Page 32 of Defending Love
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.”
