Page 37 (1/2)

“Tell ood idea?” Noah asked

“Because you taught us all, so you knoe’ll tattoo properly,” Enzo replied

“Yeah, there’s that,” Noah said

The conversation shifted to less i equipment and supplies

Enzo enjoyed the familiar conversation He understood what it took to run a successful tattoo shop For all the shit his brothers gave hiether and wanted to prove thes just as badly as he did They’d all been written off early on in life It ry for achievement and accomplishment It hy they’d cliht out the gates, and earned a reputation for solid work, done swiftly for a fair price As tily and kept their clients

They ended their rateful for his full schedule It would be a relief fro him to shreds from the inside out

EXHAUSTED, HE PLOPPED onto his sofa, popped open a fresh bottle of whiskey, and took a long drink This was the moment he’d dreaded all day—when he would find hiht, or was Noah? Had he lost Ave, or should he be gearing up to fight? Why would now be any different fro way to go, and setbacks were to be expected So, how can I ask her to put her hat in the ring withand closed his eyes This would be the point where he blamed his mother for all his woes, but he had to take responsibility for the way he chose to deal with the fucked up shit she did It was a painful thing He tightened his grip on the neck of the bottle; his knuckles turned white

His ht or wrong, and no business trying to raise a child He did what he needed to do to survive, but he wasn’t that person anyed, but it also didn’t dictate his future He repeated the words, hoping it would sink in, and he could actually believe it

Full of whiskey and et, he called the one person he always did

“Enzo?”

“Ave,” he slurred

She sighed “Have you been drinking?”

“Only thing that helps,” he said

He heard her excuse herself

“Are you with him?” he scoffed