The Banker (Banker 1)

“Cato is the kind of man who always gets what he wants. Maybe defying him is your ticket.”

“I just said he hasn’t tried to hit on me.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. He wanted you before, and you took off. It’s unfinished business for him.”

“Maybe.”

“The best way to stand out is to be different. Denying him definitely makes you different.”

I tried to follow his logic, but I came to a dead end. “You said I needed to fuck him, but now you’re telling me not to?”

“I’m telling you to play hard to get. When I met my wife, she wasn’t afraid to tell me off. She wasn’t afraid to shoot me. She stood her ground when other women would have melted. It was that spark that captured my obsession to begin with—because she didn’t need me.”

What kind of relationship was this? “Your wife shot you?”

His grin returned to his face, full of sincerity. “Yeah.” He rubbed his left shoulder, like he was remembering the pain from the wound. There was no denying the pride in his eyes, like that memory was holy to him.

“Alright…” I didn’t understand how a relationship based on such violence turned into a marriage, but asking more questions wouldn’t make me understand it better. “Well, I’m not gonna shoot Cato.”

“Then keep him on your line—and slowly reel him in.”

“And then fuck him and hope it goes well?” I asked incredulously, despising myself for sinking so low. No one would judge me for sleeping with a man to save my father’s life, but I wished there was a better way to do this.

“You have no other option, Siena. Even if you had a team of thirty trained men, getting him away from his guard and making the handoff would be impossible. Not only would your father die, but you would die too. It would accomplish nothing.”

“So if I make this happen, then what?”

“You’ll have to gain his trust. Then the two of you go off somewhere together—alone. You have Damien wait for you there.”

“I never see Cato go anywhere alone.”

“I know.” Bones nodded in agreement. “Which is why he’ll need to trust you. Have him take you away for a romantic evening or something. All you need is a thirty-minute window. You guys make the trade, and then you run for it.”

That was the only plan that seemed feasible. Plotting an escape from one of his residences would be futile. There was no way I could pull this off under these circumstances. Getting him alone and away from his men was the only possibility, and for that to happen, he would need a reason to want to be alone with me. Sleeping with him really was the only way this would work.

Bones watched me from across the table, examining my expression as I gripped the glass in front of me. “Your father is an asshole. No one would blame you if you left him to his fate. It’s his fault he’s in this situation—not yours.”

I stared at my glass as my fingers felt the condensation on the outside.

“He had his chance to walk away—but he didn’t.”

Crow had given me the same advice. I lifted my gaze to look at Bones again. “As much as I don’t want to do this, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try. He’s my father…my blood. Loyalty is the most important thing in this life.”

Bones opened his mouth like he was going to argue with me, but then he closed it again as if he’d changed his mind. He gave a slight nod instead. “I understand.”

“I don’t know how Cato is mixed up in all of this, but I’m beginning to feel bad for what I’m about to do to him.” He wasn’t the kind of man who trusted anyone. He didn’t even seem that warm to his own brother. If I successfully tricked him, it would destroy him. Was he innocent the way I was innocent?

“Don’t feel bad for him. He’s not a good man.”

“He’s not?” I whispered.

Bones shook his head. “His money isn’t clean. He’s the richest banker for a reason—because he uses blood money.”

“What’s blood money?”

“He acts as the treasurer for all organized crime. When the mob needs cash, they call him. When the Skull Kings need to hide their cash, they call him. When they need to borrow money for a weapons deal, they call him. Cato Marino knows about all the crimes against humanity because he funds most of them—and makes a profit each time. He doesn’t hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way. His finger doesn’t stay on the trigger for long.”

I felt a tremor move down my body when I realized who I was dealing with. This man was pretty on the outside but murderous on the inside. He had more power than anyone I’d ever heard of. “No wonder Damien wants him gone.”