Chapter 10 #2
Henry's safe house was a modest cabin on the outskirts of the city. As they pulled up the gravel driveway, Sabrina noted the subtle security measures—motion sensors disguised as landscape lighting, cameras hidden in birdhouses.
"Your father helped set this up," Henry explained as he unlocked the door. "Frank wanted it off the books, off the grid."
Inside, the cabin was sparse but functional—a main room with basic furniture, a kitchenette, and two doors that presumably led to bedrooms. What caught Sabrina's attention was the communications setup against one wall: multiple monitors, encrypted radio equipment, and a secure server.
Another piece of her father's secret life revealed.
"Thomas, perimeter check," Henry ordered as they entered.
Thomas nodded and disappeared outside, leaving the three of them alone.
"Let's see what Frank left us," Henry said, gesturing to a table where they could spread out the contents of the waterproof case.
Sabrina set the case down, her movements careful. This was more than evidence—these were her father's last communications, his final effort to protect her from beyond the grave. Her throat tightened with emotion as she opened it.
The laptop inside was password protected. She tried several combinations—her birthday, her mother's birthday, her parents' anniversary—before looking up in frustration. "I don't know what he would have used."
Henry leaned forward. "Try 'Proverbs3:5'."
Sabrina typed it in, and the screen unlocked immediately. Of course—her father's favorite Bible verse. Something he'd quoted to her countless times growing up.
"How did you know?" she asked, surprised.
A sad smile crossed Henry's face. "It was his favorite verse. 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.' We talked about it often those last few months."
Walker nodded. "He was your best friend."
Henry nodded, his weathered face softening with memory. "Yes, Frank was my best friend for thirty years. I was with him when he met your mother, Sabrina. I was at their wedding. I watched you grow up."
Emotion thickened his voice. "Losing him... it was like losing a brother."
Sabrina reached across the table, squeezing Henry's hand. The gesture was instinctive, born of years of trust and affection. Whatever Henry's role in all this, his grief for her father was genuine.
"Let's focus," Walker prompted gently. "What exactly are we looking for?"
They began methodically going through the files on the laptop, cross-referencing shipping manifests with financial records and surveillance photos.
Sabrina found herself increasingly distracted by Walker's proximity.
Every time she leaned closer to point at something on screen, her shoulder brushed his, sending sparks of awareness through her.
The subtle scent of him—clean soap mingled with something uniquely Walker—filled her senses each time she moved.
"Here," she said after nearly an hour, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her fingers trembled slightly as the pieces began to come together. "Dad flagged these shipments specifically."
The manifests showed rugs being transported from Turkey to various locations throughout Europe and the Middle East. Each had been marked with a simple note: Contents verified.
"Those were the legitimate shipments," Henry explained. "The ones carrying authorized equipment."
Walker studied the patterns. "These destinations aren't random. They create a network—all within strategic distance of military installations or diplomatic outposts."
"You’re right," Henry nodded. "The communications equipment was designed to create secure channels in regions where traditional methods were compromised."
Sabrina scrolled to another folder labeled 'Discrepancies,' her heart racing as they got closer to the truth. "And these are the suspicious shipments?"
As she leaned forward to examine the files more closely, her hair fell forward, grazing Walker's arm.
His eyes met hers and attraction ratched up between them.
She smiled at him.
The side of his lip tugged up, then he turned back to the manifests.
The files contained more manifests, marked with red flags. Weights didn't match declared contents. Destinations suddenly changed mid-route. Financial transactions that didn't align with the official records.
"It’s true, someone was piggy-backing on the legitimate operation," Walker concluded, his voice rougher than before. "Using the same channels to move unauthorized equipment."
"Or worse," Henry added grimly. "We suspected they were selling the technology itself to hostile powers."
Walker leaned closer to the screen, bringing him closer to her. "These diversions started three years ago. Small at first, then escalating."
"That matches when Dad started acting differently," she said quietly, memories flooding back. "More cautious, more worried."
She opened another folder, this one containing surveillance photos. Many showed Henry meeting with various officials, just as her father had documented. But others showed different faces—some she recognized from her father's company, others complete strangers.
Then she saw it—a photo that made her gasp. "Robert," she whispered, pointing to a clear image of Walker's father meeting with her own. The sight of the two men, both now dead, sent a pang through her heart.
Walker's body tensed beside her as he studied the image of his father. "Where was this taken?"
"The lakehouse," Sabrina said, her fingers briefly touching the screen as if she could reach through to that moment. "They must have met there because they thought it was safe." The irony wasn't lost on her—the place of so many happy memories had also been the site of deadly conspiracy.
Henry nodded. "I think they were closing in on the Shepherd. Robert had tracked the financial angle while Frank followed the operational side."
Walker's jaw tightened. "That was time stamped two weeks before my father's death."
Sabrina moved her hand to cover Walker's where it rested on the table, his skin warm beneath her fingers. "Ohmygosh." Everything was connected—her father's death, Walker's father's "accident," the subsequent separation of their families. It wasn't coincidence; it was causality.
Walker turned his hand over, briefly squeezing hers. The simple gesture steadied her as Henry continued.
"And they both died before they could expose him."
"Yes." Henry's voice held decades of regret. "I was supposed to meet them that day at the lake. I was delayed—deliberately, I now believe. By the time I arrived, Robert was already gone, and Frank was making plans to separate your families."
Walker scowled. "So they separated us on purpose?"
Henry nodded, and Sabrina felt anger rise within her. All these years of wondering, of what-ifs, of missed chances—all deliberately orchestrated by their fathers.
"Why, exactly?" she demanded.
Henry paused, choosing his words carefully. "They were hoping you wouldn't have to get involved. And, they were hoping, neither one of you would be killed."
Sabrina shook her head, tears misting her vision. "They shouldn't have done that."
Walker tightened his grip on her hand. "I would have."
She turned to him, surprised. "What?"
His expression was solemn as he met her eyes. "I would have done the same thing, if I was trying to protect someone I loved."
The word hung between them, charged with meaning. Sabrina's heart skipped a beat before she turned back to the computer, though she didn't withdraw her hand from his. "Right."
She continued searching through the files, opening one containing email correspondences. "Look at this," she said, pointing to a particular exchange. "Dad highlighted these messages. They're between someone with the username 'Alpine' and various contacts."
Walker studied the messages, finally releasing her hand to scroll through the documents. She immediately missed the warmth of his touch. "These are operational instructions. Changing shipping routes, adjusting manifests."
"Alpine," Henry repeated, his expression darkening. "That was the username assigned to Thomas Barrington."
"Your Thomas?" Sabrina asked, confusion replacing her earlier certainty. "The one outside right now?"
"No," Henry corrected. "Thomas Barrington was Clark Shipping's former Head of Operations. He died in a boating accident six months before your father."
"Another 'accident,'" Walker said grimly.
Sabrina frowned. “Right.” The middle-aged executive who had worked closely with her father. Yet another death in this expanding web of conspiracy.
Walker moved toward the window, checking the perimeter. "Where's this Thomas now?"
Henry joined him, scanning the treeline. "He should have been back from the perimeter check by now."
Something in their tense postures sent alarm racing through Sabrina.
"Where's your man?" Walker asked, his voice taking on the hard edge she'd heard during the boardroom shooting.
Henry looked worried. "Crap."
"We need to move," Walker said, drawing his weapon. "Now."
Fear surged through Sabrina as Henry headed for a panel in the wall, which slid open to reveal a hidden compartment containing weapons and go-bags. More secrets, more layers to this conspiracy that had claimed her father's life.
"There's a tunnel access in the bedroom closet," Henry told her. "It leads to a garage about fifty yards from the cabin."
Panic clawed at her throat as she looked between the men. "So Thomas is gone?"
Walker took the laptop and the most critical files, securing them in a waterproof bag from Henry's cache. "It appears so. What about the rest?"
"Leave it," Henry said, checking his weapon. "It's all backed up on the server, which will wipe itself if compromised."
Sabrina scrambled to gather key papers, her hands shaking.
"Go!" Walker ordered.
She rushed to follow Henry toward the bedroom, fear making her movements clumsy.
Just as they reached the bedroom, the front door burst open.