Daisy froze and turned slowly.
“What are you talking about?” Her eyes turned to slits.
“Daisy is not the name you were given at birth.”
“It’s a stage name. Many people have them.”
“Yes, but I know why you chose the name you did. Does he?”
“Does who?” she asked, but I didn’t need to elaborate. She knew exactly who I was talking about. She threw her hands up and shook her head. “Max knowing where I pulled inspiration from is useless. It serves no purpose in my life anymore.”
“Then why keep it? Especially after hearing of his crimes?”
Silence.
I flew too close to the sun. I knew it. She was done. I waited for her to walk off the stage, but she stayed.
“How do you know about that?” Her voice was shaky.
“You all but abandoned him, and now you want to ask questions?”
“I never abandoned him!” she cried out!
“You wear a ring promising yourself to another man, do you not? Daisy, you can lie to a lot of people, but I know the truth. You never loved him, did you? You used him to get out, to escape. You didn’t look twice after that night.”
“Ha!” She laughed. “You say you know the truth, but if that was true, you’d know how much bullshit you’re spilling from your mouth right now. How do I even know we are talking about the same person?”
“Which name should I give you, the name you gave him, or the one the state did? Daisy Lovelace, the man I speak of is Emile ‘make-a-meal-out-of-you’ Dumas, otherwise known to you as Gatsby.” The words came out singular, punctuated with spit and malice. “Just say it. Say you never loved him. That you are happy he’s gone, and that you will live out your life with the man you plan to call husband.” Sometimeduring this, I’d started to cry. I blinked, trying to stop. I wasn’t holding myself together. I thought I could, but I couldn’t. Not when I was in her orbit.
“No amount of demands could ever get me to say such vile things. I loved Gatsby then, and I’ll love him ’til the day I die, and because of that, I’ll never be happy again.”
“Because of what? Because he’s a murderer, a cannibal, a true monster in disguise?”
I looked then, needing to see her face. I needed to know what she thought of me. This was it. Would I be saying goodbye forever, or was I going to fight for her?
She shook her head and sighed deeply.
“Gatsby is none of those things. He didn’t kill that woman. I did.”
Chapter 16
Gatsby
Age 18
I satup and looked over my shoulder. I stared at Daisy’s bare back, memorizing every curve, every freckle. I’d had her in my arms for twenty-four hours, and in just a few short hours more, all I’d have was this memory.
I looked at my hands, stretching them and closing them, over and over. Were these hands really built for killing? Could I do what was being asked of me? Yes. I had to. If I wanted any sort of future worth Daisy’s heart and attention, I had to. I stood and went to the foot of the bed, where all my clothes lay. My cock throbbed, growing hard again. My eyes drifted once more to the beautiful woman in my bed. Last night was the first time I’d ever truly had a say in things. I understood now why some people called it making love. I’d only ever had sex.
This was also the first time my erection wasn’t followed by guilt, shame, and loathing. I actually wanted to be hard. I was an eighteen-year-old guy being with a girl his same age. This was what all my school friends had. This was how I should have lost my virginity, not...
I shoved the dark, horrible memories away, and saw that my cock had gone limp because of it. I sighed and started toward the shower. I’d wanted to make love to her one more time, but I knew if we did, I’d never want to stop. My plans would be tossed out the window, and we’d end up nowhere. I’d made an agreement. One murder, a bit of time in jail, and then billions. We’d never have to worry about anything ever again. I scrubbed my skin, getting all of Daisy’s DNA off me. I couldn’t risk people knowing about her. She didn’t need to get mixed up in this.
She needed to go off and become the Prima Ballerina she was destined to be, and I, would eventually become a billionaire worth her time.
“You’re up early,” Daisy yawned when I returned from the bathroom, towel at my hips. “Wow.” She sighed, a small smile playing on her lips. “I can’t believe you’re real.”
“I feel the same.” I went to my suitcase, grabbing my clean clothes out and dropping my towel to change. While I knew nothing could happen, I wanted her to remember my body, too. It would be all that we had for a while.
