Page 44 of Echoes and Oaths
Mateo frowned. “I can be taught. Will he be okay alone?”
She nodded. “He’s going to be out for at least an hour and a half. Gathering and sorting the eggs will take twenty or thirty minutes, and I can hear him if he cries. The window is open a crack.”
“Sort?” Mateo asked as he fell into step with her.
“Some I keep for hatching. Most go to Ortega’s men. What I can keep, we use, and I give to family.”
“How does Ortega get the eggs?” Mateo asked as he walked through the chickens, pecking at the gravel. The flock knew it was time to be fed, and they followed or darted between their feet as theywalked. She laughed at the way Mateo almost tiptoed through the hens.
“They’ll get out of your way,” she said as he almost tripped, trying to step around one of her chickens. “He gets a supply convoy every other day or so. They stop by, bring me empty cartons, and take the ones I have for them. I don’t talk to them, and they don’t talk to me.”
He grunted something, and she picked up a bucket, then went over to a sealed garbage barrel and scooped out some feed. She filled the feeder and asked Mateo to get them some water from the rain barrel. When they were done, she opened the coop’s door, and they walked in. She handed him a basket.
“They might peck you if they’re laying on the eggs, but they won’t hurt.”
“Good to know,” Mateo said as they moved through the nesting area. It was a good yield. It normally was. The days were long, and there was plenty of sun to keep the hens laying eggs. She put most of the eggs into the old cartons on a small table. A huge tree shaded the small work area and was pleasant, even in the midday heat.
“You’ve done well here,” he said as they filled the cartons.
She glanced around. “I’d leave it.” And she would if she had a way to support her family.
Mateo stopped placing eggs and looked up at her. “Then let me take you away.”
She nodded. “When it’s time, we’ll go. But not until then.” She looked up at him. “You said you’d give me time.”
Mateo reached out and tucked a piece of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. “We’ve got the rest of our lives. I won’t rush you. I told you that, and yes, while it’s still relatively safe here, I’ll honor my word.”
“And I’ll honor mine. When you or Raven tells me it’s time to leave, we will.”
Mateo smiled and leaned down, pressing a kiss against her lips. She shouldn’t let him continue doing that, but it was the most warmth she’d felt in years. This was the man she remembered. The gentle giant who’d always treated her like she was a treasure. This was the Mateo she loved. Her eyes popped open at the thought.
He cocked his head and frowned. “What?”
She frowned and shook her head. “Nothing. Nothing … did I hear Teo?” She turned and headed to the house. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
She was acting like a chicken, but the emotioncoursing through her needed to be processed alone, not in front of Mateo. She hadn’t stopped loving the man. She couldn't deny that, no matter the circumstances of his return. She closed the screen door behind her and dropped onto the old, worn couch. “Why couldn’t you be a farmer?” She huffed out a bitter laugh. If he were a farmer, he’d be dead. No, the man he was was the man he needed to be for him to survive while doing his job. And because he was who he was, she was alive, prospering, and out of Ortega’s reach.
She stared up at the ceiling. “Wow,” she whispered and then closed her eyes. He was who he needed to be. He was the Mateo she knew and, more, the Mateo he needed to be to protect them. The reality of that thought settled against her heart.
Could she forgive him? No, because there was nothing to forgive. He did what he’d thought was best. His reasons, his actions, and his absence were all orchestrated to protect her. And he had. He always had.
CHAPTER 15
Jinx stood hidden in the shadows of a weathered outbuilding as the sun dipped low over the Venezuelan horizon, staining the sky in rich shades of orange and violet. The humid air clung to his skin, heavy with the scents of dust, hay, and distant smoke. The meeting time wasn’t for some time, but he’d arrived early on purpose. Trust wasn’t a luxury he could afford, not when Simón was involved.
Jinx leaned against the rough lumber as he thought of the last two days with Eira and Teo. There had been a subtle shift in her attitude toward him. He prayed that she remembered his love for her and perhaps was letting down her guard. If shewould give him a chance, he’d prove he was worthy of her love.
Raven’s voice crackled over the comms. "I told you, the perimeter’s clear. No one's followed him," she reported, the casual confidence in her tone starkly contrasting the tension twisting Jinx’s gut.
Brando chimed in, his voice slightly distorted. "She’s right. Satellite only shows you and Raven within a half-mile radius of the ranch."
"Where do we stand on identification of the personnel in the military unit?" Raven asked.
Brando groaned. "It’s not easy working with a third-world country’s identification system."
"You mean theyhaveidentification systems?" Raven teased dryly.
Brando chuckled. "They have what I would call a … collection of photographs. As far as actual technology goes? That's debatable. Their passport system is modern enough, though. I’ve been cross-referencing through that. Had to use AI to fill out faces and guess characteristics based on the photos you sent."
