Page 221 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

SIX

John was pulled away from Siena by his uncle. Giovanni cut through the people gathered in the hallway with a low curse, and a shake of his head. It wasn’t hard to figure out that his uncle was pissed, especially when Gio waved at the men following him to get inside one of the hotel rooms. Once they were all inside, he then slammed the door hard enough that John thought the wood might have cracked.

A couple of more men slipped into the room not long after the door had closed. Once most everyone was there—barring a couple of important people—gazes drifted between one another. It was almost as though they were silently asking who wanted to speak first.

John didn’t know what to say.

He didn’t have all the details.

Instantly, all the men started talking at once. The Marcello Capos that had been invited to the dinner and party portion of Andino’s wedding, and had stayed overnight like the family did, made a catacomb of noise inside the hotel room.

John tried to take everything in.

“Has someone told the boss?”

“Dante is awake, and aware,” Gio answered. “He has something else to handle with someone else, and then we will all sit down with the boss and figure something out after we chat here. Not before.”

“What about Andino?”

Gio’s gaze cut to the man who had asked that question. “Someone has gone to wake him up, as well. I should have been the one to do it, but here I am instead. I don’t expect him to be very pleased, all things considered.”

“Shitty way to wake up from your wedding night.”

Wasn’t that the fucking truth?

John figured his cousin was—in some ways—ready for this sort of thing. Andino would have to be, considering he was making big steps to take over their uncle’s position as the boss. No man went into that job with rose tinted glasses on. Trouble always came when you least expected it to, and even when you did expect it.

Andino had to be ready for that.

That didn’t mean a man wanted to have to deal with this kind of thing on what should be one of the happiest days of their life. Some shit just shouldn’t be touched in their life—women, children, and so forth. Only fucking cowards attacked made men and their families during vulnerable times like weddings, births, or even Christenings.

Those days were supposed to be sacred.

Nothing was sacred anymore.

Then, another voice joined the chorus. An older Capo—closer to John’s father’s age, who flat out refused to concede his position to a younger man. Sometimes, that shit happened, but it didn’t always make for good business.

Nathan was the man’s name.

“We’re supposed to believe that the Calabrese woman being here in the morning after what they did to us today is nothing more than coincidence?” Nathan asked.

Gio’s gaze darted from a suddenly stone-still John, to Nathan. “Well—”

“You honestly think she doesn’t know what the fuck happened, or that it was going to happen? I heard there was some kind of behind the scenes action with someone inside the Calabrese family, but I didn’t realize we were using a fucking woman to get it.”

John opted to speak up, then. He really didn’t need to, and God fucking knew they didn’t need more problems at the moment, considering everything. It probably would have been a smarter idea for him to just keep quiet, and let Giovanni handle the questions and explanations for the men.

He couldn’t do that, though.

Not when Siena’s name was brought into it. Not if it meant letting someone drag her through the mud, or stain her with accusations she wasn’t warranted, and could not defend. That kind of shit was not okay, and he would never allow it.

“Do you have a fucking problem with Siena Calabrese?” John asked Nathan.

The older man stood a little straighter in his bathrobe and cotton sleep pants. Nathan was the type that figured his age gave him some kind of edge, or even a heavier respect, than those younger than him in the family. Bullshit. The least he could have done was thrown on a fucking shirt before leaving his room, but here they were.

“Yes, I damn well do,” Nathan replied.

“And what is it?”