The Dictator (Banker 2)

“Yes, but they kick a bit.” I patted my stomach before I hugged him. “I’m sorry about before—”

“Please don’t apologize. I understand.”

“How long were you in the car?”

“A few hours,” he said. “I was surprised it took so long for Mr. Marino to look for me. You had a good plan.”

Since Cato tracked my every move, it’d never been a good plan. There was no escape, not unless I cut myself and dug the tracker out of my body. While pregnant, that was a really dangerous idea.

“Mr. Marino was very unhappy while you were gone.”

“He was?” I asked, trying to mask the happiness in my voice.

Giovanni nodded. “There was emptiness in his eyes. He worked out harder and spent more time at work. When he was home, he was usually in a bad mood. Never talked about you. I wondered why he hadn’t gone after you, but I also knew he would do it when he was ready.”

“Maybe the time apart was good for both us.”

“Maybe,” he said. “Mr. Marino is a grown man, but he still has a lot to learn.” He turned back to the stove. “Lunch will be ready in fifteen minutes. Would you like me to bring it to your bedroom?”

We’d been in bed long enough. “We’ll eat in the dining room. We’re going to the doctor afterward.”

“Alright. I’ll have it ready soon.”

I walked out of the kitchen and back into the entryway.

And came face-to-face with Bates.

He wore a suit and tie, looking like a man who belonged in a conference room. His watch shone like his blue eyes, and his dark stare was similar to Cato’s. With his hands in his pockets, he stared at me. He didn’t try to hide his disgust for me. His lip curled up slightly, and he flared his nostrils like my face was enough to piss him off. “The tramp is back.”

If anyone else spoke to me that way, they’d have a black eye. But violence was the wrong choice with a temperamental man like Bates. He wouldn’t refrain from hitting me back, even if I was pregnant. “I understand you don’t like me—”

“Don’t like you?” he asked incredulously. “You deserve stronger words than that.”

“Whatever. I think we should put the past behind us and move on.”

He raised an eyebrow and laughed sarcastically, like I’d just delivered a terrible joke. “You’ve betrayed him twice now.”

“I left to protect myself and my baby—”

“That is so fucked up. You took a child away from their father. How sick is that?”

My eyes narrowed in ferocity. “He threatened to kill me.”

“And that’s his right. Let’s not forget why you fucked him in the first place. It was all just an act to get what you wanted.”

“And save my father’s life. Yes…I’m such a terrible person.”

He stepped closer to me, his rage escalating with mine. “You’re just a surrogate, and that’s all you’ll ever be. You may be poisoning his mind with your cunt and pretty words, but never forget that I see right through that—even if he doesn’t.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You really need to let this go. Nations at war have made peace quicker than this.”

“I’m not gonna let my brother humiliate himself more than he already has. When that baby is here, I’ll make sure you’re gone. Our lives have been turned upside down since you walked in the door. You’re a fucking pain in the ass.”

“Your mother likes me.”

“Only because you’re having her grandbaby. And my mom likes everyone.”

“Do you have any idea how disappointed she would be if she knew you were acting like this?”

Bates turned quiet, his lips pressing tightly together. “Are you threatening me?”

“No. But it’s something to think about.”

“I have no respect for you, but I have even less respect for snitches.”

“I’m not a snitch.”

“Sounded like it.”

I knew Bates was so lost in his hatred that he couldn’t see straight anymore. “You know what’s sad? You’re so blindly hateful that you don’t even have the capability of changing your mind. You’re so stubborn, it’s borderline ignorant. If you stopped for a second, you would realize how happy I make your brother.”

“But it’s not real. You don’t care about him.”

I was so offended, it was like he’d slapped me. “I care about him more than you could possibly understand. I missed him the entire time I was gone—”

“But you never came back. So who fucking knows?”

The best course of action was to abandon this conversation. Bates would always be my enemy because he would never give me a chance.

“This is why we agreed never to get married or have kids. When you’re us, you never know anyone for who they really are. Women only want us for our money. Men only want to see us fall.”

“I’ve never wanted him for his money.”

“Then why did you miss him?” he countered. “You missed him because you lived in a big mansion with a private chef and Egyptian cotton sheets. You missed him because you could sit around all day and watch TV without worrying about paying the bills. You’re no better than the rest of them, so stop pretending.”