The Italian Mafia

Chapter 9

∞Emma's POV∞

Plumping down on my bed, I immediately started crying. I was a wreck. Nothing less than. I was choking on all my mixed feelings, and I was choking on the fact that I just gave up my second, and probably last, chance of ever getting out of here. This wasn't even about wanting Ambrogio to pay for his crimes. I just wanted to get back to my old life, go to college, and start a family some day. I didn't need to see him or any of his men in jail. I was convinced that even the thought of that, could get you killed in this house.

Staying quiet was definitely the safest way to live. That I had been caught in a bad situation and now had to act as Ambrogio's girlfriend in front of the FBI was something that didn't match that ideology.

After a while, a knock sounded on my door, and Nina entered. Fortunately, I had stopped crying. She studied my face, took a step inside, and then closed the door after her. Why she was here I didn't know. We weren't speaking at the moment.

"Emma, I'm sorry. I know it isn't an excuse, but you see these men, when they ask you to shut up, you do. I'm sorry I chickened out and you ended up in that situation". She knew my situation? How could she know this? No maids had seen the episode.

"How do you know?" I asked softly. I wasn't upset by her actions, I was just upset about being here, and I needed someone to take it out on. That I chose my only friend for that job was a really bad idea.

"Everyone sort of know. A man told a maid and she spread the news to everyone." Great.

"That's lovely. Everyone knows then."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," I said and swatted my hand in the air, brushing this argument out of the way.

She sighed and sat down on my bed with me. She gave me apologetic eyes and I smiled.

"If everyone knows, do you also know what I went through just an hour ago?" she scrunched her brows and shook her head. At least the latest news hadn't spread yet. Who knew that even in a house full of mafia men, people still gossiped?

"No, what happened?"

"So, you know I was taken here against my own will?" she nodded. "Apparently the police are throwing these huge search parties and I'm all over the news right now. They're saying I was kidnapped from that party and so on." She smiled a little. It wasn't a happy smiled, it was sympathetic. Maybe she thought someone was waiting at home for me? "Ambrogio, the boss, saw those news and made me call the police, you know, since they literally saw me here a few days ago." She nodded in anticipation. "I had to call them and say I simply had just left home and decided not to go to college after all. They said it was procedure to do a house check-up, and that was what I was doing with Ambrogio, the boss," I corrected myself on the last part. Nina was looking with wide eyes. I could understand. I would do so too if she just had a conversation with the police.

"I had to pretend to be Ambrogio's girlfriend once again. I think we convinced them, but I'm not sure." Nina's jaw was nearly on the bed sheet right now.

"Why didn't you scream for help? You could have been out of here by now. We all could." My stomach instantly dropped. I hadn't realized that in the process of protecting Nina's, and everyone I ever somewhat cared about, lives, I had signed for her to work here until she was 60. I had made everyone stay here.

"I'm sorry, Nina. He threatened everything and everyone in my life, including you, I didn't know what else to do. I really couldn't do anything else, actually." She stayed silent for a while, and for a moment I was scared I had ruined everything between us.