Page 25 of Echoes and Oaths
“Hey, little one,” Jinx murmured, his voice rough with something that wasn’t entirely fatigue. He gently stroked the animal’s scruff, feeling the brittle, matted fur beneath his fingers. As he scratched behind the dog’s ears, his touch skimmed something tight around its neck. A length of twine, crude and biting into the skin. “Shit,” he whispered under his breath.
Carefully, methodically, he worked at the knots, using his pocketknife to slice away the twine without hurting the animal. The dog whimpered when the cord finally fell away and immediately rolled onto its back, paws lifted in surrender.
Jinx ran a hand over its skinny belly, offering the only comfort he could at that moment. Another refugee, he thought grimly. Just like the others. Left behind in the wreckage of drug wars, corruption, and violence.
The dog nosed at his boot, then settled quietly beside him, its head resting against his leg, knowing it had finally found somewhere safe. Jinx stared out into the darkness, his hand absently stroking the dog’s fur. The night stretched long and quiet, but hismind roared with noise. He would become Mateo again.
The man, the menace, the killer.
He knew that man intimately. Every scar, every cold calculation, every sin. Sliding back into Mateo’s skin would take no effort at all. It was like slipping on an old, battered jacket. One that had never really stopped fitting.
He would return once Brando secured his cover and Raven was settled at the ranch with Eira and Teo. His fingers moved gently over the dog’s mangy fur as he closed his eyes, listening to the muffled sounds of Raven moving around inside the house, The creak of the old floorboards and the splash of water from the hand pump.
But his mind drifted back to Eira in the quiet spaces between those sounds. To her fierce, furious eyes. To the curve of her smile when she’d trusted him. To the little boy with dark hair who didn’t even know his father existed.
If Eira refused to leave … if she wouldn’t come back to America with him … Then Mateo would have to stay. By staying, he’d give up the advantage of Guardian’s technology, of their weaponry, and of their money. All things he’d used to make his way for the years he was undercover. He’d give up his team, which was the only family he had left. He’d be cut off, by himself, left with his savings, strong back, and the innate training of an assassin. It would have to be enough. He’dmakeit enough.
This country wouldn’t change. The cartels would shift faces, and the power struggles would realign, but the violence would remain. The war would continue. And if that were the case, then Mateo would remain, too. He would stay in the darkness, sharp and dangerous, feared by all the men who preyed on the innocent.
CHAPTER 8
Eira laid Teo gently in his bed, her fingers brushing over the little boy’s back in slow, soothing circles. His soft breaths evened out almost immediately, the weight of sleep dragging him under, oblivious to the storm raging inside his mother.
Her mind spun relentlessly. Her thoughts, fears, and memories collided like shards of a broken dream. She couldn’t put them together in any sort of sensible way.
She stood quietly, staring down at her son, brushing a curl away from his forehead before slipping from the room and pulling the door closed behind her. The house was dark, the only light filtering through the thin curtains from the moonoutside. She crossed to the small living room and sat down heavily on the worn sofa, folding her arms tightly around herself as if she could hold her emotions in place.
The night outside pressed close, filled with the distant sound of night birds and the rhythmic chirping of crickets. Somewhere far off, a dog barked once, sharp and lonely. Jasper, Mateo’s dog, groaned and flopped over onto his side, sleeping in the corner of the room.
Her mother’s bedroom door creaked open, and a moment later, she padded barefoot into the kitchen. Without a word, she filled the old kettle and set it on the stove.
“I’ll make tea for us,” her mother said quietly as she moved through the familiar motions. She sat down next to Eira, studying her daughter’s face in the darkness. “What has you so upset? Was it something Ortega’s men said?”
Eira’s eyes snapped toward her, startled. “No,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “No, it wasn’t anything Ortega’s men said.”
Her mother frowned, her gaze sharpening. “Did the dog die?”
Eira exhaled a slow breath, her shoulders slumping. “No. He’ll be fine. I checked on him before Icame out here. He’s sedated, sleeping in his cage. I’ll keep him a few more days just to be sure, but I don’t think he got too bad of a dose. He was lucky.”
Her mother shook her head, a faint scowl tugging at her lips. “Who would want to poison an animal? Do people not have better things to do with their lives?”
“It could’ve been accidental,” Eira murmured. “He might’ve gotten into something on his own. Antifreeze is a common poison. It’s sweet, and dogs will lap it up.” She rubbed her arms absently, trying to shake off the lingering chill threading through her veins.
Reaching over, her mother rested her hand gently on Eira’s knee. “Sweetheart, if it’s not the dog, and it’s not something Ortega’s men said … then what is it?”
Eira closed her eyes for a heartbeat, sucking in a shaky breath. “Mateo,” she whispered.
Her mother stilled beside her. “Oh, mi amore,” she murmured, her voice softening. “You know he would’ve come back if he were able.”
Eira shook her head, a bitter sound breaking in her throat. “He was able, Mom,” she said quietly, her voice cracking under the weight of it. “He was able. He came back tonight.”
Her mother gasped sharply, her hand flying to her chest. “What are you saying?”
Eira turned toward her, her heart pounding. “He left the country,” she said. “And now he’s back. He confirmed tonight that he was, in fact, an enforcer for Montoya.”
Her mother stared at her, stricken, her expression shuttered as her mind raced. Eira could almost see the questions forming behind her eyes. The same ones she’d wrestled with.
How could he be gone for so long without a word?
