Page 97 of Wicked Serve

“Time for what?” I ask.

Cooper ruffles my hair, the way he used to when we were kids. He gives Nik a once-over before turning his gaze to me. His eyes are bright, his expression almost boyish. “Time for the Callahan tattoo.”

Chapter 47

Nikolai

“Are you sure?” Cooper asks as Isabelle wriggles into position on the table, lifting her shirt so her ribs are exposed. “Really, really sure?”

“Shut up, I’m so excited.” She beams at us both. “This is the best present ever.”

While she agreed—more like shrieked and hugged Cooper and Sebastian tightly—to get the Celtic knot tattoo her brothers have inked on their chests the day we ran into Chance, she waited until Rae, the tattoo artist who did the sword on Cooper’s arm, had a free appointment. She’s been anticipating this for weeks. Cooper and I met her and Penny at the tattoo parlor right after practice, so I’m exhausted, hair damp from the shower. I roll my shoulder with a wince. Our first game after the holiday break, a winger from Maine flattened me like a pancake, and I’ve been nursing the ache since.

“It’s going to look great,” I say. “Although I read that rib tattoos hurt pretty bad.”

She shrugs. “It’ll be worth it. Shoulder still bothering you?”

I wave her off as I settle into a chair along the wall, close enough that we’ll be able to talk while she gets the tattoo. “It’s fine. I’ve played through worse.”

“Maybe you should get a massage.”

“Maybe you can give it to me yourself later.”

“We’ll see,” she says with a snort. “You might have to distract me so I don’t start crying.”

“You’re going to be fine,” Rae says as they wash their hands. “You can pick the music, and we’ll chat.”

“For the record, we did want to take you to get it with us,” Sebastian says through Cooper’s phone. He’s in Geneva with Mia, but they called to wish Isabelle good luck. James called just before I arrived; he’s in on the tattoo plan as well. “But Mom threatened us with the pain of death if we so much as suggested it to you.”

I catch the flash of surprise on Isabelle’s face. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Cooper sits next to Penny with a groan. She looks up from her book, rubbing his knee reassuringly. He’s also taken a couple hard hits recently. The end of the season is still a ways off, but around this time, it’s impossible to be completely healthy. “I wanted to sneak you out, but James reminded me that you couldn’t have gotten it without parental permission anyway.”

“Huh. And here I was thinking it was a boys’ club.”

“No way. It’s a Callahan thing.”

Even though he’s talking to Isabelle, he throws me a look. I guess I really got through to him about Isabelle’s insecurities. I’m glad. A family like hers is rare, and she deserves to feel every bit as much a part of it as her siblings.

“I like the sound of that,” she says.

“Once a Callahan, always a Callahan,” says Sebastian. “Somehow I got that through my thick head.”

“Eventually,” Cooper says dryly.

“I need to go, but good luck, Iz,” Sebastian adds. “I can’t wait to see the pictures.”

“I’m sending them to the group chat as soon as I can,” she says. “Mom is going to flip. Tell Mia hi!”

“Ready?” Rae asks, pulling gloves over their tattooed hands.

I wink at Isabelle, who flushes. She nods, adjusting her arm so the tattoo won’t look strange on her rib cage when she stands. I wonder how she’ll handle the pain. She doesn’t mind a little of it in bed, but this isn’t the same. She creases her forehead with determination. Even if it hurts like hell, I don’t think we’ll hear any complaints.

“No tattoos, boyfriend?” Rae asks, glancing at me as they wipe Isabelle’s skin with an alcohol swab.

“Nah. Although you make it seem appealing.”

The walls are covered in tattoo designs and photographs of finished products on various clients. The small Celtic knot that Isabelle is getting is ridiculously tame compared to the full sleeves some of these people have going on. I rub my shoulder as I inspect an intricate depiction of a dragon curling around someone’s arm.

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