Page 278 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

“I have to be in my business.”

Arthur pointed a finger at Andino, and shook it. “I almost prefer to walk into a meeting, and see your father sitting in a chair rather than you.”

“As you should. Giovanni has a far greater tolerance for nonsense than I do.”

“What do you need?”

“I told you—less attention, and peaceful streets.”

“I don’t understand what exactly that means.”

“It means,” John said, stepping into the conversation just because he could, “that things will be heating up soon between the Marcello and Calabrese families. As it is, we already have enough attention on us because of their little tricks. You like a quiet city—you prefer we Marcellos keep our business clean, and out of sight. We are trying to do that, but they are making it very difficult.”

“I don’t see how I can help you with that problem.”

Andino chuckled. “I just need your word, Arthur. Nothing more.”

“My word for what, exactly?”

“When the time comes, you will make every effort to help the Marcellos go back to their previous position in this city. Business that does not make headlines every other day, and so forth. We will make the streets quiet again.”

Arthur sighed heavily, and cleared his throat. “Tell me, then, how I am supposed to help your family go back to the edges of society with the rest of the—”

“Careful,” John murmured.

The man passed John a look.

John smiled coldly in response.

“You have the floor,” Arthur said to Andino.

“I want a guarantee of freedom,” Andino said. “For my men, and me. Whatever we do to quiet the city again, and make the streets safe, we will do it. And in return for giving you a peaceful city, and you know, not exposing your dog fighting history to anyone with a screen in front of them, you will make sure any and all attention or charges from officials can be either put away, or disabused in whatever fashion necessary. Not enough evidence. Destroy statements. Burn a goddamn police station to the ground. I really don’t care—you will make it happen.”

“You are asking for a lot,” Arthur said.

Andino nodded. “And you have a lot of contacts in this city to make it work.”

“What exactly are you planning to do that you need this kind of guarantee, Andino?”

Andino looked to John.

John responded for his cousin. “Watch the news. You’ll see.”

Andino flashed his teeth in a wicked smile. “It’ll be a blast.”

The lead up to anything should always come with a palpable feeling. Be it dread, excitement, or something altogether different. It should make a man’s heart race, and his palms sweaty with the knowledge that everything he wanted or waited for was finally there.

It was finally happening.

It should thrum through his veins, and beat with his heart. He should be left awake in the night from the anticipation of almost, almost.

And yet, the one moment John had waited for had finally arrived, and there he was, entirely calm. Eerily so, even. He felt nothing but a confident assuredness that this was everything he had wanted to see come to fruition, and it was almost over.

Maybe that was it.

Maybe once this was finally done with, he could get that rush of excitement and relief that he had been missing for so long. Maybe once all of the things that had been standing in his way were finally gone for good, he could celebrate.

John would just have to wait and see.