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 opportunity 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.”
He still didn’t give me an answer.
“I know you said you didn’t want to be involved in anything—”
“I’ll do it. I couldn’t help you before, but I can help with you this. It’s just a conversation, right?”
I stared at the bathroom wall while a feeling of hope exploded inside my chest. “Thank you…so much.”
25
Cato
Bates stepped inside my open door. “Talk to her yet?”
I kept my eyes on my laptop. “You already know the answer.”
“Then let me rephrase it. When are you going to talk to her?”
“Bates.” I said his name in a warning tone. “Just butt out.”
“I’m your brother. It’s my responsibility to make sure you don’t do anything stupid. And that goes both ways.”