Page 361 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

THIRTEEN

John was surprised to find Andino’s house quiet when he arrived later in the day. Even though he was supposed to meet up with his cousin at a restaurant in the city like they usually would, business simply caught up to him and plans had to change. He hadn’t thought Andino would mind all that much if only because the man could appreciate and understand how business sometimes piled up and took over everything. So was their way.

He expected to hear the kids running around and find Haven in the kitchen as she would normally be, but for the most part, the house was empty.

Except upstairs.

There, he found his cousin. With his other cousin. And Pink.

John stayed far enough back from the office doorway to hear the conversation happening inside. Well, mostly it was just Andino questioning Michel and Pink while the other two man stayed mute. Which wasn’t at all what John expected to find when he came here. He couldn’t say he particularly liked it, either.

That wasn’t good for his nerves.

Or his fast temper.

“So, you’re telling me he hasn’t been in touch but neither of you have anything to tell me about that? He’s not seemed a little off lately, or …?”

John’s gaze narrowed.

Was Andino asking about him?

“I know you two can fucking talk,” Andino snapped.

John decided, before his cousin could act like an even bigger asshole than he already was, to speak up and find out exactly what was happening. Although just by the looks and sound of it all, he already knew. “What the fuck is going on here?”

All at once, three pairs of eyes in the office turned on John standing in the doorway. He didn’t pay the two men sitting in the high-back, leather chairs much mind. Instead, he leveled all of his attention on the one behind the desk.

Andino, that was.

“John,” Andino started.

Nope.

He wasn’t doing that.

Not the tone, the attitude, or the arched eyebrow Andino turned on his cousin. All of it felt like the man intended to chastise John, and he wasn’t doing that shit with people anymore. He was a grown fucking man—closing in on his mid-thirties—not a child that needed constantly watched. That’s kind of what it felt like Andino had just been doing before John spoke up.

“I asked a question,” John said.

Andino sucked air through his teeth, replying, “How about, where the fuck have you been all day, huh?”

“Busy.”

“Doing what?”

“You demand updates about my whereabouts and business now?” John asked. “Let me remind you, Andi, that you’re not my fucking boss. I don’t have to answer to you or keep you updated about anything. When I choose to do that, it’s because I want to, or we’re doing something in business together that requires you to know. Otherwise, it’s none of your goddamn business, and I think it would do you well to remember that.”

Andino’s jaw tightened at that statement; his narrowed gaze swung toward the men on the other side of the desk. “So, we’re going to pretend like you don’t have these two running like crazy for you? So much so, in fact, that I have to go through them just to get to you?”

Well …

That had John smirking.

Just a bit.

“Don’t all bosses work that way?” he asked.

“Sure,” Andino said, “but not us. Hell, I even had to call people working for you to come to me to get any kind of information on you.”