Page 43 of Sanctuary

“Because I fell for you a long time ago,” she whispered, the words so quiet I almost missed them. “A week prior to me coming here. He knew about you becoming captain.”

I snapped my brows together. “How could he? I didn’t even find out until the day you arrived.”

She shook her head. “Don’t ask me how because I don’t know that. Anyway, I couldn’t kill the person who held me on the dance floor. So, I ignored Matheson. But then he sent that guy to my door on the day I was leaving for Athens, and I ran to you.”

I snorted. “You ran to Wren.”

She shook her head. “No, Connor. I ran to you. Don’t you recall how many times I tried to tell you what I was?”

I sat there for a minute and in my mind, I recounted each one. And every time, I interrupted her.

The confession hung between us, fragile. I wanted to believe her. God help me, I did. But trust was a luxury I couldn’t afford right now.

“So, what happens now?” I asked, deliberately sidestepping her declaration. “Matheson will send others.”

Mia nodded, a flash of hurt crossing her features at my non-response. “He will. The agency doesn’t leave loose ends.”

“Then we eliminate the threat at its source,” I said, the plan forming even as I spoke. “We take out Matheson.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s suicide, Connor. He’s surrounded by security. You can’t just walk up and shoot him.”

“No,” I agreed, “but you know him. His routines, his weaknesses. And you have skills, I’m guessing, that go beyond just killing.”

A small, reluctant smile curved her lips. “I was top of my class in infiltration and extraction.”

“Then we use that.” I leaned forward, animated now that we had a direction. “We turn your knowledge against them. Beat them at their own game.”

“And if we succeed?” she asked, a flicker of hope in her eyes. “What then?”

The question caught me off guard. I hadn’t thought beyond survival, beyond keeping my family safe. What place could there be for us after this? Could I ever truly trust her? Could my family?

“One step at a time,” I said, not willing to make promises I wasn’t sure I could keep. “First, we survive. Then we’ll figure out the rest.”

She nodded, accepting the non-answer for what it was.

“We should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.” I took the bed nearest the door, putting myself between her and any potential danger. As I lay in the darkness, listening to Mia’s breathing gradually slow and deepen, my mind raced with questions.

Who was she, really? The deadly assassin who could kill a man seventeen different ways? Or the vulnerable woman I’d held in my arms after finding her.

And what did it say about me, that despite everything, I still wanted her, wanted to protect her?

Chapter 21

Connor

I must have dozed off eventually, because the next thing I knew, I was awakened to her screaming at an unseen attacker. Her eyes were wide open, but unseeing as she flailed against the sheets that had twisted around her limbs.

“No! Please, don’t—!” she cried out, her voice raw with terror.

I was at her side in an instant, careful not to touch her. “Mia,” I called softly. “Mia, it’s Connor. You’re safe. It’s just a nightmare.”

Her thrashing slowed, confusion replacing fear as she gradually woke. “Connor?” she whispered, her gaze finally focusing on my face.

“I’m here,” I assured her, slowly sitting on the edge of her bed. “You’re safe. We’re in a motel, remember?”

She nodded shakily, pushing herself upright against the headboard. In the dim light filtering through the thin curtains, I could see tear tracks glistening on her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, wiping at her face with a trembling hand. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

---