Damaged (Boys of Winter #2) - Sheridan Anne Page 0,97

new asshole.”

I scoff. “Unfortunately, that’s just his face.”

Ember laughs and gives me a stupid grin before falling away into the crowded bodies and leaving me standing behind, completely riddled with guilt. We killed her boyfriend. He was a complete asshole, but to her, he was everything. She’s never going to forgive me, but then, she’s never going to find out. She’ll just be left wondering why she wasn’t enough for him to stick around and that’s on me.

Fuck. I’m such an awful friend.

Something in King’s expression softens and he pushes off the wall and makes his way toward me, but I discreetly shake my head, wanting to suffer alone. He instantly stops and gently nods his head, but the deepness in his eyes tells me that he’s ready to throw his arms around me and hold me for as long as I need.

Not being able to handle it, I push away from the bar and make my way through the party, and before I know it, I find myself at the front door, walking straight out of it. I mindlessly walk down the center of the quiet road, the night wrapping around me as the subtle glow from the street lamps light my way.

I don’t stop until I come to a familiar pier, a place that has somehow become so much more than just somewhere I once partied. I walk down, right to the sand below and drop my ass into it as I watch the calm waves crash on the shore.

I hear people down the beach partying by a bonfire while I’m pretty sure a couple to my right are getting more than just a little freaky, and judging by the sound of it, it might just be an exorcism.

I hear someone coming in behind me and I don’t even bother looking back. “How’d you know where to find me?”

King laughs as he drops down beside me, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side. “Do you want the stalker answer or the I’m a fucking impressive boyfriend kind of answer?”

“Hit me with both,” I tell him, keeping my eyes on the crashing water in front as I sink deeper into his hold, needing his touch so much more than I realized.

“Well, apart from the fact I followed you from the party, this is the place where you go when you feel lost and when your world is about to explode around you.”

Warmth swirls through my chest. “I didn’t realize you were paying such close attention,” I tell him, raising my chin and gently brushing a kiss over his jaw. “But I should have known you’d follow me. Your stalking knows no bounds.”

King scoffs. “Of course I followed you. Jacob just put a hit out on you, and even though he’s gone now, no one else knows that. There’s still some dickhead on his way to that party, ready to put a bullet between your eyes, so I wasn’t exactly going to stop you from leaving. Though, I’m pissed you thought it was a good idea just to walk out on your own.”

My eyes widen. “I … I didn’t even consider that. I just wanted out of there. Ember … she was asking me if I’d seen Jacob and I just … I crumbled. I didn’t know how to respond. She left to go find him, but she’s not going to, and I hate that I lied to her, even if it’s for her own good. She thought she was crazy in love with him and now she’s going to be left wondering what she did wrong to make him leave. I’m an awful person, King. How could someone do that to a friend?”

“You’re not awful, Winter. You’re a survivor in a fucked up world and you’ve been facing the impossible every single day. No one blames you, and Ember is sure as fuck not going to hate you. You did the right thing.”

“But—”

“No. What would have happened if she had overheard him making that hit? Or what would have happened a few months down the track if she accidentally found out something she shouldn’t have? He would have killed her without a second thought. You made the right call, and even if you hadn’t, Carver still would have snapped his neck.”

I let out a sigh, knowing he’s right. He wasn’t good for her and it would have ended in tragedy.

I try to hold onto that tiny snippet of closure and let out a deep