Page 28 of Echoes and Oaths (Guardian Security Dynasty #4)
T he low growl of engines pulled Jinx from his thoughts.
He stood at the edge of the porch, arms loose at his sides, watching as two blacked-out SUVs rolled down the dirt track leading to Eira’s farm.
Dust plumed in the heavy Venezuelan air, wrapping the vehicles in a cloud until they came to a halt in front of the house.
The passenger door to the first SUV opened, and Simón stepped out.
As expected, he wore the uniform of all enforcers.
Crisp khaki pants and a button-down shirt, with the sleeves rolled back.
Of course, mirrored aviators completed the look.
Everything about him said "casual," but Jinx knew better.
That was what Simón had warned him about.
This was his so-called invitation back into the cartel .
Behind Simón, four others fanned out, weapons holstered but hands loose at their sides. Jinx knew they weren’t there to intimidate him, at least, not immediately. They were sent as a reminder that if he didn’t comply, he’d be dead.
Jinx stepped down from the porch.
“Mateo,” Simón called, voice easy. Friendly, even.
So much different than the honest concern the man had spoken to him with at the abandoned ranch.
This was Simón’s persona, a cloak he wore to prevent anyone from seeing the man underneath the pretense.
Jinx knew all about that protective barrier. He’d perfected it.
“Simón,” Jinx answered flatly, standing his ground.
Simón flashed a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Nice place you got here. Quiet.”
With that one comment, Simón had told him that Simón hoped Eira and Teo weren’t around. “Eira and Teo are visiting family.”
“Ah.” Simón’s smile sharpened. “Then you’ve got a minute, hermano.”
The "brother" was almost convincing. Almost. Jinx glanced toward the barn where one of Eira’s cousins was filling the tank with the morning’s milking. His jaw ticked once before he nodded. “Walk with me.”
They moved toward the tree line, far enough for privacy but close enough that the tension stretched between the guards and Jinx like a live wire.
Simón waited until they were out of earshot, then spoke low. “She’s safe?”
“Yes,” Jinx confirmed.
Louder so the men behind them could hear, Simón said, “Boss is excited. You made an impression.” He paused. “Two impressions, actually.”
The men he’d killed at the cantina. Jinx shrugged. “If they don’t know how to treat an animal or a man, they shouldn’t be breathing.”
Simón chuckled under his breath. “They’re not crying about it, trust me. Still …”
He turned slightly, facing Jinx squarely. “We need the formality, Mateo. You understand.”
Jinx’s mouth curled into a humorless smile. “Blood in, blood out.”
Simón nodded. “Exactly.”
He hooked a thumb back toward the SUVs. “We got a place set up. It shouldn’t take long. After that there will be no questions. No doubts.”
Jinx lifted an eyebrow. “And if I say no?”
Simón spread his hands. “Come on, hermano. You won’t. ”
Jinx stared at him for a long moment, then jerked his chin toward the vehicles. “Let’s get it over with.”
Simón’s smile widened. “Knew you were smart.”
Jinx let Simón walk ahead. Instinctively, his mind had already sliced the current situation apart.
He’d counted guards and knew how to use the pistol tucked against his back.
They hadn’t searched him. He'd be a fool if he weren’t carrying at least one weapon.
All the men watching him return to the SUVs knew he was armed.
However, for now, survival meant playing the part of being loyal.
And Mateo was nothing if not loyal. Only his loyalty was to Guardian Security and his family.
The cartel wouldn’t know that until it was too late.
Any test they put in front of him, he would pass.
With the connection between the two brothers now known, going with the cartel’s offer was the only way to get to Tomás’s brother. Tomás would die first. Then Esteban.
The ride was silent.
Simón sat in the back seat with Jinx, pretending to have casual ease, but Jinx could feel the tension vibrating through him.
The other SUV followed close, in case Jinx decided to kill the occupants of the SUV he was in.
He’d seen it happen when he was an enforcer.
The damn fool was drilled full of holes for his trouble.
Whether it was stupidity or nerves, the guy never stood a chance.
Thick country blurred past the windows, the road narrowing the farther they traveled.
After twenty minutes, they turned off onto a whisper of what was once a gravel road.
Jinx’s hand rested lightly on his thigh.
His back was angled toward the door, giving him access to his weapon should he need it, but he made no move for it.
Mateo Rivas was back. The mentality and personality slipped over him like a well-worn garment.
Since Eira and Teo had left that morning, he’d shaken off the last vestige of civil humanity and become that stone-cold killer again.
Killing didn’t bother him. The people who were at that level of the cartel were not innocents.
The SUV rolled to a stop in front of a crumbling hacienda. He could see that it had once been a grand estate. White stucco walls, tiled roof, and wide archways were covered in dirt and weeds. It was a ruin, which was perfect for blood and secrets.
Jinx stepped out of the SUV first, scanning the edges of the property. There were three guards at the gate they’d just entered. Two more were near the entrance of the dying hacienda, and there were probably more inside .
Simón walked around the SUV and stood beside him.
“After you,” Simón said as if they were entering a bar for a drink.
Jinx saw everything. The guards tightened as he walked past and went through the door.
Inside, it was darker, and he slowed his walk a bit to allow his eyes to adjust. The air was thick with mildew and old wood smoke.
Graffiti smeared the walls. Bullet holes peppered the far arch.
As they passed through the entryway, an open courtyard expanded in front of him.
A single chair sat in the center of the tall grass and weeds that had overrun the area.
Tied to the chair was a bruised, bloody man. He recognized him from years ago. He’d worked with him. Drank with him. The man was a bastard of the highest order. He was a rapist, a murderer, and a greedy son of a bitch who would do anything to make a buck.
Jinx’s expression didn’t flicker.
“Luis has gotten greedy,” Simón said. “He was selling information to people who want to dismantle our grip on the area.”
Jinx knew the drill. Because Mateo knew this man, because they thought they had a relationship, Luis was here and offered up for a test of loyalty.
Simón strolled forward, pulling a pistol from his waistband and flipping it in his hand grip-first toward Jinx.
“Your old friend,” Simón said conversationally. “Caught selling intel to the wrong people.”
Jinx took the weapon. The weight was familiar. It was loaded. He could tell by the way it felt in his hand. Jinx looked at Luis, who lifted his head. One eye was swollen shut. His face was a roadmap of bruises, and his lips were cracked and bleeding.
“Mateo,” he croaked. “Good.” He nodded. “Good.”
No plea. No apology. Just recognition of what was to happen. Jinx approached slowly, every step echoing against the broken stones. Simón and the others formed a loose half-circle, giving him space and also ensuring he’d be killed if he didn’t do what was intended.
Jinx stood over Luis, pistol loose in his hand. “You disappoint me,” he said quietly.
Luis’s jaw trembled, and a tear leaked from his good eye. Jinx raised the gun. Any hesitation would be his death. Mateo wouldn’t hesitate. It was what Luis needed, too. Immediate. No more torture. He pulled the trigger. The shot cracked like a whip, echoing in the confines of the small courtyard.
Luis’s head snapped back before his body sagged against the ropes. Silence swallowed the courtyard .
Jinx lowered the pistol and turned back to Simón, handing it over with a clean, steady grip.
Simón grinned, sharp and approving. “Bien hecho,” he said. "Well done."
The others murmured agreement, some nodding. Jinx met Simón’s eyes and smiled.
A cold, feral thing. Simón clapped him on the back. “Welcome home, hermano.”
The others closed in now, looser, friendlier. They were no longer guards but his comrades, his family. Jinx let them believe that, at least for now.
Back at the SUVs, Simón offered a cigarette. Jinx declined. “You’re in, Mateo. No more questions.” Simón leaned in slightly. “The bosses are going to want to meet soon. Big things are coming.”
Jinx just nodded as he calculated Tomás’s next moves.
Esteban was the wild card. He needed intel on the man, and he knew how to get it.
He’d establish his old connections and give Tomás every reason to trust him.
He needed access. He needed to dismantle the organization, both organizations, from the inside.
All he had to do was be Mateo for just a little longer.
Simón opened the door for him like an old friend, and Jinx slid in without a word. The convoy rolled out, engines growling, leaving behind the body, the blood, and the hollow shell of a forgotten estate.
He was deposited back at the farm, and the SUVs departed in the same fashion they’d arrived. In a cloud of dust. He spoke into the air. “Is the farm clear?”
“Yeah, mate. The one guy who was here left in that truck.”
Berserker’s words put a smile on his face. “Z, glad you’re here.”
“Do what you need. I have eyes on the place,” Z said. “I take it you passed whatever test they had for you.”
“Always.” Z knew exactly what he’d just done. Z had been in the position once or twice, too.
“Need anything?”
“I have to make a call. Come up to the house after dark.”