Chapter 7
chapter seven
Finn
I’m leaning against the counter, coffee mug in hand, watching Madelyn pick at the eggs and toast Dash made her.
She’s wearing one of my old Marine t-shirts.
It hangs to mid-thigh on her curvy frame, and from the way the fabric moves I can tell she’s got nothing underneath.
Her hair’s still messy from sleep and sex, her lips swollen from our kisses.
She looks fucking perfect sitting at our kitchen table. Like she belongs here. Like she’s always belonged here.
Dash sits across from her, arms crossed, that permanent scowl etched on his face. But I can see the concern under it. The protectiveness. We both know it’s time. She promised to tell us everything, and now we need the details if we’re going to handle this for her.
“You need to eat more than that,” Dash says, nodding at her barely-touched plate.
Madelyn sets down her fork, a small smile tugging at her mouth even though her hands are a little unsteady. “I’m not really hungry.”
“Eat anyway.” His tone is firm, but there’s warmth under it. “You’re going to need your strength.”
She picks up a piece of toast, takes a small bite, then glances between us. “You two are staring at me like I’m about to give a mission briefing.”
I push off the counter and walk over, stopping behind her chair.
I rest my hands on her shoulders and lean down, brushing a soft kiss against the side of her neck.
“That’s because you are, sweetheart. We already know the big picture.
Now we need the names. The details. So we can take care of it and you can stop looking over your shoulder every five seconds. ”
She leans back into my touch just a little. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It is simple,” Dash says. He reaches across the table and steals a piece of her toast, taking a bite. “You tell us everything. We handle the rest. You stay safe and keep wearing Finn’s shirts. Everybody wins.”
That pulls a real smile out of her. She shakes her head, but some of the tension leaves her shoulders.
I pull out the chair beside her and sit, turning so our knees brush. “Start with the names, baby. The guy who owns the bar. The ones who work for him. Anyone you saw regularly.”
She takes a breath. “The owner is Frank Vega. Everyone just called him Vega. He didn’t usually get his hands dirty, but when he did…
” She swallows. “Bruno and Sal are his main guys. They’re the ones who were there that night.
There are a few others who come and go, maybe five or six total.
All of them carry guns and none of them seem to have a problem using them. ”
I nod, already committing the names to memory. “Bruno and Sal. Got it. What about Vega himself, does he stay at the bar most nights, or does he move around?”
“Mostly the bar in the back office. He only came out when something big was happening.” She picks at the edge of her toast. “He’s careful. Doesn’t make many mistakes.”
Dash’s mouth curves in something that isn’t quite a smile. “He made one. He let you get away.”
I reach over and tuck a strand of messy hair behind her ear, letting my fingers linger against her cheek.
“We’re going to use that mistake. We’ve got people we can call, guys we trust from the old days.
One of them’s FBI now. Works organized crime.
If anyone can dig up what we need on Vega without tipping him off, it’s Hudson. ”
Madelyn looks between us, hope and worry mixed in her eyes. “And then what? What happens after you know everything?”
“Then we make sure he can’t touch you,” I say simply. “Whatever that takes.”
She bites her lip. “I don’t want either of you getting hurt because of me.”
Dash stands, walks around the table, and cups her jaw, tilting her face up to his.
“You’re not getting a say in that part, sweetheart.
You’re ours. That means we handle the threats.
You just keep being you, sitting here in Finn’s shirt, eating the food I make you, and letting us take care of the rest.”
I lean in and kiss the other side of her neck, soft and lingering. “He’s right. You’ve carried this alone long enough. Now it’s our turn.”
She lets out a shaky little breath, but she’s smiling when she looks at us. “You two are impossible.”
“And yet you’re still sitting here in my shirt with nothing underneath,” I tease, glancing down at her bare thighs. “So I think you’re stuck with us.”
Dash huffs a quiet laugh and presses a kiss to her forehead. “Damn right she is. Now finish your breakfast while we make a couple calls. Then we’re spending the rest of the day making sure this house is locked down tight and you feel safe in it.”
Madelyn picks up her fork again, a real smile finally settling on her face. “Yes, sirs.”
I catch Dash’s eye over her head. He gives me a small nod. We both know what comes next, intel, planning, and making damn sure Frank Vega and his crew never get near her again.
"Good girl." I lean in and kiss her forehead. "Now finish your breakfast while Dash and I make some calls."
She picks up her fork obediently, and I catch Dash's eye. We move into the living room, out of earshot but still able to see her through the doorway.
"This is bad," Dash says quietly. "Organized crime, witness to a murder, men actively hunting her. This isn't going to go away on its own."
"I know." I run a hand through my hair. "But we've handled worse. Remember Fallujah? That clusterfuck in Kandahar?"
"This is different. This is her." His voice drops lower, more intense. "If anything happens to her..."
"Nothing's going to happen to her." I grip his shoulder hard. "We're going to eliminate this threat. Permanently. Whatever it takes."
He nods, that cold determination settling over his features, the same look he used to get before a mission. "What's the play?"
"First, we gather intel. Find out everything we can about Vega and his operation. Then we assess whether they've tracked her here. If they have, we deal with them before they can make a move." I pause, meeting his eyes. "And if they haven't found her yet, we make damn sure they never do."
"How?"
"We go to them." My voice is calm, calculated. "We eliminate the threat at the source. Vega can't hunt her if he's dead."
Dash's mouth curves into something close to a smile. "I like the way you think."
"We'll need to be smart about it. Plan it carefully. Make sure there's no blowback on her." I glance back at Madelyn, who's pushing eggs around her plate, lost in thought. "But yeah. We're going to end this."
"Damn right we are." Dash crosses his arms. "No one threatens what's ours and gets away with it."
We stand there for a moment, two former Marines who've seen and done things most people can't imagine. We've protected our country, our brothers in arms, and now we're going to protect her.
"She's going to fight us on this," I say. "She'll try to leave, try to protect us by running again."
"Then we don't give her the option." Dash's voice is firm. "We keep her close. We keep her safe. And we make damn sure she knows she's not facing this alone anymore."
"Agreed." I pull out my phone. "I'll call Hudson. You start securing the house. Check all the entry points, set up cameras if you've got them."
"Already on it." He's moving before I finish speaking, that military efficiency kicking in.
I dial Hudson's number, watching Madelyn through the doorway. She's looking at us now, worry etched across her face. I give her a reassuring smile, and she tries to return it.
"Callahan," Hudson's voice comes through the line. "It's been a while."
"I need a favor," I say without preamble. "And I need it yesterday."
"What kind of favor?"
"The kind that involves organized crime, a witness to a murder, and some very dangerous men who need to disappear."
There's a pause. Then, "Tell me everything."
I do. I give him all the details, Vega's name, the bar, the murder, the enforcers. Hudson listens without interrupting, and I can hear him typing in the background.
"Frank Vega," he says finally. "Yeah, we know him. He's been on our radar for years. Loan sharking, extortion, suspected involvement in at least three murders. But we've never been able to make anything stick. He's careful. Covers his tracks."
"Not careful enough. He left a witness."
"Your girl?"
"Yeah. My girl." The words feel right. Natural. "She saw him execute someone. Point-blank. And now his men are hunting her."
"Shit." Hudson's voice is grim. "If she's willing to testify, we could finally put this bastard away."
"She's terrified. And she doesn't trust cops. Says Vega has half the precinct on his payroll."
"She's not wrong. We've been investigating corruption in that department for months." He pauses. "But if she testifies, we can protect her. Witness protection, new identity, the whole nine yards."
I glance at Madelyn again. The thought of her disappearing into witness protection, of never seeing her again, makes my chest tighten. "That's not an option."
"Finn—"
"I said it's not an option." My voice hardens. "We're handling this our way."
There's a long silence. Then Hudson sighs. "You're going after him."
"If we have to."
"Jesus Christ, Callahan. You can't just?—"
"Can't I?" I keep my voice low, controlled. "You said it yourself. You've been trying to get this guy for years and you've got nothing. Meanwhile, he's got men actively hunting an innocent woman. So yeah, if it comes down to it, we're going after him. And we're going to end this."
Another pause. "I didn't hear that."
"Good."
"But if you need intel, I can help with that. Unofficially."
"That's all I'm asking." I relax slightly. "Send me everything you've got on Vega. His operation, his associates, his properties. Anything that might help us find him."
"Give me a few hours. I'll put together a file."
"Thanks, Hudson. I owe you one."
"You owe me several. But who's counting?" His voice softens. "Keep her safe, Finn. And watch your back. Vega's not someone to underestimate."
"Neither are we." I end the call and head back into the kitchen.
Madelyn looks up at me, hope and fear warring in her eyes. "What did he say?"
"He's going to help us." I sit down beside her and take her hand. "We're going to get everything we can on Vega and his operation. Then we'll figure out the best way to neutralize the threat."
"Neutralize?" She glances between me and Dash, who's just returned from checking the doors and windows. "What does that mean?"
"It means we're going to make sure he can't hurt you," Dash says bluntly. "Whatever that takes."
"You can't." She stands abruptly, panic flashing across her face. "You can't go after him. He'll kill you. Both of you. I won't let you."
"Sit down." My voice is firm but gentle. "Maddie, sit down."
She does, reluctantly, her hands trembling. I move my chair closer, bracketing her in with Dash on her other side.
"Listen to me," I say, cupping her face in my hands. "Dash and I have been in combat. Real combat. We've faced down enemies who were trained, armed, and determined to kill us and we're still here. We're still standing because we're damn good at what we do."
"Some bar owner and his thugs?" Dash adds. "That's nothing compared to what we've dealt with."
"But—"
"No buts." I lean in closer, making sure she's looking right at me. "You're ours now. That means we protect you. That means we eliminate any threat to you. And that means you trust your men to handle this."
"I do trust you," she whispers. "I'm just scared."
"I know." I kiss her softly. "But you don't have to be scared anymore. We've got you and we're not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."
She nods, tears streaming down her face again.
Dash pulls her against his chest, holding her tight while I stroke her hair.
"We're going to spend today securing the house and gathering information," I tell her.
"Tomorrow, we'll start making a plan. But for now, you're safe and that's all that matters. "
"Okay," she breathes. "Okay."
We stay like that for a long moment, the three of us tangled together. Then Dash pulls back, his expression turning serious.
"One more thing," he says. "From now on, you don't go anywhere alone. Not even to the bar. One of us is with you at all times. Understood?"
"Understood," she agrees.
Dash and I have been through hell together. We've saved each other's lives more times than I can count and now we're going to save hers. Frank Vega has no idea what's coming for him, but he's about to find out.