you. I told her I would kill you if that’s what she wanted. Whatever vengeance she wants, I’ll honor. You know what she said?”
His skin started to fade to the color of paper.
“She said she never wants you to hold our daughter. Ever.”
Instead of being relieved by that sentence, he seemed heartbroken again.
“Do you understand me?”
“I would never hurt—”
“That’s not why. You’ve lost your rights as an uncle. She’s stripped away your title, and I’ll honor it.”
“I think I would rather be shot…”
“I’m not done.” I held up a finger. “That was her justice. I have my own.”
He leaned against the doorway, prepared for whatever sentence I would hand down.
“One day, you’re going to meet the woman you can’t live without. And when that day comes…she will pay the price.”
He started to breathe harder, like the sentence had struck a chord. “You don’t think that’s a little unreasonable?”
“Not in the slightest.” I held his gaze without blinking.
“But she’s innocent. Siena—”
“Was punished for her crime. You took it further than necessary. I will hurt your woman the way you hurt mine. And I promise you, I will keep my word.”
“Good thing I’m not into monogamy…”
“For now. But trust me, she’ll walk into your life when you least expect it. I’ll be waiting for that moment, Bates. When I see that affection in your eyes, that devotion that’s written all over my face every day, I will fulfill my promise.”
“Couldn’t you just kill me instead?”
I smiled, getting the exact reaction I wanted. “No. That would be too easy.”
“Siena doesn’t seem like someone who would approve of this.”
“Because she doesn’t know—and you aren’t going to tell her.” He’d betrayed me once. He’d be stupid to do it again.
He didn’t argue with me, but he was clearly disgruntled. “Then where do we stand?”
“We’ll never be the same again. But I won’t stab you—if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“No, I don’t care if you stab me.” He walked farther into the room and approached my desk. “You aren’t just my brother, Cato. You’re my…” He couldn’t say the rest out loud. “I can’t lose you. I need you. And I don’t mean for the business. I mean…you’re the most important person in my life. I love you…” He dropped his gaze as he turned emotional. “I’m sorry for what I did. Really. Truly.”
I was eternally grateful when Siena forgave me, especially when I couldn’t have blamed her if she’d never forgiven me. I felt like I should extend that mercy to him, but what he did was unforgivable. “I’ve never felt so terrible in my life. When I saw her hit the ground…I felt like I’d lost everything.”
“I know…”
My eyes watered just thinking about that moment, that moment when I thought the bullet pierced her brain and ended her life. In that split second, it made me realize that all the money in my account meant absolutely nothing. All the success I’d found was laughable. My greatest accomplishment was finding that woman. “Bates, I love her.”
His eyes softened as he took a deep breath. “I know, man.”
“I love her more than anything in the world—even you. What I feel…” My hands balled into fists as I tried to describe the sensation. “It’s happiness. And it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever actually felt it. All the women before her were just practice. They were just ways to kill time until the right woman walked into my life. Now that I have her, I feel complete. And when I thought that was gone…I was gone.”
Bates listened to every word. “Have you told her?”
I shook my head. “I’m too much of a pussy.”
“You could have told her to get her to forgive you.”
I shook my head. “That’s not how I wanted to say it. I didn’t want her to think I was only saying it to get her back. That would be cheap—and make it less meaningful.”
“Then call her and tell her.”
“I’m not doing it over the phone. I’ll do it when the time is right.”
“Well, she already knows, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”
After what I’d done, maybe she didn’t believe it anymore. “I hope so.”
After a long pause, Bates sat in the leather armchair. “How’s Martina?”
“Wonderful.”
“Really? She doesn’t cry and shit all the time?”
“Are you trying to get on my good side?” I asked sarcastically.
“You know what I mean. Being a father can’t be easy.”
It was a drastic change from how my life used to be, but I did enjoy having her around.