilled all of the names. Then Robert asked another question. "Are any of you werewolves?"

"All of us" The man said.

"Shackle and cuff him, Jack," Robert said, thoroughly disgusted. "Lee can have him and do as he pleases with him. Not a word of this until I meet with Lee."

Brian apparated back as quickly as he could. He wanted to let his children out but he went upstairs first. He paused at Robert's office.

"Did you do the errand I asked?" Robert asked.

"No. Not yet," Brian said.

"Good. Don't. We're not clear. We need Lee here."

"He's on his way."

"Good. Then go check on your wife and come back here." Brian didn't need a second invitation. He saw Khaat sitting on the sofa in the sitting room, just wrapped in a towel. He simply got out her long thick white robe and went over to her.

"Stand up," he said softly, showing her the robe. "You can't stay in a towel." He got her to her feet and wrapped her in her robe, took the towel and tied the robe shut. He laid his hand on her forehead for a brief moment, to cause a bit of a calming spell. "She'll be fine," he told Cassidy. "She just needs a bit of time. I'd appreciate it if you'd stay awhile longer. We're not clear yet. Keep your wand handy."

Jack clung tighter to him knowing now why he smelt familiar to him. He could not help growl at the man. Cassidy stood up her wand was ready as the door opened she relaxed seeing Brian who entered . She moved back from them to give them privacy when he spoke to her she sighed " of course and I always do " she said and held it up to show him she held it . she watched him dress Khaat in a robe and smiled she had known he would get her warm , but she knew better than to let down her guard.

Lee strode in with his assistant, and since it was not an unusual sight no one thought anything about it. He went upstairs to Robert's office. Robert and Brian briefed him and gave him a list of names.

"You'll firgive me, but you really are on American soil," Lee said. "I normally let you do these things yourself. But I think I'll take over now." Robert paused. "Time is critical. I want to interview every member of your organization. You've trusted too many who have gotten too far inside. I need to get them out for you to be able to close your eyes at night."

"What about my family?"

"I want to know. Everyone," he said. Robert looked at Brian.

"If they're for us, then they will have nothing to hide," Brian said. "And there are no known side effects from veritaserum. It only lasts a few minutes and causes no side effects. I see no harm. Jack? Thoughts? My thoughts are that it may be the only way to uncover how deep James' tentacles go into our organization."

Jack looked at Robert then at Lee as they talked when he was asked he looked at Robert " I'm with you sir " he said then looked at Lee " I have taken veritaserum my self and trust me there are no side affects just the truth" he looked back at Robert his hands still gripping the man in the chair in front of him. Some how he kept his own anger in check. Cassidy slowed the main door and stood guard .

"Then so be it," Robert sighed. "Be gentle with some of them. This is my family, Lee."

"I know," Lee said. "Thats why I have to do it and not you. You go wait with your family. Believe me, I wont' be long."

"What are you up to? With our staff, it should take hours."

"No. It won't." Lee said. He left the office. He went to the main dining hall, an empty room at the moment, and he opened the floo network for every American auror he had to come in. He divided them up and sent them through the oranization. Within the hour, he and his men had gone through the organization, including everyone in Khaat's inner circle, and had arrested 7 more men and their wives. He had removed the children of the traitorous parents and taken them to Washington. He had had Robert let the children out so that he could talk to Jess and Steven. And then he brought the final report up to Robert upstairs.

Robert sat heavily, feeling overwhelmed, feeling stupid and feeling emotional pain for the families that had been arrested, the children that would no longer have homes and families. "Damn," he said softly. "How many of them are werewolves, Lee?"

"All the parents were turned--fairly recently. James offered them enormous pay. Convinced them you were grossly underpaying them and depriving them of the power that being a werewolf could offer."

"Greyback," Robert sighed, knowing exactly where that salespitch had come from.

"Yes. And over the years, a lot of foolish people have bought it. Its not your fault. They are the products of their own greed."

"Maybe its time to dissolve our organization," Robert sighed.

"Don't make that choice today. You have all your trusted inner circle. Take some time and talk with them before you decide. I need to get the new prisoners processed. You have a full detail with you for the next few hours. I'll be back. I think you'll be safe until then." He apparated out. Robert sat in silence, feeling that perhaps his entire purpose was over. Exiled from England, and several of his families contaminated and cursed now. Children without homes--the one thing he had fought so hard for. Maybe it was time to retire to that quiet farm in Tuscany and just allow himself and Kate to grow old gracefully.