Page 14 of Echoes and Oaths (Guardian Security Dynasty #4)

E ira brushed her hands off on her jeans, her fingers rough from a morning’s work.

The scent of hay and dust clung to her skin, mixing with the faint, sweet tang of the dairy cows she’d just finished turning out to pasture after their morning milking.

The sun blazed overhead, burning through the hazy blue sky, and the dry breeze carried a cloud of dust swirling up from the road below.

She paused at the top of the hill, her eyes flicking back toward the small farmhouse nestled in the fold of the valley.

Inside, without question, her mother would be with Teo.

It was naptime by now. The soft lull of the afternoon seemed almost peaceful, but tension coiled in Eira’s stomach like a tightened spring .

Today, Ortega’s men were supposed to come to pick up the dog she’d nursed back to health. It was a simple transaction on the surface. But nothing was simple anymore.

The sound of approaching engines drew her attention, and she frowned when the convoy of sleek, black SUVs didn’t appear as expected.

Instead, an old, battered Land Cruiser rumbled around the bend and rolled to a stop before her, dust billowing around the tires.

Her heart stopped.

The driver’s door opened, and Mateo stepped out.

Eira’s knees nearly buckled beneath her.

For the last two days, she’d convinced herself that night had been a fever dream.

Or maybe a nightmare conjured by old memories and fear.

But no, there he was, solid and real and impossibly larger than life.

The sunlight fell across his face, carving sharp lines across his cheekbones and jaw.

His broad shoulders, thick thighs, and lean, powerful frame seemed even more imposing than she remembered.

He radiated danger and control like a weapon honed to perfection.

How had she not seen the danger etched in the man? He towered over most Venezuelan nationals, but then again … so did she. Her father’s Scandinavian blood had given her height, which had always set her apart, but she felt small standing before him.

The passenger door creaked open, and Eira’s eyes shot to the movement.

Her stomach dipped unexpectedly when a woman stepped out.

Tall, lean, graceful, and beautiful. Immediately, Eira’s guard went up.

She felt something sharp sliding beneath her skin.

Competition. It was ridiculous. She barely had time to register the woman’s presence before her brain threw that word into her head.

Why would she even think that? But the thought clung to her. Why was she there?

Mateo stopped in front of her, close enough for her to feel the heat rolling off his body. She tilted her chin back, staring into eyes that had haunted her for years.

"So, you weren’t a dream," she murmured, voice low and brittle.

He shook his head once. "I told you, I’m back." His voice still had that same smooth edge, the one that cracked something open inside her. He glanced around. "Is there someplace we can talk?"

Eira swallowed hard, nerves prickling beneath her skin. "Ortega’s men will be here sometime today to pick up the dog," she said quietly, nodding toward the hospital building. "If you can make it quick, we can talk there."

Without hesitation, Mateo moved to open the door for her, and she brushed past him, the woman following a step behind.

Inside, the cool dimness offered a moment’s reprieve from the relentless sun. "Eira, this is Raven," Mateo said simply. "She’s a coworker of mine."

Eira folded her arms across her chest and focused on the woman. "Coworker?" She arched a brow, suspicion tightening her mouth. "Do you do what he does?"

The woman smiled. The gesture was sharp, cool, and not at all friendly.

"Someone might say that’s not a nice thing to ask.

" When she looked directly at Eira, the woman’s eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

They were cold. Dead. Like nothing behind them could be saved.

"I’m here to protect you," Raven continued.

"And to protect Teo. Mateo’s going to do what he has to do to ensure this mission is complete. "

Then, like flipping a switch, Raven’s face softened. She blinked a few times and offered Eira a smile. It was calculated but friendly. "Unless, of course, he can convince you to leave the country with me. "

Eira’s breath caught in her throat. She looked from the woman to Mateo, her heart thudding painfully. "Leave?" she echoed. "Why would I leave?"

Mateo growled at his coworker, "I thought we would let me broach that subject?”

“Meh, I can’t keep a secret. You know that.” Raven sighed.

He ignored the woman and turned to her. “You can leave now to protect Teo," Mateo answered quietly, stepping closer to her. His presence was a wall she couldn’t get around. "There’s going to be a war soon. One I’m going to start …

and finish. It’ll be dangerous. You, your mom, and Teo should leave. "

Before she could stop him, he reached for her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers. His grip was firm, unyielding like he feared she might disappear if he let go.

Eira tried to pull her hand away, but he didn’t release her immediately.

The warmth of his touch scorched her skin, spreading up her arm and settling deep in her chest. She finally managed to tug free, stepping back.

Her hands rubbed her arms as she turned away from him, needing distance, needing air.

"How do you think you’d react if you were in my situation?" she asked quietly, voice sharp and brittle around the edges. Her entire world was brittle around the edges right now. As if one more surprise could splinter her reality further than it had already been fractured.

Raven cut in before Mateo could answer, her tone flat. "Hopefully, with some semblance of intelligence. He’s telling you it’s not safe, for you, your child, or your mother. Let that sink in."

Mateo made a small disapproving sound in his throat and glanced toward Raven. Without speaking, he nodded toward the door. Raven rolled her eyes dramatically, sighed, and flounced out without another word.

The air between them felt heavier when she was gone.

"I don’t want you in danger," Mateo said, voice softer now. "I don’t want your mother or Teo to be in danger. I’ve arranged a way for you to leave."

Eira shook her head, her throat tight, her arms folded protectively around herself. "I can’t trust you," she whispered. "You’ll abandon us in some other country … somewhere we know nothing, with no one to help us."

Her heart pounded, the weight of everything unsaid hanging like a storm between them .

"You know I wouldn’t do that," Mateo said quietly.

The audacity of the statement struck her so hard that Eira barked out a bitter laugh. It echoed too loud in the quiet space between them.

"You don’t know what I know, Mateo," she snapped, shaking her head.

"All I know is that I thought we had something perfect.

And then you left. No warning. No message.

No indication whether you were alive or dead.

You disappeared." Her voice cracked, but she powered through. "You left. And I can’t, no, I won’t trust you. "

He sighed and tried to change her mind using her son. "Even with Teo’s welfare on the line?"

Oh, hell no. He didn’t get to play worried dad.

"Especially with Teo’s welfare," she bit out and planted her hands on her hips, her stance defiant, a warrior mother staring down the man who’d broken her.

"Don’t you understand?" she said, her voice trembling beneath the anger. "For the last two years, that child, the child who grew in me, who I bore and raised, has been my entire life. I’ve poured every ounce of myself into this place. Every waking hour, every drop of sweat and blood to make this farm something. Something Teo could be proud of." She took a breath, swallowing the lump in her throat. " Am I worried about what’s coming? Of course . Am I worried that your damn war will affect us? Yes . But this farm matters. My milk makes cheese that feeds the people here. My chickens lay eggs, and they’re slaughtered to feed the people around us. Are those people cartel? Yes . Do they pay me? Yes . Is it because Ortega’s watching over me?

Probably. But at least someone was watching over me.

" Her voice broke then, her fury finally bleeding into pain.

"Where were you, Mateo?" Her anger filled the room, heavy as the humid air pressing through the thin windows.

Mateo hung his head, rubbing the back of his neck as if the words physically struck him. "Eira … you can’t know how my heart bleeds, how sorry I am for the mistakes I’ve made."

She threw her hands in the air. "Oh, well, that makes everything better! An apology. That’s all it takes, right?

Of course, I’ll do whatever you tell me because I’m still the same girl you left.

I’m still the same innocent idiot who believed you loved her.

" Her voice dropped, hardening into something jagged. "But I’m not that girl anymore. I’m not trusting.

I don’t know you. You’ve proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I don’t know who you really are.

" She sucked in a shaky breath and met his eyes. "You say you want to protect me? I don’t know that. Maybe you just want to get rid of me so you and that woman can do whatever you want. I saw her eyes. She’s a killer. Just like you."

Mateo sat heavily on the edge of the examination table, the years and weight of his decisions etched into the lines of his face.

"I’m going into town today," he said quietly. "I’m going to start a war. It might not reach you, but I won’t take that chance.

Raven will stay here. She’ll protect you. She’ll protect Teo and your mother."

Eira crossed her arms, her eyes burning into his. "And what if I say no?"

He met her gaze without flinching. "Then she’ll wait in the shadows. She’ll watch the edges of this place. And if you need her, she’ll be here."

From the other side of the door, Raven’s voice floated through, dry as ever. "I don’t think I’d like that too much."

Mateo shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration riding him hard.

"Eira," he said, voice rough. "If you ever loved me, let Raven stay here and protect you. I’m not asking as a soldier. I’m asking as the man who loves you and never stopped.

If you ever felt anything real for me, please let me protect you, your mother, and my son. "

The sheer gall of the man hit her like a slap. "If I ever loved you ?" she repeated, incredulous. "The unmitigated nerve?—"

Before she could unleash the storm building inside her, Raven opened the door and stuck her head in.

"Dude, that was absolutely the wrong thing to say," Raven announced as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. She leveled her gaze at Eira. "Look, I know Mateo is complete shit when it comes to relationships. And no, not because we have one." She waved a dismissive hand. "He’s like a brother to me. I don’t find him sexually interesting at all. He’s just a big, broody hunk of muscle who’s not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. "

Eira's lips twitched despite herself at the shock of the woman’s words.

"But here’s the sitch," Raven continued without missing a beat. "He loved you so much … he left you. I know, stupid. I told him so. And for the record, none of us knew about you. Not one of us. Not until last week."

Raven crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

"I’m the only woman on his team. And no, I’m not involved with any of them, sexually or romantically.

They’re my family. They keep me alive, and I keep them alive.

Big lunk-headed brothers." Her gaze softened for a brief moment. "But I’ve known this man for ten years. I’ve seen him kill without hesitation.

I’ve seen him walk through hell without flinching.

But when he returned from that mission …

something in him had been broken. A part of him was ripped away.

You ." She glanced at Mateo, then back at Eira. "He’s been suffering every damn day since because he wasn’t here with you.

Because he thought it would protect you if he stayed away. "

She paused, and when she began speaking again, her voice was quieter, razor-sharp.

"Yeah, I know it sucks for you, too, sweetheart. But he stayed away because he loved you. That’s the bare truth.

What he does, this war, the violence, that’s his job.

And he’s damn good at it. But it’s not who he is when it comes to you.

" She turned on her heel without waiting for a reply, slamming the door behind her as she left. Silence filled the room like a vacuum.

Eira blinked, staring at the door, then slowly turned back to Mateo. "Okay," she said finally, her voice quieter. "I believe you don’t have a relationship with her. That’s obvious."

A small smile ghosted across Mateo’s mouth, the tension easing from his shoulders.

"She’s …" Eira added, unable to stop herself. "Loud. Ballsy. And pretty damn obnoxious."

He laughed, and the sound slipped past her defenses, making her stomach twist in ways she didn’t want to acknowledge. After a long moment, she breathed and looked at him, her heart still raw.

"She can stay," Eira said softly. "If things start to get bad, if this war you’re about to declare starts creeping toward us, I’ll send Teo and my mother with her."

She paused, her gaze locking with his.

"But understand this, Mateo. When you returned, you said you were here to stay and never stopped loving me. Prove it. Show me the truth in your words, or leave now and never come back."

Before he could answer, she turned on her heel and marched out the door back toward the barn. Her steps were stiff, her hands shaking as she grabbed a pitchfork and began shoveling manure and straw out of the milking area like her life depended on it.

Tears burned behind her eyes, hot and angry, blurring her vision. She didn’t hear his footsteps until his boots were beside hers. Without a word, Mateo wrapped his arms around her from behind, folding her against his chest like he could somehow hold her together.

Dear God, the warmth. The strength. The protection. The scent of sweat, hay, and the man she’d loved and sometimes hated in equal measure broke her.

Standing there in the middle of a cow barn, Eira let herself fall apart.

All the pain. All the anger. All the confusion.

Her loneliness and fear fell in each crystal drop of tears.

Tears she hadn’t shed when he went missing.

Tears she hadn’t shed when Teo was born without his father.

Tears she refused to shed because she’d had to be strong.

For too many reasons, she cracked open and let all the emotion out.

And the man she had never stopped loving held her while she did.