Page 235 of Hate to Love You

“What other reason?” Pasha asks.

“Cillian has something I don’t have,” I breathe. “He has people who are good with money.”

My brother snorts, and opens his mouth to say something but I continue.

“I’m talking about accountants or investment portfolios. I mean people who can read the market and oppositional weakness as a whole investment. Cillian has a lot of kin.”

“Yeah, but I mean, so do we, Roman,” Pasha says sarcastically.

“But they function as a single unit,” I say, grabbing his shoulder and pointing at him. “We don’t. And we need to, or we won’t survive the next decade.”

Pasha stares at me, his eyes scanning mine for potential misdirection, but finding none.

“So…what do you want me to do with Jaxon Pace?” He finally says.

“Learn,” I say, squeezing his shoulder. “Learn everything.”

“Roman,” Pasha rolls his eyes. “Come on. He’s not that much older than you. What the fuck does he know that you—”

“Alot” I say, waiting until his eyes find mine. “When I was your age, I spent a little time with the Pace Family. I watched how they operate and how it gives them an advantage in more than just muscle. And muscle is all we have right now.”

“I mean, muscle is good,” Pasha shrugs. “It might’ve been all father could teach us, but it’s not nothing.”

“It’s not everything either. And unlike us, Jaxon had a father who wasn’t a total sociopath, one who taught him business and how to diversify his assets…as well as his weaknesses. Which is exactly what we need to do. Or we will die. All of us.”

Pasha stares back at me, without saying anything, but at least he’s not fighting me, or trying to run.

“Look, I’ve discussed it with Jaxon, and despite you shooting Wesley, he’s willing to take you under his instruction and show you what he knows, which is a hell of a lot more than I ever got. Especially from dad. Which means at the very least, you’ll be able to help me be…better than he was.”

I watch as my brother’s hesitance fades ever so slightly, replaced by the smallest flicker of honor.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I grab him and pull him into another tight hug.

“I know you don’t want to do this. But I need you to do this for me, brother,” I whisper. “Because I need to keep you safe, but I also need to keep everyone safe. And despite what I tell everyone, I’m not a God, and I can’t be everywhere at once. I need someone watching my back…even from myself. So, please, do this for me. Go to Chicago, go learn what I didn’t have the opportunity to learn all those years ago, and come back here and help me keep this family safe, okay?”

After what feels like an eternity, I feel my brother nod, and my chest finally releases.

However, twenty minutes later, after watching Pasha board the Pace jet, and watching Ana practically sob herself into a migraine, all I can do is hope that I just sent my brother to the safest corner of the world…and not to his death.

Chapter Thirty-Six

ABBY

Standing in silence we watch as the Pace plane, with Pasha aboard, slowly gets smaller and smaller in the distance.

“Where next then, Boss?” I say, forcing Roman back into the now.

“Let’s go,” he mutters.

He whistles loudly, and Caesar, who had been sitting with Ana, trying to comfort her, comes bounding over to us.

I take a step in the direction of the car we arrived in, only for Roman to grab my arm and pull me back.

Reading the look on my face, he smirks.

“We switch cars a lot.”

“Fucking rich people,” I mutter with a smile, shaking my head at him.