Page 49 of Tempest

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Thursday Afternoon

Ivy waved goodbye to the detective and then introduced herself to Phoebe Dellano, super genius.

Lucky informed her that Phoebe had just graduated from MIT with a double master’s in computer science and mathematics. She was twenty-one years old, and her brother was a smitten kitten. Ivy noticed that he was looking at her the same way he looked at a new bat or one of his beloved gloves.

Phoebe seemed completely unaware of her brother’s attraction. Which would do her brother some good. Colin Bellows had been blessed with good looks, intelligence, and athletic ability. Girls had been throwing themselves at him since he was fourteen. It was about time he did the throwing.

“Phoebe, come with me,” Ivy said. “Let’s take a look at this modern manse and see if we can find any clues to why someone is trying to burn the place down.”

“It’s because your father has a ton of money and made a lot of people mad on the road to achieving his fortune. I’ve dug up everything there is to know about Bill Bellows in the last twenty-four hours, and a lot of it isn’t pretty.”

Ivy looked at the gorgeous redhead with sparking blue eyes and smiled. “Honey, Daddy wasn’t a nice guy. Don’t worry about tiptoeing around Colin and me, because we know that fact better than most. It might interest you to know that the Bellows’ family tree has its fair share of lunatics and criminals. Take our Grandmother Bellows, for example…”

Colin joined them and shook his head at Ivy. “Maybe Phoebe doesn’t need to hear the whole sordid history in the first thirty minutes of knowing us.”

“Fine. I’ll save my stories until later.” They walked through the front doors and stood there looking around. “This is a smart house. What the hell is that?” Ivy asked.

“A house that always makes sure that you have ice cream and beer,” Colin responded.

“My smart house would make sure that I always had a pitcher of margaritas and some pie,” Ivy responded. Her eyes floated over the room, and she looked at the bookshelf on the far wall. Sitting in the middle of it was a picture of Colin and her on her twelfth birthday. They were sitting together, holding hands as they ate cake. Growing up, Ivy always insisted that her brother be invited to her birthday parties. It never occurred to her at the time that it might be difficult for her mama to have him around. Colin was always welcome in Bea’s home, and she never let anyone think otherwise.

As Ivy walked up to the bookcase, she picked up the picture and noticed that he held her hand just as tightly as she was holding his. No matter what he said, he needed her just as much as she needed him. It was true when they were kids, and it was more true now. “Look, Colin.” She held up the picture and showed him.

When he joined her and looked at it, he laughed. “You always made me come sit next to you when it was time for cake.”

“I thought that’s what siblings did—shared cake and troubles.”

“Looks like Daddy left a pile of them,” Colin said.

They both turned around saw that Ryan and Phoebe had left them alone. “How much do you like her?” Ivy whispered.

“More than is healthy,” Colin responded. “How can she be so pretty and smart?”

“People have probably asked the same thing about you, Colin.” She patted his arm and walked toward the kitchen. “It’s about time you met your match.”

“She’s not my match. She’s so out of my league, it’s not funny. MIT, Ivy.”

“You have a lot to offer. Want me to talk up your good points?”

Groaning, he shook his head. “God, no.”

Ryan and Phoebe walked around the corner, and he mimed that she’d better keep her mouth shut. Nodding in agreement, she crossed her fingers behind her back. Sometimes Cupid needed a little help, and she meant to provide some. After all, her baby brother needed someone to love more than anyone she knew. Maybe Phoebe was the one for him. “Hi, guys,” Ivy called out brightly.

Ryan looked between the siblings. “Everything okay?”

Colin nodded. “Sure.”

“I grabbed the sandwiches from the car,” Phoebe said, as she held up the bag. “I’ll look for some plates.”

Colin spun around and stared at his sister. “I swear on my mama’s grave, I will harm you if you try to help me with Phoebe.”

Ivy walked behind Ryan and laughed. “You’ll have to get through him to get to me.”

Ryan looped his arm around her and brought her in front of him. “Honey, don’t help your brother. A grown man has to do it for himself, and if he can’t, then he doesn’t deserve the woman in the first place. Butt out of his love life.”

Phoebe walked back in, so Ivy couldn’t respond to either one of them. Twisting out of Ryan’s hold, she flounced away. “Come sit with me, Phoebe, and let’s go over the information you’ve got so far.”

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