Page 17 of The Hardest Hit

“Mm-hmm. Aiden says exactly the same thing.”

“Yes, well, I actually mean it.”

“Yes, and speaking your brother. He’s part of what I want your help strategizing about. I’ll be bringing this up at Sunday dinner,” said Jackson.

“And you want me to help beat it into his head that he needs to do what you tell him?”

“Him and Evan, yes.”

“Evan usually takes your advice.”

“Not about this. He likes to ride the train.”

“And aren’t you looking after that angle?” asked Dominique, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Jackson. He had no idea how Dominique had caught wind of that particular angle.

“Mm. Well, it’s for his own good, so I’m sure we don’t need to mention it. But are you really worried about these messages?”

“Yes. No? I don’t know. It feels…pogano.”

“I have no clue what that means.”

Jackson rummaged in his brain for a decent translation from Ukrainian. “Bad,” he said at last. “It’s giving me the heebie-jeebies.”

“Well, I think that at dinner, the best we can hope for is to lodge it in Aiden’s brain. You know how he hates doing what he’s told. We’ll just have to work on him a bit until he decides it for himself. Plus, I’ll call Ella. She won’t mind having the Zhao keeping an extra eye out.”

Jackson laughed. “Ella won’t mind. But the Zhao security may. I don’t think they’ve ever quite forgiven us for being us.”

Ella Zhao was the niece of Bai Zhao head of Zhao Industries, the massive multi-national solar energy firm. Their security forces were not used to being given the end run quite the way Jackson and Aiden had done. Even with the hatchet buried between the Zhao and the Deveraux families, and Ella and Aiden dating, Jackson knew that the Zhaos’ security still viewed the Deverauxes as threats.

Dominque shrugged. “They’d better get over it. Bai Zhao has Ella pegged as the heir to the throne. And she and Aiden are firmly glued together at the lips. Seriously, it’s disgusting. He floats around the place like he’s on cloud nine. It’s been a year already. We get it—you love her. Move on!”

Jackson laughed. “Oh, whatever. You’re just mad because he’s stealing the shmoopsy crown from you and Max.”

“When Max and I do it, it’s adorable. When my brother does it, it’s gross. Meanwhile, do you have any idea what’s going on with Evan?”

“Evan…” Jackson sighed. “is going through one of his phases.”

“You mean the ones where he doesn’t talk to us about anything real? He’s been doing so well with his sobriety and he was wonderful at Christmas. Coming out of last year I thought… Well, I thought things were only going to get better. But I feel like he’s retreated again. And I think it’s my fault.”

“That seems unlikely,” said Jackson.

Dominique let out a heavy breath of air. “Grandma talked to me prior to you know… what we’re asking Evan about on Sunday.”

Jackson nodded. He appreciated Dominique’s discretion in the crowded restaurant.

“And I signed up for it. I thought I could gain more of Grandma’s trust and I thought it would put to rest any reservations she had about Max moving in with me. But I didn’t realize that it would be Evan taking most of the risk. I think he felt pushed into it. And I’m not sure… I don’t know how to talk to him about it.”

“Mm,” said Jackson. He’d had similar thoughts.

“I feel like I made a choice to go with Grandma’s plan for the good of the family, but maybe it wasn’t a choice that was good for Evan. And that really, really bothers me.”

“Mm,” said Jackson, nodding.

“I hate it when yoummme,” said Dominique.

“Immbecause I’m not sure what else to say. I’m not sure you’re wrong. But I’m not sure you’re completely right either. The four of us discussed it without Grandma. Evan agreed.”