Page 133 of Loyalty

Siena wasn’t sure why … but that didn’t sound good.

“What about?” Siena asked.

Jordyn set the dried plate aside. “My son. What else?”

“Considering you’ve barely spoken to me at all today, it’s not a big surprise that I’m shocked.”

The light laughter from Johnathan’s mother was unexpected. Siena found herself smiling when Jordyn winked.

“I didn’t mean to seem standoffish or cold, Siena.”

Siena shrugged. “Yeah, well …”

“But I worry about my son. All the time, and every single day. He’s thirty, so he doesn’t let me have any say now. I still worry. I wonder, though, do you?”

“What?”

“Worry about him?”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“I THINK WE could have done this on any other day,” Antony said as the Marcello men headed toward his office. “The no business on Sunday rule barely exists anymore, son.”

“This isn’t business, this is—”

“Family,” Antony interrupted. “Except it falls in both categories, and you know how I feel about that, Dante.”

“All right, Papa.” Dante spun around on his heels in front of the two oak doors that led into the office. He pointed at his father, and then at Lucian, and Andino, too. “All three of you can stay outside for this. Gio can join me, but only because I think he’s neutral.”

John had no idea what his uncle meant, but Dante was the boss. He made the calls, not any of them. It was his choice to make.

“Dante,” Lucian started to say.

“No, I don’t want to hear it, brother.”

“At least allow Andino in for Johnathan, then.”

“No,” Dante said simply. “He’s another one that needs to learn a thing or two.”

Andino’s hard gaze settled on the wall, and his posture was stiff enough to be fucking ice. John saw all of those things, sure, but he didn’t take them in properly for what they actually meant. At the moment, he was too pissed off to think about anything other than his own anger.

“It’s my office,” Antony said, his old voice sharpening with a warning.

Dante nodded. “And if this is going to be a problem, then I will move this discussion elsewhere. Speak now, or don’t.”

Antony said nothing.

Dante waved a single hand at John and Giovanni to follow him. John caught sight of his father shaking his head, and scowling just before the doors closed behind them—a sure sign of Lucian’s disapproval.

Likely with John, all things considered.

Hadn’t his statements at the table been enough to tell John that?

Inside the office, Dante headed for the desk. He stood behind it, but didn’t take a seat in the large chair. “Choose some place to sit or stand, but do it fast.”

Gio took a seat next to the window. John stayed standing in the middle of the room.

“I’m good,” he said when the boss shot him a look.