The Dictator (Banker 2)

“Trust me, I won’t.”

“Then promise me.”

“I can’t. Just because I can’t doesn’t mean I won’t kill her. And just because I can’t doesn’t mean I trust her. She burned that bridge, and it can never be rebuilt.”

He bowed his head and sighed. “Whatever. I did my best. I could argue about this forever, but we’ve got more important shit to do. I just got word from our security team that someone is gonna hit us tonight.”

Siena quickly moved to the back burner. “Which facility?”

“Our main headquarters. The Beck brothers are delivering half our cash tonight, and I guess these guys found out about it. They’re gonna hit us hard, too. They’ve got a militia under their belts.”

“Who the fuck are these guys?”

“I don’t know much. I hear they’re from Siberia.”

“And they’re just gonna drive tanks and shit into another country without notice?”

“I’m sure they have allies here. They probably cut a deal.”

Well, there would be no deal when they were all dead. “We need all our men on the ground.”

“I agree—for the first time in this conversation.”

Those idiots thought they were gonna take two hundred and sixty million dollars from me—like it would be a walk in the park. “Everyone dies. No exceptions. But I want whoever is in charge brought here. I want to kill those motherfuckers myself.”

“Me too.”

“When is this happening?”

“When the money arrives. Midnight.”

“Then we have no time to lose.”

My office was right next door to Siena’s bedroom, but I wasn’t concerned about her bothering me.

I stared at the monitors on my desk, which all had different feeds from the cameras my men were carrying.

Bates smoked a cigar beside me, taking deep breaths and letting the rings rise to the ceiling.

I drank scotch right out of the bottle.

Our men were hidden throughout the alleyways of the city, a hundred strong and all heavily armed. We had tanks, ammunition, and even rockets if it became necessary. If they managed to escape with my money, I would rather blow it up than watch them drive away with it.

Connor’s men pulled up to the bank in a completely invulnerable car. Security stood around as they made the transfer.

That’s when the Siberians made their move.

Then it turned into a war.

Shots were fired, men were killed, explosions rang into the night, and the sound of police sirens filled the distant streets. It was too chaotic to understand what was happening, but it seemed to be going in our favor.

It went on for thirty minutes. One of the cameras belonging to my men fell to the ground, obviously because he’d been hit. The other cameras continued to operate, and we watched the bloodbath.

I would have made an appearance myself, but a true leader didn’t fight in battle—he controlled it.

Bates didn’t say a word as he studied the monitors, smoking his cigar like it was a casual night.

There were screams. There were explosions. And there was death.

Finally, the war died down.

My phone rang, and I answered it immediately. “Cato.”

“The money is secure, and we got the main players. What are your instructions?”

“Transfer the money as planned. Then bring those assholes to me. How many are there?”

“Five. Four men and one woman.”

I raised an eyebrow. “A woman?”

“Yes,” he answered. “She waited in the rear with a few other men. They weren’t part of the fight. I think they’re reporting directly to the head honcho. I’ve questioned them, but they aren’t talking. I think they were supposed to follow the money back out of the city.”

Man or woman, I didn’t care. If they were responsible, they would be executed. “Dispose of the bodies and bring me those five. I want to kill them myself.”

“Of course, sir.” The line went dead.

“Depending on what she looks like, maybe we’ll have some fun.” Bates waggled his eyebrows.

“I’m a murderer, not a rapist.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“And neither are you,” I said coldly. “We’ll question them, then shoot them.”

Bates took a long puff of his cigar. “You’re no fun.”

“That’s why we’re still in business.”

The door opened, and Siena stepped inside, dressed in her shorts and tank top. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest and hid her tits from Bates’s view. “What’s going on in here? I heard shooting.”

“We’re playing a video game.” Bates tilted his head back and released smoke rings toward the ceiling.

Siena turned her gaze on me and ignored my brother. She didn’t trust anything he said. “Cato?”

“Bates and I are taking care of business.” I rose from my chair then straightened out my jacket. “Stay in your room until morning. And shut your windows—you may hear loud sounds pretty soon.”

Siena grew more uncomfortable by the second. “Should I be worried? Is something going to happen?”

“Everything is fine. We’ll talk about it later. Now, go.”

Siena opened her mouth to defy me but abruptly changed her mind. She shut her mouth and walked out.