" It is, kind of." Then with a deliberate cruelty she added, "I want to see how you stack up against my current lover."Franck winced, then asked, "Who...is it?" Nobody you know. At least I don't think so." What's his name?" What are their names? Argie shot back."Let's drop the subject and get our asses home," he said."Now that's the second sensible thing you've said." She stood up, "I'm going to the bathroom. Pay the bill and I'll meet you back at the house."As it turned out, Argie followed John. Closer.Closer.Closer.Time seemed to freeze and hang in the air, life suspended on the tip of a needle.Two lances struck two breastplates simultaneously. The shafts of the lances shattered into a thousand brittle splinters, forming a cloud of debris around each man, with wooden shards flying into the crowd.Then the riders flew past each other, Neither man was unhorsed. As the horses slowed to a canter, then a trot, Jacques was the first to react. He reached down and unclipped his war axe from. You know how I hate to see or hear that someone is taking advantage of another. It isn't our problem, but Paul and Mrs. Swan are afraid, and that shouldn't happen."Mom didn't grumble, but she thought that we were meddling. I told her that I was going to do some hunting on their property and was going home for a shotgun. She told me, "If you get a shotgun, get yourself a pistol to carry, too. You don't want to be caught without protection if there is really some kind of bad guy hanging. It was the piece of paper that Malee had given him 15years earlier when they'd parted company and, as he looked at herwriting, he wondered how her life had panned out.------Low flying planes over the taxi confirmed that they were now approachingthe airport. Robert removed his passport and ticket from his jacketpocket. It was the second time he'd flown to Bangkok that year; thelast time was to look at the hospital but now, there was no going back.His surgery was booked for two days," time and,.