Page 53 of Sanctuary

Declan studied him carefully, then slowly lowered his gun completely. “You really believe in her,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

“I do,” he replied without hesitation. “And if you trust me, you’ll trust her too.”

The room fell silent as Declan and Connor locked eyes in a silent battle of wills. Finally, Declan nodded once, a barely perceptible movement. “For now,” he conceded. “But if there’s even a hint that this is a setup—”

“Then I’ll handle it myself,” Connor assured him, knowing he understood the gravity of that promise.

“We should get started,” Rory interrupted, already spreading the intelligence documents across the desk. “We have a lot to prepare and not much time.”

As the group began to disperse, Wren approached me cautiously. The pain and confusion on her face was heart-wrenching.

“I need to know,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Was any of it real? Our talks, all those moments when I thought I finally had a sister—was it all just part of your cover?”

I reached for her hands, and to my surprise, Wren didn’t pull away. “It was the only real thing in my life,” I confessed, tears spilling down my cheeks.

Chapter 26

Connor

Declan’s jaw tightened as he exchanged looks with Rory. “You send your mother off and her dog to the city until this blows over. Give her the penthouse down at the waterfront. And I’ll send two of our most trusted men to Vancouver immediately. They’ll watch over her sister without making contact.” He turned to Mia as Rory went in search of his mom, his expression still guarded but softening slightly. “What does she look like?”

Mia reached into her pocket and pulled out a worn photograph. “This is her,” she said, handing it to Declan. “It’s a few years old, but she hasn’t changed much.”

Declan studied the image of a smiling woman with chestnut hair and familiar eyes—eyes that reminded him of Wren’s. “She looks like Wren and you,” he observed quietly.

“Half-sister,” Mia explained. “Same father, different mother.”

Wren reached for the photo, her fingers trembling slightly as she gazed at the sister she’d never known. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about her?”

“To protect her,” Mia replied simply. “The fewer people who knew she existed, the safer she would be.”

Connor cleared his throat. “We’re wasting time. Declan, make the call for Lily’s protection while we start planning our defense.”

As Declan stepped away to arrange security for Lily, Connor spread the estate blueprints across the large oak table. “Alright, let’s get to work. Mia, I need you to mark every potential entry point Matheson’s team might use.”

Mia moved to the table, her professional demeanor slipping into place as she studied the layouts. “They’ll likely come from multiple directions,” she began, her finger tracing various approaches. “A frontal diversionary attack here, while smaller teams infiltrate from the east and west wings.”

I watched her transform into the killer she’d been trained to be, efficient and focused. Despite everything, I felt a surge of pride—and something deeper, something I wasn’t ready to name yet.

“Connor,” Rory called as he came back into the room, breaking my trance. “We need to inventory our weapons and distribute them strategically throughout the house.”

“On it,” I replied, grateful for the task. As I turned to leave, Mia caught my eye, a silent thank you in her gaze. I nodded once before heading to the secure room where we kept our arsenal.

The next several hours passed in a blur. The estate became a hive of controlled chaos as we fortified our position. Security systems were enhanced, weapons cached at strategic points, escape routes confirmed. Through it all, Mia worked tirelessly, her expertise proving invaluable as she anticipated Matheson’s tactics with uncanny precision.

By nightfall, the initial preparations were complete. We gathered in the kitchen, exhaustion evident on everyone’s faces as we ate whatever we grabbed. The tension remained but had shifted from suspicion to focused determination.

“We should get some rest,” Declan suggested, pushing away his plate of leftover goulash. “Tomorrow will require all our strength and focus.”

I glanced at Mia, who stood slightly apart from the group, the weight of the day evident in the slump of her shoulders. Despite everything, she’d worked alongside us, sharing her knowledge without holding anything back.

“Sleeping arrangements?” Rory asked, as if he still didn’t trust that Mia wouldn’t slay us all in our sleep.

Declan’s jaw tightened. “Wren and I will take our room. Rory and Kat, you two stick together. Connor...” He hesitated, his gaze shifting between me and Mia.

“Mia stays with me,” I said firmly, leaving no room for argument. “If anyone has a problem with that, they can take it up with me in the morning.”

No one challenged me, though I could feel Declan’s disapproval radiating across the room. Wren stepped forward, her expression troubled as she approached her sister.

---