Page 67 of Cowboy
It takes us two hours to get ready. Everyone is waiting, ready for this. I can feel the tension radiating from everyone. This is what we've been working toward; what we've sacrificed so much for.
I’m shocked that there’s no security. Surely someone as prolific as Kovac would have security around him? As we breach the inner sanctum, I see Kovac trying to flee. Without hesitation, I give chase, my heart pounding in my ears. I tackle him just as he reaches a hidden exit, bringing him down hard.
As I bring Kovac down, I feel a surge of grim satisfaction. This man has caused untold suffering, destroyed countless lives, and now he's finally going to face justice.
"It's over, Kovac," I growl, securing his wrists with zip ties. "Your operation is finished."
The rest of the team moves in, securing the area and rounding up any remaining associates. Travis approaches, his expression unreadable as he surveys the scene.
"Good work," he says, nodding toward Kovac. "The Agency will want to take him in for questioning. They'll extract everything he knows, make sure we get every last piece of this network."
I haul Kovac to his feet, my mind racing. The Agency. Of course they'd want him, and Dylan too. Standard procedure, clean and simple.
But nothing about this has been clean or simple.
"What about Dylan?" I ask, already knowing what Travis will say.
"Same deal. The Agency has protocols for handling assets like him. They'll get what they need, then decide what happens next."
I think about Caoimhe waiting back at our temporary base, about the determination in her eyes when she learned her brother was involved. This isn't just another mission anymore. This is personal, for her, and now for me too.
"No," I say, my voice steady. "Not Dylan."
Travis raises an eyebrow. "No?"
"He betrayed his sister. He chose this, all of it. The Agency doesn't get to decide what happens to him. Caoimhe does."
For a long moment, Travis says nothing, just studies my face. Finally, he sighs. "This isn't protocol, Cowboy."
"I know."
Another pause, then a slight nod. "Fine. But you're taking responsibility for this one. All of it."
"Understood."
The drive back is silent, tension hanging heavy in the air. When we arrive, Caoimhe is waiting, her face lighting up with hope when she sees us escorting Kovac.
"You got him," she says, a trembling smile breaking across her face.
I nod, but I know what I have to tell her next will wipe that smile away. I hand Kovac off to Tank and take Caoimhe aside.
"There's something you need to know about Dylan," I say quietly, watching her face carefully. "Something I couldn't tell you before."
She stiffens, bracing herself. "What is it?"
I take a deep breath. "Dylan wasn't forced into this, Caoimhe. He wasn't coerced or threatened." The words taste bitter in my mouth. "He chose this life. All of it. Even knowing what would happen to you."
I watch as understanding dawns in her eyes, followed by disbelief, then a pain so raw it makes my chest ache. She turns away, her shoulders shaking slightly.
"Caoimhe—"
"I always wondered," she whispers, her voice breaking. "Deep down, I think I always knew. The way he looked at me that night... there was no fear in his eyes. Just... calculation."
She turns back to me, and what I see in her face isn't just grief—it's steel. The pain is transforming, hardening into something unbreakable.
"The Agency wants both of them," I tell her. "But I told Travis that Dylan is your call. Not theirs."
She's quiet for a long moment, her eyes distant. Then she looks at me, and I see the decision already made.
