Tuscany Trip

Khaat was glad to be back on the ship. Somehow she felt a bit safer here than on shore where the curly haired man had approached her. She tried to push her father out of her mind. Brian was right. He was a man on a mission. He was very serious this time, and that bothered her. She excused herself and went downstairs and showered and changed into the white gauze dress that she had brought with her from the villa. The shower had helped her to relax and to push the day out of her mind. She did not wear the large shirt over the skirt and camisole. Her shoulder was starting to hurt again--badly. Angus came over to her and handed her a large glass of firewhiskey and a jar of teal blue colored cream. "Works on big stings like that," he told her. "We keep a lot of this stuff around--just in case. It wll take the toxins out of the skin. It's your father's blend. Works every time. Maybe you can get Brian over there to put some on for you."

"There's nothing between us, Angus," she laughed.

"So you say," he smiled at her, returning to the wheelhouse.

"Sure," Brian said quietly. He disappeared down below deck, showered and changed into jeans, and a denim shirt, with his deck shoes. He put the ring in Khaat's bag before going back up on deck. He saw the jar of teal cream sitting on the bench beside Khaat. "I didn't see you bring your medical bag," he frowned.

"I didn't. Angus had it. Says it's Daddy's formula."

"It is. I was with him when he stayed up all night one night making it because one of our men got stung and the old muggle remedy of vinegar wasn't working. Poor chap was miserable. Your dad made this formula and we've kept it as a standard ever since. " He picked up the jar and opened it.

"I have no desire to be teal blue," she frowned.

"You'd rather be all swollen and red and in pain?" he frowned. "Besides, the teal blue color fades as it removes the toxins. And besides, you're in wizarding company. They've seen worse. And, no, it won't stain your dress." He took the cooling cream out of the jar and massaged it gently into the ugly sting wounds on her left shoulder, front and back. It seemed to take the intense burning pain out of the stings on contact.

"Better?" he asked finally.

"Yes," she sighed, relieved, "But I do look weird being teal blue." He laughed at her gently.

Khaat was glad to see Steven taking time to be alone with Ronata. Sometimes she flet like an additional wheel in their romance. "Brian, I knew that young man who died," she began. "Met him in Paris...."

"Stop," he said softly. "We'll take care of him, and his family. We always do. Your father was very clear for a reason. What else aren't you telling me? When you can't let go of something there's always a reason."

"He knew about Abbey and Dakota," she finally confessed softly.

"What!" he nearly came off his seat from beside her. "And you didn't tell me! I swear, if he gets my girls, I'll kill him with my bare hands!..."

"Your girls," she repeated softly. "Abbey really is more your girl than she is Rob's. He hasn't been around since the night she was born, and you're with her every day. Brian, do you think he could get to them? Either of them?"

"No way! No! Not a chance! Your father would never let that happen. Steven! Angus! He knows. Gelding knows about Abbey and Dakota. THAT"s what Robert wasn't saying. Damn it! He knows about my girls!"

"Brian, we don't know what Daddy's doing, but I'm sure he's protecting them. I'm positive." Khaat tried to reassure him and herself.

"I don't know if I have a leak or not. I don't know enough information. To the best of my knowledge, the babies were with Katherine and Robert and not at the safehouse. I don't know how Gelding knows about the babies, but I am quite sure that it was not due to the safehouse being breeched. Well, pretty sure," Brian said. "You don't know Gelding like I do. If he wanted to get to either Robert or me, he'd have done his homework. And the Lupins are very visible in England. They aren't hard to find--any of them. Gelding would know that Abbey could not grow up her whole life in a safehouse. All he would have to do is buy his time. So far, nothing has happened, or Robert would have told us. But my guess is that he knows that Gelding knows about Abbey and Dakoka from his research and he wants to scare the life out of us. And we're letting him to an excellent job of it. We're letting him create fear in our heads. We have to stop it right now. He'll unwind us into making a mistake if we're not careful." He looked at Khaat.

"Especially you, Khaat. He'd love nothing more than to completely unwind you because of what it would do to your father and me both. You have to get ahold of yourself," he told her firmly. "I won't let anything happen to Abbey. I promise."

"Steven works for me," Brian said carefully, "And I work for Khaat's father. Robert Lupin is a good man. Unquestionably one of the finest men I have ever known, and a very strong man. However, soneone that strong and committed to doing the right thing makes a lot of enemies. They would strike back at Khaat and her children merely to get back at Robert or also at me. The man she met on the beach today, I think, was an enemy of ours that I have dueled with many, many times. He is ruthless and has absolutely no conscience. Khaat and Steven and I are accomplished fighters. We will be safe. Khaat's father was specific that we are to not interrupt our routine, so I can only think that he has something in mind that he's working on. And if this man had wanted to harm us directly, he could have easily have done that already. My best advice is that we follow Robert's instructions to the letter until such time as he tells us otherwise."