Page 4 of Defending Love
My husband, Derek, was doing well considering that only a year ago, he’d scared us all with two heart attacks. My smile grew as I scooted into the back seat of our sedan. Derek’s grin met mine as he entered from the other side.
He reached for my hand. “After lunch I’m playing nine holes with Mick.”
While I enjoyed our time together after being married for nearly forty years, I was even happier to see Derek out and about, doing the things he enjoyed. “That’s fine. Tonight is euchre with the Davidsons, so try to be home by five thirty.”
Jack, our current bodyguard from Guardian Security turned back from the driver’s seat with a nod. “To Lighthouse.”
We both nodded.
Lighthouse Pointe Bar and Grille, on the shore of Lake Weir, was one of our favorite lunch spots. After Derek’s health troubles, we’d been told to avoid seafood due to the high sodium. His recent improved checkup brought some of our favorite foods back onto our menu.
As tall palm trees passed by the windows, my thoughts teetered between what I’d order to eat and the snacks I would serve during tonight’s card game. It was our turn to host, and I was certain our guests would be happy that Derek’s improved health would allow for more indulgent delicacies.
“Traffic is heavier than expected,” Jack announced.
A peek out the window shield revealed a trail of illuminated taillights.
“I wonder what the holdup could be,” Derek said. “What?” My husband’s attention turned to the side window.
I didn’t see the man until Derek hit the button to lower the pane.
What I noticed first was a cardboard sign held by an elderly man. “You’re Derek Sinclair?”
My flesh prickled with a sudden chill. “Who’s asking?”
He leaned closer, dark eyes piercing and his dirty graying hair disheveled, as he confirmed, “Sinclair Pharmaceuticals?”
The encounter lasted only seconds. Jack turned from the front seat to see what was happening.
“I am,” Derek replied.
The cardboard sign lowered. A reflection of sunlight shimmered on the barrel of the gun. It was the realization that occurred milliseconds before the popping sound. Derek flew backward toward me. Pain came seconds after the sight of blood on my blouse. The last thing I remembered was Jack opening his car door.
My world went black.
Chapter
Two
Dani
Two weeks later
* * *
Shivering, I walked along the uneven ground and took my seat, the one beside my brother Damien. The blue sky above us was deceiving, an autumn sapphire hue promising warmth. Instead, as the Indiana breeze blew the colorful leaves like a cyclone, heat failed to materialize. My circulation chilled.
Damien reached over and covered my hand with his. I didn’t look up. I couldn’t. My bloodshot eyes were fixed permanently on the ornate wooden coffin only a few feet in front of us. After two weeks, the Sumter County Coroner’s Office in Florida finally released our father’s body.
The empty chair to my other side was supposed to be occupied by our mother, Marsha Sinclair. Thankfully, she was alive. Unfortunately, she was still lying in a hospital bed behind a guarded door. The men behind us in black suits were present for the same reason, protecting those of us who remained of Derek Sinclair’s legacy—Sinclair Pharmaceuticals. Their presence did little to reassure me. Instead, it grated on me, like fingernails over a chalkboard.
Dad had security; he had since his health scare a year ago. Damien insisted upon it. Little good it did. From what Jack, the bodyguard, told us, the assailant appeared next to Dad’s car as our parents were on their way out to lunch in the Villages, a wealthy Florida suburb.
What we’ve been able to learn from the police and traffic cameras was that a man who appeared elderly with a sign asking for donations was on the median on a well-traveled roadway. Dad rolled down his window. The man confirmed our father’s name and then without warning, fired two shots. One killed our father instantly, the second hit Mom, becoming wedged near her spinal cord.
The guard in the driver’s seat was caught unprepared. By the time he had his pistol out, the assailant disappeared, running back through stopped traffic and vanishing.
It didn’t make sense.
