Page 16 of Driftwood Daffodil 3

I beat my fists off his back and screamed, “put me down you giant oaf!”

What did that umbrella ever do to him?

“I will beat you with my shoe.”

“Go ahead.” He snarled. “I’m not scared of your shoe.”

He should be. That shit hurt. Maw Maw had boomerang skills with footwear. She could hit me in the back of the head from around a corner.

“Alright bozo, you asked for it.”

How I managed to bend back and grab my one remaining sandal off my foot, I’ll never know. Nor did I care. The second it was in my hand, I swung, thwacking it off the back of Marty’s head.

The string of curses he growled in response was a small victory, but still a victory. In the moment it felt worth it. The way I was violently tossed however…

I flew through the air and slammed down on the hardwood floor, smacking my tailbone so hard that it knocked all the air out of my lungs. There was barely enough time to cough out a strangled breath before a large palm slapped the side of my face.

My head twisted to the side as a burning sting rattled through my brain, blurring my vision and numbing my thoughts.

That’s when all hell broke loose.

Footsteps, yelling, and various slams came from all directions. At least that’s what it felt like. Everything was distant. As if I was under water. Then again, maybe I was underwater?

Maybe I was still sinking in Quackwater Lake, and everything after was some kind of end of my life dream. Marty and Snake were nothing more than figments of my imagination. The names alone were wrong. Therefore, I must be dead.

I fell off the dock and drowned in Quackwater Lake. How disappointing was that?

I always figured I’d go out in some ironic manner. Like saying‘you never know when you’ll get hit by a bus’,then stepping outside and getting hit by a bus. The universe seemed to enjoy making a mockery of my life, so why not my death?

Rolling over, I groaned at the ache in my jaw.

If this was my afterlife, then Father John lied. There was indeed pain in death. A lot of pain. And where was my serene peace? Shouldn’t there be angels playing harps or something?

I pressed my palm against the searing sting in my cheek and fought to suck in a breath. Death sucked.

“You’re fucking dead!”

I knew that. Wait… was that Gio? Ugh, figures he’d invade my afterlife.

“She hit me.”

Marty? Son of a bitch, maybe he was real? Did that mean Snake was real too? No. I had to still be caught in my dying dream.

“I don’t give a fuck if she cut your balls off and shoved them down your throat. You don’t fucking touch her unless I say so.”

Well, that sounded familiar. Mr. All Powerful Gio Mancini with his “do what I say…”

Son of a bitch, I was still alive. Damnit. Did that mean Father John was right? Not that I’d ever admit it.

There was a snarl, a small smash, and a loud thud that sent vibrations through the floor under me.

My lungs snapped back into action, sucking oxygen along with the faint scent of smoke back into my body at such a speed, that I coughed at the sudden ability to breathe. My vision followed. The haze clouding my sight receded, allowing me to see what was happening. And I never wanted to shrink back into oblivion more in my life.

I was surrounded. Gio’s dad was off to the left beside some guy with his arms folded and a stern look on his face. To the right was some super muscular giant—who I vaguely remembered seeing in Romeo’s office. Though I wasn’t sure why I would’ve ever tempted fate and threatened him. The guy had to be like seven feet tall. I must’ve been really mad that day.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Gio’s crazy brother Romeo was right behind me. That was way too close for me. The toes of his black sneakers were literally inches from the top of my head. I would’ve scooted away from him if I could move. But the way Gio had Marty pushed up against the wall had me frozen in place.

If the look on Gio’s face wasn’t enough to indicate that Marty was about to have a really bad day, then the redness on the left side of his jaw and blood trickling from his nose sure as hell were.

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