Page 50 of Sanctuary

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, determination in her eyes. “Do I have a choice?”

“Of course you do. But if you don’t want to be hunted down by the clan, I suggest you choose wisely.”

I could see the fear in her eyes as she contemplated that. Finally, she nodded. “I’ll stick with you.”

We walked to the front door together, my hand resting gently at the small of her back—a silent promise of support. Just as I reached for my key, the door opened to reveal Rory’s worried face.

“Where the hell have you two been?” he demanded, pulling us inside. “We’ve been trying to reach you for days!”

“It’s a long story,” I replied, feeling the weight of the situation in my voice. “Where’s Declan?”

“Study, with Wren.” Rory’s eyes narrowed as he took in her appearance— the bruises on her face, the haunted look in her eyes. “What happened to you?”

“Like I said, long story.” I stepped past him, urging Mia forward with a gentle hand on her back. “We need to talk to everyone. Now.”

Rory’s gaze shifted between us, sensing the gravity of the situation. “I’ll get Kat.”

As we moved through to the hallway, I felt Mia tense beside me. The weight of Declan’s reaction pressed down on us.

He and Wren were exactly where Rory said they’d be—in the study, heads bent together over some paperwork. They looked up as we entered, relief washing over their faces before quickly turning to concern.

“Connor! Mia!” Wren rushed forward, embracing her sister tightly before pulling back to examine her. “My God, what happened to you?”

Mia returned the hug stiffly, her eyes meeting mine over Wren’s shoulder—pleading, scared. I gave her a small nod of encouragement.

“Let’s wait for everyone,” I said, as Rory entered with Kat close behind.

Declan’s expression was unreadable as he studied us. “You both look like hell.”

“Feel like it too,” I admitted, guiding Mia to the leather sofa. I remained standing, needing the advantage of height for what was coming.

Once everyone was settled, an expectant silence fell over the room. Five pairs of eyes fixed on me, four were curious and one was terrified. I locked my gaze with Mia’s and took a deep breath, then began.

“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it.” I looked at Declan and continued. “We’re in danger—all of us. A man named Matheson is planning an attack on this estate tomorrow night.”

“Who the hell is Matheson?” Declan demanded, immediately shifting into protective mode.

“He’s the head of a shadow government agency,” I replied, watching their faces carefully. “And he has a personal vendetta against our family.”

“What kind of agency?” Rory asked, his intelligence officer instincts kicking in.

“The kind that trains assassins,” I said bluntly, seeing Mia stiffen. “And one of those assassins is in this room right now.”

The silence that followed was deafening. I could see the moment understanding dawned on each of their faces, their gazes shifting to Mia with varying degrees of shock and disbelief.

“I fucking knew it,” Declan said, tossing his pen down on the desk, then pointed directly at Mia. “Didn’t I tell you, Rory, and you too Connor, at our wedding that something was off about her!”

“What are you saying, Connor?” Wren whispered, her face pale as she stared at her sister.

I walked behind the sofa and placed my hand on Mia’s shoulder, a gesture of solidarity that wasn’t lost on anyone in the room. “Mia was sent to infiltrate our family. To get close to us. Her target was initially Declan, and later, me.”

Declan’s hand reached inside the desk drawer for the gun that he kept hidden there and was on his feet in a second. “Get away from her, Connor.”

“Declan, wait,” I stepped between them, hands raised. “Let me finish.”

“Finish?” he snarled, his face contorted with rage as he pointed the gun at her. “She was sent to kill me—to kill you—and you’re defending her?”

Wren had gone completely still, her eyes locked on her sister. “Mia” she whispered, voice breaking. “Tell me it’s not true.”

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