The Wild Finale (The Wild Boys #3) - Erin O'Kane Page 0,3
clutched in her hand, while Emmett is making his way over to us with a deep frown.
“Guys,” I plead, turning my attention back to them as I push up from my chair. This is the last place we want to have this confrontation right now, especially while emotions are so high and we’re being watched.
“Mark was killed,” Blake snarls, trying to take a step around Damon, but he just slams into a wall of solid muscle. “He was fucking murdered, and you want me to just act like it didn’t happen?”
His words hit me like a physical blow, and I fall back into my seat. Thank God I hadn’t moved away, otherwise I’d be on the floor. The two of them don’t notice, too caught up in their argument, but Liam does and instantly comes to my side, his face set in a mask of concern as he wraps his arm around me.
“Of course not,” Leo shouts, clearly offended at Blake’s accusation. “I want us to think about what Mark would have wanted us to do!”
This seems to make Blake pause, and for a second, I see a flash of vulnerability on his face. It’s gone in a second, though, replaced by his usual asshole expression, but to those who know him, they would have seen it. “Which is what?”
“He wouldn’t want us moping around.” My voice is scratchy and hoarse from crying all morning, but they all hear, turning their gazes on me.
Emmett chuckles, getting a few odd looks before holding up a hand so he can explain. “You’re right, I can almost hear him now. ‘Come on, kid, you’ve got work to do.’”
His impression of Mark is so bad, it makes me smile, but he’s spot on with the words—that’s exactly what he would have said. The guys and a couple of the crew laugh. Even Blake smiles for a nanosecond, his stance relaxing a little, and I release the breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding. Emmett’s joke breaks the tension, and the guys calm enough to sit down. Fight averted, for now at least. They say there’s always a fight at family gatherings, right? Or is that just weddings?
Once everyone settles down and takes their seats, silence descends over our table again, and there’s an awkwardness that I hate. Eventually, Blake, who’s been staring down at the table, lifts his head, and with a pained expression, he looks over at Emmett. “Then what do we do?” he asks, referring to his earlier comment of what Mark would have wanted us to be doing.
My heart constricts painfully in my chest as I pull my eyes from him, unable to bear looking at him anymore, and I wish I had an answer for him. Gazing around the table, I see matching expressions on my guys’ faces. Out of all of them, Blake was the last one I would have expected to break down, and I can see it’s shaken the others too.
Clearing his throat, Leo pushes up from his chair. “We do what we do best.” He walks over to the bar and starts talking to the bartender before disappearing through a backdoor.
Confused, I frown and glance at the others. I notice I’m not the only one who doesn’t understand what’s going on, but when my gaze reaches Liam and I see his growing grin, I know he’s worked out what Leo’s up to.
Suddenly, music fills the room, filtering in through the old speakers hanging in the corners of the bar, but my eyes are on the figure in the doorway. It’s not exactly light inside the pub, but because it’s dark in the room behind him, there’s a strange shadow-like effect on his body. Thanks to the poor quality of the speakers, I can’t make out any lyrics, but that doesn’t matter. As soon as he hears the beat, Leo starts moving, leaving the shadow and snapping his fingers to the beat of the song.
He glides across the floor, his hips swinging to the beat. Leo reaches our table, grinning down at me as he does a body roll before extending his hand to me. Glancing at the others, I take in their expressions. Liam is smiling and pushing up from the table, as is Damon. Emmett is walking over to a stunned-looking Kathy over at the bar. Blake is gripping the table so hard his knuckles are going white, his jaw tight as he stares at the outstretched hand being offered to me.