Page 56 of Loyalty

Two months later, and he still seeped into her thoughts like a fucking weed that kept on growing. And why? Because of nothing at all.

She didn’t have any other reason, after all. Her stubbornness reared its head again, and she gave in to the instinct as it kicked her in the heart. She was going to hold true to the three strikes, and Johnathan was out of her life thing.

Even if a big part of her still wondered … what if?

What could that have been?

Siena was never going to find out now.

“Give me some time. This will be good for us; we need this.” Matteo laughed, not even giving his sons a chance to reply. “For tonight, though, we enjoy ourselves. Merry Christmas, boys.”

Siena was already heading out of the kitchen while their laughter echoed behind her. Soon, the house would be full of that sound, and clinking wine glasses, and Christmas music.

The place would still be as cold as hell in the morning.

It always was.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“SO HEY, DO you want to talk to me today, or what?” John asked, leaning in the entryway to the living room of his parents’ home.

Lucia didn’t even look away from the flickering TV. “No.”

Her tone came out flat, dry, and dead.

Ouch.

“I tried to call you while you were in California.” John cleared his throat, and then added, “Every couple of weeks, actually.”

“Maybe my phone doesn’t work there.”

“I think it does, Lucia.”

“Then maybe that’s a sign, John.”

Damn.

She was not going to make this easy on him. His kid sister was pissed off at him, and maybe rightfully so. He had been the one to track her down months ago, and bring her home kicking and screaming the whole way.

Business picked up a lot after that, and John was given more responsibility. His boss, and uncle, seemed to think he could handle it, considering everything. Between his therapy once a week, sometimes more, the parole officer he had to keep up with, the public service hours he did every week, and business … John had no time to do anything.

He could barely breathe.

Lucia was home again, though, so he was trying to make time for her. He wanted to fix this rift he made months ago, but she wasn’t having it.

Not at all.

“You’ve been back from California for a couple of weeks, kiddo. I thought—”

Her gaze turned on him—hateful and rage-filled in a blink. Eighteen, young-dumb, and angry. Those were the things he found in his youngest sister’s eyes when she stared at him. It was not something John was used to with Lucia.

She was beautiful like their mother, sure.

She was also dark, vicious, and stubborn like their father.

“Don’t ever fucking call me that again, John,” Lucia hissed.

His spine stiffened. “What—kiddo? I’ve always called you that.”