Page 45 of Venomous Throne

“You can’t continue with your charity work,” Mikey insisted.

I set my spoon down on the counter and glared at him. “Michele Rizzo, are you saying that I am a prisoner?”

It was the conclusion that he was dancing around. He might as well spit it out.

“It’s not safe, donna,” Franky urged. “We can’t protect you on the streets.”

“It makes us all targets,” Paul Costello, a soldier under Donnie’s command, added.

Having the three capos here was one thing. Franky fit, because he was always a present figure as my bodyguard. And Vincenzo, who didn’t want the promotion to captain, was a quiet specterin the background. I wasn’t sure how we would use the lad, but already he pulled his weight in kitchen duty.

“Alright, for now,” I agreed.

The soldiers didn’t need to see discord in the upper ranks. The capos and I would have strong words behind closed doors.

“She makes a difference in the community,” Vincenzo observed quietly.

I gave him a soft smile. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “My mom looks forward to your visits. But I’ll let her know you’re okay, just taking a short leave of absence from the usual rounds.”

“The people do admire her,” Donnie mused.

“But her safety—” Joseph began.

“Enough.” I drained my soup. “I’ll call the priest to tell him that someone else can take over my route.”

Feeling the weight of the world settle on my shoulders, I bid the men goodnight.

Upstairs, locked away from the men in my room, I sank onto the bed. When asked why I didn’t occupy the master bedroom, I told them there were ghosts. It wasn’t a lie. Guilt plagued my conscience.

“I can’t think about that right now,” I whispered to the empty space. “I’ll think about that tomorrow.”

Dropping back onto the pillow, still fully clothed, my eyes drifted shut. Apparently, my dreams didn’t get the message.

***

The nightmare was horrible. Dead men crawled from the earth as I sprinted through a fenced-in cemetery. I couldn’t find the gate, couldn’t climb the chain links. The grotesque, distorted bodies drug themselves after me. Rotten hands stretched out in search of vengeance.

“Please!”I screamed.“Leave me alone!”

They didn’t listen.

Right as one clasped a fleshy hand around my ankle, I woke with a start.

My heart pounded from the frigid dream. I sucked in a deep breath, clutching at the pillow for support.

And promptly sneezed.

“God bless you.”

I froze.

That voice wasn’t a figment of my imagination. It was in my room.

Sitting up, I peered into the thick shadows near the closet.

“Thank you,” I muttered.