Page 58 of Loyalty

John blinked, unsure and wary.

The contempt in Lucia’s words were coated with bitterness.

He didn’t know what to say.

“Fuck you with your guys like him shit,” she snapped. “So, you’ve got money and a suit, but that’s all you’ve fucking got, too.”

Who was this girl staring at him like she hated his guts, and everything he stood for?

This wasn’t the Lucia who fawned over expensive cars, and liked diamonds on her birthday. This wasn’t his sister who was the quiet, perfect Marcello principessa.

No, this girl was entirely different.

“You come from the same privilege I do,” John said quietly.

“Except I can own it now. Can you?”

John didn’t know how to answer that. “I’m sorry, Lucy. Really, I am. I didn’t think that it was all going to lead to him being put away for—”

“Shut up,” Lucia spat. “I bet Daddy had that planned, and you knew about it, too.”

“Dad didn’t plan anything. I just came after you to bring you home. The rest was circumstance, and shit.”

Lucia turned away from him, refusing to even grace him with her attention again. It burned, but John took it. Seemed he had managed to ruin the last good relationship he had with someone in his immediate family.

This time it wasn’t even because of his bipolar.

Funny.

“Why don’t we talk about you, John?” Lucia asked dryly.

Nope.

John didn’t talk about him.

His defenses always flew up at the idea.

People probed, and it felt like needles swimming in his bloodstream.

“No, I’m good,” he said folding his arms over his chest.

Without even looking at him, Lucia said, “Then we have nothing else to say here. Daddy and the rest of them are upstairs.”

The rest of them.

He didn’t miss the contempt in that, either.

John left Lucia to her thoughts and anger, though.

What else could he do?

“So that’s it for us, then?” John asked. “You’re going to go back to California in a couple of weeks, and you won’t even bother with me at all while you’re here? Nothing at all?”

“Don’t take it personally, John. It’s all of them, not just you.”

Well, then …

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