Page 40 of Vows of Blood

Luca: Don’t be stupid, Sienna. You’re about to be evicted. Help me, and I’ll help you.

Why is this a hard decision? What am I missing?

Sienna: No thanks.

My empathy evaporates in the blink of an eye. Sienna appears to think she’s dealing with some average schmuck that she can speak to however she pleases. That she can refuse.

Who the fuck does she think she is? She walked away from me once with no consequences, she damn well isn’t going to do it again.

Steam coming out of my ears, I call Bruno, the looming disaster with the Irish spurring me on.

"Those photos from outside the restaurant, the ones you killed before The Tribune could run them?" I don’t bother with pleasantries. There’s nothing pleasant about the business we do.

"You want me to destroy them?" Bruno’s in the car, distracted, the steady thrum of wipers telling me it’s still raining out.

"No." I pat Sienna's file again, deciding she just needs one last little nudge to accept defeat. "Release them.”

As I say the words, the pieces of the puzzle slowly slot into place, and I grin, downright pleased with myself.

It’s the right call. This might solve all of our problems in one fell swoop.

A pause and a sharp inhale. Bruno’s paying attention now. “Are you sure?” I don’t dignify that with an answer. “You understand what that means, for both of you, Luca."

It bothers me less than it should. Maybe I really have turned into the cold-hearted bastard everyone says I am.

"Just call her an old family friend and let the paparazzi do their thing. People can assume what they want.”

It’s a risky move, but for the first time in a long time, I’m excited to roll the dice and see how the chips fall.

"It could get ugly. Very ugly."

"I don't care."

And I really don’t.

For ten years, I’ve done nothing but work and make money for this family. Now, it’s time for me to have a little fun of my own.

Bruno replies with just one word before the line goes dead. "Understood."

By tomorrow morning, Sienna’s face will be everywhere. Reporters will be camped outside her door; her relationship to me suddenly becoming public knowledge. Even Sienna will have to accept that her position will become untenable, with nowhere to hide, and no one to turn to without putting them in danger.

Finally, she'll have no choice but to come to me.

12

SIENNA

The first thing I do when I wake up after a night of tossing and turning is reach for my phone.

I sent out a dozen messages before going to bed, to every restaurant manager and cafe owner I've ever worked for, asking if they had any openings.

Swallowing my pride, I begged David to put in a good word for me at his cousin's place in Lincoln Park. I even texted my old supervisor from the hotel, the one who fired me for taking too many days off when Dad was dying, hoping she'd forgotten what an inconvenient employee I was.

But when I unlock my phone and the screen lights up, it's not an avalanche of job offers waiting for me.

My college chat, that’s been dead for months, suddenly has a string of unread messages from people who’ve never said more than two words to me before.

Rebecca’s called four times.