Page 13 of Echoes and Oaths (Guardian Security Dynasty #4)

T he old wooden door creaked as it swung open, revealing Raven stepping onto the small porch.

The heavy evening mist rolled over the green hills, and the humid air clung to everything like a second skin.

Raven's lips curved in a grin as she glanced down and crouched, scratching behind the ears of the scruffy little dog glued to Jinx’s side.

She shook her head and chuckled. "Jinx, how the hell do you keep finding animals?"

Jinx leaned back against the doorframe, a lazy, amused glint in his eyes. "They find me," he said simply. "They always do."

The small dog shoved himself closer to Jinx’s thigh, tail wagging furiously, his tiny body vibrating with uncontainable joy .

Raven snorted. "You’ve got that damn animal magnetism even with strays." She reached down, scooped the mutt into her arms, and cooed at him. "Oh my gosh, you're such a cutie."

The dog’s tail whipped faster, spinning like a helicopter rotor about to lift off, while his big brown eyes stared up at her like she was the best thing in the world.

Raven glanced down at Jinx, her eyebrow raised. "This one just might come home with me."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and disappeared back inside, cradling the little dog like a baby.

Jinx pushed off the doorframe, stretching his long frame before following her into the small house.

The safe house was tucked deep in the Venezuelan hills, far enough from prying eyes but close enough to danger.

Inside, Raven rifled through a crate and pulled out a can of meat, feeding the dog straight from her fingers while Jinx splashed cold water over his face at the rusted basin in the corner. Outside, the cicadas hummed, the damp jungle pressing against the house like a living thing.

Giving him the time to finish washing in private, Raven had taken the dog outside to let him relieve himself. When she returned, the puppy practically glued himself to her heels.

No question about it, the damn thing was going home with her.

Jinx dropped into one of the battered wooden chairs at the small table. Together, they cracked open several cans of food, making do with whatever supplies he’d stockpiled. Raven, for her part, continued to sneak the puppy bites from her fingers like a doting mother.

It should’ve felt like a simple camp meal, but Jinx’s mind churned beneath the surface, locked on things far deadlier than their quiet meal.

He tapped the comm device in his ear. "Brando, are you there?"

"I’m always here," Brando replied, a chuckle rolling through the line. "What do you need?"

"I need information on every single one of Ortega’s enforcers. I want to know who’s in his inner circle. I want names, faces, ranks, and how long they’ve been with him. I want to know everything."

"Already working on it. Figured you’d want a full dossier before you walked into that hornet’s nest."

Raven tapped her earpiece, her voice smooth and purposeful. "Can you get that intel on the military unit? "

Brando sighed. "I might be able to scrape together some information, but those people are ghosts. They keep to themselves. Getting pictures or matching names to faces won’t be easy without it."

"I can get pictures," Raven said without hesitation. "I can go back to the same spot we were yesterday. I can get close enough with the telescopic lens."

She glanced over at Jinx, a brow lifted in silent question.

He gave her a nod. "Do it tomorrow. While you’re snapping shots, I’ll get things situated here and talk to Eira about what’s coming the following day.

” He had to clean his weapons; take stock of what ammo remained; find his other stockpiles throughout the area; and refresh, clean, and ready those stashes.

Raven grinned, sharp and confident. "Child’s play." She looked down at the small dog and talked to him in baby talk, which got her the helicopter tail wag.

Brando’s voice returned. "Fury wanted you to call once you were able to talk."

Jinx flicked a glance toward Raven. "Call him now."

"Hold the line."

Thirty seconds later, Fury’s voice grated over the comms. "Jinx, what’s your initial plan? "

Jinx rubbed his chin, staring out the cracked window at the stars populating the heavens.

"I need to make a statement," he said quietly. "A clear one. Something that leaves no doubt about my lethal tendencies. I’ve asked Brando to get me a full rundown of Ortega’s enforcers. I’ll choose wisely.

" Someone was going to die to make his statement. He’d try to pick the one who deserved it the most.

A pause stretched over the line. Then Fury’s voice came back, sharp as ever. "Are you planning on joining forces with Ortega immediately?"

Jinx shook his head, even though Fury couldn’t see him.

"No. If we’re bringing down Ortega and the Ghost, I plan to stay rogue until both come to me with offers.

Playing one against the other as much as I can to draw out the two bastards.

" A thought sparked in his mind. “A third contending for dominance in the area would stir the pot. Have Brando fill the time between with financial success and ties to as many people they would admire as possible. People we can manipulate or alter communications to show I’m a force to be reckoned with. A small army allegedly coming back to Venezuela after me wouldn’t hurt. ”

"That’ll put you in a dangerous spot," Fury warned. "Not having an allegiance to one of them is a death sentence in their world."

Jinx nodded grimly. "It will. But I know these people. I know how they operate. The fact that I won’t immediately pledge loyalty will make them nervous. That uncertainty will ripple through both factions. I want them watching me, questioning me. The pressure may force them to show their hands."

"We need to come up with a name for those military assholes," Raven muttered. "They’re not military, no matter what they call themselves."

"Fine. Those assholes work for me." Fury scoffed.

Brando chuckled in the background. "That’ll look great in my reports."

Jinx glanced over at Raven and smiled. She was sitting cross-legged at the table, the tiny black-haired mutt curled up in her lap, licking her fingers as she slipped him bits of food from her plate.

One small ear was pointed up, the other dipped down.

Its only coloring was a white splotch of hair on the tip of his nose.

For a moment, despite the looming danger, despite the weight of the plan spinning in his head, there was something almost peaceful about the scene.

Raven could be the girl next door. Not in a million years would anyone believe she was an assassin …

and that thought brought him back to the problem at hand.

"I need to protect Eira and her family," Jinx said quietly, his voice rough with the weight of responsibility pressing on his chest. "And to do that, I might have to make more than one statement." If someone messed with her, he’d have to show his possession.

"You have authorization to get this mission done. You know the requirements.” Fury’s voice came back over the comm, cool and precise. “Minimal collateral damage. Get it done."

Brando interjected without missing a beat.

"For what it’s worth, Fury, I’ve been digging.

Not one of the people working for Ortega qualifies as innocent.

Most have multiple murders under their belts.

Some of them are sadists, pure and simple.

If any of these bastards were operating in the United States, Guardian would seriously consider letting the Shadows loose on home soil. "

"I don’t doubt it for a second," Fury replied. "The world’s changed in the last twenty-five years, but bad people are still seeping up through the pits of hell. The monsters of this world have evolved … and so have we."

Raven’s voice cut in dry and sharp. "Yeah, that’s why working alone isn’t always the best way to eliminate these assholes anymore. It’s not like back in the day."

Fury’s evil laugh echoed over the line, gravelly and amused. "Back in the day? It seems to me I’m still in the day. Anytime you want to haul your ass back to the Rose and try your hand, just say the word."

Raven snorted. "Like I’m that stupid? No, thank you very much. I’ll stay right here in Venezuela with my puppy."

A beat of silence stretched over the line before Fury’s voice dropped, tinged with dry amusement. "You already starting a menagerie, Jinx?"

Jinx sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey, I’ve been here almost a week. I was just sitting outside, minding my business. He came to me."

"And I’m keeping him," Raven said firmly, scratching behind the dog’s ears. "He’s the cutest damn thing."

Fury snorted. "You do realize we’re not an animal transport service, right?"

"Why no, I hadn’t," Raven replied sweetly, her tone full of snark. "Thanks for the update."

Fury’s voice turned serious again. "Jinx, good luck with her and the puppy. Keep me informed. Daily reports. And I’m not talking about the number of animals you accrue. The Rose is clear.”

“I’m still online,” Brando said. “And just so you know, you really shouldn’t mess with him. My brother Con tried that once. It wasn’t pretty. They still don’t get along, but they tolerate each other."

Raven’s eyebrows shot up. "Not pretty? What kind of not pretty?"

"Mothers were involved. As in both of their moms." Brando chuckled darkly.

"That’s never good."

Raven nodded her head in agreement. "No doubt."

Jinx steered them back to the mission, his voice hardening. "Brando, when can you get me that information?"

"I should have it all compiled by morning. And I’ll forward the request about the cover story. You need to get some sleep."

Raven leaned back in her chair, the puppy still curled contentedly in her lap. "I’ll get as many pictures as I can tomorrow. Then I’ll meet you back here tomorrow night." She was looking straight at Jinx as she spoke.

“Upload those photos, and I’ll process them as soon as I get them. It’ll give me more time to scrub the not-so-useful Venezuelan government’s databases for matches."

"You got it," Raven confirmed.

“Don’t forget the airport and points of entry for those pictures, Brando. I don’t think many of the people we saw in that camp were homegrown,” Jinx added. "The day after tomorrow, we’ll head to Eira’s place. I’ll explain everything to her, and you’ll stay with her."

Raven lifted her gaze to his, reading the tight lines around his eyes. "You sure she’ll want me there?"

"She will," Jinx said quietly, his throat tightening. "She will if she believes Teo is in danger." Which he would be. Fuck, he hated the situation. “I’ll ask her to leave the country before this starts. Brando, prepare a transport out of here in case she agrees.”

“Do you think she will?” Raven asked.

“No.” Eira didn’t have a reason to trust him or anything he told her at that point.

She was a proud woman who’d built a business during a drug war, which was difficult in a country filled with patriarchal and misogynistic stereotypes.

She wasn’t a fainting flower, and she’d only leave to ensure Teo was safe.

He’d repeatedly play that card when he took Raven to her place.

If they were out of danger, things would be easier … for him.

When Brando cleared the comms, the quiet hum of the Venezuelan night settled over the house. Both Raven and Jinx tapped their earpieces, muting them.

Raven spoke first, her voice softer now, carrying weight behind the words. "You know I’ve got your back on this."

Jinx glanced at her, nodding once, the jungle night pressing around them, heavy with the scent of rain and distant woodsmoke. "I know. And that’s the only reason I’m going forward with this mission."

Outside, the crickets started their night song, unaware of the war quietly brewing.