It was silly, but I found her to be fucking courageous and fiercely independent. Most of the women I’d spent time with would’ve expected to be picked up in my jet with a limo carrying them around.
I should’ve offered the jet. How fucking stupid of me? How the hell is she getting here?
Snow coated the balcony and crunched under my boots as I walked to the ledge. This wasn’t a good night to drive—too dark and slippery. I breathed in the air and frosted my lungs. Flakes landed on my face and hair, slowly melting. Icicles dripped and cracked around me.
My butler, David appeared on the balcony. “I’ve made you some hot chocolate with sprinkled cinnamon and whipped cream.”
“Just how I like it. Thank you.” The aroma danced in my nostril. I sipped and hot cinnamon chocolate goodness warmed my mouth.
David walked off.
“Hold on.” I turned around. “Our guest may have taken the road by herself tonight.”
Worry crossed David’s face. “This isn’t a good night for that.”
“Let’s see if we can get the authorities out there, checking my road and the surrounding area.”
I had a private road that lasted three miles and rose into the mountains. While it had been on the map and in the instructions in the email, that had been meant for her driver.
“Okay, sir,” David said. “I’ll make some calls and I’ll also have the grounds crew put on their boots and jackets and check around. They know this area better than any of us.”
“Sounds good. When they leave to check it out, let me know. I’m coming.”
Shock hit his eyes. “You’re coming, sir?”
“Yes.” I smiled. “From time to time, I do like to open my front door and leave the house, although I haven’t done it in a year.”
David’s face held a grin, which was something I usually didn’t see on him. “Yes, sir. I will let you know.”
“Good.” I remained on the balcony, sipping hot chocolate as tiny flakes fell around me. “Simone, you better be okay.”
I was sure she was fine, but after Jason’s death, I worried about people’s safety even more. For some reason, as I sipped my hot chocolate, memories of Jason’s funeral came to my mind.
The day had been shades of black, dark, and gloomy, the afternoon a musty grey filled with blurred faces and muted colors. Hundreds of black umbrellas sheltered fans and paparazzi as a storm brewed above us. Even the heavens had cried out for Jason’s death.
We’d wasted so much time. All the parties. All the fucking women. What had we really done? And then, he was gone.
That day, my heart swam against the current, clogging my soul. All around the outside of the massive church, stone-white angels spread stiff wings to welcome us. I found no comfort in their hard faces, just a reminder of life’s hopeless truth.
We all died. No matter how much money or fame, we all would die. Nothing could stop that.
Inside the church, Beyoncé had sung Always Remember Me, and her beautiful voice carried over the loudspeaker to us outside. The lyrics poured over us, mingling with the cold rain.
Jason had written the song for Beyoncé as a favor to me. They’d won several awards. But now, I knew I could never hear that song again without thinking of his death. Thinking of that dark, soulless moment.
Midnight stood on my side. “We should be inside the church.”
He adjusted his ebony fur, a large furry hat to match was propped on his head. Diamonds covered his fingers and wrists. With his right hand, he gripped a cane he didn’t need. “It’s freezing out here.”
My hair was wet, sticking to the back of my neck and sides of my face. I was sure my cheeks had a rosy blush due to the cold. “I should be with my fans.”
“No, you should be inside the chapel. You paid for the damn funeral, and your friends are in there.”
“Friends.” I smiled at the term. “My friends are out here.”
In front of us, my fans stood. Rows and rows and rows of shadowed people—men wailing into their hands, women with mascara running down their cheeks, and kids in dark coats buttoned high, scarves swallowing their cheerless faces. They’d flown in from all over the world. Many took off from work. Others ditched school. I’d read all their stories on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Following their journeys here was the only thing that had kept my heart beating.
I shook my head. “I’m staying with them.”
Midnight nodded. “Okay.”
Inside the church, all the top celebrities sat in comfort. They’d come out to say goodbye to Jason. A few loved him almost as much as I did. However, most of them thought the funeral would be a great publicity opportunity. And it was. Every news network crowded the space. Cameras flashed here and there. Microphones dangled and hovered.