“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.”
