CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR–The Last Place He Loved
Night settled over the cabin with a heaviness that clung to the air. Elena stood by the window while Andrew and Caleb gathered what little they could carry. The forest outside was dark, quiet, and unmoving, as if holding its breath. Elena wrapped her arms around herself, trying to steady the storm inside her.
She had just learned the truth.
She had just learned Daniel died protecting her.
She had just learned the man she once trusted was willing to return and finish what he started.
Every part of her felt raw.
Caleb approached with a small backpack slung over his shoulder. "We're leaving in ten minutes," he said softly. "Are you ready?"
Elena nodded, but her eyes didn't leave the dark outline of the trees. "The storage unit…" Her voice broke. "I didn't even know he rented one. How much did Daniel hide from me?"
Caleb placed a hand on her arm. His voice was steady in a way that made her want to collapse into him. "He hid the things he thought would hurt you. It wasn't to keep secrets. It was to protect you."
Elena looked up at him. "But he died because of it."
Caleb didn't argue. He didn't try to soften the truth. He simply nodded, his eyes softening. "He died trying to do the right thing."
Andrew stepped into the doorway, holding a folded napkin with coordinates scribbled onto it. "We have to go now. I know a back road where we won't be seen."
Elena inhaled sharply. "Andrew… How do you know the location of the storage unit?"
Andrew paused. His gaze softened. "Because Daniel told me where to find it… if anything ever happened to him."
A fresh wave of emotion hit her. She felt suddenly unsteady, and Caleb steadied her with a hand on her back.
"He trusted you," she whispered to Andrew.
Andrew nodded, a flicker of pain in his eyes. "He did. And I failed him by not telling you sooner."
Elena shook her head. "You kept me alive."
Andrew looked down. "I don't know if that will be enough."
The air outside was cold when they stepped out of the cabin. Caleb locked the door behind them, even though a simple lock felt meaningless against the danger they were facing. Elena stood in the clearing for a moment, letting the last breath of that place settle inside her. That cabin had been her shelter, her hiding place, the small pocket of peace where she first began to feel again.
And now it was a target.
Andrew signaled for them to follow. "My truck is parked in the trees. It's old, but it won't draw attention."
They followed him into the shadows until a faded pickup came into view. Caleb opened the back door for Elena, helping her climb in. Andrew slid into the driver's seat and started the engine without turning on the headlights.
The forest swallowed the sound of the truck as they moved slowly down the narrow hidden path. Elena leaned against the window, cold glass pressing her skin, while her thoughts churned with questions she wasn't ready to voice.
Caleb looked at her through the dim light of the dashboard. "Talk to me," he whispered.
She shook her head. "If I start talking, I won't be able to stop."
Caleb nodded, accepting that answer. "Then I'll be here when you're ready."
Those words wrapped around her like a warm breath in the dark.
Andrew spoke without looking away from the road. "The storage unit is on the south edge of Fairwood. No one goes there anymore. Half the warehouses are abandoned. It's the last place they'd think to look."
Elena whispered, "Why did Daniel choose that location?"
Andrew hesitated. "Because it's the last place the two of you visited together before the engagement."
Elena's breath caught in her throat. "The old flea market?"
Andrew nodded. "He rented the unit the same day. He told me the place felt like a goodbye."
Elena blinked rapidly as tears burned her eyes. She remembered that day. Daniel had been strangely quiet, as if he were somewhere else inside his mind. She thought he was simply tired. She didn't know he was already carrying a secret heavy enough to break him.
Caleb reached over and took her hand slowly, without pressure. The warmth of his palm steadied her. She didn't pull away.
The drive took an hour, maybe more. Time felt blurred in the moving darkness. When the road finally opened to a stretch of cracked asphalt and half-collapsed buildings, Elena felt her stomach twist.
Andrew pulled into the gravel parking lot and cut the engine. "This is it. Storage Unit 47."
The building was a long row of rusted metal doors. The wind whistled through broken vents, carrying a chill that scraped against Elena's skin. Caleb stepped out first, scanning the area with practiced caution. Andrew followed, pulling a small metal key from his pocket.
Elena stared at it. "Daniel gave you the key?"
Andrew nodded. "He said you should never have to carry this alone."
Her knees weakened. Caleb placed a steady hand at the small of her back, guiding her toward the unit.
The walk felt like a funeral march.
Andrew stopped at Unit 47, breath fogging the cold air. His hand trembled slightly as he slid the key into the lock. Elena felt herself holding her breath, as if opening the door would release something she wasn't prepared to face.
The lock clicked.
Andrew pulled the metal door open.
Inside was darkness.
Cold, silent, heavy darkness.
Andrew found the light switch and flicked it on.
The small unit illuminated slowly, revealing boxes stacked neatly, a wooden crate, a duffel bag, and on the far wall, something that made Elena's breath stop entirely.
A corkboard.
Covered with photographs.
Documents.
Maps.
Dates.
And in the center… a picture of Daniel, circled in red.
Elena stumbled forward. Her hand flew to her chest as she took in the board piece by piece. Newspaper clippings. Bank records. Surveillance shots. Names she didn't recognize. Some crossed out. Some circled.
Caleb whispered, "Elena… he was investigating them."
Andrew nodded somberly. "Daniel tried to expose them quietly. That was his mistake."
Elena reached out with trembling fingers and touched Daniel's picture. "He was doing this alone?"
Andrew shook his head. "Not entirely. He came to me. He asked me to help him create a trail. Something that would protect you if anything happened."
Elena turned slowly. "Protect me how?"
Andrew swallowed hard. "There is a final file. Something he hid deeper than everything else."
Elena stared at him. "Where?"
Andrew walked past the boxes and knelt beside the wooden crate. He tapped one corner. "Down here."
Caleb knelt beside him. Together, they moved the crate, revealing a metal panel bolted into the concrete floor.
Elena felt her heart pound.
Caleb looked up at Andrew. "Is it in there?"
Andrew nodded. "Yes. The last thing Daniel left behind."
Caleb reached for the bolts.
Elena stopped breathing.
And then Andrew said quietly, "Elena… before we open this, there is something else I never told you."
Elena turned slowly. "What?"
Andrew hesitated, his voice tightening with the weight of another truth.
"Daniel didn't just leave you a file."
He paused.
"He left you a message."