Page 72 of Echoes and Oaths
Jinx looked at him then. Not sharply. Just enough to acknowledge what wasn’t being said.
Z leaned back, dragging a hand through his short hair.
“You’ve gone non-comm before, man. We’ve all been down that road. But this time … this time was different. You vanished. For years.” He paused. “We all thought you were going to go dark on us.”
Jinx looked away again, jaw tight. “I was close,” he admitted. “Closer than I’ve ever been.”
Z let that hang for a beat, then spoke softer.
“So, what pulled you back?”
Jinx stared at the floor for a long moment, the jungle's green flickering through his mind, the sound of Eira’s voice, the weight of his son’s small hand wrapped around his finger.
“Someone I never stopped loving. And someone I didn’t know I had.”
Z’s eyes widened slightly. He straightened in his seat.
“Tell me about her. I met her for like ten seconds before Raven loaded them all on the plane.”
Jinx smiled softly. “Her name’s Eira. We were together when I was deep under. I left thinking I was keeping her safe. Turns out I left her pregnant. She didn’t know until after I completed my mission and walked.”
“Damn.” Z ran a hand over his mouth. “Jinx as a daddy. Wasn’t that a slap in the pants? He’s a cute little bugger, too. Looks like his mother, thank God.”
“Yeah.” Jinx’s voice dipped, and he smiled. “His name’s Teo. He’s got her eyes. Her stubbornness, too.”
“No way that’s a coincidence.” A beat passed. “You’re marrying her, right? Giving that boy a dad. It’s fucking important. I know that better than anyone.”
Jinx looked him dead in the eye. “I already said I was.”
A slow smile crept across Z’s face, not mocking, but genuine. Maybe even proud.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Jinx the lone wolf, destroyer of drug lords, and now, a full-time daddy. Next thing you know, you’ll go ranching full-time. I’m going to need a room at your place.”
Jinx actually huffed a short laugh. “Why the hell is that?”
“Oh! I’m buying him a Nerf gun and teaching him how to short-circuit motion sensors by the time he’s five.”
Jinx chuckled softly, then fell quiet again. Z studied him for a moment, then said, voice lower now, serious, “I meant what I said back when we all thought you were gone. The team didn’t just lose a sharp trigger. We lost a brother. You going off-grid … it shook us. It shook me.”
Jinx didn’t respond right away. But the way his posture softened just a little said he heard every word.
“I’m not gone anymore,” he said finally.
“Good.” Z nodded once. “'Cause I need you at my next birthday party. Rook swore he’d bring tequila, and I’m bringing the explosives.” He leaned in. “I want someone sober enough to remember not to blow us all up.”
Jinx looked over and finally smiled. Family, blood, and bond were the most important things in life. “I’ll be there. You have my word.”
CHAPTER 23
The wind rolled low over the open prairie, tugging at the edge of Jinx’s shirt as he stepped out of the black SUV and looked across the land he barely knew as home. His boots crunched the gravel driveway, and the scent of sage and cattle hung heavy in the air. The ranch stretched around him, framed by distant hills and endless sky. He’d bought the place as a sanctuary for lost and mistreated animals, but it had become his sanctuary, too. The peacefulness and separation from the horrors of the world he protected covered him each time he stepped foot on his property.
The small house sat on a rise just past the barn. It was ancient by American standards. Painted white with a wraparound porch that the Macyscared for from where they lived just down the road in a house Jinx had built for them when he’d bought their land. A swing hung from one corner and creaked in the breeze. The sight of it, so ordinary, so untouched by violence and death, made his throat tighten.
His heart was here. His family, the land, and the animals. The simplicity of what made him happy had escaped him for most of his life. Not any longer. He turned to the house and made his way to the door. Jinx hadn’t known what to expect. He’d sent Eira and Teo almost three months ago with nothing but a promise and an escort. The Macys were the quiet, salt-of-the-earth people he liked. They had no tolerance for laziness or cruelty. That was why when he’d purchased their land and home, he’d asked them to stay on and manage the place while he wasn’t around. The house he’d built for them was Mrs. Macy’s dream. A house with new floors and insulated windows. It was a small price to pay for the peace of mind that having them on the property gave him. He paid Mrs. Macy a generous monthly allowance to maintain the house, but she hardly touched it. He chuckled as he remembered the current state of the account. A major dent for women’s clothes and all things Teo. His only regretwas that he wasn’t helping select what to buy for his woman and son.
His little boy. He was a father. The thought made him smile as he passed the porch steps and pushed open the front door.
Warmth met him. A soft, floral scent lingered in the air. A woven blanket of Teo’s he remembered from Venezuela lay folded across the arm of the couch. A few toys were scattered across the floor near a colorful rug he hadn’t bought. And on the mantel … was a photo. He and Eira. The one she’d taken of them together back at the farm in Venezuela after they’d first met. They were sunburned and smiling, and the camera angle was crooked, but it was a good picture. He stared at it, stunned.
