Page 121 of Aftermath
His face softened, and he limped toward me.
I knew everything he’d done was to protect me, and I was forever grateful for that. There was nothing I could do or say to repay him for saving my life.
“Are you hurt at all?”
I noticed the way he didn’t ask if I was alright. He knew the answer—I wasn’t.
“No,” I said. “Just elevated blood pressure.”
“Just make sure to take it easy for a while,” he said, looking like he didn’t believe me.
I didn’t know what he thought he would find. Was he expecting to see some wound everyone had missed?
“I promise, I’m not hurt,” I assured him.
I knew this brought him back to everything with Blythe, and my heart ached to put him in that position. I wasn’t her, and I hadn’t been hurt, but I knew it was almost impossible for him to believe.
“What about you?” I asked, glancing at the fresh bandage on his leg.
“I’m lucky,” he said. “Just a graze wound. Turns out, she had terrible aim.”
He tried to laugh softly, but it barely came out.
The shakes were starting to subside, and I was able to stand finally.
My feet hit the ground, and Stone immediately held my arms to help steady me. He wrapped a firm arm around my waist, and I felt his muscles tighten slightly as he hugged me to his chest.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said.
“I’m alive because of you,” I said.
“You had just as much a part in that as I did,” he pointed out.
I shook my head. All I had done was distract Mallory enough for them to stop her. Another wave of nausea rushed over me, realizing I had a hand in her death.
Stone tensed, realizing his mistake. “None of this is your fault,” he assured me. “I know no matter how many times I say that, it may not help, but you need to hear it.”
I nodded, trying to convince myself but knowing I needed more time.
“Maybe someday,” I whispered against him.
There were a few seconds of silence before I worked up the courage to ask my next question. The answer was going to crush me, but I forced myself to look Stone in the eyes and ask anyway.
“Are you leaving again?” I asked.
He nodded. “Grey says I still have a job if I want it.”
Part of me had hoped when I saw him again, it meant he came back for good. I knew it was unfair to tie Stone to Briarport or me. There was so much I still wanted to see, and after everything that happened, deep down, I knew I couldn’t stay in the small town either.
Stone saw it on my face and pulled me in, holding me to his chest.
“Where will you go?” he asked.
“I have a small bit of savings set aside,” I answered. “I want to see the rest of the world. It’s something Jake never let me do, and now that I’m finally free of the Coastal Killer, there’s nothing stopping me.”
“You deserve it,” he said. “I’ll be waiting the second you get back.”
I choked on a sob, melting into Stone. I’d wanted to make things work at the museum, but this town was full of painful memories. I could always come back to visit Calvin, but staying would only hurt more. I needed to see the world, to figure out who I was.
