Page 90 of Her Dark Angel

Wesley stares at me for a long minute, his eyes narrowed. His jaw ticks as if he has more words ready to spew from his lips, but for whatever reason, he swallows them and squares his shoulders.

“Whatever,” he mutters gruffly. “You’re not worth it anyway, Kinsley.”

I watch his retreating back as he storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The sound vibrates through my chest, rattling my erratically beating heart in my chest.

Shock consumes me, and I’m unable to move. For a long moment, all I can do is stare at the closed door and wonder where the hell that side of Wesley materialized from.

Why does he hate Nash so much?

I understand he has preconceived notions of who he thinks Nash is from what he has seen in the tabloids, but to go so far as to make that comment about his parents? That’s just fucking low, even for Wesley.

I thought he was a nice guy, but I guess it just goes to show you never truly know a person until they show you both sides of the coin.

My ringtone pulls me out of my thoughts. Needing the distraction from what just occurred, I lower myself onto the couch and answer the phone. “Hello?”

“Kin!” Sadie’s voice is full of excitement. “Are you busy tonight?”

I frown, wondering what she is up to. “No, I’m not. Why? What’s going on?”

“Well, I know you’ve had a rough two weeks with the whole Nash scandal, so Matt and I talked and we decided that we should take you out for some drinks. It’s a Friday night and you just wrapped up your latest film, so you deserve to treat yourself.”

I hesitate, chewing on my bottom lip. Going out in public right now with how insane the paps are doesn’t sound appealing to me. The last thing I want to do is deal with them harassing me for a statement about Nash, but how can I say no to my best friend? Sadie has always had my back when I needed her the most, so giving her this one night out couldn’t hurt.

Besides, I could use a drink to calm the anxiety coursing through my body.

“Okay, fine,” I say. When Sadie’s squeal of excitement sounds through the line, I bite back a smile. “Should we hit up Limelight?”

“A table is already booked for us,” Sadie responds. “When we pick you up, I want to see you wearing the hottest items of clothing you own, okay? I want Nash Beck to see what he’s going to lose in four months and make him regret ever getting into that stupid scandal.”

I snort out a laugh and shake my head. “Well, this is awkward because I was planning on wearing a potato sack. That’ll really get some heads turning.”

“Kin!”

All I can do is laugh while Sadie continues to tell me how much fun tonight is going to be. She said I can’t leave the bar until I’m as drunk as a skunk, and honestly, that sounds like a plan.

I’ll do anything to take my mind off Nash Beck.

31

KINSLEY

When I walk through the entrance of Limelight, I’m immediately blinded by strobe lights. Loud rock music blares from the speakers around the room, and it’s no surprise that crowds of bodies are dancing to the heavy beats in the center of the room on the makeshift dance floor. The stench of stale beer, body odor, cigarettes, and cheap perfume assault my senses as Sadie drags me through the crowded room with Matt hot on my heels.

When we finally reach the bar after pushing through hordes of people, Sadie orders us our usual cocktails and Matt orders himself a beer.

I want to tell him the drink will only add to the unpleasant beer smell hanging in the air, but I don’t. The last thing I need to be is a party pooper when my best friends are taking time out of their night to spend it with me.

I smile at Sadie when she hands me my drink and the three of us patrol the room for the table she booked. Matt manages to find the empty table in the back of the room. Being tall certainly has its perks.

Once we’re settled at the table, I sip on the cocktail and sigh with relief.

Oh, yeah. This is what I needed.

“Thanks for taking me out tonight,” I say to my friends over the music. “I needed this.”

Sadie leans across the small circle table to rub my forearm gently. Her tight brown curls are styled neatly around her face. “Anytime, Kin, you know that. We could tell you needed some cheering up, so what better way to put a smile on your dial than to take you out for drinks?”

“For the record, I suggested we go out for lunch, but Sade was adamant about taking you to Limelight so she could get you drunk,” Matt says with a shrug.

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