by Penelope Sky
I stared at him but didn’t listen to a word he said. My job had given me no pleasure that week. After executing Micah, everything seemed boring. It was just more money and more bullshit. With Siena gone, I was starting to feel the way I did before we met—unfulfilled.
Bates kept rambling on about cake. “I can’t even remember the last time I had cake. I only eat carbs on holidays, and there’s usually no cake at those sorts of things. Maybe I’ll have a cheat day. Maybe I’ll bring over one of my ladies and rub cake all over her.”
I couldn’t care less about his sex life.
When Bates noticed I was barely listening, he tossed the papers on the desk. “Where are you?”
“Sitting across from you.”
He tapped his fingers against his skull. “No. Where are you?”
“Just got a lot on my mind.”
“You’ve been weird all week. What’s the deal?”
“I’m not weird,” I countered. “You talk a million miles an hour. I have less to say.”
“No. I know there’s something bothering you.” He pointed at me, scolding me. “I didn’t say anything for the first few days because I thought it would pass, but clearly, it’s not going to. It’s because you miss me at the house, huh?”
I rolled my eyes. “Not even a little bit.”
“Then what is it? Everything okay with Siena?”
Just hearing her name caused me pain. I slept in that enormous bed alone without my lady beside me. I went to bed hard and horny because I couldn’t make love to her. I couldn’t go out and pick up pussy somewhere else because Siena was the only pussy I wanted. “It didn’t work out.”
“What didn’t work out?” he asked, his eyebrow raised.
“Us.”
Bates still took several seconds to understand what I was saying. “What the hell happened? You were in love and shit. What did you do?”
“What makes you think I did anything?”
His eyes narrowed, full of accusation.
I looked away, hating the truth in his gaze.
“Talk to me, Cato.”
“I’m good.” I grabbed the papers and tossed them back. “Just get these signed, and let’s move forward.”
Bates held the papers but stared at me incredulously. “You seriously aren’t going to tell me?”
“No.” Just admitting the truth to myself was difficult. I thought I had everything, and then an instant later, I lost it at all. I’d never felt so alone. Not hearing my daughter’s cries down the hallway broke my heart. Not listening to Siena sing in the shower broke my heart too. “Drop it, Bates.”
A shadow passed over his gaze, a storm of pain and hurt. He’d gotten upset with me many times in our lives, but he’d never looked quite like this—like he was actually offended. He gathered the papers then left my office without another word.
22
Siena
I was feeding Martina a bottle that night when the doorbell rang.
It was almost eight in the evening, so I assumed it was Cato stopping by for a visit. I was in my pajamas with my hair in a bun, but I didn’t have a chance to fix myself up in any way. My hand held the bottle to her mouth as I walked to the door and opened it.
But it wasn’t Cato.
It was Bates.
With a serious expression and a hint of sadness in his eyes, he didn’t look like himself. He stepped inside and shut the door behind himself.
Bates was the last person I expected to show up on my doorstep. “Everything alright?”
“No. You’re living here, while my brother lives alone. Nothing is alright.” He looked down at Martina but didn’t give her the look of affection he usually did. “Cato has been in a mood all week, but I thought it would pass. When I confronted him about it today, he told me you guys split up—but he didn’t tell me why.” He looked at the TV, which showed the nightly news. He grabbed the remote and turned off the screen, so we were surrounded by silence. “So, why?”
“He’s gonna be pissed when he finds out you’re here.”
“I don’t give a shit. He’s always pissed at me.” He sat on the couch and tapped the cushion beside him. “So, talk to me.”
I carried Martina then sat beside him. She continued to suck on her bottle, her eyes open and staring at her uncle. I’d started pumping so she wouldn’t make my nipples even more sensitive. “He didn’t tell you anything?”
He shook his head. “And I have a feeling he did something stupid. He always does something stupid. He says I’m the dumb one, but I don’t fuck up relationships as much as he does.”
“So…did he tell you he proposed to me?”
When his eyes snapped wide open, that was my answer. “No. When?”
“A week ago.”
“And I’m guessing you said no…? Although, I have no idea why you would. My brother is the best guy I know. He’s rough around the edges sometimes and he’s made mistakes, but he loves you, Siena. Like, really loves you.”
“I know he loves me. But he doesn’t love me enough.”
“What are you talking about?” he whispered. “What did you say when he asked you to marry him?”
“I didn’t say no…but I didn’t say yes. I told him he had to give up his business if he wanted to marry me. As long as he continues to be part of that company, we’ll always be in danger. And I can’t do that to Martina…or any other children we have. After everything that’s happened with my family, I thought he would understand that. After everything we just went through, I thought he would understand that. But he said no…”
Bates stared into my eyes in genuine bewilderment, like he couldn’t believe the story I’d just shared with him. His hands moved into his lap, and he turned his gaze forward, contemplating everything I’d said. “So, he picked the company over you?”
I nodded. “Said he wouldn’t change his mind. But I won’t change my mind either.”
He sighed quietly, shaking his head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Well, that’s what happened…”
“I’ve seen Cato every day, and he’s miserable. He’s not even focused in the office. His mind is always somewhere else. And before he met you, he told me he felt bored…that it’s the same shit every day. I know his job doesn’t give him a lot of fulfillment anymore. And the only time I ever see him happy is when he’s with you. So, this isn’t making any sense.”
“I don’t understand it either.”
Bates rubbed his palm along his jaw, sighing quietly. “He’ll come around. I know he will. There’s something more complicated going on with him. I’ll talk to him.”
“I know he must have been hurt by my reaction.” He’d poured his heart out to me under the stars, saying the sweetest things I didn’t think he was capable of. He’d turned into the tenderest and more caring man I’d ever known. And then he asked me to marry him…only to be rejected. “Maybe that wounded his pride. He does have an ego. But I don’t want to build a life with him under these circumstances. I have to keep my family safe, and as long as he continues to be involved with this business, we’ll always be targets. We have to learn from the past…”
“I understand, Siena. Really, I do.” He patted my thigh. “I’ll talk to him.”
“I’m not sure how well that’s going to go.”
“It won’t go well at all,” he said with a chuckle. “But I have to try. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him. I’m not going to let him throw you away.”
I smiled at him. “That’s sweet of you…”
“I don’t know what’s going through my brother’s mind, but he’s obviously in a bad place.”
“Maybe he feels too guilty leaving you to handle the company on your own.”
He shook his head. “Ideally, I’d like him there. But I’d understand if he wanted to step down. I can handle it on my own. Besides, I want my brother to be happy. How could I be mad at him for being happy?”
I rubbed his arm and felt my affection for him
grow. “Whether Cato and I end up together or not, I love you, Bates. I love you like a brother.” I rested my head against his shoulder and linked my arm through his.
He stayed still as he felt me lean against him. It seemed like he had nothing to say, and the silence lingered between us. Then he rested his head against mine and sighed. “I love you too, Siena.”
23
Cato
The second Bates arrived at her doorstep, I knew he was there.
And it was only a matter of time before he ended up on my doorstep too.
Nosy fucking asshole.
Two hours after he arrived at Siena’s house, he came to my front door and stepped into the entryway. My men told me when he approached the gate at the end of the driveway, so I walked downstairs in my sweatpants and waited for him to walk inside.
He opened the door himself and crossed the threshold, because he was the only person in the world who had the right. He came face-to-face with me, and when he saw the pissed expression I wore, he knew I knew everything. “You should have told me yourself.”
“I didn’t expect you to go behind my back.”
“I didn’t go behind your back. She has my niece.” He was still in his suit because he went straight to Siena’s at the end of the workday. “She’s still family. And I have to make sure you don’t fuck up the greatest thing that ever happened to you.”
“Well, too late,” I said bitterly.
“Too late?” he asked. “It’s definitely not too late.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared my brother down in the entryway. I was livid with him for talking to Siena, but since I didn’t confide in him myself, I couldn’t be too angry with him.
“She’s miserable without you.”
And I was miserable without her.
“Why are you doing this? Just give her what she wants. It’s not like her request is unfounded. Her family was wiped out because of the shit we do on a daily basis. She wants her life to be different.” He slid his hands into his pockets and kept several feet in between us. “If you’re worried about me, don’t be. I’ll be fine, Cato. And you even told me how bored you are. We did that deal with the Chinese, made millions, and you looked out the window and said you were bored. You’re definitely not bored with Siena. So giving up your stake in the company shouldn’t be difficult.”
I didn’t expect anyone to understand how I felt. No matter how many times I explained it, it seemed like all I cared about was money. “My entire adult life has been about that company. It aged me, hardened me. It turned me from a boy into a man. It was the first time I stood on my own two feet and proved I didn’t need anyone else. I didn’t need Mother to take care of me—I took care of her. I proved to our father that I turned out fine without him to raise me. I proved to the world, to my friends as well as my enemies, that I was the most powerful man in this country.”
Bates listened but looked slightly confused, as if he didn’t understand why I was saying all of this.
“That’s the man Siena met. The powerful, dominating, wealthy man who could make anything happen. Without that company…I’m just a man. I’m not special. I’m not different. Siena is a strong woman who needs a strong man. What am I without that company?”
“Cato…you’re the exact same man you were before. You don’t need it as a crutch anymore. Maybe it was your identity in the beginning, but it’s not anymore. She loves you for you, the man in sweatpants, not the man in the suit. Just walk away from it.”
I bowed my head as I considered it. “She gave me an ultimatum. I asked her to marry me, and she gave me a fucking ultimatum.”
“Because she knows what kind of life she wants. You have to agree on that before you spend your lives together.”
“I don’t appreciate being told what to do,” I snapped. “I don’t appreciate her calling the shots and deciding what happens with us. I’m the one in control. I’m the provider. I’m the man.”
He shook his head slightly. “That might work with other women, but it won’t work with Siena—and that’s why you love her. You’re sharing the power with her. That’s what a marriage is. You’re going to have to accept that if you want to keep her. She’s not trying to emasculate you. She’s just trying to protect her kids. You need to drop your ego and realize you’re going to have to compromise every single day for the rest of your life.”
I never compromised. I always got what I wanted. I was always the one in charge—because that guaranteed that everything would go my way. Now this woman had made me fall in love with her, and she’d asked me to turn my back on my entire way of life. She asked me to give up my company and turn to a quiet existence. Maybe it was just a job to her, but it was my entire identity. I was the richest and more fearsome man in Italy. Now I would just be… a man.
“All that matters is this—you love her. You can’t live without her. The three of you are a family. So just give her what she wants. You can either cave and be happy…or be stubborn and be miserable for the rest of your life.”
24
Siena
Martina hadn’t calmed down since we started living alone.
She missed her father all the time.
It was incredibly sweet, but also heartbreaking.
I missed our old home. I missed Cato. I missed the life we used to have…as a family.
But Cato continued to refuse me.
After breakfast that morning, I hurried upstairs when I heard Martina crying. I barely made it to her crib before I had to take a detour and rush to the bathroom. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach, and just as I reached the toilet, I threw up.
My breakfast came up, and once the food was out of my stomach, I felt better.
Must have been the eggs.
When I remembered the last time I was sick like this, I leaned against the wall and nearly lost my breath. I’d been sick every morning until the realization hit me—that I was pregnant. Without even taking a pregnancy test, I knew the truth. “Why does Cato always get me pregnant…?” For a brief moment, I was happy, imagining having a son in his likeness. But then I remembered the situation we were in…and we weren’t even together.
Martina saved my life, and maybe our second baby would save our relationship. Even when we tried to get away from away each other, our daughter bound us together. Now it was happening again.
I stayed in the bathroom and listened to my daughter cry in the other room. I knew she was just being fussy, so I stayed on the ground and tuned her out. I knew Cato would be happy when I told him the news, and maybe he would be happy enough to give me what I wanted.
Or maybe it would make no difference at all.
My phone rang in my back pocket, so I pulled it out and checked the screen.
It was a number I didn’t recognize.
I answered it. “This is Siena.”
“Hey, Siena.” His deep voice was innately powerful, holding authority without having to earn it. “It’s Crow Barsetti.”
I hadn’t spoken to him in a year. During our last conversation, I was still trying to figure out how to capture Cato. He was the one who got me the job as Cato’s art collector. “Hey…how are you? It’s been a while.”
“I’m good,” he answered. “We just celebrated Crow Jr.’s second birthday.”
“Aww…that’s nice.” Now that I had my own daughter, I understood how wonderful it was to have children.
“How are you?” he asked. “I’ve noticed that you and Cato have…settled down.”
“We did…but we recently broke up.”
“Really?” he asked. “Even though you have a daughter?”
“It’s a long story…”
“I have the time if you do.”
“Well…” I told him Cato wouldn’t give up his life in the criminal underworld so I was left on my own. I also mentioned my father. “I was able to bury my father with my mother. Cato made that happen…so I’m eternally grateful.”
“That is nice. I never had the opportunit
y to bury my parents, only my sister.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “It was a long time ago. About Cato…I understand it’s hard for a man to walk away from something he built with his own hands. It defines him as a man, gives him power. It’s addictive…to walk into a room and know you’re the most powerful man there. There’s no man in the world who doesn’t get off on that feeling. To give all that up…for the unknown…would be hard for anyone.”
“So, I’m being unrealistic?”
“Not at all,” he said. “You’re right about everything. It’s not about if, but when. Someone will try to hurt Cato, and the best way to do that is to hurt you and your kids. Preferably, your kids. If he wants to protect his family, hanging up the towel is his only option.”
“But he won’t do it.”
“He may just need some time. Is he a good father?”
I smiled when I pictured him with Martina. “The best.”
“Then he’ll come around. He just wants to come to this decision on his own—his own terms. Makes it feel like less of a sacrifice.”
“It’s been almost two weeks, and he hasn’t done that already…” It’d been the longest two weeks of my life. I kept waiting for him to walk through the door so he could take us back home, but he never did. I expected phone calls in the middle of the night, telling me he loved me and missed me. But that didn’t happen either.
Crow was quiet.
“I know this is probably a lot to ask…but would you mind talking to him?”
Crow didn’t say anything.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But maybe hearing this story from another powerful man will make him see reason.”
“He might just shoot me.”
“Not if I’m there. He would never hurt you if I asked him not to.”
