by Dwayne Gill
Kristy slid off the back of the truck and walked toward him. He was squatting, still looking across the water. She wondered what could occupy his attention for this long, if it was the scenery or if he was lost in his thoughts. She figured maybe it was both, for the sun was setting across the lake, spraying the sky with a beautiful spectrum of colors that also reflected on the water. He turned around and smiled when he heard her approaching.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” she said.
“Come here,” said Cane. He reached his hand out, and she took it, and he assisted her down a slight embankment. They were closer to the water now, and she could feel the chill setting in. It was cooler than most September evenings.
“Here,” he said. Cane removed his jacket and draped it around her. She wondered if she could find blood on it if she looked closely enough. She pulled the jacket around her and he turned to face the water again.
“After Helen died, I sat by Lake Jackson,” said Cane. “I’d lost Helen, you, and I didn’t know how to fix it. It was the worst night of my life.”
Kristy had never heard him speak so earnestly. She could hear the pain behind his words.
“Helen made me feel like I could be someone else. Someone better. I’ve always despised who I am. I’ve always felt like I was good for only one thing. Helen saw something different, though. I think she saw something in me that even I didn’t.”
Kristy could see his profile contrasting against the dimming skyline, but the tear rolling down his cheek was unmistakable.
“I said I’d always protect you, and you both trusted me,” he said.
“Wait, mister,” said Kristy. “What happened was not your fault.”
Cane started to say something, but she cut him off. “I said, it wasn’t your fault.” She stood in front of him. “Look at me,” she said. When he turned to her, his eyes were glistening.
“Mom and I were lost after what happened to me,” said Kristy. “I’d lose myself for days sometimes, and she hurt right alongside me. We both needed to feel safe, to be taken care of, and you offered that to us. But neither one of us ever expected, for one moment, that you’d be our guardian forever. In fact, we didn’t want that at all. You taught us to be strong, to be fearless. Your presence emboldened us. Do you think we only saw you as a bodyguard?”
Cane looked down, but Kristy touched his cheek and turned his face toward her again. “We both, not just Mom, but both, saw something inside you we wanted to extract, and we did just that. When you first came to see us, you barely spoke. It took a long time, but we saw the change in you over the years. You’re a good person. No, you’re the best person. No one’s ever loved me and my mother as fiercely as you.”
Kristy could’ve sworn she saw a slight smile crease the corners of his mouth. She was about to hug him, but he beat her to it. Before she could react, his arms wrapped around her, engulfing her in warmth and safety. She closed her eyes and threw her arms around him, surprised at the ease in which he was showing affection. He’d hugged her before, though it was always her that initiated them, but tonight was different. He seemed sure of himself, like a layer of the hardness had been chipped away by recent events. She wished Helen could see this transformation, this tender side of Cane.
Finally, Cane broke the embrace, stepped back, and reached for his jacket, which was still draped around Kristy’s shoulders. He put his hand into the inside pocket and retrieved an artificial blue rose. Kristy shuddered at the sight, but she’d seen her mother with it several times, assuming it was the same one. Cane grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to the water, then handed her the blue rose.
He didn’t have to say a word; she knew what to do with it. She flung it as hard as she could toward the water and watched it make contact and float away.
“To new beginnings,” said Cane.
Helen would be proud of her.
Afterword
I hope you enjoyed the novel. If you did, would you be kind enough to leave a review? It’s extremely helpful to me, and it would only take a moment of your time.
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Dwayne Gill
About the Author
Dwayne Gill is a new, up-and-coming author with a big imagination. He first thought of the premise of his series Written By Blood when he was just twelve years old. Growing up, he loved action movies and larger-than-life heroes, which is evident when reading his writing.
However, as he got older, he became bothered by the typical action figure tropes and the predictability of the plots, causing his series idea to evolve further.
If you like action thrillers, unlikely, conflicted heroes, twists, and character development that has a much deeper moral than most other thrillers in its genre, you’ll want to follow the series Written By Blood.
The two short stories, Cane’s Detour and Daniel’s Darkness feature Cane and Daniel, two major characters in his series Written By Blood.
Dwayne Gill lives in Louisiana with his wife, newborn son, and his yellow Labrador Retriever.
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Also by Dwayne Gill
Cane's Detour & Daniel's Darkness
The prequels of this novel that will introduce you to the two main characters in the novel, Cane and Daniel. The stories themselves aren’t bad, either, so check them out! They’re available on Amazon, but if you want them free, you’ll get them when you subscribe to my mailing list:
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