Part 24 (1/2)
”Brilliant one my b.u.t.t,” Libby muttered. ”This bad girl thing is harder than it looks. And true bad girls don't get married, they have flings. And if you're so proud of yourself, Ty, you can be the one to show Mom and Dad the pictures.”
Tyson choked on his eggs. Kate patted his back and Sarah handed him a gla.s.s of water. ”I don't know the first thing about talking to parents. I didn't have a lot of practice. I'm thinking you'll be better at it, Libby.”
”And if we do get married-and I'm stressing the if, as you haven't asked me yet-I want an ironclad prenuptial agreement stating that your money isn't mine.”
”That's just bulls.h.i.+t. Once we're married, everything I have becomes yours. That's the way it's supposed to work. As for asking, if I asked, you'd have the opportunity to say no and I'm not taking any chances. The potatoes are dynamite, Kate. Does Libby cook like this?”
”No, I don't,” Libby snapped, hands on hips.
”Hence the reason you need my money. You can use it to pay for the cook,” Tyson said, striving to look practical.
Libby glanced over at Joley, the smile fading from her face. ”I don't know what to do. It feels wrong to me to let this happen.”
”Let it go, Libby,” Joley advised. ”Maybe we should concentrate on thinking who might have done this.”
”Irene received around fifteen thousand dollars for her story and pictures of Libby and Joley from a magazine. If she did it once, and she admits she has many bills, she might try again. This story was probably worth a fortune,” Tyson said.
”I tried to get the source,” Joley admitted. ”I even promised Kingsley an exclusive if he gave up the source, but he refused.”
”Not Irene,” Libby said. ”She was so upset.”
”That was guilt,” Tyson pointed out. ”Pure guilt. Harry Jenkins is out to get me. If he can ruin our reputations in the scientific and medical communities, maybe that would score him a victory.”
”He goes on the list, too,” Sarah said.
”And Edward Martinelli,” Elle added. ”Remember the pictures of Libby healing Tyson in the hospital? They threatened to put them in a magazine.”
”Good grief.” Kate frowned. ”I've never heard of so many people out for blood. Anyone else?”
”Sam doesn't like me,” Libby ventured, not looking at Tyson.
”And Sarah doesn't care much for me,” Tyson added with a careless shrug, ”but somehow I believe she'd think more in terms of toads than scandal rags.”
”I'm imaginative,” Sarah said. ”And you're beginning to grow on me.”
Tyson found himself smiling. Even happy in spite of the unfortunate and bizarre events. There was something about the acceptance into Libby's family that made him feel different. Libby made him feel whole. They made him feel accepted. The easy teasing was strange, but he found he enjoyed it. ”Well, considering that Libby loves her family and I intend to be a permanent part of it, it's probably best you learn to appreciate my finer points.”
”You have finer points?” Sarah challenged. ”What are they?”
Tyson grinned, not in the least offended, and pa.s.sed the empty plate to Kate. ”Aside from the fact that I adore your sister, I'm a walking encyclopedia and every family needs one.”
”That certainly will come in useful for me when I'm researching for a book,” Kate said. ”Very helpful stuff, Sarah.”
”You know anything about security systems?” Sarah asked.
”Some. I can brush up. Mostly I've always had an interest in electronics.”
”Is there anything you can't do?” Libby asked, feigning exasperation.
”I minored in quite a few subjects,” he explained. ”I get bored easily, once I'm fairly familiar with something. I can't sleep very well and if I read something I remember it, so I spend a lot of nights reading textbooks.”
”Wow,” Joley exclaimed, her smile wide and for the first time, real. ”You really are a geek, aren't you? I've never really known a geek very well-with the exception of Libby, but she doesn't count because she's my sister.”
”So out of all the suspects”-Sarah brought the conversation back on track-”which one does your gut say is responsible for getting these pictures in a magazine?”
He hesitated, a slight frown on his face. ”That's a good question, Sarah, and I wish I had an answer. I'm used to people not liking me, but as far as I know, I've never had anyone want to kill me or smear my reputation. Someone tampered with my motorcycle and I think whoever took those pictures had to be the one who rigged my bike.”
Sarah looked at Libby. She put her hands in the air. ”The only one I can think would be after me personally is Edward Martinelli and I've never met him. I guess I need to talk to the man. At least face-to-face I might be able to judge if he's really trying to kill me.”
”You're not serious,” Tyson said. There was a warning note in his voice.
”Be still my heart.” Joley clutched her chest and fell backward on the couch. ”Who knew the scientific types could go all caveman on a girl?”
”It's annoying,” Libby protested.
”It's s.e.xy as h.e.l.l and you know it,” Joley said.
”I'd like to see someone get caveman with you, Joley.” Libby nudged her hard. ”You'd flatten the poor guy. He wouldn't know what hit him.”
Joley grinned, not bothering to deny it. ”The thrill would still be there for one small second before I annihilated him. I do love a strong man. You go, Tyson.”
”Stop encouraging him in Neanderthal behavior. Just because you're kinky doesn't mean the rest of us are.”
”No,” Sarah denied. ”We are.”
”You're not helping,” Libby said, glaring at her sisters. ”Ty, don't listen to any of them. They're all little Hagathas.”
He burst out laughing, the sound startling him. He was in the middle of a group of crazy sisters and they were talking sheer nonsense and he was actually enjoying himself. He'd never felt part of anything-not even at the fire station in the midst of the camaraderie. He was always too odd. The Drakes didn't seem to care that he was odd. Even Sarah was coming around. ”Hagatha?”
”That's what we call each other when we're being, er, witchy,” Libby explained. ”Speaking of witches, Hannah must be at the hospital with Jonas again. How's he doing? I planned on seeing him not tomorrow, but the day after. That should give me plenty of time to rest before I give him another boost.”
Tyson's gaze narrowed on her face and the smile faded. ”What do you mean by giving him a little boost?”
Libby frowned at the edge to his voice. ”Jonas was very seriously injured. By rights he should be dead.”
”He would be if Libby hadn't healed him,” Kate informed him. ”Even Elle and Hannah together could never have saved him. Only Libby.”
”And it nearly killed her,” Sarah added soberly.
”Which is precisely why she doesn't need to be doing it again,” Tyson said. He scowled at them. ”Jonas is in the hospital getting excellent medical care. My understanding is that he's out of danger and is expected to make a full recovery.”
”In time,” Libby interrupted.
”A full recovery,” Tyson repeated. ”You don't have to risk your own health to speed up his recovery process. You saved his life. That should be enough, and I'll bet, if you ask him, he'd tell you not to take the risk.”
”It isn't the same thing,” Libby explained. The commanding note in his voice might be a thrill to Joley, but it was beginning to set her teeth on edge. Tyson wasn't joking. He meant what he said and he was, without so many words, attempting to forbid her to further aid Jonas.