Page 95 of Wicked Truths

“We did,” Marcus says, crossing his arms over his chest. “Anyone want to tell us what the fuck is going on?”

“Yo, no one told Liam about the concert for his friends?” Lachlan swipes long brown hair back from his face. “You guys suck. If this was a surprise concert then we totally should have been prepped for the big reveal.”

My gut drops as I stagger back a step. Someone gives my shoulder a squeeze. They offer a little shove back toward the group I’m trying to escape.

“We thought you might want to perform.” Lyric approaches slowly.

Ryder swipes long whitish-blond hair back from his face as he gives what I think is meant to be an encouraging smile.

“What do you mean a concert for Liam’s friends?” Sullivan asks.

“Oh yeah, we’ve got fliers.” Lachlan bounces around, heading back to one of the tables. “It’s a damn shame what happened, but thank fuck you were smart enough not to get in the car. Am I right?”

My vision actually goes spotty. It would be a dumb move to take a swing at him. My fists clench at my side as I try to remind myself that would be a great way to get sued.

If I had been around, they wouldn’t be dead. Andrew wouldn’t have been behind the wheel on that dreary night, and they’d likely still be alive. Or I’d have been driving the van, and I’d be dead too.

“Do youeverthink before you speak?” Callan asks, shoving his shoulder into Lachlan’s.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Lach,” Rook mutters, shaking his head. He looks at me. “It’s fine, you can take a swing at him. I do on a regular basis. It helps.”

Lachlan starts handing out brochures or pamphlets to my packmates.

“We didn’t mean to spring this on you last minute.” Ryder slides up beside Lyric, tossing an arm around her lower back.

That’s a nice sentiment, but it’s exactly what they did. They also assured me that they wouldn’t tell my future band the circumstances behind how I ended up here.

Oakley gasps as she turns to face me, and my stomach churns.

I’m fairly sure I’m going to puke. “Yeah, so…” A heavy sigh rattles out of my chest. “I was supposed to be the DD. They couldn’t find me, so they left. It was raining. The van took a curve too quickly and…” My head shakes involuntarily. “They’re dead as I’m sure that lovely packet of information explains.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Ryder and Lyric say in unison.

“It really was,” I scoff.

“And you thought hey, I know the perfect way to fuck him up even further?” Marcus growls, advancing on his sister and her beta. “What the fuck even is this?”

“We wanted to do something to give back to the five families that lost their sons,” Lyric says in a pained tone.

“But we assumed Liam had informed you of what happened,” Rook says, crossing his arms over his chest.

“That’s kind of a ridiculous assumption to make,” Oakley snaps.

But is it? Ishouldhave told them by now. Long before we bonded.

“If you don’t want to be a part of this concert, that’s understandable,” Rook says.

“It was perhaps a bit too optimistic,” Ryder says at the same time. He catches my line of sight. “But I do think it’ll do you some good to finally put those feelings of guilt to rest.”

“I can assure you that those feelings aren’t going anywhere,” I mutter, spinning in a circle.

Why does my chest feel like it might collapse under the weight of trying to take a breath? My hands shake as my heart races. My vision is actually going hazy. The little black specks are kind of alarming.

“I need to get the fuck out of here,” I hiss, trying to figure out if I’m about to pass out. That would be really fucking embarrassing in front of a room full of rock superstars. Fuck my life.

“Yeah, I recognize that look,” Dexter Clark says, swaggering over. “Come on, we’ll find you guys somewhere away from the masses.” He tosses a tattooed arm around my shoulder. “I’ve got just the spot. It’s the room they gave Baby so that she can feed Bellamy without having to pop a tit out in front of everyone.”

I frown for several seconds until I remember he calls Love by her first name, which is Baby.

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