Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem ( Elysia and Tarquin)

"If they manage to figure it out, I'm sure I'll have some intel to share."

"Tarquin, be honest with your grandma. About the virus-did you keep it from Elysia on purpose, or were you just as clueless as the rest of us?"

Tarquin hesitated for a moment before confessing,

"I kept it from her on purpose. There's someone dangerous involved in this virus mess, and I didn't want her to panic, so I didn't tell her the whole story."

"Zane's just a partner, you know. His Central Pharmaceuticals is the new kid on the block-he's got a bright future ahead."

"Zane wanted to release the virus, then sell the cure and make a fortune. That part's true. As for the real mastermind, I'm still digging. I don't know if he's just after money or if he's got bigger plans."

Tracey's brow furrowed as she exhaled sharply, but she didn't look all that surprised.

She'd already guessed as much before Tarquin spoke.

"So who is this guy?"

Tarquin admitted, "There's a suspect, but no hard evidence yet. Why? Did something happen with the virus?"

Tracey's face turned serious. She fixed Tarquin with a look.

"This virus-did it come from overseas?"

"...Yeah."

Tracey clenched her fists, her eyes suddenly fierce.

Furious, she slammed her hand on the table. "Those bastards! What, do they think they can wipe us out?"

Tarquin blinked, caught off guard by her outburst.

Before he could ask anything, Tracey waved him off.

"Go get some rest. And don't mention I talked to you, especially not to Elysia.

Keep her in the dark a bit longer-she tends to overthink."

Tarquin was left a bit bewildered, a dozen questions swirling in his mind, but with her clear dismissal, he knew better than to linger.

He pushed his curiosity aside, said his goodbyes, and headed out.

After he left, Tracey made her way to the lab. She grabbed the vial with the virus sample, stuck a label on it, and scribbled a number: 8.

She opened

Safe, tucked the

sample inside, right after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 17-all lined up in

6,

st

...

When Tarquin got back to the bedroom, Elysia was still awake.

Her face was all twisted up-caught somewhere between relief and worry. Seeing Tarquin, she sat up in bed and whispered, "Is everything taken care of?" She was talking about the poachers they'd sent off to that cave in the woods. "Yeah, all done," Tarquin replied.

He glanced at their sleeping daughter, then leaned over and kissed Elysia on the forehead.

He settled on the edge of the bed, pulling her gently into his arms. "What's wrong? You seem down."

Elysia rested her head on his chest.

"I talked to Grandma about the virus tonight, but..."

She paused, sat up, and looked Tarquin in the eye.

"Grandma said she could cure the virus, but she was acting really

strange. When she saw the sam

she was shocked. No, not exactly shocked... It was something else."

She frowned, searching for the right words.

"When Benjamin and I first found the virus, we were both

stunned-because it was mutating

so fast, and it was so weird, we had no idea how to handle it."

"But Grandma—she knows how to fight it. So why was she so shaken when she

saw it?"noveldrama

Tarquin frowned. Tracey had definitely been off tonight.

It almost felt like there was some history between her and this virus.

How did she know it was from abroad? Why was she so sure? Those bastards! What, do they think they can wipe us out? That line stuck with him. What story lay beneath those words?