Jenn Vakey - Rilynne Evans 07 - Revenge with Murder by Jenn Vakey Read Free Book Online Page A

sister?  Second, why would he use speaking engagements as leverage?  Wouldn’t you just do them anyway if he asked?  You love those things.”
    “Not this kind,” he replied, gently rubbing his ribs with his free hand.  “I like the ones where I can actually inspire people to get into the field or when I can teach new ways of doing things to my colleagues.  He wants me to speak to the different boards he’s working with to get additional funding.  While I understand the need for financial support, they just don’t hold the same excitement as the others.  They’re actually pretty tedious.”
    “I can see that,” she responded.  “And where does my sister fit into this?”
    Ben chuckled.  “He talked to her briefly at our wedding.”
    “She was there with a date,” Rilynne stated.  She knew the man hadn’t amounted to anything substantial, and that Elise had only really invited him so as not to attend alone, but it surprised her he was expressing so much interest.  It wasn’t that she found her sister undesirable in the eyes of men.  In fact, she was both bright and strikingly beautiful.  It was actually the fact that he was expressing interest that surprised her.  If she was remembering the correct friend of Ben’s, he had seemed quite uninterested at the wedding.  She remembered overhearing a brief conversation the two had, and nothing about it left her with the feeling he had any desire for a further connection.  From what she could recall, he seemed almost eager to find someone else to talk to.
    “I remember that talk,” Rilynne stated.  “I just didn’t get the impression he was really into her… at all.”
    Ben shrugged, the grin still resting comfortably on his face.  “ Chaznik isn’t really the best with the ladies.  Let’s just say his looks developed late, and by that point his nerdiness had already taken over.  He’s also not used to talking to someone as attractive as your sister.  The women who work in his lab are more-”
    “Homely?” Rilynne offered when he seemed unable to find the right word.  He nodded.  “So you find my sister attractive?”
    Ben let out a quick laugh.  “I’m not blind,” he stated.  “But she’s still no you.”
    “Well, maybe they’ll be good for each other then,” she responded.  “The distance isn’t going to help them much, but that might actually be a good thing for Elise.  Growing up practically on the run with our dad didn’t do her any favors.  I’m not sure she’s ever dated anyone more than a couple months.  It definitely hasn’t happened since she came into my life.  Maybe seeing someone who is so far away will help her to get past some of that.  You know, ease her into it a little.  You have my blessing to try to set them up.  If it ends poorly, though, I had absolutely no knowledge of it.”
    Ben laughed again.  “And if it doesn’t?”
    Rilynne flashed him an impish grin.  “Then it was entirely my idea.”
    Ben just shook his head.  “You’re weird.”
    “I know, isn’t it wonderful?” she grinned.
    “I didn’t expect you to be ready to leave that autopsy before absolutely everything was done,” he said moments later.  “I thought for sure that we would end up spending the rest of the night either in there looking over the body or at the station.”
    Rilynne looked up to find him eyeing a flock of birds flying overhead.  She grinned and shrugged.  “If we weren’t on our honeymoon, I probably would have.  I don’t want to spend more time than we have to looking into this, though.”
    She didn’t have to look up at him to know he was grinning.  The warmth of it seemed to reach into her from his arm still draped over her shoulder.  She reached up and laced her fingers with his and they walked quietly the remaining mile to their house.
    *     *     *
    “We could have just gone out for dinner,” Rilynne called out to Ben through the open kitchen door.  He had banned her