I can tell Pasha doesn’t agree, but he is honored by my admission. I mean it, too. I trust Pasha. He has always been loyal. Even when he was just a recruit, he was eager to learn and advance. Now, he is one of my most trusted lieutenants, and he earns that honor every day.
“Are you leaving tonight?” he asks.
“Right now,” I say. “The ship leaves tonight.”
He looks down at the floor and shakes his head. “I don’t like you going in alone.”
“You don’t have to like it. You just have to respect it.”
Pasha nods and crosses the room in a few steps. He lays his hand on my shoulder. “Be careful.”
I can’t make any promises. I’ll do whatever I have to do to save my family. I’ll throw myself in front of danger one hundred times over to save them.
“Wait for my call,” I remind him. I shrug away fro
