Dancing For The Mafia

13

Eliana

I put a cold water bottle I got from the boys car to Lucia's forehead, she was still unconscious. Elias came up behind me and I glanced back at him for a second, "I didn't know you carried guns now?"

He scoffed, "It seems like I'm not the only one that's carrying." I held the bottle tighter, "Tell me that you didn't affiliate yourself in a mafia again Eliana."

"I can't." I whispered and could feel my face become hot at the burning attention. He made sure he did everything in his power to keep from taking the same path again. And I threw it all in his face, "I'm sorry."

"How's your face baby?" Peter came over with a wet rag and more small bandages. He lightly turned my head to face him and my anxiety eased under his eyes. "You're bleeding through the bandages again."

He began to redress them and Elias huffed, "Maybe because you and your psychotic driver of a brother decided to ram the car into a tree."

Peter didn't even spare him a glance as he focused on my face, "Maybe you should've parked the car."

"Stop." I didn't want them to bicker they had no reason to anyway. What's done was done, and it was all my fault anyways. "I should've told you all what was happening, I was just scared that's all."

Patrick walked over with another cold bottle to replace the warm one in my hand. I returned it to Lucia's forehead and she mumbled slightly moving a bit. Patrick leaned on the damaged car, "Scared of what?"

Elias chimed in for me, "Because Eliana knew better than to affiliate herself with the mafia again." I swallowed the lump in my throat, "I told her not to."

Peter smoothed over a bandaged and I bit my lip a bit at the pain. "Eliana is a dancer she's not affiliated with our mafia, none of the dancers are."

"You're a dancer?!" Elias exclaimed and I could feel my chest tighten further, "Have you lost your mind?"

I balled my free hand into a fist, "It's what I love to do Elias, it's the gift I was given and my passion." I didn't feel right when I stopped dancing, the pole was something more; it had in some ways become me.

Elias slammed his hand on the roof of the car and I jumped, "I don't care what you think of it, they target the weak first. Anything goes wrong with their mafia do you not think you will be taken care of first?"

"Nothing will happen." Patrick ensured, "The DeLeón's aren't that easy to be messed with."

Elias drew his gun again which made the boys do the same. I quickly stood in the middle of them and prayed none of them shoot. I faced Elias, "What? What are you doing Elias, they mean no harm."

"DeLeón's mean no harm?" I could see him grip his gun even tighter, "Even they themselves don't think that is true, right?"

Patrick scoffed from behind me, "I certainly do."

Elias eyes warmed as they settled on me, "I don't want this life for you Eliana, they can say what they want but when push comes to shove I don't want to see you get hurt. You were lucky last time."

"I know." I whispered recalling how bad things ended last time. Everytime I twirl on the stage at the club, that fear is always in the back of my mind. "But what happened last time won't happen again, they care for me in ways I know they would risk their lives for me."

I turned towards the boys and Peter tucked his gun away first, Patrick hesitantly doing the same afterwards. They both smiled at me and a relieved feeling brought air to my tighten chest. I knew they were different, I could feel it inside of me.