Page 105 of My Mafia King

“You have no idea how much I regret that I have no control over my life,” I say quietly, tears sliding over my eyes, blurring my vision. “Every little thing that happened to me since I came here was the opposite of what I wanted. I don’t want to bore you…” I say, lifting my head, trying to pull back.

“You don’t,” he says. “Go on.”

“I want to work because my situation is dire at home. I know Anthony and his crew are looking for my friend back home. They’re not after her. They’re after my little sister. My younger sister. I’ve been trying to protect her and keep her out of harm’s way. It doesn’t always work the way I want it. And as you can see, life fucks with me every time I try to accomplish something. My friend in LA thinks he wanted to get his hands on me and sell me to some human trafficker. Like that man. The Russian. I don’t know why these people do what they do. What I wanted to say is that… I don’t care what happens to me. I just don’t want something bad to happen to my sister. And the other thing is… If you decide that you need to take me out. I’d rather be taken out by you than be exploited and demeaned by them. That’s all I had to say…” I murmur, pulling up when his hand comes to my wrist and locks it.

He reads my eyes while I look at him, surprised.

“You shouldn’t have been there, Carmina.”

His tight grip hurts me.

“I didn’t want to. I swear. I got lost and––”

He flicks his hand up, and I turn to stone.

“It doesn’t matter how you got there. The outcome is the same,” he says, on his back again, his fingers wrapped around my wrist, his other hand brushing over his face, his expression torn.

“Are you going to kill me?” I ask seriously, strangely not afraid.

“I can’t kill you now, can I?” he tosses at me, looking straight at me.

His gaze moves over my face.

“Why?”

“Because I stood up to him and bought you back. It would make me look weak, and people would be suspicious of my intentions. The thing is, both options made me look bad, and I picked the one that kept you alive.”

“I’m sorry.”

His teeth clench, and a muscle pulses in his jaw.

“Stop saying that. I don’t want to hear that word from you again.”

Biting my lip, I nod in agreement, although disagreement soars through my blood.

I sincerely didn’t want that to happen. And I had a lot to lose, too.

“Is there anything I can do to straighten things up?”

“There is nothing you can do. You’ll work for me from now on.”

Goosebumps pop on my skin.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I just said. You’re working for me now. You do whatever I say, no questions asked. You swear loyalty to me and only me. You never talk to anyone, and no matter what happens, you always have my interests at heart. You become my shadow and never disregard my orders, or I’ll forget I wanted to keep you alive at some point.”

I look at him without blinking.

“You have no choice. Really,” he says. “I can’t let you go. Even if I do, people will come after you and kill you. Or, depending on how you look at it, do something much worse to you.”

I ponder for a few seconds.

“I need a new phone and my car.”

“You can’t have any of them,” he says, letting go of me.

My blood starts moving again, as my blood vessels are no longer collapsed, and the pins and needles sensation begins to subside in my hand.

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