That tattoo wasn’t common. It wasn’t something you saw on strangers every day.
In fact, he had only ever known one other person who wore that exact design.
A Brother Lost to Silence
His name was Ryan Reed.
They hadn’t spoken in six years.
Six years of stubborn pride.
Six years of silence heavy enough to erase addresses, phone numbers, even memories of where one life ended and the other began.
Lucas didn’t know if Ryan still lived in Oregon. Or if he had drifted somewhere else entirely.
He knelt to meet the boy at eye level.
“What’s your name, buddy?”
“Mason,” the boy said confidently. “I live over there… with Ms. Harper.”
He pointed toward a pale brick building Lucas recognized instantly.
Lucas’s heartbeat picked up.
A child under state care.
A tattoo only his brother shared.
He swallowed hard, steadying his voice.
“Do you remember your dad, Mason?”
The boy nodded eagerly.
“Yeah. He was tall, like you. Brown hair. Green eyes.”
He paused, his expression changing.
“But then he got strange. He forgot things. Mom cried a lot.”
Lucas felt something twist painfully in his throat.
Ryan.
A Woman Who Knew the Truth
“Mason!”
A woman in her early fifties hurried toward them, worry etched deep into her face. She gently pulled the boy closer, protective but calm.
“How many times have I told you not to wander off?”
She turned to Lucas.
Continue reading…
