The Body #3: Rogue and Euphemia

Chapter 6 (Rogue): Goodbye

I listened in disbelief as Gel's voice lied to my girl and told her I was Winnie's father. I jabbed my finger at the screen to stop the recording, then slammed my hand on the table and stood up, wishing a look was enough to strike someone dead.

"You fucking told her I was Winnie's father?" I roared at her.

"She was taking your focus, Ro. And we can't afford that, especially not right now."

I pushed away from the table, so enraged I wanted to flip it over. On Angelica.

"I gotta go talk to her and tell her the truth. I swear to God, if you fucked this up for me, Gel --"

Dayton was suddenly at my side and plucked Effie's phone from my hand. "Effie was afraid you'd stop it before it played through and told me to take over if you did. Just listen for now to the whole thing and get the big picture first before you go running after Effie. And the long pause you're about to hear right after she tells Effie that you're Winnie's dad -- Gel was showing her pictures of the two of you together and with Winnie."

"They weren't pictures of me, I can guaran-damn-tee it."

Then Dayton pressed play, and I forced myself to listen to the entire recording. It made sense, to know exactly what Angelica had told Effie so I could deal with everything at once.

"We had a falling out and he hooked up with you," Angelica was saying. "He wanted to get back at me for something he'd thought I'd done, but I'm sure you noticed that no matter what your plans were, if I called him to help with Winnie, he'd come running. And I know you saw him carry me out of the club house after the shooting. Whether or not you remember it, I don't know, but it happened. He saved me, he focused on me as the mother of his child instead of looking after you."

"And?"

Euphemia's voice was strong in the recording, even though I knew these so-called truths Angelica was feeding her had to have been killing her.

"And there's a reason he's never made you his ol' lady. He moved you in to rub you in my face, but he never once made a move to claim you. The man has a temper, and he sure as hell can hold a grudge, but after the shooting and him fearing for my life, not yours, when he was faced with losing me, he apologized and told me he wanted us to get back together and try again. Those near-death experiences can change a man."

My eyes were on Angelica during this whole recording and she knew what mine were saying: I want you dead, bitch.

"He said as soon as you were healed, he'd ask you to leave so he and Winnie and I could be a family again. Anyway, I wanted to offer to help you leave. Him using you the way he did, it wasn't right, and if I were you, I'd want to sink through the floor and disappear. I can help you do that."

"I'll leave when I hear it from Rogue that he wants me to leave. And maybe he won't ask me to take off once he finds out I'm going to be the mother of his second child."

I'd been fucking raging, holding myself together so I could do what Euphemia wanted and listen to the entire recording, but when I heard Effie was pregnant? I was ready to burn the clubhouse down with Angelica in it. I was going to be a father! Effie was pregnant with my child. My baby! And fuck Angelica for ruining Euphemia's chance to tell me in her own sweet way.

"He'll never choose your child over Winnie."

I hoped this recording would end soon because I couldn't hold it together much longer. And I hoped there were enough brothers to hold me back when I got my hands around Gel's neck because I needed not to be in jail.