Page 26 of Cowboy (Fury Vipers MC: Dublin Chapter #4)

COWBOY

A s I enter the room where we're holding Dylan, my blood is boiling with rage. This man, who I once considered a friend, betrayed not just his sister but countless innocent lives. I clench my fists, struggling to maintain control.

Dylan looks up as I approach, his face a mask of fear and resignation. "Ciarán," he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "I?—"

I don't let him finish. My fist connects with his jaw, sending him sprawling. "Talk," I growl, hauling him back up by his shirt. "Tell me everything."

For the next hour, I alternate between questioning and punishing. Each blow is for Caoimhe, for Saoirse, for every life he's destroyed. And slowly, painfully, the truth comes out.

Dylan spills everything, names, locations, the entire structure of the trafficking ring. But it's his admission that he went willingly, that he wasn't forced or coerced, that hits me the hardest.

"Why?" I demand, my voice raw. "How could you do this to your own sister?"

Dylan's laugh is hollow, tinged with madness. "You don't understand. The power, the money... it was intoxicating. And Caoimhe? She was just collateral damage."

I see red. My fist connects with his face again and again, until I feel a hand on my shoulder pulling me back.

"Enough," Travis says firmly. "We've got what we need."

I step back, breathing heavily, as Travis takes over the interrogation. My mind is reeling from Dylan's revelations.

As I leave the room, I find Caoimhe waiting outside, her face pale but determined.

"Did he tell you everything?" she asks quietly.

I nod, unable to meet her eyes. "Yes. And Caoimhe... I'm so sorry."

She takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "Don't be. He made his choices. Now it's time to make him pay for them."

As we walk away, I can't help but marvel at her strength. Despite everything she's been through, she's still standing, still fighting. And I swear to myself that I'll be by her side every step of the way as we bring this entire operation crashing down.

As we make our way back to the hotel, the weight of Dylan's revelations settles heavily on my shoulders. The trafficking ring is far more extensive and deeply rooted than we ever imagined. Taking it down won't be easy, but we have to try.

Caoimhe walks silently beside me, her face a mask of determination. I can only imagine the turmoil she must be feeling after confronting her brother and learning the full extent of his betrayal.

"Are you okay?" I ask softly, reaching for her hand.

She squeezes my fingers, giving me a small, tight smile. "I will be. Once this is all over."

Back at the hotel, we gather with Travis, Pyro, and Tank to discuss our next moves. The atmosphere is tense as I relay the information Dylan provided.

"Jesus," Tank mutters, shaking his head. "This goes all the way to the top."

Travis nods grimly. "Which means we need to be smart about how we proceed. One wrong move and this whole thing could blow up in our faces."

"So what's the plan?" Pyro asks, his eyes hard with determination.

Travis spreads out a map on the table. "We start here," he says, pointing to a location Dylan identified as a key distribution center. "We take it out, gather what intel we can, and work our way up the chain."

As we hash out the details, I can't help but notice Caoimhe's intense focus. She's not just a victim anymore; she's become a warrior in this fight.

"I want to help," she says firmly when there's a lull in the conversation. "I know you want to protect me, but I need to be part of bringing these bastards down."

I start to protest, but Travis cuts me off. "She's right," he says, meeting my eyes. "Caoimhe knows this world from the inside. Her insight could be invaluable."

Reluctantly, I nod. As much as I want to keep her safe, I know this is something she needs to do.

As the others continue planning, I pull Caoimhe aside. "Are you sure about this?" I ask quietly. "It's going to be dangerous."

She cups my face in her hands, her eyes blazing with determination. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Ciarán. This is my fight too."

I lean in, pressing my forehead to hers. "Then we do it together. Every step of the way."

As we rejoin the others, I feel a fierce pride swelling in my chest. Whatever comes next, we'll face it as a team. And God help anyone who tries to stand in our way.

* * *

The next few days are a whirlwind of planning and preparation.

We gather intel, scout locations, and ready ourselves for the fight ahead.

Caoimhe throws herself into the work with a fierce determination that both impresses and worries me.

I can see the toll this is taking on her, but I also understand her need to see this through.

On the night before our first raid, I find Caoimhe on the hotel balcony, staring out at the twinkling lights of Vienna. She turns as I approach, and I can see the mixture of emotions in her eyes, fear, anger and resolve.

"Are you ready for this?" I ask softly, coming to stand beside her.

She nods, her jaw set. "As ready as I'll ever be. I just keep thinking about Saoirse, about all the other children and women trapped in this nightmare. We have to end this, Ciarán. No matter what it takes."

I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "We will. I promise you, we'll bring them down."

As we stand there in the cool night air, I'm struck by how far we've come. From the despair of Caoimhe's disappearance to this moment of quiet strength before the storm. Whatever happens tomorrow, I know we'll face it together.

The raid begins at dawn. We move swiftly, catching the traffickers off guard. The fight is brutal but quick. Within minutes, we've secured the building and the people inside.

As we round up the captives and arrest the traffickers, I catch sight of Caoimhe. She's kneeling beside a young girl, speaking softly to her in what sounds like Romanian. The girl is crying, clinging to Caoimhe like a lifeline.

In that moment, I see the full extent of Caoimhe's strength and compassion. She's not just fighting for herself or for revenge. She's fighting for every person who's suffered at the hands of these monsters.

As the dust settles and we begin to process the scene, Travis approaches me, his face grim but satisfied.

"Good work today, brother," he says, clapping me on the shoulder. "But this is just the beginning. We've got a long road ahead."

I nod, watching as Caoimhe helps the rescued women and children into waiting vans. "We're ready for it. All of us."

And as we prepare to move on to our next target, I feel a surge of hope. We may be outnumbered and outgunned, but we have something the traffickers don't, a cause worth fighting for, and the determination to see it through to the end.

* * *

That night, I find Caoimhe hunched over maps and documents in our hotel room, her eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep.

"Caoimhe," I say gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You need to rest."

She shakes her head, not looking up. "I can't. Not until we've found them all."

I kneel beside her, taking her hands in mine. "I know. But you're no good to anyone if you burn out. Please, just a few hours of sleep."

Finally, she meets my gaze, and I see the exhaustion and pain in her eyes. "Every time I close my eyes, I see their faces, Ciarán. All the women and children we haven't saved yet."

I pull her into my arms, holding her tight. "I know. But we're making a difference. And we'll keep fighting until it's done."

As I hold her, I feel her finally relax, the tension leaving her body. We stay like that for a long moment, drawing strength from each other.

My cell rings and I see that it’s Travis. “Hey,” I answer.

“One of our informants has uncovered the location of the trafficking ring's leader, a wealthy businessman named Viktor Kovac.”

“Fuck,” I say low, feeling hope bloom in my chest.

"This is it," Travis says as we gather to plan our final assault. "We take him down, and we cut the head off the snake."

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.

"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.