A Taste of Darkness

Chapter 18: Fear

Scarlett

Wait what? Elena- Elena my peaceful best friend who hates crime and was scared of coming face to face with Julio, wants to join the mafia? Elena who just got kidnapped because of it and is now left terrified? What is happening right now?

I can tell that Elena starts to see the confusion in my demeanour, so she pulls away from the hug and looks me straight in the eyes to start her explanation. "I don't want to be afraid anymore, Scarlett. If I started working for the mafia at the time you did, he probably never would have been able to kidnap me in the first place and all of this never would have happened. Although the mafia is dangerous, it also provides protection, and I don't want to live in fear by myself wondering if something like this is going to happen again," she tells me, looking deeper into my eyes to show me her seriousness and certainty in order to persuade me that this is for the best, to persuade me to agree.

"Plus, we can live together again, no more phone calls. We can finally hang out together in real life," she adds with a smile curving her lips to further convince me. Damn, after her saying that I'm almost sold, and in addition, if she joins, I'll always know where she is so I won't have to worry about this happening again- but I also don't want to endanger her. But isn't that what she just faced while not being in the mafia? Maybe she's right, maybe in some sick, twisted way, her joining the mafia is a good idea. Maybe she'll be safer that way.

"Are you sure?" I ask her, prompting her to think this decision through to the fullest. I wouldn't want her regretting this decision later, so I need her to be 100% certain.

"I'm sure," she answers in a serious tone, reassuring me and highlighting her certainty. We pause for a couple seconds as I scan her expression to locate any sense of hesitancy, but I find none. She is serious and completely sure about this.

"Alright, I agree, but I'm not the one who decides who joins and who doesn't," I explain to her, hoping that she won't be disappointed.

"I'm guessing it's that guy over there," she assumes while nodding towards someone behind me. I turn around to see who she's referring to and am met with Julio's bright blue eyes already on me, but as soon as I catch him his eyes shoot back to Luca. Why was he looking at me? Is it because he knows that Elena is talking about him or something else?

"Yes, that's him," I nod, reluctantly drifting my eyes away from Julio and trying to forgot that he was watching me. "How'd you know?"

"Well it was pretty obvious from his behaviour that he's the boss, he just looked in charge," she answers, referring back to when Julio shot the man who kidnapped her.

Yeah. . . maybe that was a stupid question to ask.

"Ask him if I can join," she suggests happily, as if it's the most simple thing in the world for me to do, as if asking a mafia boss for something isn't at all dangerous. I thought she was supposed to be scared of him, is she not?

"I don't think that's the safest thing to do, plus I don't think he'd say yes to me," I tell her.

"Well, based on how he reacted when the guy who kidnapped me talked badly about you, I definitely don't think he wants you dead," she chuckles, reassuring me as if what I just said is ridiculous.

I decide to ignore that comment.

"Ok then, I'll ask him," I agree. I don't even know why I was dreading this, I wasn't afraid of him. Maybe it was because I was afraid for Elena, of what he might do to her for asking. I wouldn't be surprised if he shot her, and if that happened, I don't even know what I would do.

I dust of my clothes and walk up to him, noticing and taking in his impressive height once again while taking a deep breath, hopefully this goes how I want it to go. "Julio?" I say, catching his attention as he turns around to face me and looks me up and down. Not in a derogatory way but in a. . . another way I can't understand.