SEVEN
ROGUE
SIX WEEKS LATER
The shrill ring of my phone jolts me awake. I carefully extract myself from Willow's sleeping form, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before stepping out of the bedroom to take the call.
"Yeah?" I growl, my voice rough with sleep.
"Church. Now." Storm's tone is clipped, urgent. "We've got a situation."
"On my way," I reply, already moving to get dressed.
I glance back at Willow, peaceful in her sleep, and feel a pang in my chest. The past six weeks with her have been so good. She’s the woman of my dreams. But fuck, things are so fucking complicated, I can feel it all starting to unravel.
The ride to the clubhouse is quick but helps clear my head.
The chapel is tense when I enter, my brothers' faces grim. Storm stands at the head of the table, his knuckles white as he grips the edge.
"The Hawks made another fucking move," he says without preamble as I take my seat. "Hit three of our gun shipments last night."
A collective growl of anger ripples through the room. I feel my own fury rising, thinking of the brothers we've lost.
"These fuckers are going after our business," Storm continues, his voice low and dangerous. "That can’t continue. These cunts are going to pay."
We hash out the details, all of us wanting to kill the fuckers, but it’s down to Storm as our Prez to tell us what he wants.
"Rogue," Storm's voice cuts through my thoughts, "take Ghost and Savage with you. I want these fuckers to know what the hell happens to those who go after one of our own. Meeting over," he declares and everyone gets to their feet.
I nod, pushing thoughts of Willow aside. "Consider it done, Prez."
Before I’m able to leave, Storm approaches, his face grim. "We need to talk about Willow," he says without preamble.
My blood runs cold at his words. "What about her?"
Storm gestures for me to follow him to his office. Once inside, he closes the door and turns to face me, his expression unreadable.
"We've got intel that suggests Willow might be involved with the Hawks," he says bluntly.
I feel like I've been punched in the gut. "That's impossible," I growl. "Willow's not involved in any of this shit. She's innocent."
Storm holds up a hand to silence me. "I know you care about her, brother. But we can't ignore the facts. Our sources say she's been seen meeting with Lochlann, the Hawks' VP. And there's something else..."
He pauses, his eyes searching mine. "We think she might have stolen something from us. Information about our operations, our supply routes. The Hawks' recent hits... they were too precise. They knew exactly where to strike."
I shake my head, denial rising in my throat. "No. No way. Willow wouldn't do that. She doesn't even know about the club, about what we really do. Her sister is supposedly dating him."
"Are you sure about that?" Storm asks, his voice softening slightly. "I had a couple of guys look into your girl while she’s at college, while Bones is busy. There’s been no mention of a sister, just your girl. You've been spending a lot of time with her. Are you certain you haven't let anything slip?"
I swallow hard at Storm’s words. Has Willow been lying to me all this time? His contacts haven’t found a sister. I think back over the past six weeks, trying to remember every conversation, every moment with Willow. Had I said something I shouldn't have? Had she been fishing for information without me realizing it?
"I... I don't know," I admit finally, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.
Storm sighs, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I know this is hard, brother, but we need to know the truth. If Willow is working with the Hawks, if she's betrayed us..."
He doesn't finish the sentence. He doesn't have to. We both know what happens to traitors.
"What do you want me to do?" I ask, my voice hollow.
"Keep her close," Storm says. "Find out what she knows, who she's working for. And if she is involved with the Hawks... you know what needs to be done."
I nod mechanically, my mind reeling. The thought of Willow betraying me, betraying the club... it's almost too much to bear. But even worse is the thought of what I might have to do if it's true.
The air is thick with tension as we approach the Hawks' warehouse. Ghost and Savage flank me, faces grim behind their bandanas. The weight of my gun is heavy against my side, a constant reminder of what I'm about to do.
I push thoughts of Willow aside, focusing on the task at hand. Whatever's going on with her, whatever secrets she may be keeping, I can't let it distract me now. My brothers are counting on me.
We move silently through the shadows, taking out the guards with practiced efficiency. When we breach the warehouse, chaos erupts. Gunfire echoes off the metal walls, shouts and screams filling the air.
I lose myself in the familiar dance of violence, my body moving on autopilot. Take cover. Aim. Fire. Repeat. The faces of the Hawks blur together, just nameless enemies to be eliminated.
But then I see him. Lochlann. The Hawks’ prince. The man Willow's supposedly been meeting with.
Our eyes lock across the warehouse floor, recognition flashing between us. In this moment, all my doubts and fears about Willow come rushing back. Does she know this man? Has she really betrayed me?
Lochlann's lips curl into a cold smile, and he raises his gun. Time seems to slow as I watch his finger tighten on the trigger. I dive for cover, feeling the bullet whistle past my ear.
Lochlann continues to fire shots at me. The fucker isn’t going to stop until I’m dead. Well tough shit. I won’t stop until he’s lying on the ground, his body riddled with bullets.
"She told us everything, you know," Lochlann calls out, his voice taunting. "Your woman. She sang like a bird."
Rage boils up inside me at his words. "You're lying," I growl, squeezing off another shot that grazes his arm.
Lochlann laughs, a cold, mirthless sound. "Am I? Why don't you ask her about the flash drive? About all those juicy club secrets she handed over?"
His words hit me like a physical blow. The flash drive. The one that went missing from the clubhouse a few weeks ago, containing detailed information about our operations. We'd assumed it was just misplaced, but if Willow somehow got her hands on it...
My moment of distraction costs me. Lochlann's bullet finds its mark, tearing through my shoulder. The pain is white-hot, but I push through it, returning fire.
Just then, an explosion rocks the building. Our diversion, right on schedule. In the chaos that follows, Lochlann disappears into the smoke and debris.
"Rogue!" Ghost's voice cuts through the chaos. "We gotta go, brother! Place is gonna blow!"
Clutching my wounded shoulder, I allow Ghost to pull me towards the exit. As we speed away from the burning warehouse, my mind is a whirlwind of anger and betrayal.
The pain from my gunshot wound is nothing compared to the ache in my chest at the thought of Willow's possible betrayal.
Back at the clubhouse, Storm listens grimly as I recount my encounter with Lochlann and his taunting words about Willow.
"This changes things," Storm says, his expression dark. "We need to know exactly what information Willow has and who she's working with."
I nod, feeling hollow inside. "What do you want me to do?"
Storm's eyes are cold as he replies, "I want her here,” he growls. “It’s time Willow realizes just who you are, who we are. She’s betrayed you, brother. She’s betrayed us. You know what that means. She’s got to pay for her betrayal."
I nod grimly. This is entirely fucked up. Lochlann’s taunting words are making my rage rise beyond anything I’ve ever felt before, but there’s that part of me that doesn’t believe it. Willow’s too fucking sweet for this. She doesn’t know who I am, doesn’t know about the club. That small part of me doesn’t think she did this. But who else could have done it?
I leave the clubhouse feeling like I'm trapped in a nightmare. I’m fucking falling in love with the woman and she’s betrayed me. I should have known better. I was just to get close to her, not fucking fall for her.
As I ride back to my apartment, where I know Willow is waiting for me, I steel myself for what's to come. Whatever the truth is, whatever I have to do, I'll do it. For the club. For my brothers.
But a small voice in the back of my mind whispers a traitorous thought: What if, this time, the cost is too high?
Entering the apartment, I see she’s lying on the sofa, her eyes closed, looking so sweet and beautiful. I think back to the night I met her at O'Malley's. The way she looked at me with those big, innocent eyes. Was it all an act? Was it a setup from the get go?
I step closer to the sofa, but I falter. How can this beautiful, gentle woman be involved in something so dark? But I push the doubt aside. I can't let my feelings cloud my judgment. Not when so much is at stake.
I sit on the edge of the sofa, reaching out to gently shake her awake. "Willow," I say softly. "Wake up. We need to talk."
Her eyes flutter open, a sleepy smile spreading across her face as she sees me. "Ezra," she murmurs, reaching for me. "You're back. Is everything okay?"
"Willow," I say, my voice serious. "I need you to be honest with me. About everything."
She sits up, confusion and concern etching her features. "Of course, Ezra. What's going on?"
I take a deep breath, steeling myself, waiting, ready to catch her in a lie. "I know about your meetings with Lochlann," I say, watching her face carefully for any reaction. "I know you've been talking to the Shadow Hawks."
Willow's eyes widen, a flicker of fear passing through them. But it's quickly replaced by confusion. "Lochlann? You mean Ivy's boyfriend? I only met him once, at dinner a few weeks ago. What are you talking about?”
Willow's reaction catches me off guard. The confusion in her eyes seems genuine, but I can't let my guard down.
"Don't lie to me, Willow," I growl, my voice harsher than I intend. "I know you've been seen with him multiple times. And the flash drive—what did you tell them about the club?"
Willow recoils from me, fear and hurt flashing across her face. "Ezra, what are you talking about? What club? What flash drive? I don't understand any of this!"
Her bewilderment seems real, but doubt still gnaws at me. Could she really be this good of an actress? Or have I made a terrible mistake?
"The motorcycle club, Willow," I say, watching her closely. "The Saints. My brothers. The dangerous work I told you about—that's what it is. And somehow, information about our operations ended up in the hands of our rivals, the Shadow Hawks. Information that was on a flash drive that went missing from our clubhouse."
Willow's face pales, her eyes wide with shock. "A motorcycle club?" she whispers. "Ezra, I had no idea... I swear, I don't know anything about any flash drive or club secrets. Please, you have to believe me!"
I want to believe her. God, how I want to believe her. But Storm's words echo in my head. We can't ignore the evidence.
"Then explain the meetings with Lochlann," I demand. "Our sources saw you with him multiple times."
Willow shakes her head vehemently. "The only time I've seen Lochlann was at that dinner with Ivy! I swear, Ezra. He creeped me out. I wouldn't want to see him again."
Something in her tone makes me pause. "What do you mean, he creeped you out?"
Willow takes a shaky breath. "At the dinner... he kept asking me questions about you. About your work. He seemed way too interested. And Ivy... she seemed scared of him. I've been worried about her ever since, but she won't talk to me about it."
As much as I’d like to believe her, I’ve been fooled enough.
“Come with me,” I say, my tone brooking no argument.
She gets to her feet, her steps uneven as she follows me to the door. She’s still dressed in her pajamas, shorts and a tank, but right now, I need answers and so does the club.
“Where are we going?” she asks once we’re outside.
“It won’t take us long,” I tell her as I climb onto my bike. Willow automatically follows suit. Usually, I’d make sure she’s safely secured, but right now, I need answers and I’m not going to let my emotions get in the way of that.
Once we’re at the clubhouse, we’ll know for sure what’s going on. No more lies. No more secrets.