Sunrise Malice

Chapter 1

Brianne

Kim takes a step. Sweat drips down her forehead. Her strawberry blond hair is pulled back into a bun and she grimaces as she pushes herself forward. Another set, another, and finally, she reaches her destination?—

The bartender hands her a glass of champagne. “Enjoy,” he says. “Looks like you worked for it.”

She collapses onto a stool. “You have no idea.”

I sit next to her and put my arm around her shoulders. She leans her head against me and takes a long drink, already waving for a refill. We’re in a small, quiet bar in a good part of the city. Julien’s got a few guards waiting for me outside just to make sure everything’s okay, and they also have Kim’s wheelchair in case she needs it. But these days she insists on walking, even though it’s still a big struggle. I’m proud of her, and I worry. I worry a whole lot.

“Are you going to be okay without me for a little while?” I ask her.

“I’ll be fine. You worry too much.”

“You’re right, I know I do, I just?—”

“Bri, seriously, go to France with your sexy French husband and have a good time.”

“I just hate leaving you here.”

“I have my lovely nurse to keep me company. You know, the Fraulein with the gun tucked down her granny panties?”

“The one and only.”

We laugh together, but guilt’s still eating me up. No matter how much time passes, I can’t get over what happened to her. It doesn’t matter how many times she says it wasn’t my fault and that she doesn’t blame me?—

I still have the nightmares.

“Seriously, don’t stress. Valentina’s going to keep me company. You know that girl’s a bad ass, right? She grew up the daughter of a freaking mob kingpin.”

“That explains why she’s so scary.” I lean against Kim and hug her. “You know I love you, right?”

“The feelings mutual.” She beams at me. “How about this—if you feel so bad, how about you find me a nice, sexy, French husband? Bring him back with you in your luggage.”

“Deal, but I have to warn you, the French are overrated.”

“You and Julien seem pretty happy.”

“Oh, we totally are, but his family—” I grunt and shake my head. It’s not exactly easy being the wife of a criminal mafia boss. “The boys have so much drama it’s almost unbelievable.”

I tell her about how a few of Julien’s men got into a fight over a girl they were both in love with, and it turned out she was a prostitute and charging both of them triple her normal nightly rate.

Suffice to say, the men stopped arguing over her once they realized they’re far from the only ones experiencing the love of this particular woman.

The night wears on and I do my best to keep the mood light. But I’m already starting to miss her. I’m looking forward to going to France with Julien and I know it’ll be great, it’s just that I’ve never left the country before, and I feel like Kim needs me right now more than ever.

Still, it’s happening, whether I like it or not.

Julien says he has a meeting with his grandfather already scheduled, and I can’t wait for him to follow through with that particular promise.

When it’s time to head out, Kim doesn’t even argue when I make her lean on me for support. She moves slowly, and I can tell she’s not comfortable, but we manage to reach the car without too much difficulty. Once she’s settled, we head off to drop her back at her place.

“I keep meaning to mention.” Kim’s looking out the window as she speaks. “I’ve been thinking about going to Philly for a while. My mom’s cousin lives out there and invited me to stay with them if I’m up for it.”

“Really? I didn’t know you had family out there.”

“Yeah, well, they’re sort of the black sheep, you know? We don’t like to talk about the Philly cousins.” She snorts to herself and smiles. “Now I get why they moved away. Better to avoid the drama.”

“Well, if you think it’s a good idea—” I worry at my skirt and don’t finish that sentence.

Kim turns to face me. She reaches out and grabs my face, squeezing my cheeks together and puffing my mouth out. She stares at me, eyebrows knit down tight.

“You’re forgiven,” she says.

“Uhm, thank you, uh—” I try to speak but my mouth is squashed and it comes out a mumble.

“Seriously, Brianne. You’re forgiven for everything. No matter what happens to me, none of it was your fault, and I’ll never blame you for it. I love you. I always will. You’re forgiven.”

Tears fill my eyes. A lump forms in my throat. I don’t know why this hits me so hard. She has said this before numerous times, but for some reason, right here and now, I finally believe her.

“I love you,” she says and kisses my forehead. “Let it go, okay? It’s eating you up more than it’s eating up me.”

“Thank you,” I say and we hug in the back seat of the car. “And don’t stay in Philly forever.”

“So long as you don’t stay in France forever.”

“That’s a deal.” I laugh and wipe my eyes.

The car rolls through Chicago and I feel lighter than I’ve felt in a very long time. Kim has plans and I have plans, and maybe if I keep putting one foot in front of the other, maybe I can move past this nightmare. Maybe I can start to heal, just like her.

Thanks so much for reading!