Page 20 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

“Kev can chill,” Siena said.

A couple of passwords, and one encrypted file later, and Siena had brought up the dirty books for the club. Next week, she would be at another office owned by her family to scrub out and cook those books, too.

It changed a lot.

Her bachelor’s degree in accounting afforded her the knowledge of cooking and scrubbing books, but her respect for numbers kept her attention focused and interested. That was what mattered most.

She actually liked doing it.

The numbers in the excel charts were a comforting place for Siena. It was all about balances and checks. Numbers were straightforward, and didn’t leave questions behind. Something either added up, or it didn’t.

She liked that.

“Oh, so you finally fucking showed up, did you?”

Kev’s voice—much like their father’s—boomed. It could travel down hallways, and through walls. The men in her family didn’t know how to have a quiet conversation if their lives depended on it.

Siena didn’t look away from the computer screen as she brought up the accounts receivable and payable for the club. The proper books this time—not the ones she was about to make look proper.

“Got caught up in something,” Siena said.

“Something like what?”

Shit.

She didn’t want to mention the bookstore to her brothers. The two didn’t have any respect or appreciation for things like books and escapism. They only respected and understood the life, Cosa Nostra, and their father.

She decided to deflect Kev’s question with one of her own.

“So, I guess Johnathan Marcello is out of prison now, huh?” she asked.

Johnathan’s prison sentence had been widely known across New York. It had been in the news, and even his sentencing had been publicized. It was one of the reasons she had called him infamous, though she thought it might be rude to point it out.

Siena peered over the PC screen.

Sure enough, Kev’s brow had raised as he shot Darren a look. She mentally patted herself on the back.

“Did you know that?” Kev asked Darren.

“I didn’t. How does she know it?”

Both Siena’s brothers looked to her.

“I ran in to him on the bus,” she said, shrugging.

She didn’t mention the street, too.

“I guess we should let Dad know,” Kev said.

Siena almost asked why.

She knew better.

They wouldn’t answer.