Page 51 of Sanctuary

Mia stood slowly, her movements careful as if approaching a wounded animal. “It’s true,” she admitted, her voice steady despite the tears gathering in her eyes. “I was assigned to eliminate the Captain of the MacGallan Clan. But I couldn’t do it, even though Matheson knows everything about Lily.”

“So really it’s just me you’re after, considering Connor isn’t captain until his swearing in.” Declan’s brow furrowed, as if he’d just heard what she said. “Who is Lily?” he demanded, his voice sharp with suspicion.

Mia’s shoulders sagged slightly as she drew a deep breath. The room felt suddenly too small, the weight of her secrets pressing down on her. She glanced at me, and I nodded encouragingly at her.

“Lily is my half-sister,” Mia explained, her voice steady despite the emotion threatening to break through. “She’s thirty years old, works as a kindergarten teacher in Vancouver. She doesn’t know about me or Wren. She doesn’t know anything about any of this.”

“And what does she have to do with you trying to kill my husband?” Wren asked, her voice barely above a whisper, hurt etched across her face.

Mia turned to her sister, her eyes pleading for understanding. “When I tried to leave the agency five years ago, Matheson found her. He’s been watching her ever since, sending me photos, reminders.” She swallowed hard. “He made it clear that if I didn’t follow orders, she would suffer for my disobedience.”

“So, he’s blackmailing you,” Rory said, already piecing together the situation.

“Yes.” Mia nodded, turning back to face Declan. “He threatened to go after her if I didn’t complete my mission. Said he would make her disappear, make it look like an accident. No one would ever know what happened to her.”

The room fell silent as they absorbed this information. Declan’s hand slowly lowered but the gun remained trained on Mia. “And yet here we are,” he said coldly. “All still breathing. Why didn’t you complete your mission?”

“The day I came here, I was booked on a flight to Greece. Only, they found me first. And because I couldn’t do it,” Mia replied, her voice breaking slightly. “I couldn’t destroy Wren’s happiness.”

Wren made a small, wounded sound. Kat moved to her side, putting a supportive arm around her shoulders.

“Like fuck,” Declan spat. “Professional killers don’t suddenly grow a conscience.

Chapter 25

Mia

“Some do,” Connor spoke firmly. “When they realize they’ve been lied to their entire lives.”

I nodded gratefully before continuing. “Matheson recruited me when I was just eighteen. Told me I’d be serving my country, eliminating threats to national security. It wasn’t until years later that I realized many of his operations were unauthorized—personal vendettas, settling scores, eliminating people who knew too much.”

“And my father?” Declan demanded. “Was Tomas one of your targets too?”

“Absolutely not,” I said firmly. “I never touched your father.”

“I call bullshit,” Rory spat, moving to stand beside Declan. “You’ve been playing us this whole time.”

“No,” Connor said firmly. “She’s had multiple opportunities to complete her mission, but she chose not to. And now she’s risking her life to warn us about Matheson’s attack.”

“How convenient,” Declan scoffed, his finger inching closer to the trigger. “We’re just supposed to believe the assassin sent to kill us has suddenly had a change of heart. I don’t fucking think so.”

Kat, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. “Let her speak,” she said quietly. “I want to hear what she has to say.”

All eyes turned to me, I straightened my shoulders despite the weight of their scrutiny.

“Everything Connor said is true,” I began, my voice gaining strength with each word. “I was sent here on a mission. But from the moment I arrived, nothing went according to plan. You all welcomed me— and even invited me to your wedding. You treated me like family.” I looked at Wren. “I couldn’t betray that. I couldn’t betray you.”

“So what changed?” Declan demanded, gun still trained on her.

“I did,” I replied simply. “I saw what a real family looked like. What loyalty and love actually mean. And I realized I couldn’t be the person who destroyed that.”

Wren took a hesitant step toward her sister. “All this time... you were lying to us? To me?”

The pain in Wren’s voice cut through me more effectively than any bullet could. “Not about everything,” I whispered. “Not about loving you. Not about wanting to be part of your life.”

The room fell silent, the weight of my confession hanging in the air. Finally, Rory spoke.

“Even if we believe you’ve changed sides, how do we know this isn’t an elaborate trap? That you’re not leading Matheson’s team right to us? How do we trust a word you say?”

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