Page 138 of Heartless Heathens

“And what happens in that case?” Sonny asked.

“Then the church will escheat the assets and receive it all.”

“Well we can’t let that fucking happen,” I said with a scoff.

“I tried to advise Arlan that these stipulations were…controversial to say the least and that he was risking passing everything on to the very church he was trying so hard to bring down. But…” She sighed and Sonny interrupted.

“It was Arlan. Nobody could convince him of something if he didn’t want it. It was his way or no way. Even dead and gone and turned into a pile of dust. You did what you could Alyssa. We’ll do what needs to be done.” He pushed Romina’s signed papers towards the lawyer.

“We’ll call you if there’s anything we need, right now we need to help Romina…grieve.” I told her and she nodded, packing up her things back into her briefcase and seeing herself out.

We stayed there a while, just the three of us, frozen in time and wallowing in the aftermath of Arlan’s decisions.

“Fuck this!” Felix slammed his fist, and I dropped my hand to his shoulder for comfort.

“Don’t spiral from this. We’ll sort it all out,” I told him, looking over to Sonny hoping he’d provide some assurance as well but his gaze had turned cold.

“Where is she?” Sonny asked and Felix’s anger turned to concern.

“Romina?” We each called out into the open mansion, hoping to hear her response.

Nothing.

“Shit. what if she tried to leave?” Felix’s suggestion spread over all of us in a panic and we began calling her name louder, pacing faster throughout the empty mansion while trying to find her.

I turned the corner, and she was there. The glass terrarium was wide open and the snake coiled around her arm. Sonny and Felix came following behind, but I stuck out both my hands, slapping both their chests to stop them from going any further.

Because now there was a chance her end would come from the sharp end of venomous teeth.

Iwasgettingflashesof a crucifix every time I blinked now. No longer just a figure in my dreams but intruding in my day-to-day life like a tether that wouldn’t drop me. I was in a hazy fog when I walked out of that room, trying to piece together how my life had changed so drastically in the course of a couple of months.

Sometimes existence felt so disconnected. Like I was watching someone else live out my life and I was the passenger.

A voice broke through the fog.

“Don’t fucking move Romina,” Corvin whispered from behind and I shifted my eyes to find all three men frozen in place while they watched me.

The snake’s tongue flickered against my fingertips before she decided to slither further up my forearm slowly coiling herself around me tighter. She seemed content with the heat of my skin and stayed put, squeezing her grip.

“What the fuck?” Felix whispered and Sonny hushed him sharply.

Her tongue flickered again like she was telling me some sort of joke and it reminded me of Laverne’s stony sense of humor.

“You need to get her off your arm,” Sonny said in a low, hushed voice.

“Why?” I asked bringing my arm to my face to inspect her up close.

All three men gasped in sync and the snake’s licked me again.

“She could kill you.” Corvin hissed.

I looked past my arm to find him staring at me with more fear in his eyes than I’d ever thought possible.

“So could you,” I answered flatly and he side eyed me. “Would that be so bad?” I asked and he stepped forward.

She hissed and he froze.

I chuckled and she tightened around my arm again like she was getting comfortable, a new inside joke between us.