"Where are we going?" she asked as they left the city behind, heading into the mountains.
"Somewhere Thomas doesn't know about," Henry replied. "A place your father and I set up years ago, before the operation even began. Our true fallback."
Walker drove steadily as darkness fell, the truck's headlights cutting through the gathering dusk.
"We need to contact my brother, Reed," Walker said after they'd been driving for an hour. "He has resources we could use."
Henry looked skeptical. "Can you trust him completely?"
The question hung in the air, loaded with implications.
"With my life," Walker answered firmly. "And more importantly, with Sabrina's."
Her heart lurched at his words, at the conviction in his voice.
Henry studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Your father always said the Star boys were cut from the same cloth—loyal to the bone."
"We are a loyal bunch, though not talkative," Walker replied, a hint of dry humor coloring his words. "Reed's the one who gossips between us all; well, that's what I accuse him of doing. But it does keep my brothers and I in contact."
Sabrina found her voice again, needing answers. She turned to Henry. "Tell me about Thomas."
"He was hired after Frank died," Henry explained. "I vetted him myself, or so I thought. That’s the only reason I let him work with you.”
Distress washed over her. "I thought he was fine. He always seemed so concerned about my well-being."
Henry sighed, regret evident in his voice. "I failed you."
"No," Walker countered. "It just means that someone got to him or placed him there deliberately. Which also means the Shepherd has significant reach. Government connections or resources."
They fell silent as the truck climbed higher into the mountains.
Finally, Henry directed Walker onto a nearly invisible fire road.
"Half a mile ahead," he said. "Watch for the marker—three white stones stacked at the turnoff."
The cabin that emerged from the trees was smaller than Henry's other safe house, more rustic. No obvious security measures, no satellite dishes or communications equipment. Just a simple mountain retreat, the kind that wouldn't draw attention in these remote woodlands.
They parked and got out.
Walker reloaded his gun, the metallic sound sending a shiver down Sabrina's spine. The reality of their situation—hunted, in danger—crashed back over her.
She stayed close to Walker as they approached the cabin.
Henry typed in a code, then opened the door and immediately began switching on battery-powered lanterns.
The interior was basic—a main room with a woodstove, a small kitchen area, and a single bedroom visible through an open door.
"Solar panels on the roof for minimal power," Henry explained. "Rainwater collection system for the basics. We can stay off-grid here indefinitely."
Walker did a quick sweep of the premises while Sabrina helped Henry start a fire in the woodstove. The temperature had dropped with nightfall, and the mountain air was crisp against her skin.
As she worked, her mind raced through everything they'd discovered, trying to piece together the puzzle her father had left behind.
When Walker returned, Sabrina was already setting up the laptop on a rough-hewn table. She'd removed her jacket, and she felt Walker's eyes on her as she worked, a warm awareness that had nothing to do with the fire now crackling in the woodstove.
"We need to find out who 'Alpine' really is," she said, focusing on the task at hand rather than the heat of Walker's gaze. "And we need to know who Thomas is working for."
Walker nodded, joining her at the table. "Let's start with what we know for sure," he said, his voice lower than usual. "Your father and mine were both investigating discrepancies in the shipping operation. They were closing in on someone high up—someone they called the Shepherd."
