Page 142 of Outcast
“Thanks, man. We’re good. I just don’t want to let you guys down ever again.”
“You won’t. As long as you’re here and you’re our brother, you’re everything we need.”
“There is one more thing you could do, though,” Axel said.
I glanced up. Axel leaned back against the counter in front of the sink, ankles crossed, one hand stroking the German Shepherd’s ears. I hadn’t seen Loki before today, so I was assuming he was a recent addition to Axel’s furry foster family.
“What’s that?”
“Get the damn tattoo.” He flashed his wrist. “Don’t you think it’s time we sealed the deal already? You’re one of us. You wrote the code with us.”
“I broke the code too,” I said quietly.
“That’s one interpretation,” Holden said. “I think we all know that the old man tore us apart. Maybe you could have made different choices. We all could. We’re only human. You were a kid, and you were afraid. We forgave you for that. But you’ve got to forgive yourself.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“You need the tat,” Bailey said. “We should all have it. It’s a symbol of our trust. Of our family.”
I’d been longing for that damn tattoo since the moment I’d seen it on the underside of Holden’s wrist. It represented everything I’d lost when I left home. An emblem of the trust I didn’t deserve after leaving my brothers.
As much as I wanted to be part of their brotherhood again—wanted to honor the code—I hadn’t felt worthy. I broke the code the first time around. I couldn’t just waltz back here and expect everything to be the same.
I needed to be invited back into their trust.
“You’re all sure you want me to get it?” I asked hesitantly.
“Of course we do,” Axel said. “You’re one of us.”
My throat closed up, and I stood from the table and forced another hug on him. He took this one a little more gracefully, even patting my back once.
Then I grabbed Bailey into a bear hug that made him howl and kick and laugh.
Last of all, I turned to Holden. He looked wary. But of course, I’d never cross his boundaries intentionally.
I clapped my right hand to my chest. Over that barbed-wire heart inked into my skin to remind me of my home, my brothers, of the life I’d left behind.
I’d carried them with me all along. But now they were more than memories, more than regret. They were my brothers, my best friends, my family.
“I’m ready,” I said. “Let’s do it.”
Axel let out a whoop, and Sugar, Taz, and Loki broke into accompanying howls.
I laughed, shaking my head at the ragtag crew that was my family. I was lucky as fuck to have them. There was only one person missing. I picked up my phone and texted Emory.
Gray:
My brothers want me to get a matching bro code tattoo.
Emory:
So you made up then
Gray:
Yeah, we’re good. How about you and your fam?
Emory:
