Page 14 of Echoes and Oaths
And there she was, walking down the stairs of the farmhouse like she owned the earth beneath her feet, straight toward Ortega’s enforcers.
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t cower. Her spine was straight, her chin high.
God, yes. That washiswoman.
Raven handed him the headphones silently. He slipped them over his ears, every sound sharpening. The crunch of boots, the quiet growl of idling engines, the distant clucking of chickens. Raven slid in beside him and listened through her own set.
“She’s a tough one, isn’t she?” Raven murmured with a grin. “I think I could like her.”
A small cry from one of the SUVs caught Raven’s attention.
“Oh shit. The puppy’s sick,” she said, lifting her binoculars. “Look at that girl go. Man, Ilikeher.”
Jinx stayed silent, eyes locked on the woman he hadn’t seen in years. Her voice filtered through the mic. It was sharp, fearless, and unwavering as she confronted the enforcers, challenged their delay, and barked orders like a general in her own right.
He couldn’t breathe.
His gaze drifted to the land around her. She’d done everything they’d talked about. Every dreamthey’d dared to whisper in the darkness. It was all there. Or at least the beginnings were there.
The small dairy herd was healthy, being turned out into the twilight pasture, their dark bodies shifting through golden light. Hundreds of chickens flapped and clucked inside a massive coop off to the right. Fences were mended. Outbuildings freshly painted. The old clinic, still standing proud, looked like it belonged there more than ever.
She’d done all of that.
Without him.
His chest constricted. It felt like someone had shoved a knife between his ribs and twisted. Night after night, they’d lain in bed, dreaming that place into existence. And now, it stood. Real. Thriving. And he hadn’t been part of a single second of it. Pride in what she’d been able to accomplish warred with the anguish of not being a part of it.
Raven elbowed him gently. “She must’ve kicked them out.”
Jinx blinked back to the present. The two men who’d taken the dog into the clinic had just exited, looking frustrated. They stormed back to their SUVs, slamming the doors and kicking up gravel as they spun away down the drive.
From the house, an older woman, Eira’s mother,if memory served, hurried toward the clinic, her apron flapping as she ran.
“I’m glad someone was there to check on her,” Raven said quietly. “I didn’t hear any gunshots, but that doesn’t mean those assholes didn’t try something.”
Jinx shook his head. “She would’ve shot them before that happened.”
Raven paused, her entire body stilling. Slowly, she turned her head, staring at him.
“She’s the one,” she whispered, her voice different now. Serious. Almost reverent. “Isn’t she?”
Jinx didn’t answer.
“You don’t have to say yes,” she said quickly, her eyes narrowing in realization. “How else would you have known where they were going? How would you haveknownshe would’ve shot them before they hurt her?” She shook her head slowly. “You couldn’t have unless youknewthis woman. Intimately.”
Jinx stared out at the clinic, a shadow of a smile tugging at his lips as pain flared through his chest.
Raven exhaled like she’d been hit. “Holy hell. Why did you leave all this?”
He reached for the binoculars and brought them to his eyes again, the lenses trembling slightly in his grip. He focused on the clinic door just as Eiraemerged into the golden hour light, her hair caught by the breeze, her expression composed and resolute. She hugged her mom and sat down on the rocker in front of the clinic. Her mom went back to the house. He stared at the woman he dreamed of and who haunted him in quiet moments. She’d done well without him. That was the answer. That would always be the answer.
His voice came low and raw, the ache in it undeniable. “How could I not?”
CHAPTER 5
The punch to his shoulder jarred his entire arm, knocking into him with surprising force.
Jinx snapped his head toward Raven. “What the fuck did you do that for?”
