Chapter 6

You could have cut the tension with a knife after Tony spoke those words. Particularly the word babysitter spun around Maria's head.

"Babysitter?" Maria practically spat out, seeing red. Why did this man get under her skin so easily? Usually, she could brush off these kinds of remarks but every other time Tony opened his mouth, Maria ended up irked in some way.

"Look, Maria, I'm sorry you're in a pretty shitty situation, but I'm not your get out of jail free card when it comes to your mother" Tony sounded stern but was backtracking slightly, not wanting Maria to decide her father needed one less Capo on his team. "Maybe when you've been around the whole mafia situation a little longer--" he started before Maria interrupted.

"A little longer?" she asked quietly, letting out a fake laugh. "Oh please, Tony, tell me more about how hard it has been for you, volunteering to be part of the LeTale gang and all" she scoffed, glancing over and noticing his jaw was set in a way that told her he firmly believed in what he was saying. "A little longer? 21 years! I was in it before I even knew I was in it!" she muttered. "I am sent away from my friends, from my family, because my Daddy is involved in some war I knew nothing about. They literally sent me to the other side of the world" she shook her head as she spoke, her hands frantically moving about as they did when she truly felt enraged. "So don't come telling me I need to be in the situation longer. I am the situation, wherever I go, whatever I do, I am the situation" she told him incredulously, rolling her eyes before looking out the window, arms folded across her chest defensively. "I'm fed up of being forced to feel like I'm a child around here, babysitters, scheduled playdates. I feel like I need to make a public announcement so people notice I'm an adult now"

Tony listened to her words, his eyebrow arched but his head engaged. He could see her point, he could appreciate that she had no choice in the matter, whereas he had jumped in with both feet as soon as he was able. He sighed a little, glancing at the car clock. It was a little before 5. Too early for their meeting - he certainly didn't want to be a sitting duck parked outside the meeting place. "You hungry?" he asked her, making a turn in the car.

Maria, feeling unheard, pursed her lips before saying "I am but I think I'm meant to be meeting with some man named...Ricardo? Maybe?" she muttered, she couldn't say she had been listening to the details particularly. Tony smirked and shrugged his shoulders, pulling up outside a restaurant. It wasn't very big at all, it was called "La Dolce" and clearly a cutesy, family-run business. As he turned off the engine, he hopped out of the car and went and opened the door for her, becoming accustomed to the routine quickly.

Maria glanced at the restaurant as the car door was opened, stepping out slowly as she looked it over as though trying to work something out.

"This isn't run by 'the family'" he told her, "Believe it or not there are some businesses in town your father doesn't own" he teased her in a dry voice.

His teasing left Maria with a small smirk of her own on her red, painted lips, beginning to walk towards the entrance when Tony grabbed her arm and, kind of roughly, pulled her into the alleyway beside the restaurant.

Her back pressed against the cool brick wall of the alleyway, Tony's grip tight around her wrist still as he loomed in front of her.

"Tony!" Maria gasped at the suddenness of his movements, at the rough way he had handled her and demanded her attention in such a manner.

Tony's other hand was flat against the brick, next to her head, supporting his weight as he leaned over her. Essentially trapping her slightly, though he hadn't quite realised this - he hadn't thought any of this through and it was definitely a spur of the moment, regret in five minutes, type of action. 

Maria's heart was hammering against her chest, looking up at his tense and firm posture. She hadn't quite appreciated how tall he was before, or how strong he seemed even when he was just wearing a shirt and not a particularly tight one at that. Trying to regain her authority (in theory) and composure in the situation she said his name again, failing in her attempt to cover up the way her body was reacting so fiercely to his behaviour.

"Tony" she breathed, her dark eyes lifting to meet his as her chest rose and fell with adrenaline.