Page 262 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

“Not fine, Lucian!”

John’s father passed his two brothers a look, and gestured one finger toward the door. “And take my son with you when you go. Let Ma through when she gets here.”

Italian men and their mothers …

It could not be a joke when it was the truth.

Dante waved a hand, and John followed behind him and his other uncle. Giovanni looked John up and down, and nodded to himself.

“What?” John asked once the door was closed behind them. “That look—what the fuck was that for?”

Dante cocked a brow, but said nothing.

Gio shook his head, and glanced away. “Nothing. I was thinking, at least one of you made it out unscathed, I guess.”

“I’m the one that broke his ribs,” John pointed out. “I took him to the ground too—”

“You did fine,” Dante interjected firm and fast. “You did right.”

John quieted at that, and nodded. “Where’s Andino?”

“Trying to settle people into safe places tonight,” Dante explained. “He wanted to come, but I know the two of you are having some issues at the moment. Better for him to be elsewhere.”

“He could have come.”

Dante gave John a hard look. “Andino knows when to step back for someone else.”

Fine.

John was not going to argue the point further. He didn’t think it would get him anywhere. Looking back at his father’s room, he saw one of his sisters slip inside.

Cella.

She still wouldn’t look at him.

She never talked to him.

John shook it off, and went back to the conversation at hand. “The run down?”

“Yeah, give it to me.”

“They caught us on the porch. Did a quick drive-by. Black sedan. Didn’t even get the make or model as I wanted to get Dad down. By the time I looked up again, they were gone. I mean, we know who ordered it, right. There’s no question there.”

“Definitely no question,” Dante agreed. “We still have to figure out what to do about these fucking foolish idiots.”

“Maybe stop fucking around with them like Andino has been doing, and challenge them head-on. If it’s a proper street war they want, then—”

“There is a method to Andino’s madness,” Giovanni said, stepping into the conversation only to defend his son. Or so it seemed. “Don’t shit on his way of doing things just because you have a different opinion about how it could be done.”

“Had I started something like this,” John shot back, “I would have fucking finished it shortly after, too.”

Dante cleared his throat, and moved subtly in between the nephew and uncle. “All right, that’s enough. Take a fucking breath, and lower your damn voices. We’re not here to give the hospital staff a show, huh?”

“Sorry,” Gio muttered behind Dante.

John still gave his uncle a look that spoke volumes without him needing to say anything at all. “I stand by it, though.”

“You can’t be that fucking entitled, John.” Giovanni shook his head, and smirked in that irritating way of his. “You think the rest of us are putting our asses on the line for this plan because Andino thinks it’s a good idea? Are you really that selfish in your own head that you can’t see he’s—”