Page 44 of Venomous Throne

“I ought to shoot you right where you stand,” he menaced.

“It will be the last thing you do,” Franky growled.

I brushed my fingers over the heated wood of the casket. The sun caught the gloss and made it shimmer.

“We are in a unique position to form peace,” I offered. “Join me, and we’ll make the Moretti name the great force that it should always have been.”

“The Black Widow offers us bondage on a silver platter,” Gio scoffed.

I pinned the capo with a hard look.

“I think a change in leadership is a good thing,” Vincenzo Gaetani piped up.

It was another surprise, this time pleasant, when the young soldier with the scar on his chin walked around the casket to stand with my captains.

He looked at the men gathered on the other side. One shoulder lifted in a shrug. “She has what it takes.”

Did I? Santa Caterina, I hoped so.

But I didn’t let them see me falter. My body didn’t wilt under their hatred and boiling stares.

“Signori, please,” Father Donelli insisted. “No bloodshed on holy ground, I beg you.”

“I’ll snap the little whore’s neck, Father. No blood will be spilt,” Bonetti snarled, moving around the casket.

On cue, a troop of police officers wandered through the back of the cemetery. One short phone call, a teeny bribe, and the off-duty cops wandered in to pay their respects to a fallen comrade.

The Made Men bristled.

“Watch yourself, puttana,” Vinny Colosimo said quietly.

I smiled. “Oh, same to you, Vincenzo.”

With the three capos and young Gaetani at my back, I trailed out of the cemetery. Today wasn’t the sweeping victory I hoped for. But reality was that the old crowd was loyal to their dead, and even more so to their way of life. A female commander would have to work twice as hard to prove herself.

“This means war, Signora Moretti,” Bonetti called after me.

I looked over my shoulder. “I’ll see you on the field of battle, Rocco.”

Franky nudged my elbow, hurrying me away from the danger.

As we opened the doors to the waiting vehicles, something, some force of nature, made me look back. Not to the casket amongst the tombstones, but to the copse of trees beyond. A wild beast with grey eyes, the shade of silver, watched me. A feral grin twitched on his lips.

My heart fluttered in silent acknowledgment.

No one noticed his presence but me. I was keenly aware of him. He was always near, always watching. A sane woman would raise the alarm. I secretly hoped he would creep closer.

In my chest, a dark fascination beat for this shadow who followed me, who watched when he thought I wasn’t looking.

“Life is too short,” I whispered, not that any of the Made Men would hear. “Carpe Diem, my stray beast, Carpe Diem.”

Chapter 19 – Isabella

In the space of twenty-four hours, my five-bedroom house was turned into a military compound. Maps and plans spread over the dining room table. Cots were erected in the basement. Eating happened in shifts, with the kitchen island as the central hub.

At least Vincenzo Gaetani could cook.

I scooped another bowl of soup, stomach protesting from fullness. It was too good not to have more.