Page 33 of Outcast

"It's fine." I raised my hand. I had allowed myself one contact, and he'd shared with me everything that happened. If Javier had seriously considered going to war with them over my death, I would have come back.

"But you're here for Rita. You can't lie to us," Grey chimed in from the back.

I twisted in my seat. He never got involved in these kinds of conversations. He held his silence more than the others.

"Why are you avoiding the question?" Andre asked, shooting me a quick look before taking his attention back to the road.

"I'm not." I stiffened. But fuck, I was.

I did come back for Rita, but if she didn't want me…I wanted to lick my wounds in private.

"Come on. We're all family here. We can't help you if you're not honest with us," Parker said in a light tone. Then it turned severe. "For once, be honest."

I swallowed the hard lump in my throat and shifted in my seat. "I came back for her," I whispered. "For Javier too. Because she came to find me and missed Javier's passing."

"We know. What else?"

"You know?" I faced Andre.

He dipped his head once. "We know. We gave her your location when she asked."

"You..." I curled my fingers into tight fists on my thighs. If Andre hadn't given her my location, she might have stayed with Javier. She wouldn't have broken in my arms when she found out about his death. She would have been–

"Whatever you're thinking, stop. She would have gone looking for you if we didn't give her your location. She's a bulldog when she wants something," Parker reasoned. He was right.

Releasing my breath, I tipped my head back. I wasn’t even surprised they knew where I was.

"I love her." The words tore from my throat, but once they were out, I felt better. Lighter.

"Good. Admitting it is the first step. The funeral starts in an hour. We have just enough time to fill you in on a few things and get you changed. Did you bring a suit?" Andre took control, just like he'd been born to do.

I was supposed to have been the next leader of the Institution. But I didn't want it. I had never wanted it.

And perhaps, that was why I ran too.

"No. I didn't need a suit to be a tour guide."

"But you had access to a private jet," Parker pointed out.

"I accessed my accounts when I decided to come back. I hadn't touched them before then." I twisted in my seat. They probably knew that.

"Smart," Lafe muttered as he played with Cossette's toes. He was a man obsessed and I was happy for him. For all of them.

"Tell him about what's been happening in the Dirty Dogs," Grey said, leaning his forearms over the seat behind Cosette's car seat.

"Yes, let's get down to business." Parker rubbed his hands together.

They filled me in on some things I hadn't heard, and by the time we got to the funeral, I’d made up my mind.

I was staying. For good. This time Rita was going to be mine, the way she always should have been mine.

Once we were out of the SUV, Grey strapped Cossette onto his chest in a baby carrier. With me leading in the center, they fanned out behind me.

We walked into the Dirty Dogs' compound as a unit.

8

RITA

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