“N-No, I was about to turn and go back here knowing nothing bad was happening… I heard the hitting and the voices… I was just, uh, concerned, I�...�m sorry, again…” The hand that was covering my mouth before pressed against my throat for a few seconds, and then glided over my shirt between my breasts moving down till it reached the lining of my shorts. His hand rubbed over my thigh, then reached right between my legs, making me flinch. “I want to believe you, but if so, why are you so aroused? I. ”“Their proof?”“Nothing cited. Just this demand notice, and an accompanying notice of seizure of assets. They’ve taken the ranch and our home; they seized our bank accounts and garnished my Army pension. Two days ago agents came with a sheriff’s deputy and seized our car. They’ve left us nothing.”“We’ve got a lead on an excellent tax attorney in Spokane, a former IRS officer. Hang in there. We’ve got to hope that he can get more information.”“It was a tip,” Jim told his friends. “Our tax. He was wearing ajacket, but his tie was loosened and he was sweating profusely. Thebooth manager, Stan Carlson, said, "Jeez Ken, you look awful. Are youokay?"Ken's eyes met mine and went wide, but he recovered enough to say,"Yeah, I must be coming down with something."Stan said, "Well, go back to your room and take something, I don't needeverybody here coming down with whatever it is you've got. We'll checkon you later."I could see the wave of relief cross his face. Ted was still watchingme. " Bruce you doofus. Harold and I live in a quaint but cozy 2-bedroom 1- bath house... with a 4-car garage we keep packed. Pick your set of keys, okay?"There was that weird incongruity in their lives. Harold was a true corporate honcho, while Janice made a killing selling overpriced real estate. Yet they lived in the tiny type of _quaint but cozy_ bungalow that Janice would sneer at listing. To which they'd added a 4-car garage. That had more square footage than the damn house itself.I had asked.