Page 37 of Loyalty

“What about men?”

A knot of tension tightened around Siena’s spine. She tried not to show how uncomfortable the question made her as she turned around to face her father.

“Like dating?” she asked.

Matteo nodded. “Exactly that. Are you seeing someone?”

“Would it matter if I was?”

“I should think it would be my business if you were,” he replied.

“Yet, I’m not.”

“At all?” he pressed.

Siena’s gaze narrowed. “Where is this coming from, Dad?”

Because it all screamed strange and odd to her. It wasn’t like her father to care much about her personal life as long as she kept it quiet, and private. As long as nothing she did brought shame to her family, then he never spoke a word about it.

After all, he wanted a compliant, easily controlled daughter. Much like how he preferred his wife, too.

Matteo waved a large hand. “Your brothers mentioned maybe you were dating, and I thought I should ask.”

What?

When would her brothers—

Siena’s thoughts slammed together with a heavy realization. All she did was ask about one single man in front of her brothers, and the first thing they did was run to her father with the information.

Like a bunch of assholes.

She was, however, planning on seeking Johnathan Marcello out in a week at the club he apparently worked out of every other weekend. She even made sure to clear things off her schedule so that nothing would be taking her away.

Siena was not telling her father that, though.

Andino had been clear.

Her family was not welcome.

“I’m not seeing anyone,” she told her father. “At all.”

“Do let me know if that changes,” Matteo said, grinning.

With that, her father moved away from the small island, and headed for the door. As though he were completely finished with their conversation, and now had better things to do that did not include being there with her.

“What about your coffee?” Siena asked.

Matteo looked over his shoulder as he pulled open the door. “I’m not really in the mood to stay and chat longer.”

Yeah, she hadn’t thought so.

He had only come to pry information out of her.

But why?

Why?

Siena filed the strange encounter away in the back of her mind, and decided it was probably nothing.