Page 74 of Rogue’s Reckoning

As I follow him out of the room, I can't shake the feeling that our fragile peace is about to be shattered once again.

TWENTY-THREE

ROGUE

As I follow Ghost to his office, I can feel the tension radiating off him. Whatever this is about, it's serious.

"What's going on?" I ask as soon as we're seated.

Ghost's jaw clenches. "We got some new intel about Lochlann," he says grimly. "And Rogue... it's bad. Really fucking bad."

A chill runs down my spine. "What is it?"

Ghost takes a deep breath. "One of our informants overheard Lochlann bragging to some of his men. About... about what he did to Willow five years ago."

For a moment, I can't process what Ghost is saying. "What do you mean, what he did to Willow?"

Ghost's eyes are full of pain and anger. "He raped her, Rogue. That night she left us. Lochlann... he violated her."

The world seems to tilt on its axis. A roaring fills my ears as Ghost's words sink in. Willow was raped. By Lochlann. And I didn't know. I didn't protect her.

"No," I choke out. "No, that can't be true. She would have told me."

“I’m sorry, brother,” Ghost says thickly.

Rage unlike anything I've ever felt before surges through me. My vision goes red as I imagine Lochlann putting his hands on Willow, hurting her in the most intimate way possible.

"I'll kill him," I growl, my hands clenching into fists. "I'll fucking tear him apart with my bare hands."

Ghost puts a hand on my shoulder, his grip tight. "Rogue, I know you're angry. Believe me, we all are. But we need to be smart about this. We can't just go in guns blazing."

I shake off his hand, too consumed by fury to think rationally. "He hurt her, Ghost. He hurt Willow. My Willow. I can't let that stand."

"And we won't," Ghost assures me. "But we need to be careful. For Willow's sake and for Wren's. They need you here, brother. Not locked up or dead because you went after Lochlann half-cocked."

His words penetrate the haze of rage, and I force myself to take a deep breath. He's right. As much as I want to hunt Lochlann down this very second, I have responsibilities now. A family to protect.

"What do we do?" I ask, my voice rough with suppressed emotion.

Ghost's expression hardens. "We plan. We gather more intel.”

I shake my head. “No. We’ve let these cunts get away with so much already. No more.”

“I need you to trust me, to trust your brothers. We won’t let Willow or Wren be harmed. We’re going to get these cunts, and when we do, we’re going to end them once and for all. We’ve just got to make sure we do it right, without casualties on our end.”

He’s right but fuck, I wish he weren’t. There’s no way I can just sit on my ass and let that monster walk free. Fuck, I can’t believe that asshole violated the woman I love. I didn’t stop it. Ihurt her so much that she ran away rather than coming to me for help.

I give Ghost a chin lift and leave his office. I need to talk to Willow. I need to make sure that she’s okay.

I grit my teeth as I lead Willow to my bedroom in the clubhouse, my mind still reeling from what Ghost told me. I take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to broach this subject.

"Willow," I start, my voice low and serious, "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me."

She looks at me warily, sensing the gravity in my tone. "What is it?"

I clench my fists, struggling to keep my anger in check. "Did Lochlann... did he hurt you? When you left here, did that cunt hurt you?"

Willow's face goes pale, her eyes widening in shock and fear. "How... how did you know?"

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