Page 13 of Defending Love

Chapter Twelve

Eli

D espite her determination, as the green light flashed, I stepped in front of her, shielding her. From what, I wasn’t sure. The door slowly opened, the sound of locking mechanisms moving.

“Eli,” she said, pushing me. “I want to see.”

I wasn’t certain what I feared would be within the safe. When Jack mentioned secrets, my mind went into overdrive with possibilities.

An empty cavity.

Worse yet, documentation of…

An alternate identity.

Another family.

Proof of infidelity.

Offshore bank accounts.

Truly, the list was exhaustive.

The inside wasn’t empty. The initial relief that this treasure trove hadn’t been pillaged was instantaneously replaced by concern about what the contents would uncover.

“Wait,” I said as Dani reached inside. “Gloves. We should have Guardian dust the items to learn if there are any fingerprints beyond your parents.”

She turned to me with her beautiful swollen lips held tightly between her teeth and nodded.

I pulled two more sets of latex gloves from my suit coat pocket. Once we both had them on, we began emptying the contents. Documents, notebooks, boxes of coins, jewelry boxes, an old photo album…we didn’t stop to examine anything until all of the contents were removed.

I lifted the felt liner at the bottom, revealing a large manila envelope. There was nothing written on the outside.

With the items stacked beside the bourbon decanter, Dani looked up at me. A million questions swirled through her dark blue orbs, questions I couldn’t answer and those that I feared would change her world when their answers were finally discovered.

“I think we should take these things back to the rental and examine them.”

Dani nodded. “I can grab another one of Mom’s beach bags or I saw boxes in the garage.”

“A beach bag will be less conspicuous if the sheriff’s department is watching.”

As she stepped away to find the beach bag, I reached for what seemed the most suspicious to me, the manila envelope.

The contents were light in weight. The tab was sealed with both the sticky part and the wire prong.

Next, I lifted the photo album. Opening the vinyl cover, I saw photographs neatly placed within plastic sleeves.

The fashions and the yellowing of the photos told me that a number of them were old.

How old was what I wanted to learn. At the sound of her approaching footsteps, I laid the album down.

“Do you think that will all fit in this one?” she asked, holding up a large blue and white striped bag with a nautical anchor on the front.

“Let’s get these things packed up and get out of here.”

She briefly examined each item as she placed it within the bag. “Jack said Dad mentioned he had the right to hide his secrets.” Her blue stare met mine. “Do you see any obvious secrets?”

“That’s not the way secrets work.”

Dani sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

We were minutes away from sunset as we cautiously made our way out to the SUV. I scanned the street for a marked sheriff’s vehicle. There wasn’t one. That didn’t mean we weren’t being watched.

We’d spent more time inside the villa than I’d planned.

While we were both responsible for that lapse, I was determined not to allow what had happened to put Dani in the sight of danger.

Continuing to scan the neighborhood, I led her to the back seat.

“I know you’re curious, but please wait until we can look through these things together at the villa. ”

With her luscious lips pressed together, Dani nodded. “Let’s pick up some food and then we won’t be interrupted.”

That sounded good to me, but she needed to know she had options. “The Mission has three on-site restaurants. I could call for room service.”

“I’m not in the mood for anything fancy.”

“All right.”

Dani remained unusually quiet. Each time I glanced in the rearview mirror, she was staring aimlessly out the window, watching the scenes pass by. A few minutes into our drive, her voice broke through the drone of road noise.

“Have you researched my father?”

Her question caught me off guard. “I research all my assignments.”

“Recently, or last year?”

“Both,” I replied honestly. “The assignment was short last year, but I did my homework. Most of my energy was focused on you, your brothers, and your sister-in-law.”

“Ella?”

“Amber.”

Dani scoffed. “Oh, her. I guess, technically, she was my sister-in-law, but that marriage was dissolved.”

I’d learned that too, before coming back to Dani, I’d learned all I could about her family.

Of course, after his murder, there was a lot of information available online and through news sources about Derek Sinclair.

My research went above and beyond what they provided. “Is there something you want to know?”

She hummed. “I could assume I know all there is to know about him, but that’s probably not true.”

I met her gaze in the mirror. “I’d guess not. Everyone has secrets. They’re not necessarily bad or ominous.” I feigned a smile. “Even you, Dr. Sinclair. You have secrets.”

While I’d expected her to laugh at my comment, she didn’t. She sighed and looked again out the window. After a moment, she turned forward. “What about you? Do you have secrets?”

“Of course. Secrets are my line of work. That was true when I was in the Special Forces, and again now with Guardian Security. Keeping secrets is what I do.”

“I’m not talking about other people’s secrets. I’m talking about yours. Why are you so adamant about not mixing professional and personal?”

I swallowed, feeling my Adam’s apple bob. The completely truthful answer was buried behind too many walls that I’d constructed over the years to even come close to revealing it. Instead, I told another truth. “I’ve already given you that answer, Dani. It blurs the lines.”

“If we’re personally connected, you can’t protect me.”

“No, it’s that a personal connection” —I looked at her in the mirror— “…supersedes my knowledge and training. I swear I won’t allow that, but I could act or react as the other person in your life, not merely as a bodyguard.”

She tilted her head. “That seems better from my view.”

“Better is a subjective assessment. Emotions are variables that are better left out of the equation.”

“Does that mean…?”

I pulled up to the Metro Diner drive-through. There was one car in front of us. “Chicken Caesar salad or cheeseburger and fries?”

She grinned. “I can’t believe you remember what I like to eat.”

“I told you. I remember a lot about you. Which one?”

“Salad, no nuts.”

As I set our order on the seat to my side, I turned back to Dani. “You asked what it means about leaving emotions out of the equation.”

Dani nodded.

“It means I leave—as I did before.”

She inhaled.

“I’m not fucking leaving.”

Dani pressed her lips together and nodded. “I want to believe you.”

“You don’t have to.” I put the SUV in gear. “I’ll prove it to you.”

“Even with the emotions?”

It was the wrong fucking answer, but it was also the one I knew in the depth of my soul that was true. “Yes. We can’t deny they’re there.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You always do.”

It wasn’t true. Nor was it that easy.

“I will.”

With an app on my phone, I entered the code to open the garage door for the villa I’d procured.

Since these villas were often rented for longer stays, I booked it for the next month.

It would provide any of the Sinclairs with a home base when visiting Marsha.

Currently, the primary bedroom would be for Dani.

I’d take the queen-sized bed in the second bedroom and use the third bedroom for my home office.

According to a text message from Mitchell Gray, Guardian had the villa secured, and the technology I’d requested installed.

After parking the SUV, I went to Dani’s door. “I heard from Guardian. The villa is safe. You can come on up.”

“No sweep? You’re just going to trust them?”

My lips quirked. “If you want me to do a sweep…?”

Trepidation and uncertainty showed in the furrowing of her forehead as she stood and gazed around the small ground-level garage. “No, I’d rather go inside with you.”

I entered the code from the Guardian and the door unlocked.

Dani carried the things from her father’s safe as the two of us stepped into the entry.

While the blinds hid the illumination from the street, the first floor was aglow with lights.

A modern kitchen was off to the left, and to the right was a living room with sliding glass doors that led to a secure lanai. “There are three bedrooms upstairs.”

Biting her lip, Dani peered toward the staircase. “This place is bigger than I expected.”

“It’s better than hotel rooms and easier to secure. It’s also large enough for when your brother and sister-in-law want to come down with their son.”

Her eyes opened wide. “You didn’t only rent it for two nights?”

“No. Continually finding new secure locations is a logistical nightmare. This villa will give us a home base close to your mother.”

“For how long?”

“Currently a month.”

Dani’s cheeks rose. “That was thoughtful. Or is it just part of the job?”

I shrugged. “Maybe both. You want to be here for Marsha. I want you protected as much as possible. Jack and I spoke. This seemed like a good compromise. There’s also the added benefit that there’s a garage to keep the SUV less visible and more secure.”

“Thank you, Eli.” She looked around. “Where are our things?”

“They’re still out in the vehicle. I’ll bring them in.”

“The food too.”

A grin came to my lips. “The food too.”

As I started walking toward the garage, Dani called, “Eli?” When I turned, she asked, “Are there cameras, like Guardian put in Mom and Dad’s villa?”

“There shouldn’t be. I can double check.”

She came closer and lowered her voice. “Audible bugs?”

I shook my head.

Lowering the bag to the tile floor, she reached her arms over my shoulders. “Double check. I don’t want to get you in trouble for breaking the rules.”

She was so fucking close.

I leaned my nose behind her ear and whispered. “Fuck the rules.”

Dani took a step away, her pouty lips pursed together. “Make sure we’re not being watched. Then we can discuss more about fucking.”