Damaged (Boys of Winter 2)

Fucking Jacob Scardoni.

It was always him. I fucking knew it. He’s been using Ember to get close to me, and I have no doubt it’s his bastard father he’s making arrangements with.

They’re both going down.

Fury rages through me as my feet pound against the earth. I move faster than I’ve ever moved, ducking and weaving past branches and desperately trying to keep up with King and Cruz.

I hear a panicked “fuck,” rumbling through the trees as I see King and Cruz’s backs flashing through my sight, but like lightning, they’re gone in mere moments.

I feel like I’m running blind, not knowing what sounds I’m following. I’m an idiot for thinking I’d be able to keep up with them. I come to an abrupt stop, looking all around for a sign of the boys, but nothing. I don’t know where they fucking went and I’m lost as shit in these bushes.

Jacob trained right alongside the boys. He can do everything they can, and in these bushes, alone, now that his cards are laid out for the world to see, I don’t doubt that he’s going to try and kill me.

Unease filters through me as I search the shadows, fearing who could be watching me. As soon as the thought crosses my mind, my body is shoved hard and I go sprawling to the ground.

I whip myself over and instantly scramble away as I find Jacob hovering over me, slowly stalking toward me with his intentions as clear as day. “They’re going to kill you,” I state, trying to keep the fear out of my tone but failing. If they trained together, then Jacob has the ability to kill me with his bare hands and he won’t hesitate, not now.

“Oh, I know,” he tells me. “I won’t walk out of here tonight, but as long as I’m a dead man, I might as well make it worth my while. There’s nothing stopping me now from taking matters into my own hands.”

Fuck.

My heels dig into the soil, pushing me back, but not fast enough.

I’d give anything to get to my feet. At least I’d have a small fighting chance, but like this, I’m as good as dead.

“You’re a piece of shit,” I growl, pushing myself further and further away until my back is pressed up against a tree. “Ember fucking trusted you.”

He continues stalking me and my heart races. Where the fuck are the boys? I’ve always said that I don’t need them coming to my rescue—but fuck that. I need them now more than ever.

“Ember was a means to an end, and an annoying one at that,” he spits. “She’s been a fucking leech for the past two years, hanging off me and reeking of desperation. I’ll be glad to get rid of her. That bitch won’t stop talking. The only good thing is that she’s down to fuck and practically obsessed with you. She’s the reason I always know where you’re going to be.”

“She deserved so much better than that,” I growl, hating how heartbroken she’s going to be when she learns what a low-life piece of shit he is. After finishing me off, he’ll vanish from her life and leave her devastated, but even more, she’ll be confused as fuck wondering what the hell she did wrong.

I fucking hate him. I knew he was a bad apple the second I saw him in the council chambers, standing way too proudly behind his despicable father. I’m just glad that once this is over, the boys won’t let him get away with it. They’ll end him, and when they do, they’ll make it unforgettable.

Jacob steps right up in front of me and bends down to grip my arms. I’m yanked up off the dirty ground, and just as his fingers tighten on my arms and his nails dig into my skin, a hard body comes flying through the bushes and crashes into him with a devastating blow.

Their bodies collide so fast that it’s not until they’ve come to a complete stop that I recognize Carver’s large body crushing Jacob’s into the ground. A pained groan tears from deep within Jacob, and within seconds, Grayson appears at my right and moves in close while Cruz and King come from the left.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Grayson demands, making me realize that when Carver took down Jacob, it was done purely because he was standing way too close to me.

King’s sharp glare cuts toward Jacob as Carver gets off him, pulling the asshole up with him. “We just overheard the dickhead putting a hit on Winter,” he spits. “The fucker is responsible for the attack in the woods.”

Carver’s hold on Jacob tightens, and with one quick flick of his wrist, he pushes Jacob forward and sends him falling to his knees as the guys and I form a circle around him, keeping him trapped with no way out.