Page 19 of Defending Love

Chapter Eighteen

Dani

E li used the mouse to point. “This is an aerial schematic of your mother’s neighborhood.

This is her home. This one is Carol’s. Most of the houses in the Villages use Ring security cameras.

A recent string in the neighborhood app had multiple complaints about their security being down.

” He pointed the mouse on the screen. “But see this house, the one across the street from your parents’? ”

“Yeah. I’m not sure who lives there.”

“I have the name of the owner. That’s not important. According to an application they filed with the homeowner’s association, the owner rents the house out six months a year. I can only assume, that because it’s rented, the owner wanted a more dependable security.”

“Not Ring,” I said.

“Ring isn’t bad, but what this house has is high end, as good as Guardian’s.” He looked at me with a sexy grin and winked. “It is Guardian’s.”

That bubble of hope grew larger in my chest. “That’s good, right?”

“It’s very good. The frequency that was used to scramble the Ring monitors didn’t disable the Guardian one.”

“Can Guardian’s security cameras not be disabled?”

“They can,” he said. “You must know what you’re dealing with. I contacted Ben and he was able to get the footage I needed. Let me show you…”

Eli spun his chair toward another keyboard and his long fingers flew, click after click. “Look.”

I followed him to the next screen. The vision before me was a long-distance view of the front of Mom’s house. The black SUV in the driveway could be any SUV. “I see a license plate.”

“Very good. Ben is running that now. Here…watch the people coming and going.”

I did. Their uniforms were exactly like the two men who visited us tonight, and as Carol said, dark but not marked with a department. The uniforms of the sheriff’s deputies who had stopped by were clearly marked as county. “They’re the same people.”

“The same group. It’s hard to get facial recognition, but I’m still trying.”

“What do these people want with Dad’s journals?”

Eli leaned back and reached out, tugging my hands until I came right to the side of his chair. “This is something. It’s not the answer, but it’s an answer.”

I crossed my arms over my breasts and leaned against the desk. “If they knew Dad had a safe, why didn’t they access it then?”

“Another good question.”

“Thank you.” I bent down, lowering my lips to his. The connection warmed my circulation in the opposite way the doorbell had earlier caused my blood to cool.

Eli’s hands roamed under both of my shirts. “Where were we?”

I shook my head. “The mood is…”

“Gone?”

“For now.”

He scooted back his chair and tugged me forward until I was sitting across his lap.

With his stunning stare only a few millimeters away, he teased rogue stray hairs away from my face.

“Sex can wait. But having you close with my rules out the window…” He kissed my nose.

“I fucking love touching you whenever I want.”

I laid my hand over his wide chest, feeling the strong rhythmic beat of his heart. “As long as that goes both ways.”

Reaching for my hand, Eli kissed my palm. “I could get used to that.” He tilted his head as he stared into my eyes. “Is there something else bothering you?”

“You mean, besides my dad and whoever those men were?”

“That’s what I mean.”

I laid my cheek against his hard shoulder and inhaled, soaking in his warmth and inhaling the remnants of his cologne.

Eli wrapped his arm around me, holding me to him with his strong embrace.

I tried to recall my recent phone conversation.

“Stephen said something I didn’t know.” I looked up, meeting Eli’s gaze.

“He said that during the dark Darius days, he’d been tasked with investigating Chapter 11. ”

“Business was that bad?”

I shrugged. “I didn’t realize. Maybe Damien is right to hate Darius.”

“What happened?”

“I’m sure Damien could tell us more. From what I was told, Darius knew we needed more than generic insulin and saline to keep us viable, but Darius was terrible at management.

He had multiple different formulas in development.

” I shook my head. “He wanted to get Sinclair into anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications.”

Eli furrowed his brow. “Did you say earlier that Darius is now working with Dwain Welsh?”

“Yes, on natural wellness products.”

“But…I’m trying to recall from when I worked with you before. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Moon Medical, Welsh’s company, specialized in anti-anxiety medications.”

I sat straighter. “You’re right.”

“Do you think they were working together back then?”

“That doesn’t make sense.” I pressed my lips together. “Why would Darius want in on Welsh’s market if they were friends?”

Eli shook his head. “Darius wanted to diversify...”

“Right, but he was spending too much money on too many things. Development is expensive. That’s why when Damien found Dr. Carpenter and the research on Propanolol, a never-before marketed formula, he convinced Dad to turn off Darius’s pet projects and concentrate on just one.”

Quickly, I turned toward Eli. “You said your camera outside was disabled?”

“I haven’t looked at it, but it didn’t send a notification that those two phony agents were at the door.”

My pulse sped faster. “Your camera is Guardian.”

Eli agreed.

“If it was scrambled, the men that were here knew it would be a Guardian camera.”

His eyebrows knitted together. “They had to. They also knew we opened your dad’s safe.”

“How?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

The blue gloves reminded me of the envelope. “Do you think we can open the envelope now?”

“I’d rather keep you here on my lap. My cock likes the feel of your tight ass.”

Grinning, I wiggled my behind.

Eli growled. “You’re killing me.”

I lifted my palm to cup his cheek, feeling his scruffy beard growth. “There’s been enough killing. I want you to keep living and keep breaking your rules.”

Slipping the gloves back on, we went to the bathroom.

The air within was thick with warm steam.

My first look at the shower stall caused me to gasp.

The envelope was gone. Looking down, I saw that it had fallen to the floor.

“Thank goodness it didn’t fall in the shower.

” As I squatted down to pick it up, I saw that the flap was open.

Eli turned off the shower.

Standing with it in my grasp, I met Eli’s green stare. “What did Dad think needed to be protected?”

Tilting his head, he led me back to the computer room and cleared a space on one of the desks. My hands trembled as I pulled the single page from within. My pulse quickened at the sight of my father’s handwriting.

Eli stood by my side as we both read.

If this is ever found, my worst nightmare came true. I pray it was only me that he came after and that those I love are safe.

The decision wasn’t easy, but given the circumstances, I would do it again. No price is too high to save that which was built.

Don’t question.

Don’t let the truth come out. I’ll take it to my grave; let it rest there. Please, to those who know, keep your word, for the sake of my family and legacy.

Derek

A tear slipped down my cheek as I turned to Eli. “What does this mean?”

Tendons in his neck bulged as his jaw clenched. “It’s cryptic to say the least.”

“Dad had a fear of someone retaliating against him. Who and why?” I reread the note. “No price is too high…did he pay for something or someone?”

I laid the paper on the desk and removed the gloves.

Eli’s deep voice broke through the cyclone of racing thoughts within my mind. “Your father was murdered. It wasn’t random. It was because of a decision he made.” He reached for my chilled hand. “Do you have any idea?”

“No.”

Eli wrapped his arms around me like a warm blanket as I laid my head against his shirt, the beat of his heart and the sound of his voice caused his wide chest to vibrate. “Fuck, Dani, this was what I didn’t want. I don’t want you to change your opinion. We don’t know exactly what Derek did.”

My temples ached.

“I’m too in shock to know what I think.”

A single tear.

It was all I shed.

Eli’s large hand rubbed soft circles on my back.

The man I admired most in the world brought on his own death. What would Mom say? What about Damien and Ella? Dylan? My heart ached. Dylan would never remember his grandfather and now, what would he be told about the once-great man?

I looked up. “Can we please take a break? I don’t want to learn anything else at the moment.”

Eli nodded and kissed the top of my head. “Are you ready for bed?”

“Only if I’m not alone.”