Walker understood now—her initial resistance to his help, her hesitation to trust him despite their history. She was guarding herself from more pain. So many emotions filled him. "Thank you for telling me," he echoed her earlier words. "And for trusting me now."
Something cleared in the air between them—the weight of unspoken histories lifted, if only slightly. They weren't the same people who had parted ways fourteen years ago. They'd both been broken, reshaped by life's hammer blows. But in that brokenness, there was a new kind of strength, a hard-won wisdom.
"We should go," Sabrina said, rising from the sofa.
Walker stood, nodding. "Reed's team will meet us there for backup."
As they gathered the last of their gear, Walker felt Sabrina's eyes on him. When he turned, she was closer than he expected.
"For what it's worth," she said quietly, "I think you're a better man now than the boy I knew. Stronger where it matters."
Before he could respond, she moved past him toward the door, leaving Walker to absorb her words. He followed, his heart lighter than it had been in longer than he could remember.
Chapter 10
Cedar Marina looked every bit the touristy marina it was; boats bobbed gently against the docks.
Sabrina tugged her baseball cap lower over her eyes, grateful for even this simple disguise. She glanced at Walker beside her, his posture relaxed to casual observers but unmistakably vigilant.
The way his eyes constantly scanned their surroundings, cataloging threats and exits with military precision, made her feel both protected and tense.
She wanted desperately to reach for his hand, to feel the reassuring warmth of his fingers laced with hers, but she resisted. This was a mission, not a romantic outing. Lives depended on their focus.
"Slip forty-two should be on the north dock," she said, her voice steadier than she felt.
The familiar setting produced a strange dissonance—this place that had once been part of happy family outings now transformed into a location for clandestine evidence retrieval.
Sabrina walked slightly ahead of Walker as they moved along the weathered wooden planks, feeling his presence behind herlike a shield. The weight of his protection settled around her shoulders, comforting despite the danger. She tried to match his casual demeanor, just two more visitors enjoying the pleasant weather, but her heart pounded with every step.
When the small storage building at the end of the dock came into view, Sabrina's steps faltered. She recognized her father's distinctive handwriting on one of the locker doors—the familiar, precise lettering that had once signed her birthday cards and permission slips now marked the hiding place for secrets that had gotten him killed.
Walker moved closer, his shoulder brushing against hers. "You okay?" he asked quietly.
The brief contact sent a rush of warmth through her body, anchoring her when memories threatened to pull her under. She nodded, squaring her shoulders and pushing aside the wave of grief. "Just... memories."
Her fingers trembled slightly as she fitted the key from her father's desk into the simple padlock. It gave way easily, as if it had been waiting for her all this time.
Inside sat a waterproof case, organized with her father's characteristic meticulousness. Emotion surged through her—grief for the father she'd lost, determination to uncover the truth, and a flicker of vindication that they were finally getting closer to answers.
"We need to get this somewhere safe," Walker said, closing the case before she could examine its contents.
"I had a feeling you'd show up here."
The familiar voice froze Sabrina's blood.
She turned to see Henry, the man who had been like a second father to her for as long as she could remember. The man who might have betrayed her father. Suddenly, she couldn't breathe.
Walker stepped protectively in front of her, but Sabrina moved to stand beside him. She wouldn't hide. She needed to face this—to face Henry—directly.
"Henry," Walker acknowledged, his stance deceptively casual while Sabrina could feel the tension radiating from him.
"No coincidence, Walker." Henry's voice sounded tired, his weathered face revealing none of his thoughts. "I've been watching this place since Frank died. Waiting for someone to show up. And, with everything that happened, I hoped Sabrina would show up."
"What? You've been waiting for us?" Sabrina asked, confusion and suspicion warring within her. Part of her wanted to trust this man who had been such a constant in her life, while another part recalled the photographs in her father's files, showing Henry with arms dealers.
He nodded toward the case Walker held. "Your father told me he'd hidden evidence. He didn't say where, but I suspected this locker."
"And why were you waiting?" Walker asked. "To destroy it?"
