Page 11 of Precious Hazard (Perfectly Imperfect #11)

My bedroom door flies open.

“You got another one!” Sienna screeches from the threshold, happily bouncing on the spot. Several red petals dislodge from the bouquet in her hands, falling onto the hardwood floor.

I take in the enormous arrangement of red roses in her arms and roll my eyes. The thing is so huge that the only part of Sienna I can see is the big neon-green bow at the top of her head.

“Yay.” I try to smile but it probably comes out as a grimace, so I quickly lower my head and focus on my book.

“You know, I had no idea my brother is such a romantic,” my sister-in-law chirps as she hauls the flowers across the room.

“Wow. A hundred red roses! Arturo must really be taken with you. I don’t recall him ever buying flowers for anyone else.

And—” She comes to a sudden stop. “Where are the orchids?”

“Orchids?” I mumble distractedly. The hero is just about to save his girl from the kidnappers. It’s the best part of the book.

“The ones from yesterday. The white and pink ones, in the pretty gold vase you promised to give me later.”

Oh shit. Quickly shutting the book, I scrounge my mind for a plausible explanation. “Um… I took them to work.”

“To Naos?” Sienna scrunches her nose at me, then sets today’s bouquet on top of the vanity. The same spot where the orchids used to sit. “But why? They looked so good here, in your room.”

“Well I… I just wanted to look at them while I was working?”

Crap. That shouldn’t have come out sounding like a question, but I’m a horrible liar.

I actually buried the flowers in the backyard, just behind the doghouses.

There was no way I could simply throw them into the trash.

Too risky. Someone might find them and start asking questions.

But the minor inconvenience and a bit of elbow grease turned out to be a good thing.

I kinda like the idea of Drago’s hounds pissing and shitting all over Satan’s present.

“Oh, that’s adorable!” Sienna singsongs.

She takes another look at the roses, and after a soft sigh, jumps onto the bed beside me.

“I’m so happy that you guys are dating. I wanted Drago to invite Arturo over for dinner, so the four of us could have some family bonding time, but he refused.

He’s convinced that you and my brother aren’t actually going out, and that Arturo has been sending you flowers simply to piss him off.

Maybe you could talk to Drago? If this is serious, that is. I mean… is it? Serious?”

“I’d say it’s pretty serious.” Unfortunately.

“Gotta admit, I never saw it coming. Especially after the whole fiasco that happened at my wedding. Oh, and… um… you’re not exactly his type.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Arturo is very conservative. I used to laugh and tease him that he missed out. If he’d only been born a few decades earlier, he could have gotten himself a Stepford wife. That’s the type of women he’s dated.”

“Oh?” I arch my brows. “And were there… many?”

Why did I ask that? I don’t give a fuck about DeVille or his sexual escapades.

I mean dating history.

Nope. Not thinking about sex and Arturo DeVille.

“Not really. At least, as far as I know.” Sienna shrugs.

“No one he was serious about, or that he actually brought to the house to meet Asya and me. But, whenever he did have a date accompany him to a Family gathering or event, she was always someone prim and proper, with her spine ramrod straight as if she had a pole stuck up her ass. Picture this—hands folded demurely on her lap when seated. Never uttering a word unless she was asked a specific question,” she gripes and mimics throwing up by sticking her finger in her mouth.

“I have no idea where he found those chicks. I didn’t know women like that still existed!

But, I guess, Arturo is just used to being in control, barking orders all day and expecting them to be followed.

He demands that of his men, so maybe it’s not so strange that he’d do the same with the women he was seeing? Does that sound crazy?”

“Hmm. I didn’t peg him as a chauvinist. He’s not, right?”

“No. But he is a bit of a traditionalist, and the silliest things get on his nerves.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to hide my grin. “What kinds of things?”

“God, where should I start?” She giggles, getting more comfortable on the bed next to me.

“Overseasoned food. People who sleep half their day away. Um… Cursing, in public, mainly. Actually, Arturo says that women shouldn’t curse.

The whole no-swearing thing doesn’t seem to apply to his own potty mouth, apparently…

Oh! The weather, when it gets too hot.” Her eyes bug out comically like she’s inwardly laughing at her brother’s ridiculous pet peeves. “He can’t stand fast food. Wet towels…”

Check. Check. Check. I keep a mental list, gleefully adding ideas to my How to make Satan despise me plan. Maybe I could get him to change his mind?

“…or when an outfit is just plain old frumpy,” Sienna prattles on.

“He would never go out unless his clothes were perfectly pressed. Don’t get me started on his obsession with his special dry cleaner.

Evidently, no one else can get the job done right.

Even a single wrinkle on his suit would be a crime against humanity!

” She looks at me then. “That’s how he feels about his dates, too.

God forbid a girl wears a short skirt or anything that’s too revealing.

Nothing but impeccably elegant attire that’s appropriate for the venue and event for the lady on my brother’s arm. ”

“Of course.” I nod eagerly. “Go on.”

“Social media. He really hates that. If it was up to Arturo, he’d get rid of everything except LinkedIn.”

Create an IG account. ASAP. Check.

“He’s such a grumpy bastard,” I snort, then quickly add, “It’s so cute.”

“It is!” Sienna exclaims. Leaning closer toward my ear, even though we’re alone in the room, she whispers, “No one knows this, but beneath his grumpiness, his growling and constant scowls, Arturo is actually a big, sweet teddy bear.”

My eyebrows shoot skyward. Objectivity is not my sister-in-law’s strong suit. “He tried to kill Drago, Sienna. Or did you forget that little detail?”

“Meh. Arturo would never have followed through. It was just a misunderstanding between them. And Drago did rile him up by mocking his loyalty to the don. That’s the one subject my brother is super sensitive about.”

“So… is the ‘big, sweet teddy bear’ really that devoted? Would he follow any and all orders from Ajello, regardless of what they are?” I ask.

Sienna sighs, her gaze wandering to the window. She no longer seems like her cheerful self. The silence between us drags on for so long, I don’t think she’s going to answer.

“You are not a member of Cosa Nostra, Tara, so you can’t possibly understand,” she finally says.

“Honor is everything. That’s the ideal that’s held above all others in our society.

When members swear fealty to the Family, they make a vow to respect the leadership of and always be loyal to the don.

Refusing to follow the don’s commands is akin to spitting on your own honor. ”

Great.

“And… and in Arturo’s case,” she continues, her voice becoming quieter, “his allegiance to Ajello transcends the Cosa Nostra code.” Tears well in her eyes, hovering just at the brim, ready to spill over. “You know how our parents were killed during a raid on the casino where they worked?”

I nod. Drago told me what happened to Sienna’s parents. She and her sister were five at the time. After the tragedy, they were raised by their brother. Single-handedly, supposedly. But, I’m finding that difficult to believe about the jerk who’s currently ruining my life.

“Arturo petitioned to be our legal guardian. However, the old don decided that our estranged aunt should get custody of Asya and me. Don’s word is the law.

He’s the highest authority. We… Our… What was left of our little family was being torn apart.

We were going to be forced away from our brother and sent to live with a woman we’d never even met, Tara.

And there was nothing Arturo could do to stop it. ”

Taking her hand, I squeeze it lightly. I’m well aware of what it’s like to lose loved ones at such a young age.

Sadly, my and Sienna’s histories are very similar.

That’s probably why the two of us bonded so quickly.

We both lost our parents when we were kids.

We both survived that unimaginable heartbreak.

My pain was amplified by the death of my twin sister, who died at the same time as our mom and dad.

Drago was the only family member I had left.

Until Keva, that is. The two of them got me through those dark times.

I’m not sure if I would have made it had I been separated from them.

Just the thought of that possibility makes me physically sick.

“But you weren’t?” I choke out. “Taken away from your brother?

“If it wasn’t for Ajello, we certainly would have been.”

“Salvatore Ajello?”

“Yes. We were moments from departing when Ajello arrived. He told Arturo to unpack our stuff, saying simply that the old don had changed his mind. That was it. A minute later, he turned around and left. To this day, I have no idea what exactly happened. As I heard, the old don was not prone to going back on his decisions, so it had to be Ajello’s doing.

But he’s never brought it up. Like, ever. ”

“Well… I’m not sure anyone really knows how Ajello does the things he does.”

“Yeah. That man scares the shit out of me,” she chuckles.

“So, you see, that’s the true reason why Arturo is so loyal to Ajello.

It’s not only the principle that mandates his obedience to Cosa Nostra.

For Arturo, it’s because he feels beholden.

He owes a personal debt to Ajello, and no matter what, my brother will never go against the don. ”