Page 37 of Sanctuary

But it was too late. Craven had already pulled out a gun, aiming it right at him. The metallic click of the hammer being cocked echoed in the small cabin.

“You have no idea what she is, do you?” he called out, his voice taunting. “What she was sent to do to you and your family.”

Connor looked at me, confusion etched on his face.

Blood trickled from Craven’s chin as he focused his aim. “You clearly can’t handle taking out the Captain of the Irish clan, so I’ll do it myself,” he sneered at me.

Connor stared at me, shock etched across his face. “Did he just say what I think he did?”

I felt my blood run cold.

“She’s an assassin, you idiot. She was assigned to eliminate the Captain but didn’t succeed.”

“Mia, is that true?”

Before I could reply, a bullet rang out and ricocheted inside the cabin from Craven’s gun, and Connor yelled at me, “Run!!!”

I watched in horror as blood dripped down the side of his face, as he screamed at me again. The last thing I saw before exiting the cabin was Connor turning on him, tackling him to the ground with a primal roar.

My feet wouldn’t move. I stood frozen at the threshold, torn between Connor’s command to flee and my instinct to help him. The two men grappled on the floor, a tangle of limbs and fury, as the gun skittered across the wooden planks.

“Mia,go!” Connor shouted again, his voice strained as he struggled to pin Craven’s arms.

This time I obeyed, stumbling out the door into the crisp air. The forest surrounding the cabin was dense, shadows stretching between the trees as dusk approached. Freedom beckoned, but my thoughts raced with Craven’s announcement.

How did he know? No one was supposed to know my assignment except for Matheson.

Another shot rang out from inside. I froze, my heart in my throat. The sound of breaking glass followed, then silence. Terrible, deafening silence.

I should run. Disappear into the forest. That was the protocol—survive at all costs. But my feet refused to move.

The cabin door creaked as it was pushed open wide and there stood Craven.

My breath caught in my throat as he staggered across the porch. Blood streaked his face from his shattered nose, and his eyes—cold and predatory—locked onto mine. In his right hand, the gun glinted dully in the fading light.

“Where’s Connor?” I managed to choke out, scanning the darkness behind him for any sign of movement.

Craven’s lips curled into a grotesque smile. “He won’t be joining us.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. No. It couldn’t be. Connor couldn’t be—

I didn’t allow myself to finish the thought. Instead, I turned and ran.

The forest swallowed me whole as I plunged between the trees, branches clawing at my face and arms. Connor’s jacket flapped around me as I sprinted, my bare feet finding every sharp stone and broken twig on the forest floor. The pain barely registered—my mind was consumed by a single narrative: Survival.

Behind me, I heard Craven crashing through the underbrush, his heavy footfalls gaining ground with alarming speed. He was stronger, better fed, and uninjured. I was running on nothing but terror and adrenaline after days of captivity.

“You can’t outrun me, Mia!” his voice boomed through the trees. “You know what happens to assets who go rogue!”

I ducked under a low-hanging branch, veering sharply to the right in hopes of throwing him off. The forest floor sloped downward, becoming treacherously slick with pine needles. My feet slid from under me, and I tumbled, rolling painfully down the incline before coming to rest against the trunk of a massive pine.

For a moment, I lay there, winded and disoriented. The world spun around me, dark spots dancing at the edges of my vision. Get up, a voice in my head screamed. Get up or die.

I staggered to my feet, my body protesting every movement. The sound of pursuit had faded, but I knew better than to believe I’d lost him. Craven was a hunter—he knew how to track, how to stalk, how to wait for the perfect moment to strike.

The growing darkness was both a blessing and curse. It provided cover but made navigation nearly impossible. I had no idea which direction led to safety, or if there was any safety to be found in these remote woods.

I pressed on, moving as silently as my trembling body would allow. Every few steps, I paused to listen, straining my ears for any sign of pursuit. The forest was alive with night sounds—the rustle of small creatures, the distant call of an owl, the whisper of wind through the pines.

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