She screamed with pain instantly, "Aggghhhhh," she cried."Desist!" I ordered, and Downs backed away."I am sorry but it is unyielding within me!" she c...ied."Leather?" I queried, "Should we sheath a smaller wood with leather?" Tightly bound and ridged like a whip handle?" she said, "Why not a whip handle?" What!" I demanded."Some flexibility husband!" she said, "That is all."A delay ensued, Downs found an old horsewhip and working with his attire in disarray he made a stem or some such form wood. I misjudged events very badly. I got complacent, thinking I had all the bases covered."I waved his apology off. "Neither of us knew there were other players in this game. But now we know, so we have to be prepared to take them on and defeat them. First and foremost this means I have to know Izzy, Lilly and Peggy are safe and protected. They are my Achilles heel." We've found a rather nice old horse ranch west of here. The house is large, recently modernized and upgraded; it sits on fifty acres. "Look, I'm worried, too, okay? Cassie said she'd come pick me up and bring me back. Think anyone's going to go after me when I'm with her?" Cassie's money is not going to protect you against someone like Victor. Or the Darkness."Melinda's eyes shimmered for a moment, but she shook her head. "This is stupid. I can't just hole up in here. Like this is any safer with my Mom the sex slave trader." Will you stop it with that?" No. Get it through your head, Heather. She failed. You don't get second. Probably," Ryan smirked."You excited about getting that trophy in Sidney?" Alex asked."Not really. We're going to be squashed," he said nonchalantly."How can you say that?" Alex asked hurt.He simply shrugged. "I'm just happy to tour around Sidney. I've neverbeen in another country before," he said."At least they speak English there," Alex said brightly."I don't know. It kind of makes it less exotic that way," Ryan remarked."You would prefer to be in the jungle?" Alex asked."Maybe, someday,".