Read Online All Night Long by Madelynne Ellis - Free Book Online

be staying, and wouldn’t turn up for an hour or six.
    ‘Um, make yourselves at home, guys,’ she said inviting them in. As if they needed the prompt. Spook immediately lolled across one bed, while Ash dived on the second. He stood up again a moment later to crack open one of the beers Rock Giant had carried in from the van.
    ‘Who’s hungry?’ Spook picked up the phone to dial for room service. Ginny winced as he subsequently ordered half the menu. The price per dish was nearly as much as she’d paid for the room.
    ‘Don’t sweat it,’ Ash remarked, clearly having caught sight of her expression. He pushed a beer into her hand. ‘We’ll get the tab. Cheers.’ They clinked bottles.
    ‘Thanks,’ she mumbled, taking a swig.
    Someone turned on the TV. The news channel was running the story of the band’s shocking break-up. Apparently, the streets around the Whyteleaf remained completely cut off, and it was being reported that police intervention had been required to get the band out of the stadium, after their limos had been completely encircled by crowds of irate fans. One of the cars had been overturned.
    ‘We’re in for it, if that’s true,’ Spook muttered. ‘Ulf and the crew are going to be seriously pissed.’
    Rock Giant grunted in agreement. ‘I wonder where they’re staying, since the Whyteleaf’s off limit.’
    ‘Turn it off.’ Ash made a grab for the control, but failed to claim it from Spook. He yanked the plug out of the socket on the wall instead. ‘We know this shit. I don’t need to listen to someone else reporting it. Ulf being pissed isn’t going to make any difference to the state of things tomorrow, because without Xane we’re screwed anyway. There won’t be a band.’
    The harsh reality of their situation seemed to penetrate the bubble of unreality that surrounded them. Spook tugged uncomfortably at the neckline of his shirt as though it had suddenly grown too tight. ‘You said he’d come round.’
    A look of vexation crossed Ash’s face. ‘God knows if that’s true.’ Exasperation soured his voice. ‘This is Xane we’re talking about. He’s not exactly known for being amenable. If he can avoid dealing with us, he will.’
    Interesting. She’d always envisaged Xane as the backbone of the group as well as its spokesperson, but it sounded as if he was an avoider rather than an enabler.
    The others seemed to recognise the truth of Ash’s words. One by one their expressions turned grim. Ginny realised she was possibly witnessing the band’s death throes. By morning, Black Halo might genuinely have ceased to exist. They weren’t quite defunct yet, despite Xane’s walk out, because she could see these guys still believed they could patch things up.
    ‘What will you do if he doesn’t come round?’
    ‘He will.’ Rock Giant thumped his empty beer bottle down on the table and reached for another.
    Spook looked less certain.
    Ash turned his back and strode over to the window. He wrenched the curtains across, dragging one of them half off the rail, but mostly succeeding in blocking out the city skyline. ‘Fuck knows. I don’t intend to find out. I’ll lock the silly bugger in a room until he caves if I have to.’
    Behind him, Spook and Rock Giant exchanged concerned glances.
    ‘It won’t come to that,’ said the former. ‘He’ll wake up tomorrow morning and realise what a mistake he’s made. We probably won’t even have to go looking for him. He’ll slope in as if nothing’s happened and we’ll do the final gig as planned. This will all blow over.’
    ‘Nice dream, Spooky man,’ Rock Giant said.
    ‘Maybe he’s right.’ Ash faced them. ‘We know he burns hot and cold, and he has to realise this is great publicity. We’d never get this much media coverage normally.’
    ‘Are you suggesting he did it for the publicity?
    Spook shook his head at the line the two of them were exploring. ‘I don’t believe that. You’re not being fair to him. He was