Page 107 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

THIRTEEN

The blonde, tattooed woman to open the front door of Andino’s brownstone was not who John expected to see. Tall and willowy, her smile came off soft and welcoming. John had only met the woman in passing a handful of times. None of them had been very deep meetings, and Andino didn’t actively welcome his family around the girl.

“Johnathan, right?” she asked.

John could see why this woman would have caught his cousin’s attention. She had a pretty face, and by all accounts the first impression was a unique one. She could certainly draw attention to herself. It was whether or not that attention was good that could be the problem for Andino, given his … status in la famiglia.

John nodded. “It is. And you’re Haven.”

“I am.” The blue-eyed woman glanced at the woman standing beside John. “He didn’t say you were going to bring someone with you.”

Siena stayed close to John’s side even when Haven stuck out a hand to shake. She did offer her own hand, though. “Nice to meet you. I’m Siena. You’re Andino’s wife?”

John stiffened.

Haven gave a bitter laugh, and waved a hand. “No, see, I’m not appropriate enough to be a wife, Siena. I’m just … something.”

“Ouch,” Siena murmured.

Still, she didn’t bat an eye.

Haven smirked. “It’s a work in progress.”

Okay.

That was enough of that.

“Come in,” Haven said, stepping back from the door and widening it further. “John, Andino is upstairs in his office.”

“I’ll be okay down here,” Siena told him.

John hadn’t even thought to leave her downstairs. “You sure, love?”

Siena shrugged, and smiled. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

He dropped a quick kiss to her mouth, and left her standing in the hallway with Haven. Upstairs, he found Andino’s office door open.

John stepped up to the doorway, and rapped on the doorjamb with two knuckles. Andino didn’t even look up from his paperwork.

“You finally came around to see me, huh?” Andino asked.

“You finally decided to pull the underboss card and make me come see you,” John replied dryly.

Andino glanced up with an indifferent gaze, and a posture that screamed what’s it to you? His cousin had always been a complex person. Much like John, but without the mental illness to add to his different issues.

“Had you given me a choice, I still would have come over eventually,” John said.

He was trying to forgive Andino, after all. Actually talking to his cousin would factor in there at some point.

“When would that have been?” Andino asked.

“Eventually.”

“I sped it up, John. One of the perks of being the family underboss—nobody gets to ignore my ass.”

John chuckled. “Yeah, lucky you.”

Andino’s amusement faded fast. “Well, the luck is debatable. Sit, John.”