Page 16 of Echoes and Oaths (Guardian Security Dynasty #4)

Jinx scrubbed a hand over his face and exhaled roughly.

He stepped back, pacing, breathing in humid, heavy air.

He felt like he’d just taken a hit to the gut.

Stopping, he met her gaze and spoke, his voice stripped bare.

"This is the absolute truth," he said quietly.

"I loved you, Eira. I still do. I tried to shield you from the ugliness I had to become. I didn’t want you to see the monster I had to be to survive, to do what needed to be done.

" His throat worked as he swallowed hard.

"I walked away because I thought none of my deeds would ever come back to haunt you. I thought leaving would protect you. "

He let out a bitter breath, shaking his head.

"I didn’t know about Teo. I had no idea Ortega had taken over.

I didn’t know you were caught in this hell.

" His voice dropped, rough and low. "I walked away, and I tried so damn hard to forget you. I told myself it was the only way to keep you safe." He paused, voice softening. "Yes, I’m a killer. But I don’t eliminate people for the joy of it. I take out monsters. I work for governments of this world, and I’m here to remove two of the biggest monsters on this continent. "

His gaze bore into hers, steady and unwavering.

"But I can’t do that if I’m worried about you.

About Teo. About whether you’ll survive the war I’m about to start.

I need you safe, Eira, so I can concentrate on finishing this …

so we can both walk away." He took a step closer. "If you want to stay here afterward, I’ll stay. If you want to leave, I’ll take you anywhere.

America, Europe, any country you choose. I’ll follow you."

His voice broke with the next words. "I can’t imagine my life without you.

" Eira released a shaky breath and walked away from him, her footsteps echoing in the quiet barn.

She rubbed her arms, her fingers trailing over the goose bumps on her skin, then leaned back against the rough wooden wall.

" I’ve changed, Mateo," she said, her voice soft but steady.

"I don’t know if the woman I am now is someone who can still love you. "

Her words hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest. He crossed the distance between them and stopped a few feet away, his hands flexing at his sides.

"That doesn’t matter, Eira," he said quietly. "If I’ve ruined our love, it doesn’t change anything. I will still take care of you. Of Teo. Of your mother. I’ll never abandon you again."

She glanced at him, her lips curving in a small, bitter smile.

"Words are cheap, Mateo."

Outside, the oppressive heat of the Venezuelan lowlands clung to the air, thick and suffocating. In the distance, the distant boom of thunder rolled across the horizon, a storm gathering over the jungle just past the foothills. But between them, the storm had already arrived.

"Not mine," Jinx said, his voice low but unwavering. "My words are filled with absolute truth. I will never lie to you again, by omission or otherwise."

Though Eira’s gaze softened, the shadows of doubt still lingered in her eyes. She glanced toward the door, her expression guarded. "Your friend can stay. But where will you be staying?"

Jinx closed the distance between them slowly and carefully as if approaching a wounded animal. He took her hands in his, cradling them gently in his. "I would like to stay here," he said quietly. "With you and Teo."

Her big brown eyes lifted to his, and he saw the flicker of old memories, the wariness tangled with longing.

"Things can’t return to how they were, Mateo."

He shook his head. "I’m not asking for that. I’m asking for a chance to get to know you again. To know my son."

The afternoon light slanted through the barn’s wooden planks, casting stripes of gold across her face, across the dust motes dancing in the humid air between them. Outside, a cicada hummed loudly, a sharp, electric buzz accompanying the tension in the air.

"When things start to happen," Jinx continued, "I need you to trust me. And I need you to trust Raven."

Her brow furrowed at the mention of his partner, but she didn’t speak.

"I need you to understand something," he added softly. "It might take months before I’m able to finish what I came here to do, perhaps longer. But maybe … during that time … I can show you that my love never stopped. And maybe you’ll let yourself trust me with your heart again."

Before she could respond, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. A kiss so light and tentative it felt like a question. Because it was; he was begging for a chance. One more chance. He wouldn’t screw it up this time. When he pulled away, her eyes fluttered open, wide and uncertain.

"I’ve missed you so much," she whispered. "And I’m so confused, Mateo. I don’t know what to do, feel or what to think. One minute, I’m so angry. The next, I’m crying, and I miss you so much. I don’t know how to feel."

His thumb traced gently over the back of her hand.

"Until you do," he murmured. "Until you trust me again, we’ll protect you. I love you, mi amor. Just give me a chance."

Eira’s lips curved slightly, almost reluctantly.

"A chance? A chance to prove you are here for me because you love me, not just because of your mission? That will take a lot of work. Nothing in this life is easy, and gaining my trust will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.

Prove your words, Mateo," she said. " That is your only chance. "

As a weight lifted slightly off his shoulders, he nodded, swallowing past the knot in his throat.

"That’s all I ask."

She stepped back, her smile sharpening with a hint of mischief.

"Now," she said, "you need to go talk to my mom."

The relief that had settled in his chest vanished like smoke in the wind.

Jinx groaned. "So much for relief."