The Dictator (Banker 2)

“Like we don’t have enough.”

“No such thing as too much money.” He poured two glasses and handed me one.

“But there is such thing as enough. We have enough, Bates. It doesn’t really matter at this point.” I took a long drink then looked out the window. It was getting darker earlier, so I watched the sunset begin.

Bates sat down and looked at me like I was crazy. “What’s your deal? Do you have any idea how lucky we are?”

“No, we aren’t lucky,” I said coldly. “We worked our asses off. Don’t say lucky ever again.”

“You know what I mean. We have everything. You should be happy.”

I’d never been happy my entire life, with the exception of a few instances. Just last night I’d fucked Siena in a way I hadn’t before. She’d asked for it to be nice and slow, and normally, I would overrule her and fuck her hard like I wanted. But I gave in this time…and I liked it. So many women had been in that bed before her, but I couldn’t imagine any afterward. I would fuck them and think about the one woman I actually wanted…the one that I had killed. She was the single ray of sunshine in my life, the only person I confided my real thoughts and feelings in. Those few happy moments I had in life always happened with her.

“We can buy anything we want. Fuck any pussy we want. We’re living the dream, man.”

I liked money. It was important to me. But once I knew how happy Siena was with nothing, it made me question myself. I needed things to be happy, but she needed nothing. What did that say about me?

Bates kept watching me. “This has something to do with that bitch, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t call her that.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“And I felt this way before I met her.”

“It’s just a rut. It’ll pass.”

If it hadn’t passed by now, it wasn’t going to. It felt like there was something missing from my life, something distinct. I couldn’t put my thumb on it.

“Who was on the phone earlier?”

The question brought me back to my earlier conversation. “Security told me Giovanni had been missing for a few hours. They tried calling him a couple times, but he didn’t answer. But he goes to all those little villages and picks up produce, and he doesn’t get reception all the time. Maybe he decided to meet someone for lunch. The guy works all the time, so if he wants to slack off a bit, it’s not a big deal.”

“Maybe something did happen to him. He would be an easy target.”

“For what?” I asked incredulously. “Ransom? I wouldn’t pay a dime for him, so that would be a waste of time. No one is stupid enough to pull a stunt like that.”

“Maybe,” he said with a shrug. “But I know you really would pay a lot of money for him.”

“I would not.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, you would. That guy can cook like Siena can fuck.”

My hostile eyes burned into his face.

“Sorry, I just needed a comparison.”

“Don’t use comparisons that include Siena.”

“Whatever.” He put his feet on the table and drank from his glass.

My phone rang again, my security team flashing on the screen. “Did you find him?” I expected Giovanni to come home unharmed. And I also expected this guy to give me his resignation for bothering me during a meeting.

“No, sir. He still hasn’t returned. When he didn’t come back for a few hours, I started to get concerned. So I went into the house and looked for Siena…she’s not on the property either. We checked every room in the house, every closet, and every bathroom. She’s not here, sir.”

My hand shook as it held the phone against my ear. I remembered the way she’d lingered in the doorway and looked at me. There was something peculiar about that stare, like she was saying goodbye to me. And she’d fucked me so slowly, it seemed like it was the last time. “I’m on my way.”

I stormed into the house and immediately headed to her bedroom. Everything was left as it had been. She didn’t take any of her clothes and shoes. Her makeup was on the bathroom counter along with her hair products.

The only thing that was missing was the picture of the sonogram.

The picture she’d kept on her nightstand.

There was no note. No nothing.

“Siena?” I called for her even though I knew she was gone. I did it anyway, half expecting her to step off the balcony or walk out of the closet. Giovanni never would have helped her escape, so I wasn’t sure what happened.

I headed back downstairs.

“You didn’t find her?” Bates asked, his hands in his pockets.

I flashed him an angry look. “Let’s find Giovanni. He’ll have the answers.”