Curves For The Agent Cowboy

Chapter 36

The rain had returned — thin at first, then heavy, the kind that made the world outside blur into streaks of gray.

Inside Jantrece and Nick's house, the lights were dim, every shadow a reminder of what they'd escaped — and what still hunted them.

Kerian stood by the window, jaw tight, watching the water race down the glass.
Jonathan and Nick were bent over the kitchen table, the glow from Nick's laptop illuminating a map covered in red markers and lines. Erica leaned over their shoulders, scrolling through files and encrypted reports, while Catalina sat on the couch, absently rubbing her growing belly.

Every now and then, a sharp crack of thunder made them all flinch — the sound too close, too much like gunfire.

"Signal activity's spiking again," Jonathan said, his voice low but urgent. "Whoever's behind this is bouncing through a dozen servers, but the pattern's familiar. Same digital footprint as before."

Kerian turned, eyes narrowing. "Vivienne."

Nick's hand froze over the mouse. "She's still alive?"

"She's alive," Erica said grimly, "and she's angry."

Catalina met Kerian's gaze — the one that always calmed her — but this time, it was sharp, focused, full of calculation.

"She won't stop," Catalina whispered.

Kerian moved closer, crouching in front of her. "Then neither will we, KittyCat."

From the kitchen, Maire's voice trembled slightly. "I can't believe she'd go this far just because you didn't fall for her. That's—"

"Obsessive," Erica finished. "And dangerous."

Nick looked up from the laptop. "Dangerous or not, we've got a lead. She's on the move — her plane just landed two hours north. If she's smart, she'll drive the rest of the way under a new identity."

Catalina's father, Jack, stepped out of the hallway, his phone in hand. "Brian just called. He confirmed it — Vivienne's been paying ex-contractors to trace Kerian through old intel. She must've gotten wind that we scrubbed his records."

Kerian stood slowly, eyes cold. "So she's coming here."

Silence.
Then Nick said, "Good. Let's make sure she regrets it."

Across the city...

Vivienne's car sliced through the rain, headlights glinting off the wet pavement like sparks in the dark. Damon drove in silence while she reviewed a small tablet on her lap — the screen filled with maps, profiles, and a photo of Catalina smiling at her baby shower.

Her lips curled. "She really thinks she's safe."

"Viv—" Damon hesitated, glancing at her. "You're walking into a setup you don't control this time. They've got military support, tech surveillance—"

Vivienne turned her head, eyes glittering. "I built networks like theirs in my sleep. I know every move before they make it."

But for the first time, Damon heard uncertainty in her tone — faint, but there.

Back at Jantrece's...

They'd killed the lights.
The rain masked their movements, and every window glowed faintly with the reflection of flashlights from outside patrols.

Kerian, Jack, and Nick moved with quiet precision, checking perimeters, syncing comms. Jonathan monitored the feed from Nick's surveillance cameras. Erica loaded tranquilizers and sidearms.

Catalina stayed near the staircase, heart hammering but steady — her mother, Maire, keeping close beside her.

"She'll come for him first," Catalina whispered. "She's after Kerian."

Maire squeezed her hand. "Then we'll make sure she doesn't touch him — or you."

Kerian's voice came softly through the darkness. "KittyCat, if anything happens, you—"

"Don't finish that sentence," she said, eyes fierce. "We do this together."

For a heartbeat, he only looked at her — the same woman who'd walked into his chaos and turned it into something worth protecting. Then he nodded, a silent vow passing between them.

Outside, headlights cut through the rain.

Nick's radio crackled. "We've got movement. One vehicle. No backup showing."

Jonathan leaned toward the monitor. "That's her."

Kerian exhaled slowly, hand resting on his holster. "Showtime."

Vivienne stepped out of the car, her heels sinking into the mud. The rain plastered her hair to her face, but her eyes gleamed beneath the hood of her coat.

She approached the house, gun hidden beneath her sleeve, confidence carrying her through the storm.

Until she heard it — the faint click of a safety being disengaged.

Her body went rigid.

From the shadows, Kerian's voice came low and calm.
"Looking for someone?"

Vivienne turned slowly, lips curling into a smirk despite the gun pointed at her. "You should've stayed dead, Agent."

"Funny," he said, stepping closer, "I was about to say the same thing to you."

Lights flared on suddenly, blinding her — the trap sprung.
Nick and Jonathan emerged behind her, weapons raised. Jack covered the side window. Erica moved to flank.

Vivienne's smile faltered for the first time.

"You think this ends tonight?" she hissed.

Kerian's tone was ice. "It does — one way or another."

Before she could answer, the sound of distant sirens grew louder — the team had already alerted authorities.

Vivienne's eyes flicked toward the sound, then back to Kerian.
"Enjoy your victory," she spat. "But remember — shadows never die. They just wait for the light to fade."

Then she dropped her weapon, lifting her hands — calm again, almost serene.

As officers took her away moments later, Catalina stepped onto the porch, the rain soaking her hair and gown. She reached for Kerian's hand, her fingers trembling.

"Is it really over?" she whispered.

Kerian looked after the disappearing lights, uncertainty flickering behind his calm exterior.

"For now," he said.

He turned to her, brushed the wet strands from her cheek, and kissed her forehead. "But if she ever comes back..."

Catalina finished softly, "We'll be ready."

Lightning split the sky behind them — brilliant, fleeting, and dangerous — a reminder that peace was never permanent.

But love, fierce and unyielding, always found its way through the storm.