Dangerous Tides Read online

  Hannah nudged Joley with her foot. "Good philosophy. Wish I'd thought of it." She waved her hand toward the kitchen. "And you never stay on task. We might all perish without cookies."

  "Did you do the ones with that butter frosting you make, Hannah?" Kate asked. "I love those."

  "For you." Hannah smiled at Kate but turned to give Sarah a hard look. "But not for you. You sided with Jonas Harrington over the movie the other night. You're in the doghouse so no frosting on your cookies."

  "Hannah," Sarah protested. "You can't deprive me for liking a movie you didn't like."

  "I'm not depriving you because you liked the movie, you treacherous wench, I'm depriving you because you admitted it in front of the caveman and inflated his ego."

  "I'm sure Sarah didn't mean to side with Jonas," Libby said.

  Another round of laughter went up. "You're hopeless, Lib," Hannah said. "I'm showing you how to be Hagatha and you just can't grasp the concept."

  A gust of wind blew through the house as the living room door opened, admitting a tall man with broad shoulders. Jonas Harrington, the local sheriff, slammed the door behind him and strode in as if he owned the place.

  Hannah's gaze jumped to the huge window overlooking the sea, her heart pounding in sudden alarm. The fury of the wind whipped the dark clouds around, but failed to hide the blood-red circle slowly seeping into the blackened ring around the moon. Her hand went to her throat--a purely defensive gesture--as her gaze met her youngest sister's. Elle had the same knowledge of impending danger in her eyes.

  "Hannah?" Libby ran her hand down Hannah's arm to comfort her. "Is something wrong?"

  To distract her sisters, Hannah gestured toward the sheriff and groaned. "Speak of the devil. I swear, it's like you whisper his name and it conjures him up, just like a demon from hell."

  Joley nudged Libby. "See, that's censoring. She was thinking way worse than that, right, Hannah?"

  Hannah nodded. "You'd better believe it." She felt the instant shift of power in the room, the subtle flow of her sisters automatically helping her, keeping her from the curse of stammering or worse, having one of her panic attacks simply because someone other than a family member was with them.

  "Baby doll," Jonas greeted Hannah, deliberately provoking her with a hated nickname. "It's impossible for you to teach Libby how to be a Hagatha. You were born that way. She, however, is nothing but goodness." He grabbed a handful of cookies as the plate floated by and expertly tossed his jacket on the couch without looking.

  "Why don't your obnoxious guard dogs bite him?" Hannah asked Sarah. "The next time either of them wants food I'm going to remind them they failed in their most important job."

  Sarah shrugged. "They like Jonas."

  "They have good taste," Jonas said, smirking. He sat on the floor, wedging himself between Hannah and Elle. "Move over cupcake." He pushed his leg hard against Hannah's thigh. "I'm joining the family powwow tonight."

  Hannah opened her mouth, then closed it abruptly, studying the grim lines etched around Jonas's mouth, noting the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. She knew, as did all her sisters, that when something went terribly wrong at work, Jonas sought the comfort of the people and the one place he called family and home. Hannah waved her hands in a graceful, complicated pattern toward the kitchen and at once the tea kettle whistled.

  "Libby wants to be a bad girl," Sarah announced.

  Jonas's eyebrow shot up. A slow smile spread across his face. "Libby, hon, there is no way you can be corrupted by the rest of your sisters. You're just too sweet."

  Libby glared at him, totally exasperated. "I am not. Come on! You could help out a little, Jonas. I have the ability to be just as wicked as the rest of my family."

  "Hear, hear," Elle said. "Well said, sister."

  Joley nodded her head in agreement. "Not true, but well said," she agreed.

  Hannah lifted her hand palm out and a mug of steaming tea floated out of the kitchen toward the circle of sisters. She caught it carefully, blew on it until the bubbles quieted and handed it to Jonas.

  "So why do you want to be a bad girl?" Jonas asked.

  "My life is boring. Borrrr-iing," Libby said, drawing the word out. "I want to have fun. I don't want to be the responsible one anymore."

  "Then you're dropping your Doctors Without Borders and your Save the Whales and Support Big Cat Rescue causes?" Jonas asked. He snapped his fingers. "And you definitely have to stop recycling and your save the environment thing you do every year."

  "Wait," Joley added. "You can throw out the save the rain forest as well. That should give you plenty of time to be a bad girl."

  Libby kicked her sister with remarkable gentleness. "You're not being nice and neither is Jonas. You're laughing at me."

  "No, I'm not," Joley replied immediately. "I love you just the way you are. You just have to accept that you don't have a mean bone in your body. It's why you can't think of anyone you'd like to put in a rocket and send to Mars."

  "Jonas," Hannah said. "Because he's so bossy."

  "Hannah," Jonas said simultaneously, "because she craves so much attention she's always showing her bod to every Tom, Dick and Harry who wants to see it."

  "I'm a model, you toad," Hannah said. "I don't show off my body, I show off the clothes."

  "And brilliantly, too," Kate said, blowing her a kiss. "I'll second Jonas for being mean to Hannah."

  "It isn't fair to gang up on me," Jonas protested. "She was mean to me first."

  "You said it at the same time," Kate pointed out.

  "Only because I knew what she was going to say."

  "Jackson Deveau." Elle named a deputy sheriff. "Because he annoys me no end."

  "Illya Prakenskii," Joley added a heartbeat behind. "Because he needs to be off planet and he's just plain spooky." She rubbed the palm of her hand as if she had an itch.

  "Frank Warner for breaking Inez's heart," Sarah said.

  "I can't very well say Sylvia Fredrickson because she's turned over a new leaf," Abigail said, "so I'll just have to say I'm going with Joley on this one."

  Everyone looked at Libby. She sighed, feeling the weight of their stares. "Not Jonas. He's bossy but really has our best interests at heart."

  Hannah rolled her eyes when Jonas poked her.

  "Certainly not Jackson. Honestly, Elle, how can he be annoying? He never talks, poor man. Illya Prakenskii helped us, Joley, and Frank's in jail paying for his crimes. Inez is hurt, yes, but she's a strong woman and understands that people make mistakes."

  "So who would you send on a rocket to Mars?" Joley prompted.

  "I'm thinking." Libby sipped at her tea, frowning. "There was one nurse who always made fun of me. She said I was flat-chested and not in the least attractive."

  Hannah sat up straight. "Who is she? I'll have a thing or two to say to her."

  The room thickened with sudden tension. Tea boiled in the cups.

  Libby shook her head. "No, poor thing, she had such a horrible life. She has so many problems, it's really no wonder she isn't very nice. I felt sorry for her."

  The Drake sisters blew on their tea before exchanging looks, but Libby was frowning in concentration. "I'll think of someone."

  "Face it, Lib, you can't think of anyone because you just aren't mean."

  Libby ducked her head. "I can think of someone. He went to school with me on and off and was in all the accelerated programs. He even attended Harvard when I did." She looked up at her sisters. "His grades were better than mine."

  Jonas grinned at her. "I'll bet that really set your teeth on edge."

  "It wasn't just that, Jonas, he doesn't believe in magic. He thinks we lie about our gifts and that my family members are charlatans and con artists. He's very arrogant and opinionated."

  "Well, put his name on the rocket to Mars, sister," Elle insisted.

  Libby sighed. "It's just that he has an incredible brain. The world really needs him. He won a Nobel Prize in medicine already. He's very gifted. No
t that he does it for the right reasons."

  "He's a glory hound?" Kate asked.

  "No, he could care less about publicity. He's totally a lab rat. All he cares about is the science. Well, science and adrenaline."

  "You're talking about Tyson Derrick," Jonas guessed. "He's crazy. When he isn't working in the laboratory, he's working for the forestry. He's a total adrenaline junkie. Skydiving, racing, motorcycles, white-water rafting, whatever is available, he's the man."

  "He has no right to risk his genius," Libby said.

  "You haven't put him on the rocket," Joley pointed out.

  Libby blushed. Color swept up her neck and into her face, turning her skin bright red. Scarlet. Crimson. It was the bane of her existence, that and being flat-chested.

  "Uh, oh," Joley said. "I think your Tyson Derrick is a hot-tie. He is, isn't he, Jonas?"

  "How the hell would I know?" Jonas objected. "I don't look at the man unless I'm stopping him for speeding and giving him a ticket."

  "He speeds?" Libby asked, fanning herself and trying to be subtle about it.

  "On his motorcycle or in his car. The man doesn't know the meaning of the words 'slow down.' "

  "He looks good," Sarah admitted, "but he's a pain. The man can't do polite conversation. I've seen him get up abruptly in the middle of a double date with his cousin, and just walk out, no explanation at all, leaving Sam sitting there with two very angry women. He just doesn't care."

  "If he didn't talk, he'd be hot," Libby admitted. She wasn't admitting anything else. She didn't seem to have a normal sex drive. The only time it kicked in was when Tyson Derrick was around and then her libido was stuck in overdrive. She'd never live that one down. So no way was she putting him on a rocket to Mars, not until she had the chance to sleep with him. And that would never happen because he was an obnoxious jerk who thought too much of himself. She would never ever admit to anyone she dreamt of him. It was humiliating to be attracted to a man who treated her so poorly. He was the complete opposite of everything she stood for and valued.

  "So what happened tonight, Jonas?" Elle changed the subject abruptly. "You're upset about something."

  The smile faded from the sheriff 's face. "You don't want me to talk about work."

  "This is the best place for it."

  He sighed and took a drink of tea. It always seemed to soothe him, or maybe it was just being around the seven sisters. "We went out on a call this evening. A neighbor said she heard screaming. A forty-year-old man was taking care of his mother, who obviously is ill. He's been collecting her checks as they come in, but he was starving her and he certainly was beating her if she bothered him. He had a complete home theater set up, top of the line, and his mother is in the back room with dirty shirts and no food or water. I wanted to . . ." He broke off, glancing around the room. "I'm sorry. I know you're all able to feel what I'm feeling and I try to keep it under wraps but . . ." He trailed off with a small shrug.

  Hannah and Elle both put a hand on his knee. Libby leaned in and did the same. Sarah and Kate touched his shoulders while Abigail and Joley wrapped their fingers around his arm. At once he felt the flood of warmth, of family stealing into him.

  "You don't have to do that," he insisted. "I didn't come here to have you expend energy on me. I just needed to be with you. I was hoping your parents and Aunt Carol were back."

  "No, they decided to take a few days and tour the wine country. The Napa valley is so beautiful this time of year and they thought they'd take advantage and do a little sight-seeing," Kate explained.

  "More likely they needed a break from us," Joley said. "Aunt Carol brought home a couple of magazines, you know the ones with the latest scoop on the wild singer, Joley Drake. I think I'm supposed to be in a rehab this week."

  "That was last week," Elle corrected. "This week you were arrested for tearing up a hotel room."

  "I did?" Joley looked pleased.

  "I want to tear up a hotel room," Libby said. "Well. Maybe not. I don't really want to destroy someone's property."

  "Am I still in jail?" Joley asked hopefully.

  "No. Your latest lover bailed you out. In case you don't remember him, he's got longer hair than you do, a scruffy beard and he plays for some heavy metal band."

  "I haven't actually met him," Joley said, "but we were in the same hotel for about five minutes. He must be quick on action with no foreplay."

  "The mags are really after you lately, Joley," Sarah said.

  Joley sighed. "I know. Hopefully it will blow over soon."

  "I've never understood why you don't sue those writers when they make up so many lies about you, Joley," Jonas said. "It makes me angry."

  "In the beginning I was angry and hurt, and worried about my family having to read really ugly lies, or maybe even get interviewed and be asked questions about me, but I've learned to live with it. There are so many crazies out there, Jonas, but I guess you already know that."

  "Unfortunately. I talked to Douglas about your security with this last concert," Jonas added. "They let someone rush the stage. I couldn't believe it. If that had been someone out to hurt you, it would have been all over." His voice had gone grim again.

  "It was an overzealous fan, Jonas." Joley tried to soothe him. "Security carried him off and I was just fine." It had shaken her, but she wasn't going to admit it to him. Singing in front of thirty thousand people was easy. Dealing with stalkers and crazed fans and the paparazzi could be nerve-wracking.

  "Well . . ." Elle hesitated, biting at her lower lip. "There was more in that magazine." She looked at Libby. "Do you remember that incident a couple of months back when you healed that child and the parents told their miraculous story?"

  Libby nodded. The magazine had run a full-page picture of her. Fortunately, the article was so theatrical, she was certain most people would dismiss it.

  "Another reporter interviewed the parents and did a little digging. He turned up a few other former patients willing to sing your praises. One of them was Irene Madison."

  "No way," Sarah said. "Irene would never betray Libby."

  "She was very upset the last time we went to see her son, Sarah," Hannah pointed out. "She kept insisting that Libby cure Drew's leukemia. Libby bought him time, but Irene wants a cure."

  "The magazine paid her," Elle said.

  "How do you know that?" Jonas asked.

  Elle simply looked at him.

  Jonas put up his hands in surrender. "Sorry I asked."

  Libby rubbed her suddenly pounding temples. "I should have known. At work today someone came to see me. He was well-dressed, a suit, definitely from out of town and he wanted to arrange a meeting between me and his boss."

  The faint smile was gone from Jonas's face and he shifted closer. "Who was he?"

  "That's just it. I don't know, but I recognized the name of his boss. Edward Martinelli. He's a big name in pharmaceuticals, but he has a certain reputation. There are always rumors flying about him and the people who back his company. I told his representative that I was too busy. The man didn't threaten me, but I felt threatened. He mentioned my family, specifically Hannah, that she was beautiful and high profile."

  "Damn it, Libby, just when were you going to mention this little chat to me?" Jonas snapped. "You should have reported it immediately."

  "I reported the incident to the hospital security--and to my sisters," Libby said. "It wasn't like he threatened me--or Hannah. What was I going to say to the police?"

  "Not the police, me," Jonas corrected. "You tell me."

  "It isn't like this doesn't happen all the time." Libby defended herself. "The gossip rags love to come out with the 'faith healer' and 'miracle worker' articles when they have a slow day." She pushed a hand through the cloud of dark hair falling around her face. "I just hoped it wouldn't happen again for a long while."

  "Martinelli has ties to a crime family out of Chicago. He's been in San Francisco with his company for a few years and has been supposedly squeaky clean, bu
t his family's been under investigation numerous times."

  "Maybe he really is legit," Libby said. "If no one's been able to find anything on him, maybe he's just a businessman with unfortunate family ties. We all have skeletons in the closet."

  "Then why would he send someone to threaten Hannah if you don't cooperate with him?"

  "He didn't threaten her," Libby repeated. "I was tired, Jonas. I pulled an eighteen-hour shift and I wasn't happy having a stranger come up demanding a meeting with his boss. He wouldn't tell me what Martinelli wanted, but when I said I didn't conduct test trials, he did say it had nothing to do with his company. Maybe I was so tired I misunderstood."

  "I'm going to be looking at Martinelli very closely. There was no reason for him to mention Hannah. Have you ever seen the list of wackjobs writing her threatening letters? She has as many or more crazies after her than Joley."

  "Lucky me. And just how are you seeing these letters?" Hannah asked.

  "Since I know you're too stubborn to turn them over to me, I have an agreement with your security and your agent."

  "Great. Have you ever heard of privacy?"

  "Get over it, doll face. I'm never going to be politically correct. When I think it's necessary to protect any of you, you're getting protection whether you like it or not."

  The Drake sisters exchanged small smiles.

  "You're so good at beating your manly chest," Joley said. "I swear, Jonas, I'm about to swoon."

  "No one would blame you." Jonas closed his eyes, not in the least intimidated by the women around him.

  Hannah waved her hand to turn off the lights and set the candles flickering. "You're so arrogant and bossy, Jonas, don't you ever get tired of it?"

  "No. I'm stuck with the seven of you and someone has to be the brains."

  Sarah hit him with a pillow. "You're lucky we love you, otherwise we'd let Hannah turn you into a toad."

  "She tried that already, it didn't work. My mojo's too strong. Where are the doomed men tonight?" Jonas asked, lying back, hands linked behind his head. "Did they run for the hills?"

  "We're having a girls' night," Sarah said with a small smirk. "No fiances. Only sisters."

  Jonas groaned, opening his eyes just enough to glare. "You could have told me. I won't live this one down for a while. They'll be merciless."