While he’d already told me his intent, it still winded me to hear him voice his trust in me. All I wanted from the time I was little was to stand on the same footing as my brothers. To be a respected and reliable pillar in my family. I was sure Nona and others viewed me with such regard, but it was an entirely different honor to receive accolades from my brother. “I appreciate your trust in me. You know I’d give my life for the family.” “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. We all experienced enough loss for a lifetime when Mom was taken.” “At least you got to be a part of avenging her. That’s one of my biggest regrets in life.” I brushed out invisible wrinkles from my pants. “That I would have been old enough to help punish those responsible.” He shook his head. “It’s best you weren’t ther
