Page 291 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

When it was silent …

Darren was dead.

Siena only felt relief.

Siena stepped out of the hospital room to find the enforcer that had been placed at the door before she went in had not moved an inch from his post. The man greeted her with a kind smile, and a nod.

“Siena,” he said.

Respectful.

Caring.

Soft-spoken.

This enforcer—a man who introduced himself by name, with a smile, and a handshake the first time they met—was not like any other guard Siena had ever had. He did not treat her like a piece of property to la famiglia that he was simply protecting.

He was not a Calabrese enforcer.

He was a Marcello enforcer.

And he was hers, now.

John had said everything would change the day the bomb blew a week before, and he had not been lying.

Everything was different.

“Pink,” she greeted.

Yep.

That was his nickname.

Pink.

Siena didn’t know how he got it, and she didn’t care to learn. It just made her smile every time she used it.

“You’re the only one who can’t say my name with a straight face,” Pink said.

“Come on, it’s cute.”

“I’ve heard all the comments, Siena. They don’t surprise me or bother me anymore. Come on, the boss is waiting for you.”

“Where did John go?”

“To grab a coffee downstairs.”

“Oh.”

“He’s waiting for you—figured he would get back up here by the time you were done,” Pink explained.

Siena shrugged. “It’s okay. I don’t mind chasing after him.”

She had all the time in the world to do that, now.

Pink guided Siena through the upper level of the hospital, and then down to the main floor where John had apparently gone. They did not find him at the coffee shop, but rather, outside surrounded by several men.

Most of which, Siena recognized.