The Banker (Banker 1)

He grabbed a can off the rack and pretended to read the label. “I know what happened to Father, and I know what Micah and Damien are expecting you to do. You need to forget about it. Take off and run.”

That was the last thing I expected Landon to say. “And leave Father to his fate?”

“I’ll figure it out,” he whispered. “It’s not your problem, Siena. You didn’t want anything to do with this life, and you shouldn’t have to get your hands dirty now. I’m sorry you got involved in the first place.”

Even if I wanted to run, I couldn’t. There was nowhere to go. “Can we meet somewhere? You know, so I can actually look at you when I talk to you? So I can actually hug you?”

He put the can back on the shelf and sighed, his height towering over mine. “Where? We can’t meet at your house.”

“A bar,” I suggested. “Somewhere in the back.”

“Alright. I’ll meet you at Baron’s at ten.” He walked away without another word.

I wanted to watch him go, but I focused on looking straight ahead. Just when my world had become so bleak and dark, a ray of sunshine popped through. My brother was on the run because the business had been dismantled, and I was working for the enemies that took everything from us. But at least if we had each other…we had something.

Landon was already there when I walked inside. A glass of booze sat in front of him, and judging by his track record, it was probably his third or fourth glass.

I sat across from him at the table in the back, my eyes taking him in with a slight film. My brother and I had drifted apart over the last few years, and now that I was looking at him, I couldn’t understand why I’d allowed that to happen.

He showed a cold stare, the same one my father wore most of the time. Landon’s fingers rested around his glass, and he glanced around us every few minutes, checking for unfriendly eyes. His beard was gone, and his green eyes were bright despite his obvious sadness. “Don’t fuck with Cato Marino. That guy is a monster.”

Yes, I’d seen it firsthand. “I know.” Cato was cold as ice and so pragmatic he didn’t seem human. All he cared about was sex, booze, and money. Without a heart, he didn’t hesitate before he ended someone’s life forever. He traveled in a huge caravan everywhere he went because he knew the world was full of his enemies.

“If he suspects you, he’ll wring your neck.”

“I know that too.”

He glanced around the bar before he looked at me, the hostility in his eyes. “Then you need to leave. Grab your things and take off.” He reached inside his blazer and pulled out a thick envelope stuffed with cash. He set it on the table between us. “That should be more than enough for whatever you need.”

It was sweet my brother wanted to take care of me, but I didn’t need his support. I pushed the money back toward him. “I don’t need it. But thank you.”

A sigh escaped his lips. “Now isn’t the time to be stubborn.”

“I’m not being stubborn. I’m not leaving Father behind. He doesn’t deserve my loyalty, but I can’t just leave him like that.”

Landon bowed his head slightly and looked into his glass. “You have absolutely no chance of tricking Cato. You’re just going to get yourself killed.”

“And if I get killed, so be it.”

Landon’s eyes narrowed in hostility, like that was the worst thing I could have said. “I don’t want this. Father doesn’t want this.”

“But we’re family—and we’re in this together.”

He ran his hand through his short black hair, his jaw still clenched with ferocity. We always bumped heads because we were equally stubborn. Landon wanted to be the alpha, but I’d been the alpha since the day I was born. I’d never been the push-over type. Instead of wearing a pretty dress and keeping my mouth shut at a party, I was the one who spoke the loudest. He respected me for it, but during times like these, he also hated me for it. “It’s a suicide mission. Cato is at the top of the food chain for a reason. You think you’re going to outsmart him?”

“I don’t know what I think right now. I’m feeling him out.”

Landon didn’t directly ask about my relationship with Cato. He knew I was sleeping with him to get what I wanted, but that was such an awkward subject that he didn’t want to open it for discussion. “Father didn’t make the sacrifices he should have made for our family. It doesn’t make sense for you to make any now.”

“I agree. But if I can make this work, I can get Father back and we can start over. Maybe we can move to France and open a wine shop or something. At least we’ll be together…” I hadn’t felt whole ever since our mother passed away and our family disbanded. There had always been a piece of my heart missing, a void no one could ever fill.