Page 64 of Sanctuary

A new voice cut through the radio chatter—cold, controlled, and chillingly familiar. “Attention MacGallan’s. This is Director Matheson. You are outgunned and surrounded. Surrender now, and I may allow some of you to live.”

Ice flooded my veins at the sound of his voice. Matheson was here personally—something he almost never did. This wasn’t just an operation to him; it was personal.

“He’s here,” I whispered to Connor. “On the ground. That changes everything.”

Connor’s jaw tightened. “How so?”

“Matheson never exposes himself to direct risk unless he’s certain of success. He must have something we don’t know about—some advantage we haven’t accounted for.”

As if in confirmation of my fears, Wren’s panicked voice came through the radio. “Multiple hostiles entering through the tunnel system! They’ve bypassed the security door somehow. They’re in the house!”

“That’s impossible,” Connor muttered. “That door is solid steel with a biometric lock. The only people who can open it are family.”

A terrible suspicion dawned on me. “Unless someone gave them access. Someone they turned.” I met Connor’s eyes. “Elise. She must have been compromised.”

Connor’s expression hardened. “We need to get to the main house. Now.”

We gathered our weapons quickly, abandoning the sniper setup for more mobile firepower. As we prepared to leave the relative safety of the barn, I caught movement off to the side, a shadow detaching itself from the darkness near the hayloft ladder.

“Connor, down!” I shouted, shoving him aside as a figure lunged toward us.

The attacker was fast—agency-trained fast—but I was ready. I blocked the knife thrust aimed at Connor’s back, twisting the assailant’s arm until the blade clattered to the floor. We grappled briefly before I managed to sweep his legs, sending him crashing onto his back. I followed him down, my knee pressed into his chest as I aimed my sidearm at his head.

“Mia,” the man gasped, his face contorted with pain. “Matheson said you might be here.”

I recognized him then—Parker, a newer recruit who had shown promise in close-quarters combat. “He said to give you a message.”

“What message?” I demanded, pressing the gun harder against his temple.

Parker’s eyes darted to Connor, then back to me. “He says to tell you Lily sends her regards.”

My blood ran cold. “What have you done to her?”

A cruel smile twisted his features. “Nothing yet. But Matheson has a team outside her apartment in Vancouver right now. One word from him, and she dies.”

Connor moved beside me, his own weapon trained on Parker. “He’s bluffing. Declan sent men to protect her.”

“Did he?” Parker laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “The O’Toole brothers? They never made it to Vancouver. Matheson intercepted them at the airport.”

I felt the world tilt beneath me. If he was telling the truth, Lily was completely exposed. Unprotected. At Matheson’s mercy.

“Mia don’t listen to him,” Connor urged, his voice steady despite the chaos erupting around us. “This is exactly what Matheson wants—to divide us, make you doubt.”

Parker’s eyes gleamed with malice. “Matheson says you have a choice, Mia. Complete your original mission—kill the MacGallan brothers—and Lily lives. Fail, and she dies screaming.”

My finger trembled on the trigger. It would be so easy to end him right now, to silence the terrible choice he presented. But killing the messenger wouldn’t change the message.

“Mia,” Connor said softly, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder. “We’ll find a way to protect Lily. I promise you. But right now, our family is under attack. We need to help them.”

Our family. The words pierced through my fear and doubt. Whatever happened to Lily—and I would move heaven and earth to ensure her safety—I couldn’t betray these people who had accepted me despite everything.

“Sorry, Parker,” I said, my voice hardening. “I’m not playing Matheson’s game anymore.”

Before he could respond, I brought the butt of my gun down hard against his temple. He went limp beneath me, unconscious but alive. I quickly bound his hands and feet with zip ties from my tactical belt.

“He’ll be down for a bit,” I said as I stood up. “We have to get going.” I touched my earpiece, “Wren, can you verify if the O’Toole brothers reached Lily?”

“I caught what that jerk said to you all. I’m on it.”

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