Page 12 of Echoes and Oaths (Guardian Security Dynasty #4)

E ira 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 moon outside.

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 I came 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?

Where had he gone?

What had he been doing?

Why had he left?

Before her mother could voice them, Eira lifted a hand. “I don’t know,” she said quietly. “I don’t have the answers to the questions you want to ask. All I know is … he’s back. He sought me out tonight. I told him Teo was his.”

Her mother blinked, her lips parting in surprise.

“And he said he’s going to stay … if we don’t leave with him.”

Her mother’s brow furrowed. “You’d leave me?” The question was thin and worried.

Eira shook her head quickly. “No, Mom. That’s not what I’m saying. He said he wanted all of us, you, me, and Teo, to go with him. After he finishes whatever it is he’s doing here.”

Her mother’s frown deepened. “What work?”

“I don’t know,” Eira admitted softly. “I don’t know exactly what he’s involved in, but … he said he still loves me.”

Her mother scoffed bitterly, the sound sharp in the quiet room. “Then why did he leave?”

Again, Eira shook her head, her throat tight. “He said it was for my safety. That he left because he loved me … because he wanted me to be safe.”

Her mother stood abruptly, moving into the kitchen without another word. She busied herself with the tea, filling the silence with the clink of mugs and the soft whistle of the kettle heating on the stove.

Eira watched her, knowing her mother’s need to occupy her hands when her mind wouldn’t stop racing. When the tea was ready, her mother returned and handed Eira a chipped ceramic mug. They sat in silence, the weight of everything hanging heavy between them.

Finally, her mother spoke, her voice quiet but firm. “Do you still love him?”

The question landed like a punch to her chest. The pain she felt roared to the forefront of her mind.

Tears formed and fell as Eira stared into her tea, the steam curling upward.

“Mom …” she began, her voice raw. “When I saw him tonight, I thought my prayers had been answered. I love him. I’ve always loved him. ”

She paused and swallowed hard, the ache in her throat sharp and deep.

“But now I know … without question … that the kind, gentle man I knew is also a killer. And the question I have to ask myself is, do I want Teo to grow up with a killer for a father? Do I trust a man who left without a word? How can I trust again?”

They sat together in the darkness, the faint glow of the kitchen lantern casting long shadows across the small living room. The night outside pressed close, a symphony of distant crickets and the occasional low call of a dairy cow echoing beyond the walls.

Eira cradled her mug between her hands, the tea now lukewarm, but she barely noticed. Her mind leaped from one thought to the next in a vicious, relentless cycle.

Across from her, her mother cleared her throat and set her empty cup down on the scarred wooden table. “I should ask you something, Eira,” she said quietly.

Eira glanced at her, bracing. When her mother said she “should” do something, it was impactful and usually uncomfortable.

Her mother’s eyes were steady but soft, her voice careful. “I should ask you … did Mateo ever treat you badly?”

The question lodged like a stone in Eira’s throat.

She swallowed reflexively, trying to dislodge the emotion.

Her mother continued, her tone gentle but pointed.

“Now that you know for certain who he really is … when you look back at the life he gave you, those years you were together, do you think he would ever treat you the way a killer treats his enemies? Would he raise a hand to you? Hurt you in any way … other than leaving you without knowing what happened to him?”

Eira frowned, her heart clenching painfully. She didn’t even have to think. “No, Mom,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “Never.” Her mother nodded, her gaze never leaving Eira’s.

“But I have to think of Teo,” Eira whispered, the words catching in her throat.

Her mother leaned forward and reached out, resting a warm, steady hand on Eira’s knee .

“There are so many children in this world without fathers,” she said softly, her voice growing rough with emotion. “Because of those damn drugs.”

Her voice cracked, and Eira’s eyes snapped to her in shock. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard her mother curse. Her mom swallowed hard and kept going. “If Mateo is the man you knew … if he is willing to take you and Teo and me away from all this death and devastation … then we go.”

Eira’s breath stuttered, her pulse thudding in her ears. “But, Mom, what about the aunts and uncles? What about our family?”

Her mother gave a tired, weary shrug. “They’ll take over the dairy here. They’ll understand. They’d say the same thing I’m saying now. If there’s a chance to leave … if there’s a chance to prosper … and if there’s even the smallest chance at love for you, Eira … we take it.”

Eira let out a shaky breath, her heart twisting painfully.

She murmured. “But, Mom, I feel so violated . I feel like he walked away from something I never would’ve walked away from.

How do I trust him again?” She shook her head, the emotion rising sharp and hot in her throat.

“I don’t know if I can allow him to redeem himself.

How can he possibly fix what he did? How can I ever know that once he has us he won’t leave again?

How can I ever be sure?” Of all the things that screamed through her mind right now, that was one of the loudest. He’d left them.

By choice. He’d walked away and stayed away until he was sent back.

Would he have returned without that direction?

Her mother stood without answering, gathering their teacups and carrying them back into the kitchen. The faint sound of running water filled the silence as she rinsed them and set them on the drying rack.

Then she crossed the room and turned down the lantern, casting the house in deeper shadows.

When she came back, she stopped in front of Eira and looked at her daughter, her voice soft but certain. “I suppose I should ask you one more question,” she said quietly. “How will you live if you don’t give him the chance?”

“How will I live if he leaves us again?” The whispered words dropped between them.

Forgiving him? She could do that. Eventually.

Trusting him? She may never be able to do that again.

Trusting him with not only her heart, but Teo’s, too?

She closed her eyes, and a tear dropped over her cheek. “How, Mom?”

“I can’t answer that. It is a question for you only.” Her mother quietly slipped back into her room, the soft click of the door closing sounding louder in the stillness of the house. The faint light beneath the door disappeared, leaving Eira alone in the darkness.

She exhaled shakily and let her head fall back against the worn cushion of the couch, her eyes closing as the weight of everything pressed down on her chest.

“I don’t know,” she whispered into the silence, her voice fragile, breaking at the edges.

And she didn’t. She didn’t know how she would live if she sent him away without giving him the chance to prove he loved her, or without letting him show that his leaving had been an act of protection, not abandonment.

What he’d done, the choices he’d made, had been born from love and not neglect.

Her throat tightened, her heart aching under the storm of doubt and hope swirling inside her. Dear God … what was the next step?