Chapter Six

Bruno wasn't exactly sure what woke him, because he really shouldn't have been asleep in the first place. He was supposed to be protecting Maria after all, and making sure Marcello's men didn't show up despite all their protective measures.

But then, he supposed that there was no way he couldn't possibly protect Maria if she was pressed against his side, head resting firmly on his chest.

Bruno took a moment to study her face, the lines relaxed in slumber, long lashes grazing her pale cheek. Her auburn hair was tangled in the collar of that old sweater of his that she was wearing and he carefully reached out to try and smooth it slightly before a sound caught his ear and he went on full alert again.

Carefully, he slid from under Maria and the blankets and manifested Sticky Fingers as he crept carefully toward the entrance.

Someone was rattling the doorknob and Bruno pressed himself behind the doorway, ready to meet whoever came in with his Stand.

The door opened a crack, "Bruno?"

Relief flooded him. "Leone, in here."

He moved to meet the silver-haired man who looked disgruntled. "You didn't answer your phone."

Bruno glanced off toward the bedrooms where he remembered taking the wet phone out of his pocket and leaving it on the bed. "I left it in the other room when I was drying my suit."

Abbacchio sighed. "Well, at least you're safe. We managed to send Marcello's men on a merry chase; brought them all the way back to town, then switched cars. That's why it took so long for us to get here." He glanced over Bruno's shoulder where Maria was still sleeping on the couch. "Is Maria all right?"

"Yes, she's fine," Bruno replied.

Abbacchio raised a knowing eyebrow, glancing at their surroundings. "And you?"

Bruno sighed and hugged his arms against himself. "I'm fine. I just…I'm sorry, I didn't expect to fall asleep." He reached up to run a hand through his mussed hair.

Abbacchio sighed then seemed to focus on the rumple of empty blankets piled beside Maria, narrowing his eyes. "Bruno," he said slowly. "You didn't…"

"No," Bruno hissed, face flushing despite himself. "She was cold," he amended.

Abbacchio chuckled as Bruno's face only got redder. "Mm-hmm. Well, best wake her up, because we need to get going. Giorno said he has something for us. And don't forget your damn phone next time you're on the run."

Bruno sighed and went to retrieve his phone and suit. The suit was still a little damp, so he decided he would just stay in his father's old clothes for a little while longer. He was a bit reluctant to let them go now anyway.

He then headed back to the couch and bent to wake Maria up, shaking her shoulder gently.

"Maria," he murmured.

Her eyes blinked open blearily before she looked around in confusion and focused on his face. "Oh…what's wrong?"

"Abbacchio and Narancia are here to bring us back," he told her.

Maria got up and gathered her things before they hurried out to the car. Narancia greeted them both happily with cups of coffee they must have picked up on the way. Bruno took one gratefully.

"Thank you," he said. "What exactly did Giorno find out?"

"Don't know, I told him to wait until we all got back," Abbacchio replied.

The sun was rising by the time they got back to their place. Trish instantly bundled Maria off for a shower and fresh clothes while Bruno simply went to see Giorno who was sitting in the office with Fugo and Mista, all of them looking like they had been up all night.

"Giorno, you found something?" Bruno asked, ignoring their pointed looks at his disheveled appearance. He hadn't even had time to fix his hair.

"Marcello contacted us last night," Giorno told him. "He wanted to make a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Bruno demanded.

Giorno snorted. "He wants territory, offered Passione thirty percent of his earnings if we leave him alone."

"What? Is he stupid?" Narancia laughed.

"Desperate, maybe," Fugo muttered. "He seems to have little to no idea how business works."

"I don't know about that," Giorno mused. "I don't think he's stupid. I think he wanted to test the waters. He knows we're helping Maria, and he's looking for a way to rectify the loss of product. I think he simply wanted to see how we would react to an offer like this."

"And what did you tell him exactly?" Bruno asked.

"I told him it was insane for him to think that he could get away with giving us so little," Giorno replied. "But that if he was willing to go sixty-forty and pay monthly protection, we might consider it."

Bruno smiled despite himself. "And what did he say to that?"

Giorno leaned his chin into his hand. "He said he'd consider it. But only if we returned David's missing stock to him."

"Of course," Abbacchio muttered. "It's gotta be a significant amount for him to be so worried about it."

"Well, regardless, he's going to be disappointed," Bruno said. "However, the fact that he's willing to make a deal with us is good. It means we can draw him out."

"He seemed pretty convinced we had the drugs," Giorno said. "Either he was bluffing, or he really thinks you got away with them last night. I let him go with that assumption."

Bruno nodded, mulling the situation over. This might be their chance to get Marcello out in the open, but it was also possible he was expecting them to do exactly that. Bruno didn't know enough about him to really know how shrewd of a business man he was.

"What do you suggest we do?" Fugo asked.

Bruno tapped his chin. "I would say let him stew for a day or two, get anxious, less likely to make a calculated move. If we come to him, we have the upper hand."

"And what do we do about the fact that we still haven't found the drugs?" Mista asked.

"That doesn't really matter; we wouldn't be giving them to him anyway, whether we find them or not," Bruno replied. "Just keep an ear to the ground for the next couple days. See what Marcello does."

They all nodded, Giorno seeming to slump even further into his chair as he reached for a stack of papers. Bruno reached out and slipped them from under his hand.

"All of you, get some sleep. We've had a long couple of days. I guarantee you nothing is going down with Marcello today, so why don't we all take a much-needed rest?"

Giorno looked up at him, surprised, but nodded in agreement. "I think that sounds like a good idea," he agreed with a tired smile.

"We still have informants on retainer if Marcello makes a move," Fugo added. "Nothing will happen without us knowing."

"Good," Bruno replied, proud of his team. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go take a shower."

He left to head upstairs and do just that, finally washing the rain water from his hair and feeling the hot water ease his stiff muscles. He still couldn't really fathom what had happened last night, or what it meant. Was he actually falling for Maria? Everything certainly pointed toward that conclusion and yet, he really couldn't justify his feelings. This was not a good life for someone like Maria to get wound up in. Anyone could use her against him at any time, and she didn't even have a Stand to protect herself with.

And yet he couldn't deny what he felt when he looked at her, the way she felt in his arms, the taste of her lips. On top of that, the way she seemed to fit in with all of them seamlessly as if she were always meant to…

Bruno ducked his head completely under the water and let it wash over his face. This was not a good train of thought at all. He should never have reciprocated Maria's affection.

No matter how much he realized he had wanted it, without really knowing.

He cranked the water off and shook his hair out, stepping out of the shower. It wasn't like he could back out now, and that was the problem.

He sighed, toweling off. This was the last thing he should be worrying about now. He should just keep focused on getting Maria's life back in order, and when it came time…they could figure out what to do with…the rest.

He didn't know why that scared him more than deciding to betray the Boss had.

"Yeah, I get it, just keep an eye out. That's all I'm asking."

Abbacchio growled in annoyance as he hung up the phone, rubbing his head. He needed more coffee. Informants were always the worst to deal with. He just wished people would stop calling in with next to nothing and expecting money in exchange for something that couldn't even be considered a tip.

He got up to refill his coffee, and found Trish there, making two cups of tea.

"Hey, there you are," she said with a smile. "I was wondering if you could take us shopping."

"Who's us?" Abbacchio grunted.

"Maria and I. We want to get stuff for dinner. Her, Mista and I thought it might be nice to make something special since we're all home and supposed to be relaxing or something. So, we're going to make pizza."

"Just grocery shopping?" Abbacchio asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Promise," Trish replied.

Abbacchio sighed and put his cup down. "All right." It was better than sending them with one of the others, he supposed. They might get distracted then. Besides, he would feel better if he kept an eye on Maria. He wasn't thrilled with her leaving the house again, but Marcello didn't really want her, so it was probably safe.

"Thank you!" Trish grinned. "I'll go tell Maria," she was about the leave the kitchen before she turned back around and lowered her voice. "By the way…is it official?"

Abbacchio narrowed his eyes at her. "Is what official?"

"You know, Maria and Bucciarati," Trish hissed.

Abbacchio snorted. "Of course everyone saw it before he did. But yeah, something happened between them last night, but he's not saying anything."

Trish grinned and bounced on her feet. "I knew it! Maria didn't want to say anything, but I could tell. Oh, Abba, I hope it works out. It would be lovely if—"

"Hey," Abbacchio stopped her. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

"All right, all right," she huffed. "It's just… it would be nice to see him happy with someone like that. You know?"

Abbacchio felt his lips twitch despite himself. "Yeah, I know."

Heaven knows Bruno deserved it.

So he took the ladies shopping, thankfully without a hitch, and by the time they got back, it was time to start making dinner. Abbacchio finally got his coffee as Trish, Maria and Mista began preparation.

"What's going on in here?" Bucciarati asked as he came in, a curious look on his face.

"It's pizza night!" Mista announced. "And Maria's making dessert."

"Is that so?" Bruno asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You said we should take the night off, so I thought this would be a good way to do it," the gunman grinned. "Maybe we can even play some games after dinner too."

Bucciarati strode across the kitchen to look over their shoulders. "Well…I was thinking of something more like no paperwork, but I suppose this works too."

He smiled as Maria looked up at him. Bruno reached out and gently wiped some flour from her cheek causing her to blush and Trish and Mista to share a look. Abbacchio shook his head.

"I'll leave you to it then," Bruno said quickly and grabbed a cup of coffee for himself, going to sit at the table with Abbacchio. "Any new information?"

"Not yet," Abbacchio replied. "Marcello seems to be keeping a low profile like you suspected."

Bruno nodded. "It's a waiting game, then. There's nothing else we can do about it."

Abbacchio grunted in agreement, sipping his coffee as he watched the three cooking, laughing together. Bruno was always watching them, a soft expression on his face that was unmistakable.

Dinner was ready about an hour later and the hustle and bustle was even more animated than usual, but thankfully, Maria had gotten more used to how it was so she was able to procure food for herself. Though it wouldn't have mattered anyway, as all the boys seemed eager to pass her everything she asked for and more, multiple times snatching stuff right out of Abbacchio's hands before he could put it onto his own plate. What was even more shocking was that he couldn't even find it in himself to be angry. Especially when Maria slipped a fresh piece of pizza onto his plate with a small smile.

And after dinner, they did play games, Narancia and Trish digging out Monopoly. Abbacchio groaned and refused to play so he was made designated banker instead, watching fondly while the others bickered, everyone sitting on cushions around the coffee table in the living room, even Bruno, who hardly ever allowed himself to take part in game nights, always being too busy.

"Hah! You landed on my property again, Trish! Pay up!" Narancia cackled, pointing to his two hotels.

"Why do you seem to have everything?" Tish grumbled, angrily tossing the money across the table.

When Maria landed on the same spot a few turns later, she sighed and scraped together most of her money.

"Well, I guess you're clearing me out," she told Narancia with fake sadness.

The boy suddenly shook his head. "Nah, just give me half, I'll give you a deal for the night."

"Hey!" Trish demanded. "What's that all about?"

"Maria's our guest," Narancia said simply. "Besides, you own almost all the railways."

"Well, I suppose I could cook breakfast in the morning for all your other guests to make up for it," Maria told him with a wink.

"That's how it's done!" Mista laughed before it turned into a groan while he landed on Giorno's property who had somehow managed to get both Park Place and Boardwalk.

"Oh, that's mine then," he said.

The game was cutthroat, going on far too long, but everyone was happy and having a good time, and even if they were a little loud, Abbacchio found he couldn't begrudge them that. The kids needed what moments like this they could get.

Even Bruno was laughing at the kids' antics, leaning in close to Maria as her cheeks tinted pink with pleasure while she laughed along, the sound melodious and clear like a bell. Her eyes sparkled, her hand reaching out to press fondly against Bruno's chest as he made a quip. In turn, he carefully reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear that had escaped from her braid.

And Abbacchio found, to his chagrin that he was smiling. What the hell was wrong with him? He notoriously hated all this sappy crap and yet seeing them together—seeing his best friend so happy with someone—it warmed something deep inside of him that he had forgotten about.

"They make a good couple."

He was startled by Trish sitting down on the couch next to him, after having gone to get a drink, her own eyes sparkling at the sight, speaking quietly as another burst of laughter and groans erupted.

Abbacchio schooled his features, clearing his throat. "Yeah, well…Bruno deserves to have someone care about him. Love him—like that." If anyone did, it would be Bruno. He had always protested in the past that his small found family of misfits that somehow fit was all he ever needed in life, but that was because he hadn't met the right woman yet. And Abbacchio would be willing to bet anything that Maria was the right woman.

"I like her," Trish said with a wistful sigh. "She…she kinda reminds me of my mom."

Abbacchio glanced over at her, felt his traitorous heart soften impossibly further. Yeah, Maria wasn't just good for Bruno. Heaven knows the kids could use a mother figure. As much as they joked about it, Bucciarati couldn't be expected to completely fill that gap.

"Yeah, I like her too," Abbacchio admitted, not even grudgingly.

His phone rang in his pocket and he got up to find a quieter place to answer it. "Take care of the bank for me," he told Trish.

He hurried into the office, shutting the door as he answered the phone.

"Abbacchio."

"Yeah, this is about Marcello. Think I got a tip for you. Saw a couple of his guys poking around a warehouse way out by the docks. Thought you might like to know."

"Where exactly?" Abbacchio demanded, grabbing a notepad and pen.

When he got the address, he hurried back out to the room, feeling slightly bad that he was going to have to interrupt their game night.

"Bruno," he said, and the capo looked up, instantly turning serious as he saw Abbacchio's face.

"What is it?" he stood up.

Abbacchio held up the piece of paper. "I got a tip. They said Marcello's men were seen at a warehouse by the docks. Don't know if it's anything important, but thought it wouldn't hurt to check it out."

Bruno nodded and glanced back at the others. "Mista, Giorno, go with him, see what you can find out. And be careful."

"Sure thing," Mista said and stood up, stretching. "Let's go, GioGio."

Abbacchio grabbed the keys to the car and they were off, though he had the feeling they weren't going to get answers from this.

After Abbacchio and the others left, the game stopped, and the happy atmosphere died down. Maria was sad to see it go, especially with Bucciarati looking so serious again. She had loved seeing the happy carefree man he was, playing with the kids and laughing along with them. Not to mention the calculated way he played, somehow ending up with the most money at the end. It had been a lot of fun.

But they couldn't forget what was going on either and now Maria felt slightly nervous for Abbacchio, Mista and Giorno, hoping they weren't walking into some kind of trap.

"Are you okay?"

She glanced over at Fugo who had come up behind her, concern in his violet eyes.

Maria glanced down at her hands that she had been subconsciously clutching in her lap. "I'm fine, just…thinking."

Fugo sat down on the chair across from her. "You don't have to worry about them, you know. I know you're new to all this, but we're not. Bucciarati wouldn't send anyone out in the field if they weren't competent."

Maria sighed and attempted a smile. "I know. I'm sure I'm being silly about all of it. I just…I've grown rather fond of all of you. I wouldn't want anything to happen on my account."

Fugo blushed slightly. "It's our job. You shouldn't feel so bad about us helping you."

Maria nodded, and Fugo reached out to gently, a little awkwardly, touch one of her hands. "Would you like some tea?"

"Please," she said.

Bucciarati came back into the room and Fugo glanced up at him before heading to the kitchen. "Any more information?"

"Not so far; we'll have to wait and see what the others find at the warehouse."

Something sparked in the back of Maria's mind at the mention of a warehouse. Something from long ago—mortar dust in her eyes, the scrape of metal on stone, small fingers prying bricks apart…

"Oh my gosh," she breathed, getting to her feet.

"What's wrong?" Bruno asked her.

"I can't believe I didn't think about it before," Maria exclaimed, turning to meet his eyes. "I think I know where David stashed the drugs—really this time. It's the only other place it could be."

"Where?" Narancia asked, hopping up from what he had been doing to listen.

"There was an old abandoned warehouse over by the bakery that all the kids used to play in," Maria told them. "Kind of dangerous, I know, but it was sort of our clubhouse. One day, David found this spot in the wall where the bricks had started to come loose, and there was a space inside. He dug out several of the bricks and used to use the space to hide things in. It would still be the perfect place to hide something—no one would ever think to look there unless they knew about it."

"Well, we should go check then!" Narancia exclaimed.

"I'll take Maria," Bucciarati told him. "I want the rest of you here just in case the others need backup or we get more tips in."

"Are you sure?" Fugo asked. "You might need help."

"It won't be hard to find," Maria assured them. "I know exactly where the spot is."

"Then let's go," Bruno said and crossed to the office before returning with a pistol. "Just in case," he told Maria as her eyes widened.

Maria hurried after him, heart beating quickly in her chest. She really hoped this would be it. Maybe then her life could start going back to normal.