Page 62 of Lone Wolf

“But they—” She breaks off, but she takes a half-step forward, hope warring with disbelief on her face. “They told me you were dead.”

“I heard the same about you,” I manage, followed by a laugh that’s more of a sob.

She moves then, crossing the space between us in quick, uncertain steps. I meet her halfway, and when our bodies collide in a desperate embrace, I know it—she’s real. Solid. Alive. The feel of her arms around me—thinner than I remember but strong—breaks something open inside me.

“I looked for you,” I choke out against her shoulder. “For years.”

“I never stopped thinking about you,” she replies, her voice thick with emotion.

I pull back just enough to see her face, drinking in details I never thought I’d see again—older, harder, scarred in ways both visible and invisible, but undeniably my big sister.

“Ineedto get these women to safety,” she says urgently, though her hands still clutch my arms as if afraid I’ll disappear. “They’re my responsibility.”

That’s when I remember where we are, what we’re doing. The mission. I turn to Lyssa, who’s been standing back with the rest of the team, giving us space while maintaining security.

“This is my sister,” I tell her, the words still feeling surreal on my tongue. “Mari, this is?—”

The sudden burst of gunfire cuts me off. From the corridor outside comes the sound of shouting and heavy footsteps—more guards, more resistance.

“Contact!” Lyssa barks into her comm, and runs right back into the hallway, followed by Elijah and Zach.

Ariadne moves immediately after them to the door, weapon raised. “Multiple hostiles,” she reports tersely. “Heavily armed.”

The moment of reunion shatters, reality crashing back with brutal force. We’re still in the middle of a trafficking den, surrounded by enemies. Mari steps back, her expression hardening into something familiar yet strange—the look of someone who’s survived hell and will do whatever it takes to keep surviving. “All of you,” she says urgently to the other women, “get in the safe room.”

They continue to stream into it, but I push her to go with them. “You get in there, too,” I tell her, already shifting back into mission mode. “We’re getting you all out of here, but I have to help secure our exit first.”

Mari stares at me, seeing something in my face that makes her pause. “But Sunny?—”

“Please, trust me, and get in the safe room. Close it up behind you. We’ll let you know when it’s clear. But in case they past us—” I press my backup handgun into her palm.

She doesn’t even look down at it, clearly torn between following me and protecting the women in her care.

“I promise,” I tell her. “I’m coming back for you. I won’t lose you again. But you need to get in that safe room and let us do what we do best.”

Something in my voice must convince her, because she nods once, sharply. “Be careful. They won’t hesitate to kill.”

“Neither will I.” My voice is hard, but Mari seems almost relieved. She backs toward the safe room, our eyes locked until the last possible moment before she slips in. The heavy door closes with a definitivethunk, and I turn to face the battle that stands between me and keeping my promise.

I join Ariadne at the doorway. “The women are secure,” I tell her, pushing down all the emotions threatening to overwhelm me. “I’ve got left flank.”

Ariadne gives me a quick nod, and I feel a surge of gratitude for her calm efficiency. But we’re out of time. Lyssa and the others have already taken out a number of the Mancinis swarming toward the doors, but the heavy fire has forced them into a side room. I watch Ariadne execute the closest guy to us before he can even raise his weapon. The second manages to fire a burst that splinters the doorframe near her head, but she doesn’t flinch, returning fire with mechanical precision.

“Converging on your position,” Scarlett’s voice comes through our comms. “Ten seconds out.”

“Copy that,” Ariadne replies. “Lyssa and friends pinned down in a room, center of the corridor.”

And now the remaining enemies press their advantage, laying down suppressive fire that forces us back from the doorway. We pull back into the room to find cover, and then work in seamless coordination as the Mancinis push into the room, creating crossfire that leaves the remaining hostiles with nowhere to hide. When Scarlett’s team arrive seconds later, they quickly get rid of the rest.

As our backup secures the prisoner and confirms the area is clear, Ariadne turns to me. Her eyes scan over me quickly, assessing.

“You okay?” she asks quietly.

“Never better,” I reply, and it’s true. Despite the battle, I feel lighter than I have in years—like a burden I’ve carried for years has suddenly lifted.

Because it has.

I move immediately toward the safe room door, holstering my weapon. “Mari?” I call. “It’s Sunny. It’s clear now.”

---