Page 41 of Triple the Secrets
“Don’tEsmeme,” Esme said calmly, but her eyes were on Rogue. There was no judgement in them, but he still stiffened when she and Karissa both advanced towards them. “Rogue, I have spent time with Scarlett, and that woman is very much into you. Her and the girls telling you something so dark and traumatic, even in the heat of the moment, is a trust that you cannot betray.” Her gaze was intense on his. “If you walk away now, you are essentially telling them, thanks, but no thanks, you’re not worth the headache of dealing with your issues.”
“I’m no good for them,” he snapped at her. “I’m not going to be able to sit there and listen to them cry that shit out without wanting to kill someone. You really think that should be what they see after everything they’ve been through?”
“Or maybe,” Karissa said quietly, “you show them what it means to have a man in their life that will do anything to protect them. That someone is pissed about what happened to them, and while you might not be all soothing and comforting, there is comfort in knowing someone is angry on your behalf, that someone is going to make sure it doesn’t happen again. All that will matter is someone cares, and you won’t treat them like they’re broken. Like they’re less than because of what happened to them. You treat them the same way you’ve been treating them, and when they have their moments, you show them that you’re still going to be there.”
Rogue said nothing, just stared at her. Everything in him told him that whatever had happened to Karissa, she was speaking about something she was far too familiar with. He wondered if Razor knew, but he wasn’t about to ask. There was pain in her eyes he didn’t like to see, but it wasn’t his place to ask her. Instead, he said, “And you think an ex-con is a proper role model for them? You think Scarlett is going to be okay attaching herself to me after this, knowing that?”
“I think she’s going to see a man who can protect her no matter what,” Esme replied. “Scarlett doesn’t strike me as the kind to—excuse my pun—judge a book by its cover. She obviously gave you a chance and you need to be the one who doesn’t break the trust she gave you. Don’t cast her aside because you’re afraid of what might happen, or of what she might think or feel. You might be a dick and a grumpy asshole, Rogue,” she added with a slow smirk, “but you’re a good man.”
“Surprised you didn’t choke on saying that,” Karissa snickered. She looked at Rogue. “What you need to do is this. You need to keep doing everything the way you’ve been doing it, and you tell the girls that while you aren’t sure about what they need, you’re there if they need you. Then, you work on your relationship with Scarlett, and you be there for her. She wants to get kinky? You don’t question it unless you think she’s only doing it to make you happy. She wants you to choke her, then you choke her. She is trusting you, Rogue, and right now, you need to make some serious decisions. Do you keep that trust and keep going, or do you break it and show them you’re not the man they thought you were?”
“And we’ll get to work on finding the men that hurt them,” Savage added quietly. “They don’t realize it yet, but they have an entire club behind them, and we don’t let anyone hurt our family.”
Rogue was quiet. Everything they said made sense, but how could he accept the fact that he was going to fuck this up? There was no way he wasn’t.
“Why are you here and not with them?” Karissa asked.
“Scarlett said the girls were going to need some time and it would be better if I wasn’t there,” Rogue answered. “I have a prospect watching the house now, and I’m going back tonight to watch from outside.” He would not leave their safety to chance. Never again.
“You say you’re not a good man, Rogue,” Esme said quietly, “but you’re one of the better ones.”
“Don’t make me out to be a saint, Esme,” he warned her harshly.
She snorted. “You’d burst into flames if you set foot in a church, so I think you don’t need to worry about that, Boss. But being a good man doesn’t mean you have to act all perfect. You need to show that you care enough to be there for them.”
“Might want to clean up those hands, though,” Karissa said with a nod towards his bruised and bloodied hands.
“Go and see Doc,” Savage ordered, moving to stand next to him. “Then go see Code and get him started on finding these bastards. Finally, go wash up and head to see your woman.”
“She’s not my woman,” Rogue said with a scowl.
They all snorted. “Tell that to someone who believes you,” Karissa sneered. “I for one can’t wait to meet the twins. They sound like my kind of fun.”
“Lord help me when they meet your crazy ass. I’m having Razor lock you the hell away,” he declared.
Karissa pinned him with a glare. “Razor can’t do shit to me. I don’t belong to him.”
Rogue smirked at her. “Tell that to someone who believes you, woman.” She all but hissed at him as she turned and stalked out of the basement gym.
He slowly followed everyone out. Esme and Karissa’s words echoed in his head. Could he be the man that Scarlett and the girls needed? Or would they only see him as the man that brought their terrors and greatest fears back to light?
CHAPTERTWENTY
ROGUE
He sat against the tree, watching the house. All was quiet inside, and from what he could tell, all the lights were off, which meant everyone was asleep. Probably for the best.
He had calmed down after beating the shit out of the bag, and had even punched a prospect in the face when he had tried to get smart with him. No one stopped him, and not one person moved to help the idiot up. Instead, Savage had called him a moron and told him to scrub the shop from top to bottom.
It also calmed him knowing that Code was looking into Scarlett and the girls’ history again with this new information. If anyone would find these bastards, it was him. Code had listened with a fierce expression, and had assured him this would be top priority. Code was a man of his word, so Rogue had no doubt he would have some sort of answer for him soon.
Now, after having Doc bandage up his hands, he was watching the house the same as he always did. He could admit to himself that he would rather be in the house, wrapped around Scarlett in her bed, but he wasn’t sure if she would welcome him. Why would she?
The sex had been amazing. Mind blowing. He wasn’t a sap, but it was the best he had. He’d tested the waters of the sex club scene before, and while it had been hot as hell, it hadn’t been fulfilling. For him, playing there was merely a way to scratch an itch.. With Scarlett, it had been a hell of a lot more. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Esme and Karissa’s words were still running through his head. He wanted to say fuck it and walk away, let them live the lives they were supposed to, but every time the thought crossed his mind his entire body rebelled. Leaving them to fend for themselves wasn’t an option.
Now he had to figure out how he was going to handle the girls and Scarlett. He knew it would be no easy task. He was certainly not a hand holder, not the “nurturing type”. He was blunt, brash, and sometimes just plain rude.
