Page 68 of Cowboy
"Then we end it," she says, her voice low and steady. "All of it. Kovac, Dylan, the entire operation—it all ends here."
I nod, reaching for her hand. "Together."
Her fingers intertwine with mine, squeezing tightly. "Dylan chose his path. And now I'm choosing mine." Her eyes meet mine, fierce with resolve. "This ends with both of them dead, Cowboy. That's the only way this nightmare truly ends."
In that moment, standing before me is not a victim, not someone broken by what she's endured, but a warrior. And I know with absolute certainty that I'll follow her lead in this—to whatever end.
"Then that's what we'll do," I say, sealing our pact. "We finish this. Together."
She nods once, decisively. "Together."
As we walk back to rejoin the others, I feel a strange sense of peace settling over me. The path ahead is dark, bloody, and against everything in my training—but it's the right one. For once, justice won't be decided in a sterile government facility or through some political calculation.
This time, justice will be served by those who've earned the right to deliver it.
22
CAOIMHE
Morning light streams through the windows of Ciarán's kitchen, illuminating Saoirse as she sits at the large oak table, her small face scrunched in concentration as she draws, colored pencils scattered around her like fallen autumn leaves.
I watch her for a moment, my heart swelling with a fierce protectiveness. When I met her, her eyes had been vacant, traumatized. Now, those same eyes light up when she smiles, though the shadows never completely disappear.
"What are you drawing, love?" I ask, placing a mug of tea beside her.
She looks up, a tentative smile spreading across her face. "Our family. See?" She points to stick figures on the page. "That's you, that's me, and that's Ciarán."
My heart warms at how she's included him. Since we've been staying with him since we were rescued, he's become more than just our protector—he's become family.
"It's beautiful," I tell her, kissing the top of her head.
I never planned to be a mother, especially not like this. But from the moment I found Saoirse, something clicked into place. Perhaps it was seeing myself in her—another victim of the same monsters who had taken me. Perhaps it was knowing that I could give her what no one had given me: a chance to heal, to be safe, to be loved.
As I move around Ciarán's kitchen preparing breakfast, I allow myself to believe in the normalcy we've created. The nightmare is over. Dylan is in a secret location held by Travis and his men. He was supposed to die. I thought he was dead. But they have more questions for him. He knows a lot of the people who bought the women who had been trafficked and they want as many names as possible. Kovac is dead. The trafficking ring is dismantled. We're safe.
At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
The nightmares haven't stopped. I still wake in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, convinced I'm back in that hellhole. But now, when I wake, Ciarán is there, his strong arms around me, his voice in my ear whispering that I'm safe, that we're home.
Home. Such a simple word, but it holds so much weight now. This house isn't mine, but somehow, with Ciarán and Saoirse in it, it feels more like home than anywhere I've ever lived.
"Caoimhe, can we go to the park after breakfast?" Saoirse asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Of course we can," I reply, setting a plate of toast in front of her. "Eat up, then."
As she tucks into her breakfast, my phone buzzes with a text from Ciarán.
Ciarán: I'm running late. Be there by noon. See you soon.
I text back a quick reply, feeling a now-familiar warmth spread through my chest. It's still strange sometimes, this new reality where Ciarán is part of our daily lives. My brother's childhood friend turned protector, turned... whatever we are now. We haven't put a label on it, but we don't need to. After everything we've been through, words seem inadequate.
Things have been difficult since Vienna. The Agency is still sorting through the mess we uncovered, still determining how deep the corruption went. Thankfully, they're dealing with it now and Saoirse and I can put it all behind us.
It's been three weeks and I'm trying to find a way to move past it all. But how can I when I know my brother was at the root of what happened to me?
"You're doing it again," Saoirse says, her voice cutting through my spiraling thoughts.
"Doing what, love?"
