Rogue (Rogue Angels MC #1)

Chapter 13

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 gone wrong 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.

“There’s something else we need to talk about,” Alice says. But then she again falls silent too.

“All right, but one of you is gonna have to say it fast or I’m leaving,” I say. “I got better things to do.”

They glance at each other and none of them speak.

“Just so you know, my mind’s set on us getting more hands-on again,” I say.

“We need to have a conversation about riding on personal, solo revenge stuff,” she finally says.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Bianca?” I ask, calling her by her real first name.

Alice is the name she started calling herself after Angel died. As in Alice in Wonderland, and that movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore . It makes sense to her. Never did to me.

Hearing her name makes her gasp and do a double take, her eyes shooting righteous lightning.

“Look, Rogue, Angel was my best friend since before kindergarten, you know that,” she says. “And I wanted her death avenged as much as you. But you gotta talk to the others. If we’re riding in vengeance now, then others will want their turn too.”

“Do you all feel this way?” I ask, looking at each in turn. Blade and Creed nod.

“We started this journey we’re on by hunting a serial killer,” I say. “We now finally caught him. It’s not just personal vengeance. We completed the mission that was our whole reason for existing in the first place.”

At least it’s been that way for me.

No one says anything, but they all have trouble meeting my eyes now. And each other’s.

“And I never denied anyone vengeance,” I add.

“You’re denying it to Widow and her sons,” Creed says, but has trouble meeting my eyes.

I can’t believe I’m hearing this either.

“We all know what they are. Drug dealers and killers,” I say. “They came to us under false pretenses.”

“And yet we helped Devil’s Nightmare MC and they’re even worse killers,” Alice says and throws her hands up as I glare at her.

The wound in my side hasn’t bothered me all day, but it’s twinging now. And it’s not bringing up any good memories of Melody anymore.

“I’m not the one saying this,” she adds. “I’m with you. But some of the new ones are starting to whisper along those lines.”

We’ve had an influx of new members in the last year or so, including Widow and her two sons, Tito and Whip. They’re the sole survivors of a biker war in Arizona and they’ve been angling for us to go after the biker club that killed off theirs in that war. I understand their pain. But that war was over drug dealing territory and both sides had blood on their hands, which is not something they were forthcoming about when they joined.

“Their MC sold drugs to children in schoolyards,” I say. “That’s not what we do. We don’t avenge people like that.”

“She’s just the bearer of bad news, Gabriel. Don’t go off at her,” Blade says using my real name now. Probably in an effort to calm me down. It works to ground me. Somewhat.

I nod and give Alice an apologetic look, which is the best I can do in my current boiling blood mood. She knows me as well as Blade does, and doesn’t need him to come to her rescue. She nods at me, letting me know she isn’t mad.

“I can handle Tito and the others, Blade,” I say.

“Can you?” he asks in a tone that suggests we’re just having some sort of a philosophical discussion.

I don’t even bother replying in words, just nod.

“Two weeks ago, I’d be sure,” Blade says but then lets his voice trail off.

He must know this calm, slow way of insinuating shit I don’t wanna hear makes me see red, and yet he’s doing it anyway.

“But now what?” I snap since he’s showing no signs of picking up the narrative.

“I don’t know how to put it mildly, so I’m gonna just say it. You’re the President of this MC and you need to tighten the reins.” His words are like a gust of the devil wind straight to the face when you’re least expecting it. “You’re losing them, Rogue. And that’s not what anyone wants.”

Nothing like going from blood boiling to a cold reality check in half a second for leaving you speechless. The silence that follows makes me feel like I’ve run smack into a concrete wall and been bounced back on my ass.

I never wanted to lead anyone.

But after ten years of doing it, I can’t exactly say that whiny little line.

Although it’s true.

Back when we first started on this crime fighting path we’re on, we didn’t bother with titles or hierarchy or delegation. We just all did what we did best. Blade brought his level-headedness and coolness which he can retain even in the most dangerous situations. Alice brought her bravery and steel determination and Creed could always be counted on to keep us on track and make sure we had everything we needed.

When the MC swelled, we decided we needed a frontman. I was it, because I’m good at talking people into seeing things my way. And then that morphed into the title of President. But I never considered myself anything other than just the first among equals.

“Are you saying I should step down?” I ask.

They all gasp at the same time, an almost identical look of shock on their faces.

Alice recovers first. “No, Gabriel, we’re not saying that at all. You’re a great leader.”

Even Blade looks shaken, something that never happens. “That’s not what I meant. There’s no one better than you to lead us. This is your MC… that’s not what I meant…”

“What did you mean then?” I ask.

My blood’s neither boiling anymore nor is it cold. It’s lukewarm, the worst thing it can be.

“You need to get ahead of this, Rogue,” Alice says. “Dissent like what we’re seeing can lead us down the wrong path if everyone starts demanding vengeance. It could lead to total chaos. And you also need to address what happened to Lotus last night.”

This is why she’s the Sarge. Because she knows how to handle our people and keep them happy much better than I can.

But how come I didn’t notice any of this?

“All right, I’ll talk to everyone,” I say. “Call an Assembly.”

“Already did,” she says and grins. “They’ll all be here by eight.”

Damn.

There go my dreams that this day of hard truths could still be salvaged by spending a perfect night with Melody.

But the club’s gotta come first now. If Alice and Blade are right, which they usually are, then I’ve neglected my role as the Prez long enough.

I just wish I knew what to tell them.

In the couple of hours before the Assembly, I made a half-assed effort to get what I wanted to say into some kind of order, but I’ve always been better at winging it and speaking from the heart. So, I had a beer by the bar and watched the members come in and take their seats, trying not to think about Melody too much. A losing game.

It was well past seven by the time I make my call to the ER to let her know I can’t make it tonight and she should just come here finally went through. By then she was already gone for the day. Rotten fucking luck. But I’ll make it up to her.

It’s almost eight-thirty, but everyone’s finally here now. Even Skye took a break from searching for the Hydra assholes and joined us. I don’t see impending doom and a desire for chaos on anyone’s face as they wait for me to start talking, so I’m hoping Alice is overreacting. All the tables in the bar are taken, everyone has a drink in front of them and soft music is playing over the sound system.

Tito, Widow and Whip are leaning on the wall by the door, the two men flanking their mother. They’re the only ones in the whole room that look belligerent. And they have the least cause to be.

Their MC was heavily into dealing drugs and who knows what else, and they barely escaped with their lives when they got into a turf war with another club over the best drug corners and schoolyards. I don’t accept criminals of their ilk into the club. I sent even my best friend Zane away after he escaped from prison and wanted to hide out with us.

Those three lied to me to get patches and protection and I don’t take kindly to liars. But at this point, it’s better to keep them close. They know too much about what we do and could go telling the wrong people all of it if I piss them off. If innocent lives didn’t depend on stopping them from spilling our secrets, I’d send them packing.

I stand up from my barstool and face them all, feeling everyone watching me very closely. Guess Alice was right… they all really wanted to hear from me. But then again, she’s usually right.

“First off,” I say and grin at them. “Thanks for being here. I’ll try to make it short.”

A few of them chuckle. Most of them don’t. Not a great sign.

“As you all know by now, Lotus is fine,” I say and wave to her. She’s sitting by the bar counter and blushes a deep red as half the room suddenly turns towards her.

“The men who attacked her are probably linked to the trafficking ring we attacked a week ago,” I add. “So, for now, I want everyone to travel in pairs, watch each other’s backs and be vigilant. I’ve also doubled the security on this place. You’re all safe here.”

“That’s your plan? We just sit tight? Like a bunch of damsels in distress?” Tito pipes up and laughs harshly.

Only some join him in laughing. Mostly the ones who haven’t been with us very long.

“Skye is busy tracking down the men who hurt her,” I say. “Once she does, we’ll have a good long talk with them.”

Skye shook her head when I mentioned her, the look in her big brown eyes plainly telling me that she got no further in the search than she was this morning.

“Talk?” Tito asks. “Why not just attack them?”

“We will respond if threatened, Tito,” I say. “Don’t worry about that.”

He’s making my blood simmer and I’d rather not lose it on him in front of everyone, but if he keeps coming at me, I might. His little family is real close to getting kicked out of the MC, but clearly they don’t know it yet.

“The way I see it, we already are threatened,” he says. “And I was led to believe Rogue Angels MC doesn’t back down until justice is served.”

And I was led to believe you didn’t belong to an MC that sold drugs to children in schoolyards, Tito.

But I don’t say that, even though there’s a special ring of hatred in my heart for people who do that. I lost good friends to addiction and prostitution because of scum like his old MC.

“Or does that only go for the justice you want done?” Tito adds, both Widow and Whip nodding along.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask. “When have I twisted what we do for my own ends?”

“When you sent us into a losing fight to pay a debt to the guys who told you where to find your girlfriend’s killer, that’s when,” Widow says her eyes glassy and milky. “But I don’t think you’d do the same for the guys who told me who murdered my old man.”

Whip and Tito nod along to her words.

“Devil’s Nightmare MC is a powerful ally,” I say. “Yes, they did me a personal favor, but that’s not the only favor we owe them.”

They also supplied us with valuable info on human traffickers over the years. I just wasn’t aware it was coming from them until recently.

“They’re a bunch of cold-blooded killers,” Widow snaps.

“Killers who will have our backs if this threat from Hydra gets any worse,” I say. “Not that we’ll need it.”

“What we need is a good hard look at the difference between personal problems and justice,” Whip says, echoing what I told them when they asked me to make war on the men who killed their brothers.

Alice gives me a warning look from across the room. I can read it all too well. She’s warning me not to take the bait and go down this rabbit hole in the conversation. She wants me to deflect and move on. But I’m about to disappoint her, because my blood’s reached boiling point.

I scan the room, trying to read what the others are thinking off their faces. Not that it matters.

“It’s true, the Devils told me where I can find Angel’s killer. Then Alice, Creed, Blade and I rode to take him out,” I say.

Alice scrunches up her face and shakes her head.

“We’re the only members who knew Angel personally and we’re the MC’s founding members,” I continue. “Angel was a founding member too. She’s as much part of this club as anyone is. I honored her in the name we wear and ten days ago, I honored her in taking revenge on the man who killed her. I didn’t involve the whole club because this was personal.”

I take a breath and scan the room again. They’re all with me, for the most part. I think. So is Angel. I can almost see her in the back of the room, nodding at me, her long blonde hair glowing a pale gold and her eyes still holding that same fire that could always consume me. I haven’t felt her this strongly since the night she said goodbye to me in the desert. But this isn’t her spirit now like it was then. This is my memory of her and she’s angry, because in this memory, I always disappoint her. Always fail to save her from her killer. Always fail to avenge her death.

I shake my head to dispel the vision.

“I would avenge each and every one of you in the same way. As I have done over the years, as many here will tell you,” I say, including the three chaos-makers in my gaze as I sweep it across the room again. Several of the others nod and mutter agreements.

It’s true. The justice for our members that we could find we found.

“And if, God forbid, any of you are killed, the whole MC will ride to take revenge,” I continue. “I promise you that. It’s not a hard promise to make.”

“We were harmed,” Widow says. “Our families were slaughtered. And we know who did it. So let’s ride.”

I shake my head and am about to speak, but it’s Judge who stand and faces Widow.

“None of us joined this club for vengeance,” he says and many nod to his words. “We joined to seek justice. And that’s what Rogue did. He brought Angel’s killer to justice. I don’t have a problem with that. How can any of you?”

Widow is in no hurry to answer.

“I already got my justice,” Minx says and I appreciate her support. “With Rogue’s help, I found the man who kidnapped my child. That man is now serving two life sentences.”

One for the kidnapping and one for killing her child. But she still can’t talk about that part.

Several others stand up and say similar things. Many of our members came to us seeking justice and stayed after we helped them get it. Some stayed because their problem couldn’t be solved and are still waiting.

Tito, Widow and Whip know where I stand on their problem and how little justice I see in solving it. But I won’t call them out on it in front of everyone. At least they seem to be settling down, now that they see they’re outnumbered. But the look in their eyes as they watch me is far from cowed or complacent.

The door behind their backs opens and Melody looks in, the expression on her face part surprise part fear as she sees all of us gathered here. I bet she’s only seeing pure joy on mine. She came. I left instructions with the prospect watching the gate to let her right in, just on the off-chance that she would. And she did.

I wave to her and signal that I’ll be right with her as best I can. She nods and walks all the way in, choosing to stand right next to angry Angel from my vision. Which makes her even angrier. But it makes her fade too.

“Oh, nice,” Tito scoffs, following my gaze. “The Devil’s Nightmare MC girl’s here. I guess that’s our cue for all of us to shut up and clear off.”

I can practically hear Melody’s shocked gasp, even though she’s all the way across the room from me. That’s how evident it is on her face.

“You know what, Tito, I’d prefer it if you’d shut up a while back,” I snap. And that’s bloody murder on Tito’s face as he turns to face me.

Which I suppose is what makes Alice leap to her feet and come stand next to me. Blade comes closer too. As if I can’t handle Tito and another five like him any day of the week.

“We’re only as strong as we are united,” Alice says. “And we can only do what we do best if we are untied.”

I lay a hand on her shoulder and step in front of her. “Tito and his family keep asking the same question because they don’t like the answer they’re getting. So, I’ll answer one last time and that will be the end of it. I am sorry for the loss of your father and the rest of your MC brothers. I feel your pain. But Rogue Angels MC will not be stepping into the middle of the drug turf war that claimed their lives. We’ve spent too many years hunting down men and women who do what your old club did. And that’s final. Anyone who doesn’t see it that way knows where the door is.”

“Gabriel, no,” Alice whispers. But I’m done being cautious and calculating. That’s not my nature. And it’s not what I sand for. Plus, I’m done with Tito jumping down my throat every chance he gets.

He’s glaring at me and I’m glaring right back. And this could very well come to blows or worse. The air is electric with that threat.

But he’s not the first angry killer I’ve faced and defeated. And he won’t be the last.

He looks away first, scoffing as he does. But there’s no hiding the fact that he’s backing down.

“We’re leaving,” he tells his mom and brother. “We’re sick of your empty words and fake holiness anyway. Anyone who agrees is welcome to ride with us.”

Then he storms through the crowd, elbowing everyone who doesn’t get out of his way fast enough. Widow and Whip follow him through the door that leads to the bedrooms upstairs. But they’re the only ones. Thank God.

“I’m gonna end this Assembly now,” I say. “But if anyone wants to talk, my door’s always open.”

Except later tonight, if that gleam in Melody’s eyes is anything to go by. Even angry Angel next to her doesn’t look so angry anymore.

No one has anything more to say and they start disbanding.

“We should talk,” Alice says.

“Later,” I say, already on my way to Melody.

By the time I reach her, the Angel from my vision is gone. And I’m sure that means something. But looking into Melody’s eyes makes it hard to think about that.

“You came,” I say as I reach her.

“And what a night I chose,” she says. “No wonder you’re their president.”

“I don’t know if tonight was the best example of leadership,” I say but she shakes her head.

“It was,” she says.

“Let’s get out of here now,” I say and offer her my hand.

What I really want to do is kiss her and not stop until we’re naked in my room and she’s moaning my name as she rides my cock.

But most of the members are still here. And watching us.

“Or we could just have a drink here.” She smiles so coyly and so seductively, I have no idea why I’m not lifting her up and carrying her upstairs to my apartment.

“And stay in tonight,” she adds, intensifying the look and making me want her even more.

I have no idea how that’s even possible.

“You read my mind,” I say and lead her to one of the now empty tables in the back.

And how I’m even able to speak, or walk for that matter, is beyond me. Let alone how I’m able to keep from dragging her upstairs without. But she’s not the kind of woman you just fuck. She’s the kind of woman you take care of.