Page 281 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

“Are you interested in settling this feud once and for all, or continuing on with the bloodshed?” Andino interrupted with a cocked brow. “Because I know which category the Marcellos fall under, and as I told you when I asked for this meeting, we are willing to do whatever necessary to finish this appropriately.”

Darren hesitated in his next step. “Anything? You’re absolutely sure about that?”

“I said what I said.”

“And we don’t repeat ourselves,” John added for his cousin.

Darren passed John a look that lingered for a beat too long before he said, “I want him to leave, then.”

“John stays.”

“You’re making this very difficult for me to want to work with you, Andino.”

At that, John scoffed.

All eyes turned in his direction.

“Work with us?” John asked.

“Him, not you. I have little interest in working with a dishonored made man, regardless of which asshole is his father, or which bitch pushed him out into the world.”

John’s lips curved into a wicked smile. “Too far, Darren. You went a little too far with that one.”

“Deny any of it is true.”

“I don’t have to do anything for you, and frankly, if you thought I would ever work with you after the things you’ve done, you’re the one who was mistaken.”

Andino looked to John, and nodded.

John looked back to Darren. “You were right—this was a farce. A fake meeting. Nothing could ever come from it. Much like you being the boss in your organization. A little prince playing pretend in a king’s throne, Darren. That’s all you are.”

He turned his back to Darren, adding, “And I will greatly enjoy taking that throne, and your crown from you.”

“I’ll kill you, Marcello!”

Darren’s worlds stabbed uselessly into John’s back.

They meant nothing.

One of the enforcer’s followed John out, while Andino stayed a bit behind in the doorway with the other one.

“Shame,” Andino said behind John, “as this could have gone down far differently. Or … not. Here, a gift, Darren. We thought you might appreciate a kind gesture from us.”

John didn’t look back to see what happened, but he knew what the plan was. The flowers would be set directly in front of the door—carefully, of course, as to shake them or move them too much would set off the chemical mixture inside the vase. The door would be closed, and Darren would need to move the vase before he could exit the place.

A seemingly innocent vase.

Innocuous flowers.

All harmless, really.

Until they weren’t …

“Move your ass,” Andino barked at the enforcer.

John finally looked over his shoulder.

Through the front window of the rundown restaurant’s door, he saw Darren kick the vase of flowers. The explosion was beautiful.

Not as big as they had hoped, but enough to blow the windows out.

Enough to knock them to the ground.

John wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that—prone on his back and staring up at a clear early October sky—but the sound of laughter brought him back down to reality.

It took him a minute to realize it was his own laughter.

He was the one laughing.

He finally felt that relief.

It was glorious.