Chapter 24
Connor
The drive to the estate was thick with tension, neither of us breaking the silence as we wrestled with our own thoughts. I was still trying to wrap my head around everything, but the pressing threat loomed larger. A tactical team. Elite operatives. The people I considered family—both by blood and by choice—were in jeopardy.
As we neared the estate’s familiar gates, I heard her murmur, “Connor.”
Her voice barely above a whisper, “they’re going to hate me when they find out who I am. How am I going to explain this to Wren?”
I reached over the console, took her hand in mine, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Let me handle it. I’ll make them understand.”
“How?”
she asked, a hint of desperation in her voice. “I was sent to kill Declan. To kill you. How do you make someone understand that?”
“By telling them the truth,”
I replied, my voice steady. “That you chose us over your mission. That you’re risking everything to save us now.”
Radley, in the gatehouse, recognized my truck and waved at us as we passed by. The long driveway stretched out ahead, leading us to the stone mansion that had become a second home for her over the past weeks. Lights shone brightly from the windows, and I could see people moving inside.
“Ready?”
I asked as I parked the truck.
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.”
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.