"She thanked him for being so thorough. His answer chilled her."I don't think you realize, yet, just how high the stakes are." Oh, yes I do. I realize...d that as soon as they dragged Sharon into it."Sharon agreed with Jack's precautions, and she dug out the big straw hatsthey'd gotten on the cruise, back when they'd first met Rod and George.She also found a pair of sunglasses from the same trip."How do I look?" Sharon asked when she was ready to go."Like Audrey Hepburn."Sharon scowled."I'd have. “He really seems to want us to go.” --- A short while later they’d headed out. The primary restaurant/bar area near the pool had been closed for the evening for the exclusive purpose of the party and the back wall had been opened onto the beach, apparently being made up of non-permanent partitions. They drifted through the bar area picking up a drink each and a couple of canapes, making their way onto the beach. There was quite a crowd – larger than Tegan would have expected, but the resort was. He wanted to be a girl more than anything else in the world. A fully-functioning female capable of that greatest act of all: bringing life into the world. The rumors had sounded ridiculous at first, but they were consistent and persistent. Jake had tracked down them down as best as he could. Though he had never actually found someone who claimed they had been transformed, several basic facts emerged. No two items were alike and they never seemed to work as advertised. The mysterious old man who. “He’s just using her to make sure you do what you’re told.”I stepped closer to her, feeling my anger burning hotter. “That does not mean he will simply leave me, her, and everyone back in the manor alone once he has everything he’s after.”She frowned at me like she was confused. “What would he gain by hurting you after the fact, especially if he believes he might have to return later for something else?”“That would be the ONLY reason he would have to leave me and mine alive,” I said.She shook.