Page 233 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

“The Marcellos—who the fuck else?”

Kev scrubbed a hand down his jaw. “I’m listening.”

“I mean, their control over this city has always been the fact they have connections, and so much territory. Not to mention, men. The largest Cosa Nostra family in North America, right?”

“What’s your fucking point?”

Ouch.

Even she could hear the jealous tone in Kev’s voice.

“Don’t get pissy at me,” Darren said. “I’m just saying. Anyway, we’ve got at them from the front, so to speak. We’ve attacked them, and caused violence on their streets. Brought attention to them, and whatever else. Figured it might make them take a step back, or reconsider their usual way of handling these kinds of issues.”

“And it did none of that,” Kev muttered.

“Nope.”

“So, what is your grand fucking plan now?”

“Well, that wasn’t my plan to begin with. It was yours—it didn’t work really well for us.”

“Keep taking those shots at me, man.”

Darren rolled his eyes. “I mean, let’s go at them from a different direction. From behind, in a way. Make it hard for them to do business. Rough up the streets where their Capos have control. Step in between their contacts keeping things under control.”

For a long while, silence stretched on between the two brothers.

Then, Kev spoke. “I like it.”

“Thought you would.”

“You know, I got word someone saw Johnathan Marcello around here shortly before the fire started,” Kev said.

Darren cleared his throat. Out of the corner of Siena’s eye, she saw Darren look in her direction before going back to the conversation at hand.

“That so?” he asked.

“Apparently.”

“Anything else?”

“So far, the investigator agrees an accelerant was used, and they’ve called it an arson.”

“Just like my place,” Darren muttered.

“But hey, we know who probably did it,” Kev said.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“We’ll get him.”

“Among many,” Darren agreed. “For now, though, where do we live?”

Kev laughed dryly. “Well, Ma wants me over there. You, too.”

“For a while, that’s fine. But you know how it is.”

“That won’t work with Siena, though,” Kev put in. “She’s the one handling Greta and Giulia, you know what I mean?”