I didn’t mean...”“No. It wasn’t your fault, it was mine. When I let them strip you everyone assumed including François that you knew the rule.... If I had told François not to take your slip off he would have known that you were a nubee and they would have been satisfied with looking at your pussy. I put you at risk because they had the right to do anything they wanted to you once you are stripped.”“Anything?” she asked.“I suppose killing you would be in bad taste, but most everything else would. “And I spent quite a bit of time talking to Jennifer about what happened when Birgit died.”“Good. I didn’t know him then, but he was pretty much a basket case for quite some time. It took years before he could listen to a couple of ABBA songs without breaking down.”“We’ll take good care of him,” Jessica said. “Tiger, when are Alejandra and Leila heading home?”“Tomorrow. They both have early flights out of O’Hare. I planned a ‘family’ dinner as a farewell.”“Sofia’s not going home?”“No. This is. Could you give me about ten minutes?" Sure, I'll walk around for a few minutes." I looked over at the lower bunk and I could see her clothes laid out. There was a pretty, yellow sundress and the bra and panties looked kind of, well, tiny. They were also yellow, paler than the dress, and slightly translucent.I walked out to the deck, looking out at the ocean but seeing an image of how she would look in her yellow underwear. I was sure it was a sight that would warm the heart on a cold, lonely. Her life had stopped at that moment and had never been the same – never could be the same.Tears flowed as the guilt associated with that day twisted her insides – guilt because she was not there with them, especially for Peter.She looked at Janet, tears in her eyes. “I’ve asked myself over and over – could I have saved him if I’d been in the car? Peter always looked to me as his role model and protector. I failed him and he died.”A study in misery, arms even tighter around her knees, Kate.