Page 39 of Sanctuary

His eyes darkened. “We had a little chat after a water boarding session.” He pushed off from the truck, taking a step closer.

I nodded. That was an effective method.

“At first he played dumb,” he continued, his voice eerily calm. “But Ryan, one of the reapers, has a particular way with stubborn people. After about an hour, your kidnapper was singing like a damn canary.” He paused, studying my reaction. “Told us everything—who hired him, where they took you, what they planned to do.”

“Did you—”

“Kill him?” He shook his head. “I should have, but I didn’t. We just made sure he understood the consequences of breathing a word about you.” His smile returned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “He’s probably halfway to Mexico by now.”

“And that’s how you found this place?”

“GPS coordinates straight from his phone. Your location was buried under layers of encryption, but...” he shrugged, “my tech guy is better than theirs.”

The realization hit me like a wave. He had gone to extraordinary lengths to find me. The question was—why?

“You didn’t have to do all this,” I said quietly but secretly glad he did.

He moved closer, meeting my gaze. “Yes, I did. Nobody takes what’s mine.”

The possessiveness in his voice sent a shiver down my spine, but before I could respond, a groan from the ground reminded us we weren’t alone. Craven was trying to push himself up, his movements sluggish but determined. Blood pooled beneath him, black in the moonlight, but somehow, he was still conscious.

“You fucking bitch, I’ll kill you for this,” he snarled, his voice garbled through what was likely a mouthful of broken teeth.

Connor’s body tensed beside me, and I felt rather than saw the shift in him—from concerned husband to lethal predator. He moved with fluid grace, placing himself between me and Craven.

“You won’t touch her again,” he said, his voice eerily calm. “You won’t even look at her.”

Craven laughed, a wet, choking sound. “You have no idea what she is, do you? What she was sent to do to your family?”

Connor’s eyes flicked to me briefly, uncertainty flashing across his face before hardening into resolve. “I know exactly who she is,” he said firmly. “She’s my wife.”

Craven’s bloodied lips twisted into a grotesque smile. “Your wife? She’s an assassin you dumbshit. Sent to kill your brother and now you. To dismantle the MacGallan Clan from the inside.”

The words hung in the air between us, heavy and damning. I felt my breath catch, unable to look at Connor, to see the moment when belief turned to betrayal in his eyes.

“I already know,” Connor said quietly.

My head snapped up, shock reverberating through me. “What?”

Connor’s gaze remained fixed on Craven, his stance unwavering. “I’ve known since Niagara Falls. When you started to tell me who you really were. ‘I’m an ass—’ You were going to say ‘assassin,’ weren’t you?”

I nodded mutely, my mind reeling. “How...?”

“I’m not an idiot, Mia. The way you handled that car chase, your reflexes, those ‘hits’ you mentioned... you’re not part of any mafia, and the pieces started falling into place.” His voice was steady, emotionless. “Rory confirmed it. He has connections in intelligence circles.”

Craven laughed again, blood bubbling from his lips. “And yet here you are, saving her. Pathetic.”

Connor stepped forward, looming over Craven’s broken form. “The only pathetic one here is you. A man who gets off on terrorizing women, who follows orders without question because he lacks the spine to think for himself.”

With lightning speed, Connor’s boot came down on Craven’s hand as he reached for something in his jacket. The crunch of bones breaking punctuated his howl of pain.

“That’s for touching my wife,” Connor said coldly, kicking away the small pistol Craven had been reaching for.

He turned to me, his expression softening slightly. “Get in the truck, Mia.”

I hesitated, looking between Connor and the prone form of my tormentor. “What are you going to do?”

“What needs to be done,” he replied, his eyes conveying a message I understood all too well. “Please, go to the truck.”

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