Navy Blue - A Second Chance Romance (Complete)

Navy Blue: Chapter 22

In the club, the music shifted from anonymous beats to a woman rapping. Finn's thoughts matched her rapid words. Lieutenant Casey wasn't responsible for her co-pilot's death. Or Angela's. Emily had figured it out. "You're brilliant."

"Hardly." Emily's gaze fell to the floor.

"Em, really. How did you—" Out of the corner of his eye, a man with dark hair made a bee-line for Emily. Upon reaching his prey, he placed his hand on her shoulder, making Emily turn towards him. She jumped at the sight of him as if his touch hurt her.

Without realizing it, Finn found himself standing at Emily's side. So close he could see she was shaking slightly.

"What do you want, Roy?" Emily demanded.

The other man slowly surveyed Emily's body from head to foot. Finn had to fight the urge to pluck the man's eyes out. "Looking sweet Montgomery." His voice was smooth, but Finn did not miss the malice undertone. Roy glanced at Finn. "Who's this?"

Emily hesitated, so Finn held out his hand and introduced himself. The two men battled for a moment, testing each other's strength through grip.

"Finn, you say?" Roy was the first to let go.

Finn turned to Emily to find her clutching her necklace, her knuckles almost turning white. Worry flooded through Finn. Who was this man to Emily? More to the point, what had he done to her?

"Well, I see my services aren't required anymore." Roy sneered at her, all traces of civility vanishing. Finn rose to his full height and stepped in between him and Emily. He glared down at the man. Roy bowed his head and disappeared into the revellers crowding the packed dance floor.

"Who was that?" Finn demanded.

Emily let go of the necklace but kept her hand on her chest where the silver chain lay. "The past."

With a glance in the direction the creep had fled, Finn wondered if Roy was another man scorned by Emily Montgomery. A fact they had in common. Was it why Roy was so full of vitriol?

Finn wanted to ask, but Emily was walking away from him, headed for the exit. Finn caught up with her, stepped out to her to halt her progress. To not bump into him, she stopped abruptly and looked everywhere but in his direction.

"Where are you going?" he shouted over the music.

"I think I should leave." Emily glanced over her shoulder at the seething crowd.

Finn hesitated; tongue-tied as usual. He wanted to tell her to forget Roy, to focus on him instead. Words failed him and something far less eloquent popped out.

"Don't go." He hated the desperation in his voice. If Emily heard it through the pulsing music, she didn't react. She did, however, look like she was ready to bolt. "Please."

There was no doubt Emily heard that. Her gaze snapped to attention, finally meeting his. The dim light of the nightclub in this corner bled most of the colour from their world, but Finn was sure her silver eyes sparkled.

"You...you want me to stay?"

This time, Finn didn't hesitate. "Yes." He rubbed his chest, trying to move the ever-present pain. He opened his mouth to say more, but nothing came out. Emily's friend headed straight for them, distracting him.

"One mojito, as requested." The blonde thrust the drink towards Emily, jumping up and down like she was holding a hot potato.

Never taking her eyes off Finn, Emily took the drink before the girl spilled any more of it. "Thanks, Kerri."

"So, Finn," Kerri elongated the n in his name. "Don't you think Emily looks pretty tonight?"

"Beautiful."

Emily's eyes fell to the floor, reminding Finn of a gesture long ago on a rainy night in a boathouse far away. The night she'd given him her heart and cracked his open, letting love pour in.

"Ooh. I agree." Kerri bounced again. "Hey, I know. You two should dance."

One of Emily's lips twitched. "Finn's not much of a dancer, Kerri."

A tinge of disappointment trickled through him. Dancing would mean he might get to hold Emily again. Instead, the other men joined them, and the group found a booth to pile into. Max slipped in beside Emily before Finn had a chance. Campbell held Kerri back a moment, engaging her with a question, opening the door for Finn to sit on Emily's other side.

Before long, Campbell bailed, using his wife as the excuse to leave. Kerri left the table to get another round of drinks and struck up a conversation with what looked like one of the bouncers at the bar. Finn didn't expect her to return anytime soon.

Max became more and more animated the longer he was in Emily's presence. They discussed the portrayal of the military in various movies, a subject Max had a lot to say about. Finn sat there, trying not to fume. The point of the evening had been to find Max a girl to talk too. But it wasn't supposed to be his girl.

Over the years, he had learned to recognize when his temper threatened to break. If possible, removing himself from the inciting cause was one of the techniques he used to try to diffuse the impending explosion. Max fawning over Emily grated on his nerves. Excusing himself to go to the bathroom, Finn tried to walk off the annoyance prickling up his neck.

Space took the edge off his irritation, but anxiety over missing his opportunity to spend time with Emily flared and forced Finn to make his way back to the table. He was in the middle of the dance floor when his heart stopped.

After Emily abandoned him, it had taken months for the pain of her betrayal to ease even a little. Eventually, it lessened until it was like a rope wound around his heart, mostly just a dull ache he was forced to live with. Now and again, that rope would twist, or cinch, and the pain would increase, but he trained himself to wait it out.

Since coming back into his life, Emily caused the rope to constrict, and the pain was a consistent pressure keeping him from sleeping at nights. But looking at her now, seeing the sight before him, the pain was different. Searing. A knife slicing through his heart.

All because of the simplest of gestures: Emily's smile.

The summer they'd spent together, Finn's greatest satisfaction was to make Emily smile. At first, it was a rare event. Those who didn't know her well would never guess it. She always seemed happy, and she was, but she tended to keep her ardent feelings hidden. Finn never understood why, but the phrase still waters run deep always came to mind. So when he was able to elicit a smile, a genuine one, one that made her eyes shine, this meant the world to him. It felt personal. Like Emily only smiled for him.

Except now. As he stood frozen on the dance floor, his heart bled as he watched Emily smile.

At Max.

A hot spike of anger impaled him and Finn seethed at Max. Max, who deserved any kindness the world could show him. The things the man had been through, Finn didn't wish on his worst enemy. The man's psyche was damaged in ways Finn couldn't imagine. Whenever he looked into Max's eyes, they reflected agony.

Still. That was his smile. Finn wanted Emily to smile at him. Not Max.

Something sticky and humid pressed into his side. He looked down as a buxom brunette ground against him. Numbly, he put his arm around her, his mind still on Max and Emily. Emily smiling at Max. Emily wanting Max.

Anger blinded Finn. Survival skills kicked in. Finn's brand of survival. When things got bad and he could not get Emily out of his mind, he would find a woman, the opposite of Emily, and take her home. Physical exhaustion drummed the thoughts of Emily out of his mind.

The female pushing her ample breasts into him. "Who left you all alone?" Her hand snaked up his arm, shoulder, dug into his neck.

Before he quite realized what was happening, a sickly-sweet cherry flavour assaulted Finn, making his stomach turn. The woman sucked on his lower liplike he was a damned lollipop. Bile rose in his throat. Her body writhed against him, demanding more. Breaking away from her lips, Finn's head swivelled back to where Emily and Max sat.

Except the booth sat empty. Finn scanned the club and spotted Max leading Emily to the exit.

Emily Montgomery was leaving. With Max.