Page 139 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

He waved a hand, and nodded. “Yeah okay.”

“When did you order them?”

“Not sure.”

Siena frowned. “Well, what’s in them?”

“Shit, I imagine.”

And just like that, John was gone from her view and inside the kitchen. The boxes were forgotten, and he had moved on to something new.

Siena tried to work up the nerve to bring up his medications as she headed for the kitchen. Inside, she found him pulling out a glass, and filling it up with cold water. She had been up with him since six that morning. Because of that, she knew he hadn’t taken his medications. He took them at breakfast.

With food.

Always.

He hadn’t done that this morning. She wondered when the last time was that he had taken his meds, or even had an appointment with his therapist.

In sweatpants, a sweater, and with a wool cap pulled down over the top of his head, he didn’t look like the cold weather outside had affected him at all. Like maybe he didn’t feel it.

“John—”

Siena’s question was interrupted by knock at the front door. She looked out the kitchen window, but couldn’t see who it was from there. John dropped a kiss to her cheek as he passed her by, and left to answer the door.

Siena slipped into the hallway just as John pulled open the front door.

A man Siena didn’t recognize stood waiting with a folder in his hands. The color of blood, the folder stood out brightly against the black outfit the man wore, and the white of the snow falling down around him.

“Kent,” John said. “What are you doing here this morning?”

Kent handed over the file. “Somebody ran this to me today, and let me know I needed to get it to you as soon as possible.”

John took the file, and tapped it against his palm. “Thanks, man.”

The man nodded. “No problem, John.”

Kent turned on the stoop, and left without another word. John closed the door, and faced Siena.

“Who was that?” she asked.

“An enforcer,” John said, still looking at the file in his hands. “One that works for a Marcello Capo on the other side of the city.”

“He came all the way over here to give you a file?”

“That’s his job. He does what he’s told, not what he wants to do.”

John opened the file as he slid past Siena in the hall. It took all of two seconds for his easy-going posture to change. He went from unbothered and calm, to as stiff as a board just like that.

“John?”

He was silent. His back stayed turned to her. She couldn’t see his eyes, or judge from the expression on his face what was wrong.

So quiet.

Deathly so.

“What the fuck?”