Curves For The Agent Cowboy

Chapter 32

Gravel crunched under the tires as Jonathan slammed the SUV into reverse, the safe house shrinking behind them. Erica twisted in her seat, watching as the faint red light on the roof blinked twice—then exploded.

The blast hit like thunder, a fireball lighting up the night.

"Drive!" she shouted, already yanking her tablet from her bag and booting up her tracking software.

Jonathan gunned the engine, jaw tight, eyes fixed on the winding dirt road ahead. "That's not random. Someone wanted us alive long enough to run."

Erica's fingers flew across the screen. "They're herding us."

"Then we'll break their pattern."

He cut sharply onto a side road, headlights off, the world around them swallowed by darkness. For a long moment, only their ragged breathing and the hum of the engine filled the car.

Erica's phone buzzed—a single message flashing across the screen:

Stayaway from him. Or next time, we won't miss.

Her stomach knotted. "They know about Kerian."

Jonathan's hand tightened on the steering wheel. "Then we end this before it reaches him."

Back at the Montgomery home, dawn crept in soft and golden. Catalina woke to the smell of coffee and the low murmur of voices downstairs. She stretched, feeling the soft weight of Kerian's arm draped protectively around her.

"Morning, KittyCat," he murmured, half-asleep.

She smiled, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "Morning."

The house felt peaceful—too peaceful. But after everything, she needed to believe in calm mornings again.

Downstairs, Maire and Jack were already at the kitchen table, the quiet clatter of breakfast filling the space. Jantrece's voice echoed faintly from the phone speaker as she fussed over baby-shower pictures.

Life, for once, was ordinary.

Or it seemed that way—until Kerian's phone buzzed.

He glanced at the screen. Jonathan.

Kerian frowned and answered, but all he heard was static. Then, faintly, Jonathan's voice: "They're back. Stay with her—don't move—"

The line went dead.

Kerian's entire body tensed. The soldier in him—the part he'd slowly started to bury again—snapped awake.

"Kerian?" Catalina's voice came from behind him, soft but worried. "What is it?"

He turned, forcing a calm expression even as adrenaline surged through him. "Nothing for you to worry about, sweetheart. Just Jonathan being cautious."

But his eyes flicked toward the window—toward the tree line that bordered their property.

Across town

Erica and Jonathan pulled into a deserted service station, the early light painting long shadows over cracked pavement. Smoke from the explosion still clung faintly to their clothes.

Erica opened her laptop again, bypassing corrupted firewalls, eyes sharp with focus. "I traced the origin. The signal wasn't offshore like we thought—it's here."

Jonathan frowned. "Here as in—"

"Same state. Same region. Less than twenty miles from the Montgomery home."

He went still. "They're not after us."

Erica's pulse quickened. "They're going after Catalina."

Jonathan slammed his palm on the dashboard. "Then we move. Now."

She looked at him—saw the worry beneath his calm exterior—and nodded. "You drive. I'll call for backup."

As the SUV roared back to life, she typed out a quick encrypted message to her brother.

Incomingdanger. Protect Catalina. We're on our way.

Back at the Montgomery home

Kerian stood at the window, every instinct screaming. The forest beyond the backyard was too quiet—no wind, no birds, just silence pressing in like a held breath.

He moved toward the hall closet, retrieving the secured case he'd kept close, in case he needed it again. The metal clicked open, revealing the cold gleam of his weapon.

Catalina's voice trembled softly from behind him. "Kerian... what's happening?"

He turned, meeting her eyes. For a long second, he didn't answer. Then—

"Nothing's going to happen to you or our baby. Not again."

He chambered a round, the sound sharp and final.

Outside, a car door shut somewhere in the distance.

Erica's SUV tore down the back road toward the Montgomery home, gravel spraying in its wake. Jonathan leaned forward, scanning the horizon.

Erica's eyes flicked to the GPS. "Two minutes out."

Jonathan exhaled. "Let's make them count."

In the house, Kerian moved to the window, every sense alive. Catalina's heartbeat thundered in her ears as she clutched her phone, unsure who to call.

Then—

The crunch of boots on gravel.

Kerian's muscles tightened. He raised his weapon, eyes narrowing.

A figure stepped into view through the morning haze.

Not one of the bad guys.

Jonathan.

And behind him, Erica—gun drawn, scanning the perimeter.

"Kerian," she called out, her tone sharp. "We've got company. Multiple signals, closing in fast."

Kerian's jaw set. "Then we stand together."

He looked at Catalina, his voice low, steady, and full of love. "Stay low. No matter what."

She nodded, eyes brimming with fear—and something fiercer beneath it.

Because this time, she wasn't just a bystander. She was a mother.

Outside, engines revved.

Inside, the house braced.

And as the first black SUV crested the hill, sunlight glinting off its windshield, Kerian, Erica, and Jonathan stepped forward—ready to face whatever storm came next.