Page 122 of Driftwood Daffodil 3

Keeping my hand on the door, I leaned back to peek around the dumpster. There was definitely someone back there. I could see movement, but I could make out anything more than a foot here and an arm there.

“Who’s back there?”

“Go back inside, Nova.”

Yup, that was Romeo. “What are you doing?”

I heard something that sounded like a slap, followed by an oof, and Romeo’s voice, “I said, go back inside.”

Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

Letting go of the door, I marched over and stopped dead in my tracks.

Romeo had his hands balled with this look on his face that sent a chill up my spine. And it was directed at Simon.

What the hell?

Simon did not look good. There was a stream of blood running down from his nose, two of his fingers were twisted and broken, and there was a cut on his left shoulder. That’s when I noticed the blade in Romeo’s hand.

I couldn’t look away from it. The deep crimson liquid coating the sharp edge had me trapped. My eyes were stuck on the fat drops that slid down and dripped off the tip.

Glop…

Glop…

Glop…

The floor was cold and hard. I wanted to get my blanket but I was too afraid to move.

“Don’t cry…” a soft hand reached out and caressed my cheek. “I’m going to see Daddy, Baby.”

My tears cut through the warm sticky streak the hand left on my skin as more drips fell to the floor.

Glop…

Glop…

Glop…

“Mommy?”

The hand flopped down, letting go of the knife in its grasp.

“Back off,”an arm wrapped around my chest, pushing away the image clouding my vision.

I came back to reality just in time to see Simon press the barrel of a gun to my temple. What was happening right now? Why was Simon threatening me? I knew he was mad at me for dumping him, but this was an overreaction.

“Simon…”

“Shut up,” he snarled while tightening his hold around me. “You had your chance.”

My chance for what? I didn’t understand any of this. Not that I got a chance to ask anything. Romeo pulled out a pistol before I could say a word.

“I’ll fucking kill her,” Simon hissed at Romeo.

“No you won’t.” Romeo tipped his head to the side. “She’s your only leverage.”

Leverage? When did I become leverage? Oh right, when I ignored my instincts and walked into what was apparently a gun fight. Memphis was never going to let me live this down. If I lived at all. Simon wouldn’t shoot me, would he?

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