Page 17 of Loyalty

She certainly wasn’t going to turn her cheek, and pretend like the men in her life were some kind of good, godly creatures who gave back to society, and attended church every Sunday. Sure, they did those things—they also sold drugs, laundered money, blackmailed anyone they could, and murder was always at the top of someone’s to-do list.

Coraline could pretend all she wanted about her family, and live in her gilded cage of clouds where the bad stuff didn’t touch her.

Siena’s feet were still firmly planted on the ground.

She liked it here better.

“Don’t pull this tardiness nonsense on your brother later,” Matteo said.

Siena’s attention was back on her father in a blink. “Pardon?”

“Later—you’re heading over to Kev’s club, aren’t you? You’ve got books to scrub for him.”

“Of course.”

“Don’t be late again. It’s rude, Siena.”

“I know, Dad. I won’t be late.”

Lies.

She would make sure to be late.

Besides, she did need a couple of new books to put on her nightstand. The old bookshop a couple of blocks away from her brother’s club sounded like a good place to get lost in for an hour or so.

If she could do it, and get away with it, then what was stopping her?

It was the Calabrese way.

• • •

Siena thumbed through the brand new paperback of a romance she had asked the old shopkeeper to order in for her well over a month ago. Sure, she had an e-reader and could have purchased a digital copy instantly, but she still liked a good old paperback once in a while.

“How long are you gonna caress that book, girly?”

Siena gave Eugene a smile.

Well in to his seventies, Eugene had been supplying Siena’s addiction to romance and thrillers since she was seventeen or so. Sometimes, she came in the shop just to help him rearrange shelves, or unload the new releases for the month. He didn’t need to be lifting things, anyway. His aged face showed more wrinkles when he smiled, and told the story of his life.

“I’m going to touch it and love it for as long as I want to, thank you,” she said, smiling sweetly.

Eugene sighed. “You and those damn romances. You’re going to give yourself an unhealthy outlook on men. No real life man will stand up to the kinds of heroes in those books.”

Siena shrugged. “My standards are already pretty sky-high.”

The man chuckled hoarsely. “As they should be, Siena. You take the book, and have a good day, sweetheart.”

“You didn’t ring me up yet.”

From the other side of the counter, the man winked. “Call it even for you doing my books last month for the quarter.”

Siena gave him a look. “Yeah, and I saw how much you’re making, too. So, let me pay for the damn book.”

“No way. It’s all yours. I already paid for it. You thought I would forget, I bet.”

“Eugene.”

“I remembered your birthday was today. Twenty-five.”