Page 30 of Rogue

She might be put out, it’s impossible to tell, since I don’t know her at all yet. I’ll take her to the clubhouse any other time she wants to come. But tonight, I need time to decide if I’m going there myself.

If I go, I’ll probably just stay.

And I still don’t know if that’s a good idea or the worst I ever had.

13

Rogue

I got four solid hours of sleep and even managed not to dream about Ghost’s withered face turn sadder and sadder as he watched his hut and all his trophies burn, while realizing he’s about to die. He cried and begged us not to leave him there when the fire burned out. I’ve been dreaming a lot about that. And they’re not the kind of happy dreams I’d imagined they’d be before the thing was done. Probably the result of all those years listening to long-winded talk about the forgiving nature of Christ. Bullshit. Sometimes there’s just no forgiveness. Period.

After my nap, I hoped an easy afternoon would lead to a lovely night with Melody, but no such luck.

Blade, Creed and Alice wanted to talk.

So now we’re sitting around the stainless-steel table in the War Room, the window cracked open just enough to let the damn devil wind in, and no one has much to say.

Creed is engrossed in doing accounts, checking two lists of numbers against each other as far as I can tell. He’s been financing the MC from the get-go, using the vast fortune he inherited after his parents were killed in a home invasion gonewrong when he was seventeen years old. We’ve also received a lot of donations over the years and invested heavily, so the MC makes its own money now too. Creed handles all that too.

Blade is staring out the window broodingly and Alice is looking from one to the other like she’s expecting them to start talking any moment now. I’m not.

“What’s the deal here?” I ask, since time is getting away from me. I have to meet Melody in less than two hours.

I already know where I’ll take her for dinner. Dino’s. A very nice Italian place that usually has a six month wait list. But Dino’s my mom’s cousin twice removed and he said he’ll find a table for me. And tonight, I’m not taking no for an answer when it comes to brining her back here.

“I think it’s time to hand the Clive Krueger case file we have on him to the cops,” Alice finally says.

“They’ll just let him slip through their fingers… like they always do with criminal operations the size of this,” I say.

“We’ve put quite a dent in his operation,” Blade says. “I agree with Alice. It’s time to hand him off.”

I look at Creed who nods too.

“No,” I say. “We’re not copping out on this one, pun intended. We didn’t free all the women, and I made a mistake letting the ones we did free go. So, we’re gonna fix it.”

I look at each in turn, willing them to understand that I’m not backing down from this.

“We have to plan what to do about this new threat from Hydra—” Alice says.

“We don’t even know what the threat is about,” I interrupt. “As soon as Skye gives us something on them, we’re going deal with it. Until then, those who can’t defend themselves stay at the clubhouse and the rest are with us on bringing this Clive guy down. Like we should’ve done months ago.”

“Maybe it’d be better if we lay low for a while,” Creed suggests. “I’m willing to bet the threat is connected to us hitting that warehouse.”

“The moment we start backing down is the moment we might as well walk away from the whole thing,” I say. “And I have no intention of doing either.”

Silence falls again. More charged than it was before.

“You don’t agree?” I ask once I can no longer stand it.

They all glance at each as though all of them want one of the others to speak first.

“I’m with Rogue,” Blade says taking me totally by surprise. “I don’t like leaving this half finished either. And the cops will very likely fuck it up anyway.”

Creed shrugs. “I guess.”

And after that Alice finally nods.

“Anything else?” I ask.

---