Page 53 of Rogue

Unholy was gone by the time I reached the door leading into the bar downstairs and Rogue was back inside, surrounded by his MC.

It seems most of the members are in here, all in various states of agitation, all looking to Rogue for some sort of answer that he seems unable to give. As always, what little light shines anywhere attaches itself to him like his own personal spotlight.

He fixes me with his bright green eyes—tiger-like right now—as I slide open the door. I’m gonna miss this look he gives me. This way he has of making it seem like we’re the only two people in the world even when we’re standing in a crowded room.

I barely notice the rest of the MC looking at me as I cross the room.

“I’m gonna go now,” I whisper, laying my arm on his gently, wishing I had something better to tell him.

But it’s best to end this before it really gets started. It can’t lead anywhere good. Time to triage. Time to do the least harm. Time to say goodbye before either of us gets hurt.

“Do you have to?” he asks, smiling weakly at me. “I was just gonna go back up to you.”

He’s not going to smile at me this nicely once he knows I’m just a former club whore. I don’t want us to ever get to that point.

“It sounds like you’re busy,” I say. “And I have an early start tomorrow. Goodbye.”

He flinches as he hears the word. Probably because I made it sound too formal, too much like a real goodbye and not just asee you later.

But that’s what it is. It a formal goodbye.

I don’t wait to hear anything more. I look away from his glowing eyes and soft smile, even though it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do and keep on walking.

“Melody, wait,” he calls after me. But by then the rest of the members started talking again. And I pretend I didn’t hear.

I wish I could just run out, but I keep my steps long and steady.

I hate goodbyes. But I’m good at them.

I lied to him. It’s my day off tomorrow.

I’ll spend it looking for an apartment.

And hopefully, by the time I see him again, I won’t feel like my chest is being torn open at just the thought of saying goodbye to him.

A girl can dream.

Too bad all my dreams always curdle before they even get started.

But living with that curse is another thing I’ve gotten real good at over the years.

25

Rogue

Unholy’s appearance and Tito’s return rattled everyone. The talking and arguing just went on and on. And it was well past three AM before Tito stormed off again, cursing us all to hell and back. The rest of the members were ready to stop discussing it all for the night by that point.

But if I hoped to get some sleep after all that, I was disappointed. I was still wide awake when the sun finally made an appearance over the low rolling hills that I can see in the distance out my bedroom window. Melody’s goodbye was still echoing in my head. It sounded so serious. So final, almost like Angel saying goodbye on the morning of the day she died.

At least that’s how it began sounding in my mind after she died. When she said it, she meant nothing of the sort. And I’m hoping it’s the same with Melody.

Luckily, I didn’t have to dwell on that too long because with the dawn also came Manny’s call, informing me that they’re bringing in Clive for questioning.

“We don’t have the man power to shut down all his various strip clubs though,” he said. “But if you want to hit the ones we can’t, be my guest.”

Then he gave me a list of the ones they were going to and told me he’d deny us having this conversation if anyone ever asked him about it. That’s his standard warning to me on any job.

It’s not even midnight yet now, and we’ve already taken over five of the strip joints on our list. Two were deserted, one had a single guard who ran before we reached it and the last had a basement full of women who were luckily alive and not hurt too badly. I have teams sitting on all the clubs, waiting for the LAPD to come and seal them off.

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