Page 104 of Driftwood Daffodil 3

He grabbed my hand and took a step, but I yanked my hand out of his grip.

“Why should I go anywhere?” I wanted people to see me so everyone would know exactly what that woman was. If Gio didn’t want to get justice, then I would.

“I don’t have time for this.”

When Gio went to grab my hand, I pulled away. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re blowing this way out of proportion.”

“I don’t think I am.” I placed my hands on my hips. “I think I’m the only one who sees this for what it is.”

Exasperated Gio pinched the bridge of his nose.

That’s when Atlee stepped in. “Listen, you know what it feels like to lose a parent, right? Do you want Darry to have the same experience? Because she won’t go to jail. Cesare will kill her. Probably in front of Darry.”

As much as I wanted to argue, Atlee was right. Gio’s dad didn’t do anything when Gio shot poor Marty. I could picture him pulling out a gun and shooting Carissa at the table in front of everyone. That would scar Darry for the rest of his life. I couldn’t do that to him. Some nights I could see the dead look in my mother’s eyes when she was laying in that morgue.

Glop…

Glop…

Glop…

“Nova… Nova… Kato, what's wrong with her?”

I shook away the eerie sense crawling up my spine and huffed, “fine. But if she comes near you again?—”

Gio cut me off. “She won’t.”

Yes she would. She wasn’t going to let him go. Carissa was obsessed with him. No one else saw that, but I did. I sensed the threat in her.

That’s when it dawned on me. How Gio and I had always been drawn to each other. I felt it that day in court. The intense longing and desire burning in the eyes of a forgotten child who wanted nothing more than to be seen.

Well, I saw him. And the next time Carissa tried to pull him into her web, I would be there. Standing right beside him.

“Okay,” I slipped my hand in Gio’s. “Let’s go.”

When we left the house,I didn’t think we would pass the time at a restaurant or someplace like that. So, I wasn’t surprised when Gio drove down the road behind his house. If I looked like him, I wouldn’t want to be seen with me either. He looked really good in that suit. Whereas, I was a complete mess.

Half my hair had fallen out of my updo and was hanging in limp curls around my face. My dress was torn in more than one place, I was missing an earring, my knuckles were bloody, there were scratches on my arms and legs, and I only had one shoe. The only thing that wasn’t messed up was my make-up. I’d never argue the cost of Chadwick Cosmetics with Veda again. This stuff was worth its weight in gold.

Despite my appearance I was still a little iffy when Gio turned his Range Rover into the swamp. A lot of my childhood was spent exploring those murky waters, but being taken in there by Giovanni Mancini made the Spanish moss covered cypress trees seem darker. And the further we drove into the bayou, the more uneasy I got.

“We should go have coffee somewhere?” I suggested. “I think the diner is open.”

Spending more time at work was not my idea of fun, but there were no body disposal sites there. Except for maybe the fryer. Who knows what was lost in that old ass oil?

“We’re not going to the diner.”

“Why not.” We already ate so it wasn’t like we would order food.

His green eyes slid my way. “Do you want me to fuck you in front of your coworkers?”

Nope, definitely didn’t want that. I didn’t want to get fucked in the swamp either, but apparently that wasn’t an option.

“Did you at least bring a blanket?”

“Got one in the back.”

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