My Tragic Mafia Life | ✔️

26

She parted her lips, but then found herself baring her teeth like a feral animal. She was shaking with rage."Are you being serious?"

    Camillo lifted her head to meet him with such tenderness. "Listen, I know it sounds bad, but these aren't the kind of people you want to be friends with." His voice was low, soft. "Whatever they did to you is normal for them. They think that tying someone up and threatening them is barely anything bad. Even if you try for justice, you'll end back where you started. If you want to survive, you just have to forget everything and move on. Use them, Josephine."

The rage turned to fear, then tears. Dripping down her face, cheeks reddening. She couldn't go back into that room. "No, I can't."

Josephine's skin froze, sweating. She saw herself using Dante, and failing. She could see her fate unraveling with her downfall: Dante's icy glare, so empty and vulgar and indifferent to her corpse. Her blood would match the others spattered across the walls making Josephine's tremble with disgust, on her knees, heaving cries of fear she could no longer repress.

    "Sure you can," Camillo said slowly. "I know you can."

    Her dignity had already bled with her fear. She didn't want to become their whore."Camillo, what do I do?"

    His fingers wiped away a tear."You listen to me and I'll guarantee no harm comes to you or your family. But I can't do it without some help..."

    She knew the words before he said them."You want me to make Dante fall in love with me?"

    He nodded. She couldn't tell if there was shame on his face, or embarrassment, but it stung Josephine the same.

    He leered closer, this time for comfort. Back to her hands, holding them tightly reminding Josephine that she was alive and well."Yes. I know how horrible that sounds, but listen: if you can win him over, you won't have anything to fear. He'll naturally protect you out of his own feelings and I'll do the same."

    She couldn't argue with his words. Even if everything else was a lie, his comfort, her worries, their game, and yet... His statement wasn't. There was a ground of truth that appeased Josephine, for her to use. For her to play.

Camillo brushed her cheek once more, another tear cascading, with his gazing empowering. "As long as you can make Dante fall in love with you, I can protect you. I promise."

    Possibilities hit her first.

It was an ache that settled deep in her stomach. Like a parasite eating her alive, gnawing on her nerves. She thought of failure, of fear, and of hope. So what if she did succeed? Luring men was one thing, and to that she understood why she agreed to Camillo's deal before, but now she knew the truth. The difficulty.

"If you want to make it seem more normal," He added at her quiet hesitance despite the tempting offer. "I'll still give you what we promised before—grades, tests, assignments—anything to help you with classes."

Josephine couldn't help that every word Camillo said bothered her. It was grades for survival. Assignments for lust. It hurt her, the temptation that stroked a bit to close, made her want to scream. He was pushing her into his offer. To agree with it.

"I know that this isn't an ideal situation..." Josephine bristled at his choice of words, his care. "But anything to help so you don't get distracted with Dante I'll do. Whatever will help you stay alive." He added, the looming possibility of death quite close.

But Dante didn't bother. He'd bat an eye and use a knife to sever her head. Camillo did bother. He bothered because he cared. One would use her without her will, but Camillo wouldn't. Perhaps it made him a better man, a better manipulator, but the spiraling truth tore down Josephine's pride and made her relent.