Page 144 of Loyalty

“John.” Her father didn’t even sound surprised, simply interested. “And how is he lately?”

“He’s … fine.”

“Fine?”

“Yeah.”

Matteo made a noise under his breath. “Your brothers mentioned that he seemed a little off last week. Not his normal self, or something of that sort.”

“Off?” Siena asked.

“Yes, off.” Matteo chuckled, adding “All men in our business get a little off sometimes. It’s not unusual. They simply mentioned that he didn’t seem up to par.”

“He’s fine with me. I haven’t noticed anything.”

Or rather, nothing that she was going to tell her father.

“Well, maybe that was just Darren and Kev.”

Siena placated her father’s assumption, but inside, she knew differently. After talking to John’s mother a few days earlier, she was more observant of him. She noticed things that she might otherwise have overlooked. She paid closer attention to his behaviors, and the things he did when he thought she wasn’t looking.

Sometimes, it was worrying.

What was more concerning to her was the fact that other people were starting to notice. Clearly, people were noticing. John’s family. Her brothers, if this conversation with her father was any indication.

Siena was sure John would not want people like her father or brothers knowing anything was wrong, if something was.

“Nothing’s wrong with John, Dad,” Siena said. “He’s a little tired lately. Like me, he works too much.”

“Sure,” Matteo replied. “Men like us always work too much.”

Siena wished she believed her father. Something in his tone—a lilt she didn’t recognize right away—felt like he was placating her. Matteo wasn’t very good at hiding those things. Or most times, he didn’t even try.

He was the kind of man who believed women should be seen, but not heard. Especially the women in his life. He would never expect Siena to ask him anything, or to call him out on his lies. She had not been raised to do that, but right then, it took every ounce of her willpower not to do it.

The only reason she didn’t do it was for John. She didn’t want her father thinking something was wrong. Or rather, that she knew something was, as he said, off with John.

The Marcellos didn’t trust the Calabrese family. Unfortunately, that also included her. There was nothing Siena could do about that, except stay loyal to the one person that mattered the most to her. John.

Regardless of how John’s family felt, Siena was going to take care of John. That meant watching his back and looking out for him. He needed somebody on his side, and she was that person. They didn’t have to believe it—or like it—for it to be true.

As for her father … well, there had to be a reason why the Marcellos didn’t trust the Calabrese. Knowing her family like she did, she didn’t need to question why. They had done enough things over the years that Siena had seen from afar to know that they would do anything to get wherever they wanted to be.

And her father?

Her brothers?

They had always wanted to be on top.

Had they done anything to John? No. At least, not that Siena had seen. Nothing that she could point to and say, yes, this was directly related to harming John, or his family.

She had seen nothing like that.

She knew nothing like that.

Yet.

Because with the men of her family, it was hard to tell what they might do next if given the opportunity. She didn’t trust them, and she definitely didn’t like her father digging for things about John.