Page 6 of Chasing Sunrise

“No. I have an appointment at eight with Dr. Youst at her office. If I leave now to go to the hospital my mom will freak.”

“Your mom will understand.” Dre’s voice was calm, it always was.

“No.”That came out too loud. Calm down. Calm down. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine,” he choked on his words. Why couldn’t he hold himself together?

“I know, man,” Dre spoke quietly. “What can we do to help you get through the night?”

“I don’t know.” Tears blurred his vision. His body trembled. “I feel like I’m breaking.”

His friends wrapped their arms firmly around his shoulders. “Go ahead,” Dre murmured. “We’ll hold you together.”

Kasey fell apart.

“Forgive yourself for the blindness that put you in the path of those who betrayed you. Sometimes a good heart doesn’t see the bad.” ~ Unknown

Chapter One

Fifteen years later

Kasey Hunter stared out the backseat window of the Toyota trying to figure out how his life got so fucked up.

Forty-eight hours ago, he wouldn’t have traded his life for anything.

Now, he’d swap lives with anyone who asked.

If only that was possible.

The Uber driver stopped the car in front of the nightclub with a huge brown neon sign in the shape of a boot withTiny’sflashing in red.

Kasey blew out a breath knowing this was where he needed to be at the moment. The Star Breeze, an entertainment news program, wouldn’t run the piece on what transpired yesterday until tomorrow.

If he wasn’t a public figure, he’d be able to escape the humiliation, but he couldn’t.

She’d made certain of that.

He didn’t look forward to being hounded for a statement or the media circus that would ensue as soon as the news broke.

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