Page 47 of Sanctuary

“Connor,” I said, my voice taking on that professional edge he was still getting used to, “this isn’t up for debate. I know the agency, the protocols, the building layout. You don’t. If you come with me, you’ll be a liability, not an asset.”

“And if it’s a trap?” he countered, finishing.

“It’s not,” I replied, my lips forming a hard line.

He shook his head. “I’m not letting you go through with this. After we meet her, we’re heading back to the estate to talk things over with Declan and Rory.”

Twenty minutes later we were on our way to meet my contact in Toronto. But only after I agreed that once she gave me the intel, we would head to the estate.

The drive was mostly silent. I stared out the passenger window, watching the landscape blur as Connor pushed the truck well above the speed limit. My mind was racing with contingency plans, escape routes, all the details I’d need to take down Matheson. The weight of what we were about to do pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe.

“You’re spiraling,” Connor said, breaking the silence. His eyes remained fixed on the road, but I could feel his awareness of me like a physical touch.

“I’m compartmentalizing,” I corrected, though he wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Tell me about your contact,” he said, clearly trying to pull me out of my head. “How do you know her?”

I hesitated, then decided he should know if things went sideways. “Her name is Elise. We trained together. She is the only person at the agency I ever considered a friend.”

“And you trust her with our lives?”

“I trust that she wants out as badly as I do,” I replied. “Matheson has something on her—something she’s desperate to escape. Our interests align.”

“What does Matheson have on you?”

I sighed. I hated to even think about it, but he had a right to know. “He has my sister.”

Connor’s head whipped toward me, eyes wide with shock before returning to the road. “Your sister? But Wren is—”

“Not Wren,” I clarified, my voice tight. “My other sister. Wren’s half-sister, Lily. She’s thirty, a teacher. She was just a baby when our mother died, she doesn’t even remember me or know about Wren. When our mother died, child services contacted our father, that would be Wren’s father too. But he wanted nothing to do with me, Cookie or Lily, so we were placed in foster care. Matheson found her when I tried to leave the agency five years ago.”

“Jesus,” Connor muttered, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel. “What did he do to her?”

“Nothing yet. But he’s been... watching her. Making sure I know he can reach her anytime.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “He sends me pictures. Her at school. Her with her students. Her with her boyfriend.” I took a shaky breath. “The message is clear: one wrong move and she suffers.”

Connor was quiet for a long moment, processing this new information. “So, when you refused to kill Declan and me—you were risking not just yourself, but her too.”

I nodded, unable to speak past the knot in my throat.

“Why?” he asked softly. “Why take that risk for us?”

I turned to look at him, really look at him. “Because some things are worth fighting for, even when the odds are impossible. Because I couldn’t be the person who destroyed Wren’s happiness. And because...” I trailed off, uncertain if I should continue.

“Because?” he prompted.

“Because when I met you, something changed. I started to see a future beyond the next mission, the next target. A future I wanted to be part of.”

Connor’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. I knew my words were hitting their mark, even if he wasn’t ready to acknowledge it.

We reached the outskirts of Toronto by late morning. The city sprawled before us, skyscrapers glinting in the setting sun. He followed my directions to a small, nondescript café in a quieter part of town.

“We’re early,” I noted, checking my watch. “Elise won’t be here for another hour.”

“Good,” he said, pulling into a spot that gave us a clear view of the café’s entrance. “Gives us time to check for surveillance.”

I smiled despite myself. “You’ve done this before.”

“Clan business, happens all the time,” he replied with a shrug. “I’ve only been actively going out on missions for the past year, but I know enough to be cautious.”

---