Page 131 of His Juliet

I was also a little scared of what I might do if I stayed isolated any longer.

The door opened, revealing Sienna wearing silk pajamas and wrapped in a thick blanket.

“Juliet! Oh my gosh, come in.”

I followed as she shuffled over to her dark green velvet couch.

“It’s so good to see you. Here, sit down. Can I get you anything?”

I shook my head and perched on the edge of the sofa. “I’m fine, thanks.”

Sienna plopped down. “Help yourself to some candy.” Multiple bowls were set out on the coffee table in front of her, containing peanut M&Ms, nerd clusters, and chocolate-covered pretzels.

“How have you been?” she asked. “I’m sorry I’ve been so MIA. I’ve been wanting to hang out, but I’ve been absolutely swamped with work.”

I cocked my head. I didn’t realize Sienna had a job. “Am I interrupting you?” It was eight o’clock at night, but her laptop was open beside her.

“Not at all. It’s good for me to take a break. Talk to another human.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a hacker. Matteo hasfinallyenlisted me to help him.”

I raised my eyebrows. “A hacker? That’s so cool.”

“I think so, too. My brother hasn’t wanted me involved in Family business until now, so I’m trying to make sure I impress him so he can’t fire me.”

I settled back on the couch. “What changed?”

Her face fell a little. “He suspects his hacker, Franco, might have betrayed him.” Her fingers drummed against her laptop. “But I don’t think he did. I really like Franco, and he’s a solid hacker. It’s just that the Butcher is better.”

“The Butcher?”

“The head of the Albanian Mob. Or clan? I never get the terminology right. Somehow, the Butcher and his soldiers have been getting around the city without being detected. We have our men and Bratva soldiers stationed in every borough, and we’re monitoring our own cameras as well as the city and police cameras we’ve hacked into. Despite that, the Albanians are still ghosts.”

Knowing that the Albanians were sex traffickers made me feel sick.

“Are you supposed to be telling me all of this?” I asked.

Sienna looked up from her laptop. “What do you mean? You’re part of the Family now.”

I shrugged. “Romeo doesn’t really tell me these things. I don’t even know what he does all day.” Fuck, I sounded like I was whining.

Sienna leaned over and squeezed my hand. “It has nothing to do with you. It’s these Mafia men—they’re overprotective by nature. I’ve been begging Matteo to involve me for years, and he’s only letting me do it now as a last resort.”

That made sense, but I couldn’t shake the sick feeling deep inside me. “I’m worried Romeo doesn’t want me anymore,” I blurted out.

Sienna’s jaw dropped and she snapped her laptop shut. “This conversation demands wine. Or margaritas. Scotch? I don’t know, pick your poison.”

When I didn’t respond, she waved her hand as she headed into the kitchen. “Let’s do margaritas. Scotch is too boring.”

A blender sounded in the kitchen, and I couldn’t stop myself from checking my phone again. Still no texts from Romeo. I hadn’t heard from him since yesterday.

That doesn’t mean anything. He’s just busy. No one wants a needy girlfriend.

“Here you go.” Sienna sat back down on the couch and held out a glass. I took it, trailing my finger against the salt on the rim.

“Thanks.”

---