Brazen

There is a man who needs to be taught a lesson.

There is a man I need to eliminate from Sunday’s life.

Gone, once and for all.

This is exactly what she doesn’t want me to do, but I need to protect her from her creep of a husband who won’t become an ex, Matt Norman.

“Did you get the stuff?” I sit on the couch and turn to Dan, self-proclaimed computer hacker and unofficial private eye. He’s a good guy, even if we don’t always speak the same language.

Dan moves across the room, opens the drawer of the junk table by the door, and pulls out a manila envelope. It’s too thick to be a whole lot of nothing, like I’ve gotten before, but I’m not getting my hopes up.

He passes over the envelope, and I tear into it.

“It’s not what you need, but it’s a start,” he states.

“What do you mean? What am I looking at?” I don’t need a start. I need conclusive evidence.

“Years of financial documents. You’re right; there is something not right about this guy, and that envelope is full of shady evidence, but I haven’t found the smoking gun yet. I will, but I need a little more time.”

The words and lines of numbers look foreign to me. I really have no idea what Dan has just handed over. “Will these papers make more sense to me once you figure it out?”

“Honestly, probably not. What you’re holding is proof of overseas accounts and a long history of strange withdraws and deposits. There are a ton of names that don’t match up with his business, and I even found some large settlement payoffs to some of his former employees. It’s evidence that he isn’t running a clean ship, but it doesn’t prove he’s breaking the law. You’ll just need the proof. Once you have that, it’s enough.”

He’s probably right.

I don’t need to understand whatever lowlife business is going on. I just need to put a stop to the man in question. That’s my only goal. I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet, but Dan is already shaking his head.

“Put that away, man. I don’t want your money.” He waves me off. “Take me out for a beer after this is settled, and we’ll call it even.”

“Are you sure?” I ask.

“Very.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”

“You’re a good dude, Hale, but I’m not really doing this for you.”

I nod. I know exactly whom he’s doing this for.

Sunday. She’s the reason I’m here, too.

“Well then, let’s finish this sooner rather than later, so we can go for that beer. I’ll bring Sunday with me.”

Dan has always had a crush on her. She would have been much better off if she’d ended up with him instead of Matt. She would have been better off with anyone else honestly.

“How is she?” He taps his fingers and scuffs his shoe against the wood floor.

“She’s as amazing as she’s always been, and don’t you forget that.”

He’d better not, especially if he ever goes for that second chance with her.

Our right hands link, and our left hands embrace each other with a pat on the back. I tuck the envelope under my arm and leave him to figure out where the trail ends. As I’m leaving, my phone alerts me to a new text.

Sunday: I know what you’re up to, and I’m waiting in your living room for you.

Fuck. Can’t I do anything without her knowing about it? Plus, didn’t she promise that, if I made an effort to get to know Noah, she would stop telling me to stop trying to help her? If she thinks she can welsh on her side of the deal, she’s wrong.

Behind the wheel of my truck, I’m home after only a couple of turns and a few minutes. Sunday’s car is parked in front of my house, and right about now, I’m wishing she didn’t have a key. The second I open the door, she turns to me. Her foot taps with an annoyance that’s reflected in her expression. She’s sitting on my couch in jeans and one of my old T-shirts. Something her husband hated for her to do when they were together. No wife of his should be wearing another man’s clothes. Matt has more insecurities than I’ve ever seen in an adult man, and he blamed every single one of those insecurities on me.

Oh, he wasn’t like that while they dated. I’m pretty sure that, if he had been, Sunday would have dropped him. That changed the second she said, “I do.” After that, he tried his damnedest to cut off all communication between Sunday and me, which was something neither she nor I were happy about.

“I told you to stop this shit,” Sunday fumes.

“And I told you, I wasn’t going to, babe,” I insist.

“Don’t you babe me! You’re infuriating, Brazen. This shit is going to get you hurt. I can’t let that happen because of me. Just leave well enough alone!”

Sunday’s anger isn’t really anger—at least, not toward me. The emotion that’s pouring out of her is really fear, and that’s exactly why I can’t back down from this.

“Better me than someone else,” I challenge.

“He’s been hurting me for years, Brazen. I can handle it. I’m used to it.” Her voice cracks with sadness.

“Can you hear yourself, Sunday? You’re used to it? The last time he came around, he broke your nose! What happens the next time he decides he misses you?”

“Don’t you think I know this? I left him. I left him, Brazen! I didn’t stick around. I didn’t stay with a husband whose insecurities and weaknesses caused him to raise his fist, but I still can’t shake him! The cops haven’t helped. He has them completely fooled. The fucking restraining order I have is little more than a piece of paper. This problem isn’t yours. I don’t want you involved in it. I’m handling it.”

“We’ve played it your way long enough. It isn’t working. I’m sick of seeing you hurt. I can’t sleep at night because I’m too worried I’ll miss a call for help from you. I can’t watch you live like this anymore.”

In all the years Sunday and I have been friends, it’s rare that I ever see her cry, but as she stands before me now, she does exactly that. She sniffs and wipes her nose against the back of her hand as tears fall from her eyes.

“I don’t want him to change you, Brazen. He’s done enough to me over the years. You are everything that is good about my life, and I don’t want this situation to dirty you. Please don’t stoop to his level. You’re better than that, and you’re affected enough as it is. Just let me deal with the consequences of the decisions I’ve made.”

“His level? Don’t compare me to him, Sun. He’s a disgusting piece of garbage who hurts you, and I’m only doing what needs to be done to set you free. So, no, I’m not down at his level, and I never will be. I love you. I respect you. None of this is your fault, but you’re no longer in charge when it comes to getting Matt out of our lives. I don’t want to see you bruised and hurt ever again. I let you handle things for way longer than I should have, but now, I’m taking over.”

Sunday stands and targets me with eyes that could kill.

She is stubborn, but I can be even more hardheaded.

I’m tired of not doing enough. I’m frustrated about this guy always slipping through the system when Sunday reports his violence. I’m disgusted over every time he’s ever marked up her body. I love my best friend, and it’s time I make sure she’s protected.

It doesn’t matter how displeased she is about it.