Page 284 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

Her hands started shaking against the counter top.

Please give a name … please, please, please give a name, but don’t be his name. Don’t be John’s name. Give me a name.

“Others were apprehended at the scene,” the reporter on location stated. “Of course, the police were unwilling to release the names, as they have not yet stated what or who was the cause of the explosion, but we did get word elsewhere of the names of suspects apprehended.”

Siena gripped the edge of the countertop so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the pressure. She didn’t dare look away from the screen for fear she might miss something important. Her stomach had all but climbed up into her throat, while her heart had altogether stopped beating for the moment.

“Several members of the Marcello family—Andino and Johnathan Marcello being the two most recognizable figures apprehended at the moment,” the reporter continued.

Siena felt like her fucking knees gave out, though somehow, she managed to stay upright. Her stomach dropped back down into place while her heart began a slow beat once more.

Not dead, not dead … not dead.

Just in custody.

A knock echoed on Siena’s apartment door, but she was only half paying attention at that point. It took Greta poking her in the shoulder when the knock echoed a second time for Siena to snap out of her daze.

As she crossed the space to answer the door, she kept reminding herself that apprehended and in custody did not necessarily mean arrested. It simply meant they were with police, and likely being questioned.

Was it good?

Fuck no.

It was still workable.

This life taught her that.

Siena was still looking over her shoulder at the television when she opened the door to her apartment. She didn’t even get the chance to turn around and greet whoever was at her door before a form flew at her.

“You little bitch!”

Siena first felt her mother’s fingernails rake down her face before Coraline slapped her. The surprise attack—and the sting of the pain—was enough to set her off-balance. Her vision swam as she put her hands up in front of her face to defend whatever might be coming next, but it did no good.

Her mother hit her again.

And then again.

Unsteady from the surprise, Siena lost her footing as she quickly tried to back away from Coraline’s attack. Her back hit the floor hard enough to take her breath right out of her lungs, but she didn’t even have enough time to recover from that.

“How dare you?” Coraline screeched.

The sharp points of her mother’s heels hit her body. Her sides, and her temple.

“Ma, stop!”

“You knew, didn’t you? You knew what they were going to do! I warned you, Siena, I warned you!”

Another kick landed to the side of Siena’s head.

She was not a weak girl—not an incapable woman. She could and would defend herself, but something made her turn away from her mother’s attack, and simply protect herself instead of fighting back.

Maybe because it was her mother. She had once loved his woman. She thought Coraline loved her, too.

It was painful to be wrong.

So very painful.

“Stop!”