Vegas: Devil's Rose #9

Chapter 8: June Emerson

I don't feel anything besides confusion. Not confusion that it happened but confusion because I'm unsure about what to do next. Do I just keep living my life as though it never happened because I won't ever have to deal with it again?

I could one hundred percent ignore it because there's nothing that I need to do. The Devil's Rose MC took care of it. It's freeing, but it also leaves me lost. It leaves me without direction. Can I leave it in the past so fast? There are so many women that can't and don't. I've never encountered this situation before.

In my studies, yes, I've heard about some terrible things happening. I've talked with women who have gone through horrific tragedies, but there was always someone to fight back. There was someone to go after or rage to be directed at. It's terrible that it happens.

It's terrible that many of the people who hurt women aren't brought to justice, but in my swift justice, when do I get my revenge? Where is all my rage going to go? The man who hurt me can never hurt anyone again.

And I am left here confused and enraged and revengeless. I'm extremely grateful that I don't have to fight, but I have so many feelings and I don't know where to put them. Maybe I should talk to someone about that. Or maybe I should find someone to be mad at. I could do that. But who?

Before I can get to brainstorming, I hear a knock on the door.

"June, it's just me," I hear Bruce's voice call through the door.

I get up from the living room couch and open my door to see him standing there with about four bags worth of groceries and sunflowers in his hand. He presses a kiss to my forehead as he fills my space and starts cooking me lunch.

"I'm sorry I didn't come back here earlier, ladybug. I had to do some work for DR, but I'm here now, ready to spend the rest of my whole day with you."

I stare at him blankly, blinking.

"Are you okay? Do you not want me here?"

"I'm fine, I just-" love the way you fill up my space and make it home, but I can't say that, "-woke up so I'm a little out of it."

He stops cutting the stems of the sunflowers and looks up at me with a bright smile on his face.

"I'm glad you're getting the rest you need. Feel free to do whatever you want while I cook for you."

I pause for a moment as he gets back to work. If anything, I want to be here with him. I want to be in his presence.

"Can I sit here and watch you?"

"This is your house. You can do whatever you want."

I guess he's right. I don't need to be asking permission to do something in my house.

"Is the Devil's Rose thing something I can know?"

I understand that because I'm technically not part of the MC there are things I can't know. While it can be frustrating since I've always felt that we could be completely honest with each other, life changes those types of things.

He has a duty to what he calls his brothers to not share confidential information. I, myself, have hidden information from people not in my anthro team because there are some discoveries I didn't want the general population to know about yet.

"No, not really, but everything's good now," he assures me.

"One more question," I warn because sometimes I can't curb my curiosity.
"Sure," Bruce responds.

"As an excluded individual, what would I have to do to be an un-excluded individual? I don't have to be included in all rituals and traditions and whatever, but how would I get the information that I want?"