Page 172 of Driftwood Daffodil 2

“My husband will find you.”

A snide chuckle rang through the air. “No he won’t.”

My eyes locked onto four gouges that dug into the wooden grain. Fingernails. She tried to get away. I heard her clawing at the ground.

Screech… screech…. screech.

It was never ending. Sometimes it mingled with her screams, sometimes with their laughter and mockery. A constant screech under every sound. She never stopped fighting, until she couldn’t fight anymore.

Then came the deafening silence. I don’t know how long it lasted. Minutes? Hours? Days? It was just there along with a sense of finality that even as I child, I knew meant she was gone.

I walked over to her vanity. Every morning I would come in here and watch her get ready. The way she dusted colors on her face seemed magical to me. Now the bottles placed out on the table were forgotten and covered in dust. Except for one. One crystal bottle perfume bottle with a little golden pump was clear and clean.

Curious, I picked up and sprayed some in the air. Instantly I was brought back to the way her eyes lit up when she smiled, and how warm it felt when she wrapped her arms around me.

I could see her hair blowing in the wind while she pushed me on the swing. I’d forgotten what she smelled like. But who was in here? Who was messing around with my mother’s things?

That’s when I noticed the ashtray with a half smoked cigar in the corner. The only person who smoked cigars in this house was my father. Was that there before? I couldn’t remember. I didn’t think so.

Atlas was the one who pulled me out of the cupboard. Romeo and my father tried to shield me from the mess, but I still saw the blood and her cut up leg. What I didn’t see was that ashtray. It wasn’t there before.

“Gio?”

I jumped at the sudden sound of Romeo’s voice calling me.

Jesus Christ, I needed to stop being so jumpy. This was just a room.

“In here.”

He peeked his head in the door and cocked a brow. “What are you doing in here?”

“I was looking for something.” I said while placing the perfume bottle back in its spot.

“What were you looking for?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I wouldn’t find it anyway. My father was wrong about Atlas.

“Okay.” He shrugged. “I just wanted to let you know that Aldo is going to be here early.”

Great. More time with my uncle. Just what I needed.

“When?” I sighed.

“Tomorrow night.”

Was he fucking kidding me?

I pinched the bridge of my nose and asked, “Let me guess, dad has more tasks for me?”

“Just a couple.”

Of course.

“Alright, I’m coming.” This was a waste of time anyway. There was nothing to be found here.

At least that’s what I thought until I was one step out the door and voice from the past stopped me.

“What is this? You were supposed to kill the boys.”

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