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“Iamthinking of Paxton,” Roman growled. “I’malwaysthinking of Paxton, and don’t you dare to try to tell me that I’m not.” He got the car keys out of his pocket.

Dean was staring at him with a look of apprehension. Fear.

“Look,” Roman began with a sigh. “I split up from him before the explosion happened in Yveswich. Shit went sideways while we were apart, and he could have been killed. I’m not about to have a repeat of that shit and risk losing him again. Now are you coming or not?” He grabbed his last bag—the one that was too big to fit in the back seat—and walked around to the back of the car.

Dean followed. “I get where you’re coming from, Roman—I understand.”

Roman popped the trunk. The space was small—barely big enough for this one bag. That was the downside to sports cars. It was either no trunk, or one too small to really fit anything into.

Dean continued, “But your dad doesn’t even know about this place.” He gestured to Heaven’s Gate, golden light spilling out of windows onto the dark lawn. “This is the safest place for him.”

“The safest place for him is with me,” Roman countered. He dumped the bag into the trunk and slammed it shut.

“Can we just hit pause for a second and talk this through?—”

Roman rounded on his uncle. “You arenotgoing to try to tell me what to do,” he hissed.

“I’m not?—”

“No offense, Dean, but you haven’t even been a part of our lives in fuckingyears.Years.”Dean winced, but Roman didn’tlet up. “I’m not about to just let you, someone who couldn’t even be bothered with us up until—what, two days ago?—step in and make decisions for me as if you know anything aboutmylife.” He jabbed himself in the chest.

“Roman, come on—please?—”

“I’ve heard enough. If you want to come help, come help. If not, stay out of my way.”

He got into the car without another word. He fired up the engine and left, not waiting for Dean to get into his own car. Not looking in the rear-view mirror—at the sight of his uncle standing in the yard, staring after him in defeat.

“Everything okay?” Shay asked.

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” he said. But his blood was hot, and his heart was pounding.

The gates swung open, and he drove through them, the security spells washing across the car.

He knew Dean made sense, knew he was only trying to help, but?—

Roman refused to separate from Pax. They’d had too many close calls lately, too many times where he thought he’d lost his brother—for good.

It wouldn’t happen again.

Maybe he was making a mistake, but?—

He glanced at Paxton in the back seat. He already had his video game console out, the screen suffusing his freckled face with light.

Pax had wanted to come with. Had told Roman that he wanted to be there for Travis, too. The kid had been denied so many choices in life, stripped of so much happiness, that Roman did not have the heart to tell him that he had to stay behind.

Headlights approached in the rear-view.

It was Dean.

Roman drew a deep, steadying breath.

He’d apologize to Dean later.

Right now, he was going to get Travis. He was going to get his other brother—the one he’d lost—and bring him the hell home.

99

The Military Base