Chapter 35
Connor
That evening, as the moonlight spilled across the lake, I sat on the porch watching Mia inside as she spoke on the phone. Her animated gestures and the occasional smile told me the conversation with her contact at CSIS was going well. She’d been coordinating our approach to meeting Lily, ensuring that any remaining threats from Matheson’s organization were neutralized before we made contact.
When she finally hung up and joined me outside, there was a lightness to her movements I hadn’t seen before.
“Good news?”
I asked, making room for her on the wooden bench.
“Very,”
she confirmed, settling beside me. “Agent Winters says they’ve identified and contained all of Matheson’s remaining operatives. They’re either in custody or have accepted deals to cooperate.” She took a deep breath. “Lily is officially safe. No more surveillance, no more threat.”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “That’s incredible, Mia.”
“There’s more,”
she continued, unable to contain a smile. “Winters arranged everything. We can meet Lily next week. She’ll be at a teaching conference in Toronto—neutral ground, public setting.”
“How much does Lily know about the meeting?”
“Just that a family member has been trying to locate her,”
she explained. “Someone connected to her father. Winters thought it would be best not to overwhelm her with details until we meet face-to-face.”
I nodded my understanding. “How are you feeling about it?”
She was quiet for a moment, her gaze fixed on the moonlit water. “Terrified,”
she admitted. “Excited. Grateful.” She turned to me, vulnerability shining in her eyes. “What if she hates me? What if she doesn’t want anything to do with us once she learns the truth?”
“Then we’ll respect her wishes,”
I said gently. “But I think you’re underestimating the power of family, Mia. Look at how Wren responded—even after everything, she’s finding her way back to you.”
“That’s different,”
Mia argued softly. “Wren and I met under very different circumstances. She thought she killed Cookie, but it was me, remember?”
“Who could forget,”
I chuckled. “But give Lily a chance. Give yourself a chance.”
She leaned into me, her head resting against my shoulder. “When did you get so wise?”
“I’ve always been wise,”
I replied with mock seriousness. “You were just too busy planning assassinations to notice.”
She laughed—a genuine, unguarded sound that echoed across the water. It struck me then how rare her laughter had been before, how carefully she had controlled every aspect of herself. Here, away from danger and obligation, she was blooming into someone more vibrant, more alive.
“I love you,”
I said, the words slipping out naturally.
She stilled against me, then slowly raised her head to meet my gaze.
Mia
His words hung in the air between us, simple yet profound. For a moment, I couldn’t speak, overwhelmed by emotions I’d spent a lifetime being trained to suppress.
“Say that again,”
I whispered, needing to hear the words once more.
Connor’s eyes softened, his hand coming up to rest on the side of my neck. “I love you, Mia. Not despite your past but including it. Everything you are, everything you’ve been through—it’s all part of the woman I love.”
I leaned into his touch, feeling tears gather in my eyes. “I love you too,”
I replied, the words unfamiliar yet right on my tongue. “More than I thought was possible.”
He kissed me then, gentle at first, then with growing intensity. I melted against him, savoring the certainty of his embrace, the security I’d never thought I’d find.
The sharp trill of my phone shattered the moment. I pulled back reluctantly, recognizing the ringtone assigned to Agent Winters. “I should get that.”
Connor nodded, though neither of us moved for a beat, reluctant to break the connection.
The phone continued its insistent ringing. With a sigh, I extracted myself from his arms and went inside to answer.
“Winters,”
I said by way of greeting. “Is everything alright?”
The agent’s composed voice from twenty minutes ago held an edge of urgency that immediately set me on alert. “We have a situation. Gregory Vance has resurfaced.”
Ice flooded my veins at that name. Vance had been Matheson’s second-in-command, a man whose sadistic tendencies rivaled even Craven’s. Unlike most of Matheson’s operatives, Vance had true loyalty to the director—a devotion that bordered on fanaticism.
“Where?”
I demanded, my body automatically shifting into operative mode.
“Vancouver,”
Winters replied grimly. “Near your sister’s school.”
Connor appeared in the doorway, alerted by my change in tone. I put the phone on speaker so he could hear.
“We had intel that Vance was eliminated in an operation in Brussels last year,”
Winters continued. “Apparently, he faked his death—probably with Matheson’s help. He resurfaced on our radar two hours ago when he used a known agency safe house access code.”
“And you’re certain he’s targeting Lily?”
Connor asked, moving to stand beside me.
“We intercepted communications,”
Winters confirmed. “He’s executing what appears to be a contingency plan Matheson put in place. If Matheson was killed, key operatives were to eliminate specific targets—including your sister, Mia.”
“Why?”
I demanded, though I already knew the answer. “Matheson is dead. What’s the point?”
“Revenge,”
Connor said quietly. “A final punishment for your betrayal.”
Winters made a sound of agreement. “We’ve dispatched a team to extract and secure your sister, but they won’t arrive for nine—”
“Don’t bother. I’m on my way to her.”
“That’s not advisable,”
Winters countered immediately. “Vance knows you, Mia. He’ll be expecting you to come. That’s likely part of his plan.”
I looked at Connor, seeing my own determination reflected in his eyes. “I can’t stay here while Lily is in danger.”
“And you won’t,”
he assured me, then addressed the phone. “Agent Winters, we appreciate the warning, but we’re going to Vancouver. Your team can meet us there.”
Winters sighed, the sound of resignation crackling through the speaker. “I figured you’d say that. There’s a private jet waiting at the airfield thirty miles from your location. It’ll get you to Vancouver in four hours. My team will rendezvous with you at the airport.”
“Thank you,”
I said, already moving toward the bedroom to pack.
“Mia,”
Winters called before I could hang up. “Vance isn’t like the others. He’s... unpredictable. Matheson kept him on a tight leash for good reason.”
“I know exactly what he is,”
I replied grimly, memories of Vance’s methods flashing through my mind. “That’s why I need to be there.”
We packed quickly, gathering only essentials. Connor made a brief call to Declan, explaining the situation while I checked and loaded my weapons. Within twenty minutes, we were in the car, racing along the dark forest roads toward the airfield.
“What aren’t you telling me about Vance?”
Connor asked as he navigated a sharp curve, his eyes fixed on the narrow road ahead.
I stared out the window, watching the moonlit trees blur past. “He was Matheson’s enforcer. When operatives failed or tried to leave, Craven was sent in first, and if he didn’t get results, Vance was sent to handle it.”
“Handle it?”
“Make examples of them,”
I clarified, my voice flat. “He enjoys his work in ways that make Craven look like an amateur. I’ve seen what he leaves behind.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “And now he’s after Lily.”
“Yes,”
I whispered, fear clawing at my throat. “And he’ll know exactly how to hurt me through her.”
He reached across the console to take my hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “We won’t let that happen. We’ll get to her first.”
He punched a phone number onto the car’s navigation screen, and it started to ring through the speakers.
“Ryker,”
a voice barked.
“It’s Connor. How’s it going?”
“Not good,”
Ryker replied, his voice tense. “Royal and I have been watching Lily’s apartment, but she didn’t return from school today. We’ve checked her usual spots—nothing.”
My heart seized in my chest. “When did you last see her?”
“This morning, leaving for work. She seemed fine, normal routine. We maintained distance as instructed but kept visual contact until she entered the school.”
“And after that?”
Connor pressed.
“She never came out the main entrance. We checked with school staff—she left early, around noon. Said she wasn’t feeling well.”
I exchanged a worried glance with Connor. “That doesn’t sound like her routine.”
“It’s not,”
Ryker confirmed. “According to her colleagues, she never misses work. Royal is checking hospital admissions now, but...”
“But you think Vance already has her,”
I finished, the words like ash in my mouth.
“We found her phone in a trash can two blocks from the school. Still powered on.”
Connor accelerated, pushing the car faster along the winding road. “Stay at her apartment. If she shows up or if Vance makes contact, call immediately.”
“Will do. We’ll keep searching the area.”
After Connor ended the call, silence filled the car, heavy with implications we both understood but neither wanted to voice. If Vance had Lily, every minute counted.
“We’ll find her,”
he said firmly, reaching over to squeeze my knee. “Vance won’t hurt her until he knows you’re coming. That’s his leverage.”
“Unless he’s recording it,”
I said quietly, voicing my darkest fear. “To make me watch later.”
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t dismiss the possibility. “Then we’ll need to be smarter, faster. Tell me everything you know about him—habits, methods, weaknesses.”
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to think analytically, to access the operational knowledge that had kept me alive for years. “Vance is methodical. He plans everything to the last detail and always has multiple plans. Unlike Matheson, he’s hands-on—he won’t delegate the important parts.”
“That’s good,”
he noted. “It means he’ll keep Lily close.”
“Yes, but he’s also patient. He can wait days for the perfect moment.”
I swallowed hard. “And he’s creative. His background before the agency was medical—he knows exactly how much pain a body can endure before giving out.”
His expression darkened. “Any weaknesses?”
I thought carefully, sifting through what I knew about the man. “He’s arrogant. Believes he’s smarter than everyone else. And he has a flair for the theatrical—likes his scenarios to have symbolic meaning.”
“Symbolic how?”
“Location matters to him. When he eliminated a former operative in Montreal, he did it in the same cafe where she had first been recruited. For another in Halifax, he used the man’s family boat—something with personal significance.”
“So, he’ll choose somewhere meaningful for Lily,”
Connor reasoned, his mind working through the implications. “Somewhere connected to her past, or to yours.”
The realization hit me like a physical blow. “The beach house,”
I whispered. “Sunshine Bay. It’s where we lived with our mother before she died.”
Connor immediately changed lanes, heading for the highway on-ramp. “Call Winters. We need satellite surveillance on that location right now.”
As I made the call, providing coordinates and details to Winters, he pushed the car faster, eating up the miles between us and the airfield.