Alone | T.D.
Summary: Tony's world starts to fall apart to protect female reader.
Author's Note: Seeing this handsome man at GAB tonight. ❤️ I hope his hair comes free. I love the curls. 😫
Tony D'Angelo Masterlist
WWE Masterlist
Taglist: @magicalbuttertarts @smallestsnarkestgirl @rise-against-the-machine
"Tell her I'm not here."
The words hung in the air between a mob boss and his closest confidant. The man stood across the wooden desk. His mouth opened and closed. Thoughts of speaking up swirled in his mind. A flash of lightning lit up the dark room. The bruises and cuts on Tony's face revealed themselves in the white glow. Yet the only thing his confidant saw was the sadness in his eyes.
"Boss, Tony, this isn't you."
Tony scoffed. "And what exactly does that mean, Enzo? Who am I?"
Enzo reached for a chair and dragged it across the floor to sit at the desk. He could see the look of annoyance on Tony's face. "You don't lay down and let other men tell you what to do."
"I'm not doing that," Tony defended.
"Then what do you call sitting in a dark room?" Enzo asked. His turned on the lamp on the desk. Tony looked away from the light. "What do you call a man allowing his enemies to steal more streets that he once claimed as his own?"
"You don't understand," Tony defended. His brown eyes stayed focused on the floor.
"We are losing our men and way of life. Soon, we will have nothing left."
"Good, then I will be spared from these conversations."
"You will not get rid of me that easy, Tony. Our men are begging for their leader to lead. The woman who loves you more than anything is being pushed away," Enzo pressed.
"Women don't know what they want. They think they do. That is why men were made first to protect them," Tony spoke. "She'll get tired of me soon enough."
"And what exactly are we protecting this girl from by abandoning her?"
Tony didn't answer.
Enzo scooted his chair back. "Fair enough. I am letting her in. She will be here shortly."
Tony's head shot up. The sadness and defeat in his eyes replaced with anger and worry. Enzo expected the anger, but the worry was not something he had ever seen before. He would be lying if he had said the look didn't leave him a little unsettled.
"Don't," Tony whispered. He was afraid to speak. Afraid that the emotions he held inside since his men saved him from his enemies would boil over. The tone in his voice strained. "Please."
"Tony, what happened to you?"
Tony rested his elbows against his desk. His face buried in his hands. Eyes closed as the memories of his captivity played in his mind like one of those moving pictures. The bruises, cuts, and scars didn't bother him. They weren't the first, and they certainly wouldn't be the last. "She isn't safe with me."
"What?"
"I wouldn't give them everything they wanted. They wanted territories and names. They did things to me, and I took it," Tony answered. His hands fell onto the desk while his head hung in shame. "Then they found out about her. Their little game took a turn after that. They knew I wouldn't care what they did to me until they spoke her name. They told me what they would do to her."
Enzo stood still. His eyes didn't leave his leader. "Tony, we can protect her, you know? Our men can make sure she is safe."
"No," he answered quickly. "One mistake, one misstep of assigning a mole to her place, and it's over. They can't know where she lives. I'd rather be alone and have her hate me than know she died for making a mistake and loving me."
Enzo knew not to continue badgering Tony. He inhaled deeply and sighed. "I will do as you said, Tony, but this conversation is far from over. You aren't your father. You don't have to shut yourself out forever."
Tony stared at the floor again as Enzo walked out of the office. For the first time in a long time, he felt alone.
