Page 32 of Echoes and Oaths
"When you didn’t come home, I thought you’d died," she said softly. "I grieved you, Mateo. I mourned you like a widow. And then … I found out I was pregnant."
Her voice cracked on the last word, and Jinx felt something sharp and cold wedge into his chest.
"I went through all the emotions again," she continued, her voice brittle. "Damning fate for being so cruel. Cursing myself for not making sure we were more careful. And then cursing myself even more for thinking that. Because if I’d been more careful … I wouldn’t have Teo."
Her gaze dropped, her fingers brushing over thefrayed hem of her shirt like she needed something to anchor her.
"It took me months after I found out I was pregnant to come up with a plan," she said. Lifting her chin, she looked around the barn, her eyes lingering on the worn wooden beams, the rusted tools hanging on the wall, the faint shafts of light slanting through the gaps in the planks.
"This place … This was the plan. This was how I was going to survive, how I was going to keep Teo safe. This was going to be my legacy to him."
Her lips parted in a bitter laugh.
"And then Ortega took over."
Jinx’s jaw tightened at the name. A sour taste filled his mouth as he listened.
"It was about nine months ago that everything settled down," Eira continued, her voice turning distant like she was recounting a nightmare. "By then, I had Teo. Ortega brought one of his dogs here. Before he locked himself away like the coward he is. He’s in Montoya’s compound now. He’s untouchable. Even Simón says he rarely sees the man."
Her fingers curled at her sides, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"But one time was enough for Ortega’s obsession to start again."
Jinx’s eyes narrowed. His gut twisted.
"Again?" he asked, his voice low and dark.
She nodded, giving him a sad smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
"I went to school with the Ortega boys," she said, her voice turning distant with memory. "That was back when this area was still breathing. When the fields were alive, and the villages bustled. Well … as much as Venezuela could thrive under the weight of corruption."
Her gaze drifted past him toward the green hills rolling beyond the barn, shadowed by the humid haze of the lowland jungle.
"Ortega’s brother was older than us, but those two boys, they always found ways to pick on me, to be near me. My mother used to say boys didn’t know how to tell a girl they liked her. They pulled your hair because they didn’t know how to ask for your heart."
Her lips flattened.
"Well, he knows now."
A pulse of jealousy, hot and unwelcome, flooded Jinx’s veins. He clenched his fists to keep from punching the barn wall.
"Was he ever inappropriate?" His voice was carefully measured, but he couldn’t hide its edge.
Eira glanced up at him and let out a dry, humorless laugh.
"No. The one time Simón was ordered to bring me back to the compound, whether I wanted to or not, was when I told him Teo was your son."
The words slammed into Jinx like a fist to the ribs. His heart stuttered.
"That shocked Simón so much he risked going back to Ortega empty-handed," she said, her gaze locking on his. "Because no one ever saw your body, Mateo. No one knew for sure if you were gone."
The barn felt suddenly colder, the humid air pressing against them, but there was no comfort from the warmth.
"The others, the other enforcers, you remember them. Ortega hunted them down. He made them choose: join his crew or die. Most stayed because they’d followed Montoya and liked the money."
Jinx shook his head, disgust twisting in his gut. "He’s not a leader. He’s weak. He doesn’t command loyalty. How the hell did he rise to power?"
Her lips quirked in a humorless smile. "He’s cruel. Not as cruel as his brother was, but cruel enough. And I knew I'd never leave if I set foot inside that compound. That’s why I told them the truth about Teo."
