Page 19 of Echoes and Oaths
The name of Teo’s father had shaken him. The flash of fear in Ortega’s eyes had been swift, butshe’d seen it. It had disappeared in a blink, replaced by his usual cold confidence. But the reaction had been real. No one knew if Mateo was alive or dead. And Ortega wasn’t willing to take the risk that he was still out there.
But how much longer would that bluff last? How long would Ortega allow her to deny him? She knew what he wanted. And she hated the thought. Because what she wanted and what sheneededwas Mateo. She needed his strength. His love. The steady, silent way he’d always made her feel safe, even in chaos.
She’d grown up in a country that was tearing itself apart at the seams. The same thing that happened to many nations. Greed, profit, power, and zero empathy for anyone standing in the way of those goals had fractured the land around her. Cartels killed, drugs were moved, people took cover when they could, and when they couldn’t, they prayed. Her family had suffered losses. Mateo had come into her life when she was at her lowest point. She’d lost her father. He left them, and she knew her mother’s depression warred with the woman’s desire to take care of her daughter.
The practice she thought would flourish brought in bartered bits of food or stock animals that weretoo thin and needed medical attention or feed. She took the payments and worked every day to build something she and her mother could continue to sustain.
Then Mateo walked into her life. He was massive, strong, and yet so undeniably gentle with the poor injured dog that he’d brought to her for care. She’d used the last of her medical supplies to amputate the dog’s leg. Two weeks later, Mateo brought her a backpack filled with vet supplies. “As payment for taking care of a stray.”
“You or the dog?” She smiled up at him. She saw the surprise in his eyes at her flirtatious comment, but the smile that spread across his face was beautiful.
Over the following months, Mateo showed up routinely. They connected over the animals and her desire to build something. When he was with her, she felt safer than ever. The undeniable certainty that he would protect her wrapped around her in a comforting warmth she could still feel. They moved from friends to lovers. The progress was slow. He let her choose when to move forward and never pressured her. Their relationship was natural and so… easy. She’d fallen in love.
But he was gone.
She was alone. And she’d stood on her own two feet. She and her mother had scratched a life out of dust, sweat, and perseverance. She’d built this place. A working, sustainable farm. True, Ortega’s protection meant the cartels didn’t touch her livestock or her products. Her chickens were left alone, her milk undisturbed.
But it was only a matter of time. Ortega’s power wouldn’t last forever. Whispers carried through the villages. The rumors of a rising military faction, of the Ghost, a killer who wanted the drug trade. A war was coming. A war was always coming.
When that happened, she and her mother would take Teo and flee. The old car was gassed and waiting under a tarp. She started it and drove it around the farm every week. The car was their emergency exit. The city was far but reachable. If they could leave in time.
Sighing, she leaned back and looked up. The sky stretched wide and star-flecked above her, as brilliant as she’d ever seen it. The heavens were endless. Indifferent. Beautiful. She wondered if Mateo was looking up at the same stars. Was he alive? Or among them?
If he were alive … why hadn’t he come back? Why hadn’t he reached out?
The questions came every night. Each one a fresh cut to the soul. And the answer was always the same. If he were alive and hadn’t come back, then he eithercouldn’t…
Or hedidn’t want to.
She shook her head, angry at herself.No.She refused to believe that. Mateo hadn’t left her because he didn’t want her. What they had, it had been real. Strong. Unshakable. He wouldn’t have just left. He wouldneverleave her alone.
The night creatures sang their soft music around her, weaving a lullaby with crickets and tree frogs, the rustling of palm leaves in the breeze …
Then…
Steps.
Soft, deliberate.
Behind her.
She froze.
Her heart stuttered in her chest.
That gait. That rhythm.
She knew those steps.
She’d dreamed of those steps.
Inhaling sharply, she looked up at the stars.
“Why are you still haunting me, Mateo?”she whispered. “Why do I still hear you? How long will our love haunt me?”
A low voice answered from the shadows.
“I will love you forever.”
