Rand gives him a dirty look, then laughs as he goes back to cleaning up.
The place is a hot mess of clutter. Piles of notebooks. Racks of beakers and test tubes in no particular order. There’s a table in the corner stacked high with weapons in various stages of development.
Rand is also giving off Nutty Professorrealnesstoday with his messy blond hair and a wrinkled lab coat over a T-shirt that saysHoth Ski Resortwith a picture of a yeti-like creature. I search myStar Warsmemories. Carolina made us watch all of the movies several times. Womprat? No.
“Wampa!” I snap my fingers.
Rand stops what he’s doing and turns to me with a smile. “I think you might be my second-favorite Saber Sister.”
“Hey!” Celia shouts.
Rand shrugs. “You don’t get any of my T-shirts. It’s like you’re not even putting effort into it.”
Celia points at Rand. “That’s Carolina’s job.”
I’m nearly blinded by the smile that crosses his face at the mention of his wife.
My pregnant older sister.
I turn away from all these happily-in-love idiots and study the half-built weapons. There is a pile of metal straws in black boxes.
“What’s with the straws?” I change the subject.
Rand shuffles over, his mess on the floor forgotten. I have a feeling that mess will be there at the end of the day.
“Those straws can detect drugs and toxic metals,” Rand points to the stack. “Carolina tested the prototype against her…”
He pauses.
I stare at him. “Against her attacker.”
He clears his throat. “Yes. Well. When he tried to drug her drink a few months ago, Carolina caught it with my original invention. That was a single-use straw. I’ve been working on making it more helpful over the long-term.”
I smile at my brother-in-law. He wears his big heart on his sleeve, and I’m so fucking happy for Carolina. I can barely stand myself.
I’m about to suggest we hit the road for lunch when my phone pings.
Boss Man: Development in Helfinger Case. Get to secure location and call in ASAP!
My stomach drops. I look at Celia. “I need a secure location for a video conference.”
A smug look crosses her face. “We might have something here that will work.”
