Thomas stood there, his expression cold and calculating, nothing like the dutiful security man they'd known. "Going somewhere?" he asked, raising his weapon.
Walker reacted instantly, shoving Sabrina down as he fired two shots. His body covered hers completely, pressing her against the floor as bullets splintered the wall above their heads.
Thomas dove for cover, returning fire that splintered the doorframe above their heads.
"Go!" Walker shouted to Henry and Sabrina. "I'll hold him off!"
Henry pulled at her arm, but Sabrina resisted, terror gripping her—not for herself, but for Walker. "Not without you!"
"I'll be right behind you," Walker promised, firing another round to keep Thomas pinned. His body still partially shielded her, the heat of him a contrast to the cold floor beneath them.
Henry finally managed to drag her through the closet and into the tunnel beyond, though every instinct screamed at her to stay with Walker. She couldn't lose him again—not now, not when they'd finally found each other after so many years.
The tunnel was narrow and dimly lit by emergency lights along the floor. Sabrina stumbled forward, heart pounding as she listened for Walker's footsteps behind them.
The sound of another gunshot from the cabin made her flinch. Then, finally, she heard it—the sound of the closet door and Walker's footsteps racing to catch up.
Relief weakened her knees as Walker joined them, his expression grim but determined. They reached a metal door at the end of the tunnel, and Henry inputted a code. The door slid open to reveal a small garage housing a nondescript sedan.
"Keys are inside," Henry said, helping Sabrina into the back seat while Walker took the driver's position.
The garage door opened automatically as the engine started. Walker didn't wait, accelerating out onto a narrow access road that wound through the trees.
Sabrina clutched the laptop to her chest, her pulse still racing from their narrow escape.
"He'll have backup," Henry said from the passenger seat. "Thomas must have been playing us for months."
"Who is he really working for?" Sabrina asked, trying to catch her breath.
"That's what we need to find out," Walker replied, checking the mirrors for pursuit. "But first, we need somewhere secure to regroup."
Henry nodded grimly. "I know a place. But we need to ditch this car first—Thomas will have it flagged."
Walker drove with precision, taking back roads and making unpredictable turns.
Sabrina watched the scenery blur past, her mind racing. Thomas had betrayed them. Henry appeared to be on their side. Walker had saved her life again. And somewhere out there, the person responsible for her father's death—this mysterious Shepherd—was still free.
After twenty minutes, they pulled into the parking lot of a busy shopping mall.
"Wait here," Henry said, disappearing into the crowd.
Walker kept the engine running, constantly scanning their surroundings.
Sabrina caught his eye in the rearview mirror.
"You okay?" he asked, his concern evident despite his professional demeanor.
She nodded, meeting his gaze in the mirror. The intensity of the connection, even through reflection, sent a jolt through her. "Not how I imagined spending time with you again."
Despite everything, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "No? Not exciting enough for you?"
The flash of humor broke the tension, and Sabrina found herself smiling in return, memories of happier times at the lake flooding back. "I always knew life with you wouldn't have been boring," she said softly, holding his gaze until he had to look away.
Henry returned with a set of keys. "Blue pickup truck, far end of the lot. Wyoming plates."
They transferred quickly to the new vehicle.
Walker, once again, took the wheel while Henry provided directions. Sabrina sat between them in the truck's bench seat, the laptop clutched tightly in her hands.
