Page 61 of Echoes and Oaths
“You’ll have to tell me about that sometime,” Jinx said. “Thanks, Doc. I’ll talk to you when I’m on the other side of this.”
“I look forward to it. Wheeler out.”
Jinx turned back to his work. He hit the tone tosummon his operator. As soon as the line connected, Jinx snapped, “Brando, put Z back online.”
“Copy,” Brando said immediately.
“What’s up?” Z asked.
“Did Raven give you the directions to the safe house?” He finished placing the eggs into the cartons as he spoke.
“Yep, and the stash location,” Z acknowledged.
“I think Tomás will move me in sooner rather than later. As in tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest. There are food and weapons there. Brando can give you my location based on the comms. From my conversation with Dr. Wheeler, it could take weeks before I’m positioned for action.”
“I copy,” Z said. “Anything you need me to do while you’re gone?”
“Eira’s mother.”
“Raven left me a long two-page letter in freaking Italian. I’ve spent most of the day translating the damn thing. I know where she is and about the aunt. I’ll take care of them until you need me.”
Jinx could hear Z’s eyes rolling from where he was standing. “I’m not sure how this will play out. You could be here for no reason. And she did that so no one else could read the letter.”
“Whatever. It was a dick thing to do. She could have written it in English and put it in the stash.”
“That’s true, but do you expect that from her?” Brando said.
“No,” Z admitted reluctantly. “I’ll get Eira’s mom out of the country when she’s willing to leave. Brando, I’ll need an escort for her. I’m not leaving Jinx alone.”
“Raven,” Jinx said. “She knows Raven.”
“Done,” Brando said. “By the way, they’re out of Venezuela’s airspace and heading home.”
“To my ranch, right?”
“Yes,” Brando acknowledged. “I hope you don’t mind. I called your ranch manager and told him they’d be arriving. He said he’d get supplies and make sure they got settled. His wife is going to get diapers and all things baby.”
Corey and Helen Macy were amazing with the animals, and he had no doubt they would be wonderful to his little family. Their son was a large animal vet who practiced north of his small spread in Hollister. Having Eira and Teo safely home with them sent a surge of relief through him. Jinx felt the lingering worry lift from his shoulders. “Thank you.”
“You know we’ve got your back,” Brando replied. “Whatever it takes.”
“As long as it takes,” Jinx and Z answered at the same time. Jinx tapped to mute his comms, and then he closed his eyes and let the last connection to the world outside of Mateo Rivas slip away.
CHAPTER 20
The farm was dead quiet. Jinx stood at the edge of the porch, hands loose at his sides, watching the horizon bleed into a washed-out gray. Dust curled around his boots, dry and restless, stirred by the faint breeze rattling the barn doors. The cattle were in the pasture, the chickens in the roosts, avoiding the day's heat. No dogs barked. There were no voices and no laughter from a little boy chasing after chickens. Everything was still. Silent. Exactly as it should be.Hadto be.
He leaned against the porch’s post, waiting for the vehicles Brando had told him were coming his way. He didn't move when he heard the low growl of engines grinding up the dirt road. He didn’t so much as twitch when two blacked-out SUVs rounded thebend, tires kicking up long snakes of dust behind them.
He simply waited.
The vehicles rolled to a stop. The doors popped open, and four men stepped out. Not Simón this time. They were cartel soldiers, mid-tier muscle who would have been told of him.
They wore their guns low. Their fingers were loose, but Jinx saw how they watched him.
They were careful … respectful. Ah … there it was, he saw it. They were afraid of him.
Good.
