The salty tang of ocean air whipped through the open top of Julie's Mustang as she navigated the winding cliff-side road with a determined focus. Her foot pressed firmly on the gas pedal, the engine roared as she sped towards Sarah's house. Thoughts swirled in her mind weighing heavy on her shoulders. She needed to talk to Sarah, to unburden her soul, to confide in the one person who always understood her.  She was assuming Sarah hadn’t heard about the shooting at the coffee shop and was dreading telling her.  She knew she had to.

With each turn, the crashing waves below seemed to echo her racing thoughts. The scenery, breathtaking as it was, only served as a backdrop to her urgency. She maneuvered her Mustang along the coastal road, her gaze fixed on the horizon ahead. Her heart pounded with anticipation, knowing that once she reached Sarah's, the words she'd been holding back would finally spill forth, carried by the trust and bond between them.  She raced not just towards a destination, but towards solace and understanding.

As Julie arrived at Sarah's apartment, she took a quick look at her iPhone and noticed a text message waiting for her from Brad. With a whirlwind of emotions racing through her, she had no time to respond. Her priority was to get to Sarah as fast as she could. Her focus was like a laser beam, she was intent on telling Sarah everything, including the two men she had killed behind Willowbrook Mall.  She was also worried about Sarah’s safety.

Julie had to open her heart to Sarah, to unravel the knots of secrecy and share the gravity of her situation as well as make sure she was okay. Every word she planned to speak felt like a lifeline, crucial to Sarah's understanding of the imminent peril they both faced. Time was slipping away, and within the safety of Sarah's trusted presence, Julie aimed to lay bare the truths that could alter their lives forever.

Sarah opened the door, and the familiarity of Sarah's warm home did little to ease her nerves, she carried a burden that demanded immediate attention. Her gorgeous blue eyes had turned darker and there were faint traces of green mixed in with the dark ocean blue that told Sarah that Julie was in emotional turmoil.  Even with her life crumbling around her, she still walked and held herself with a strong confidence that only seemed to be growing.

“Me and Jay just broke up,” Julie blurted, as they hugged each other warmly.

“What??” Sarah asked.

Sarah motioned for Julie to come inside, and they both sat down next to each other on Sarah’s couch.

“What happened?” Sarah asked, “Jay found out about Brad?”

“Yeah. You won’t believe what happened.  I guess Brad wanted to get a personal trainer over at Gold's Gym.”

“Oh my God, where Jay works?” Sarah asked in disbelief.

“Yes.  And of all the personal trainers that work there, Brad just had to grab Jay’s business card from the front counter. What are the odds of that?”

“Did you guys just have a huge fight?” Sarah asked, desperate for all the juicy details.

“I wouldn’t call it a fight. He was surprisingly calm. I was so in shock, I barely remember what I said, but I think I was trying to convince him to accept a love triangle between the three of us.”

“Oh Jules, if he loves you and he wants what’s best for you, he should have no problem with you sleeping with Brad as well.  Give him time, trust me he’ll come around and accept it.  Look at you, you’re a beautiful goddess, he has no choice.”

Sarah’s words gave Julie a much-needed sense of calm.

“You’re right,” Julie said firmly.   

“Do you think Brad knows? Do you think Jay told Brad?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to Brad yet, and I’m dreading it. I’m going to go over to it his house tonight, I need to fuck, but If he knows, he knows. I’ll face the music.”

As the weight of the impending conversation about the shootings at Willowbrook Mall and the coffee shop settled upon her shoulders, Julie felt the cold fingers of unease creep into her heart.  The heaviness of the topic, like a looming shadow, loitered in her mind, suffocating her with its gravity. Julie understood the necessity of sharing this harrowing secret, it was an undeniable burden she couldn't bear alone. Despite her apprehension, she knew she had to gather the courage to untangle the web of darkness and confide in her closest confidante.

The feeling of strength and power that Julie had first experienced after surviving the assassination attempt behind Willowbrook Mall was starting to fade.  Julie now realized how grave her situation was.  She now knew that the fight for her life was very real, she also knew that she would have to kill again and probably more than once.  She had no choice but to confide in her best friend about everything.

“Sarah, there is so much I need to tell you right now you have no idea.”

“You know you can tell me everything, right?” Sarah said reassuringly.

“I’m sure you heard about the shooting at Willowbrook Mall last week?”

“Yeah, something about it. Someone was talking about it at work. Some gang land shit or something right? A couple of guys got shot?”

“Yes,” Julie said, dreading the next few words, “and it was me who shot them.”

A few moments of silence passed while Sarah tried to process what she had just heard.

“You…you what?” Sarah said in disbelief, “You shot them?”

“I shot them.  Both of them.  It was me that did it.”

Julie’s tone made it clear to Sarah that this was no joke.

“Do you remember that threatening message I showed you, the one I got on my phone a couple of weeks ago? That was no empty threat, Sarah.  Whoever left that message on my phone tried to kill me.”

Sarah said nothing, a look of disbelief on her face.

“They came after me at Willowbrook Mall. Somehow they knew I’d be there, and when I came out, they chased me down the back, behind the Walmart and-”

“Do you know who they were? Who were they?” Sarah asked intensely.

“I have no idea who they were, but somebody’s trying to kill me over this old gambling debt. You were right Sarah, I shouldn’t have doubted you.  I should have taken your warning more seriously. I just didn’t think that it could ever come to this.  You were right; I should’ve gone to the police, and now it’s too late.”

“What did they look like?” Sarah asked.

“It was two men. One was huge, and the other was smaller.  They were both very scary-looking guys, and the second I saw them, I knew they were there to kill me.  I had so much adrenaline going, everything is just a blur but, somehow I wrestled the gun off the one guy and the next thing I knew they were both dead on the ground. Everything happened so fast.”

“And then what? What happened after you shot them?” Sarah asked, hanging on Julie’s every word.

“I just walked back to my car and drove away.  Nobody heard it or saw it I guess. I just drove away.”

Julie's words sounded like something from the script of an action movie, not real life, leaving Sarah stunned and struggling to process this unbelievable revelation.  Her face held a mosaic of astonishment, concern, and a desperate attempt to grasp the gravity of what she had just been told. Every word felt like a thunderbolt, shaking the very foundation of her understanding, and leaving her in a whirlwind of contemplation.

“Are you okay? I mean, you killed two guys,” Sarah asked.

“I feel fine, honestly.  I feel vindicated.  I’m glad they’re dead. I feel relieved.”

“I bet,” Sarah said.

Julie let a few moments of silence to pass before she continued.

“Sarah, there’s something else too.  Somebody shot up the coffee shop, the one down on Marine Drive where we love to hang out. And—“

“Oh my God, Cravings?”

“Yes, Cravings.  And two women were killed.”

“Oh my god,” Sarah whispered.

A chill went down Sarah’s spine.  While Julie was talking, she had looked up pictures on her phone about the aftermath of the shooting at the coffee shop.  She saw the shattered glass, ribbons of yellow police tape and small plastic markers detailing where every shell casing had fallen onto the road.  Her favourite little coffee shop was now just a scene of devastation and violence.

“Whoever it is that’s trying to kill me was responsible for shooting up the coffee shop. They’re not fucking around, Sarah. This shit is real. They know who I am, and where I am.  Listen, Sarah, I’m a dangerous woman to be around right now, you and I can’t be seen in public together anymore, not until I figure out who’s coming after me and deal with it.  I’m worried about you.  I have no idea what these people know, if and when they’re following me, but I’m willing to bet they know who you are as well.”

“You don’t think they’re going to come after me, do you?” Sarah asked, sounding scared.

Julie reached around and removed her Glock 18 from the waistband of her tight blue jeans. She loved holding it in her hand, the sense of safety and empowerment it gave her was like nothing she had ever experienced.

“Oh my God,” Sarah gasped, as she put her hands over her mouth.

“Sarah, some gangster out there is trying to kill me. My back is to the wall. I can’t go to the police, so I’m gonna have to do this myself. I’m gonna have to stand up, I’m gonna have to take a stand. It’s either me or him.”

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked hesitantly.

Julie’s eyes came down to the weapon in her hand.

“It turns out, I’m a rather deadly killing machine with one of these things in my hand. The guy at the shooting range couldn’t believe my accuracy.  And two dead men would agree with that.”

Sarah sat quietly, her best friend's words echoing in her mind, leaving her in a state of disbelief. This news had landed like an unexpected storm, rendering her speechless, her thoughts swirling in a chaotic dance.  Julie's revelation was a seismic shift in their friendship, a tectonic disruption to her reality. The fact that Julie had so easily killed two men was overwhelming, leaving Sarah grappling with a torrent of emotions and disbelief, and a dawning realization that Julie's world was about to change in ways she couldn't fathom. Sarah knew that she, too, would be pulled along into Julie’s darkening world.

She was troubled by Julie’s coldness.  Or was it coldness? Maybe this is what strength looks like when it radiates from a strong, confident woman.  She was confused—she had never seen this side of Julie.  This beautiful woman with a gun in her hand made her feel more safe than she had ever felt, as though nobody could hurt her when Julie was in her presence. The love that she felt for her best friend was stronger than ever.

“I’ll always be your friend, Jules, you know that. I will always be here for you.  Always.”