Flower Girl.
Hearing that affectionate nickname coming from the senator's lips awakened something in me. My eyes widened as something tied in my gut.‘I love you forever, you know that?’His words came back to me and I lowered my arms.
Like a force that transcended the laws of logic and physics, I felt a throbbing in my ears, and certainty burned its way into my soul.He wanted me to live. Lester knew there was no time, yet he jumped onto the train tracks. He grabbed me and pushed me away, staying behind.
He wanted me to live.
But he was no longer there, and I had no way of fulfilling his last wish. A wish I had refused to see for over a decade, that I was afraid to accept, that I felt unworthy of doing so. Guilt stopped me from doing it.
“Ask God to forgive you, Daisy.”
“The only person who needs forgiveness is you, Senator.” I spat out, an anger I didn't know I had rising up inside me. “Lester wanted me to live, but you can't even respect your son’s last wish, can you?” I heard her breathing quicken, but I didn't turn around. I never turned around. "But that’s how it is. The Senator doesn't know how to respect anyone. You suffocate, you crush. That's what you did to your ex-husband, so I shouldn't be surprised you’re doing the same with your son's memory."
“How dare you?!”
“I have nothing to lose, but the life you want to take from me. So do us both a favor and pull the trigger once and for all.”
My heart pounded wildly as I squeezed my eyes shut, curling in on myself. I knew the moment had come. That she was going to pull the trigger. That it would hurt. That I had no idea what was coming next, after everything was over.
I wanted to run into my Papa’s arms.
But he wasn’t there anymore.
I wanted to run into Lester’s arms.
But he wasn’t there anymore.
The two men I had loved most, my safe harbors, my guardian angels were gone. There were no arms left for me to run to.
That’s when the gun thundered behind me.
I gasped, my back arching as I staggered. I waited for the pain, my eyes wide.
But I felt nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
My body was intact, yet the night had fallen into a deathly silence.
Staggering, my body in shock, I turned slowly, my eyes unable to believe what I was seeing. The smell of gunpowder and blood invaded my nostrils. Senator Jones' body lay crumpled on the ground. Her skull was a horrifying sight, partially blown apart by the bullet that had torn through one side of her head. I saw her blood slowly soak the ground, like a river overflowing its banks.
My gaze then lifted to the pair of legs behind her. Suit pants that were camouflaged even in the moonlight. The figure was a shadow personified, an ominous vision of death itself. My gaze met his, as light and green as jade, standing out in the darkness like the eyes of a feral wolf. There were no sunglasses to hide him at that moment. Nor was there any expression on the face thatwore them. He smelled of death, looked like death, and held the Senator’s gun in a gloved hand.
My lips trembled, a sob breaking free. I felt relief. As if a ton of weight had been lifted from my chest. I cried, I sobbed, I allowed myself to tremble with the realization that my last chapter was not there and finally accepted what those I loved had been repeating to me all those years.
Lester wanted me to live.
The man stepped over the senator's body with ease, advancing toward me, but I didn't let him get very far. I didn't even waste time assessing the expression in his eyes or wondering what he intended to do next.
I ran toward him and wrapped my arms around his torso, holding him in a tight embrace.
Chapter 17
Camillo Vicari
July, 2025
Silver River, South Mississippi, USA