“Yes. But is there a reason we’re glaring at the storage unit like it’s your seventh-grade nemesis?” He must have seen something in my face because regardless of his carefree tone, a somber light entered his eyes.
He wasn’t my enemy, and I was trusting him to be here with me. It was only fair I share my plan, as it affected him.
What I didn’t expect was how hard it would be to tell him. I released a long breath as I turned off the car and did a standard sweep around the area. No one was here, it was truly deserted.
“Hey,” Fletcher said quietly as his hand hovered over my arm. At the last second, he pulled his hand back and a moment of guilt hit me in the chest. When I’d bent his fingers back earlier, I hadn’t realized it was him, and now I was sorry I had done it.
“Everything okay?” The gentle concern in his gaze centered my building emotions.
“Yes. Now that we’re here, I’m good.” I took a deep breath. I’d never said this aloud. Not even when Uncle David came to me. I didn’t want to say it now. Saying it meant accepting it. “Last year, my father was murdered. I have my suspicions, but I’ve combed through his files to discover all the hidden links in the chain. This storage facility that we’re getting ready to open will most likely have more answers.”
He didn’t say anything as his intense blue gaze roamed my face. Then he raised his hand, allowing me every opportunity to stop him. I didn’t.
His warm fingers cupped my jaw as his thumb swiped over the curve of my cheek. “I’m sorry, Drew. From what I’ve gathered, he is important to you, and I’m sorry he was taken from you.”
I pressed my lips together, as heat burned behind my eyes and tears threatened to spill over. Why did he have to be thoughtful now?
The incessant flirt I could handle. I could also take the smartass he was around Rick. But this compassion he was showing me? It threatened to break past the wall I’d built to cage my grief.
Emotions like that had no place in our mission.
It could only hinder me. Slow me down. Warp my perspective of the trail.
Knowing how much I didn’t need to open that particular door, it still feltso goodto hear those words out of Fletcher’s mouth. I nodded because I didn’t trust myself to speak. Not without revealing how much I missed Daddy.
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead and I closed my eyes. One tear rolled down my cheek to catch in the corner of my mouth. I immediately tasted the salt of that traitorous tear.
When he sat back, he did the best thing I never would have asked him for. He pretended I wasn’t on the verge of losing my shit.
“Let’s get out and take a look at the lock situation.” His hand slid down to circle the side of my neck as he gave me a comforting squeeze, then he was out of the car.
Sighing in relief, I took a moment to get myself back under control before taking one more look around. I grabbed the lock set out of the console, just in case, and followed him.
“You know how to pick locks, Drew?” He asked over his shoulder as I approached his back.
“I do, but that’s a false lock.” Daddy knew a regular lock wouldn’t keep out anyone who had enough motivation. Glancing around at the brick walls and abused door, I searched for anything that looked remotely out of place.
There it was.
A brick chest level with almost invisible seams around it, meaning it wasn’t like the others. “Daddy always protected his knowledge and would have built in a few safeguards.” Slipping my fingers around the edge, I found the release and popped the faux brick off to reveal a digital keypad. “I would imagine, if the incorrect code is entered more than twice, whatever is in that storage unit would immediately catch on fire.”
Fletcher’s brows popped up. “I’m impressed. And jealous I didn’t think of that sooner. It would have saved me quite a bit of time recently,” he said the last part more to himself than me.
I punched in the most likely code we’d been operating on the month he died, and my heart picked up in tempo as the lock snicked behind the door.
“Hold this,” I said as I handed him the unnecessary kit. Then, I reached down to the handle and heaved it open, holding my breath. The door was quiet as it rolled up on well-oiled hinges. Once it was completely open, we stared inside the unit.
“Hmm. I somehow expected something more sinister.” Fletcher stepped up next to me.
I wouldn’t say sinister, but my stomach dropped at the anticlimactic view in front of us. Daddy was efficient and thoughtful at all times, but I still hadn’t expected to find the place so...empty.
Three boxes were haphazardly placed in the middle. All different sizes.
Without responding to Fletcher, I walked toward the boxes, then crouched down next to the closest one as I pulled the lid off. Just like I expected, there was a packed box of files.
What was not normal, was the blank tabs. Daddy was meticulous with labeling everything.
I tugged one of the files up, holding its spot with a finger and I flipped it open. Three photographs had been attached inside the manila folder. Bailey. Uncle David. Martin—someone or other. I knew the third face, we’d done a job for him once. He was another smuggler. Uncle David’s photo was an old one. So was Bailey’s. The pictures were yellowed at the edges.