to him. There may be banks under different names, but they’re all owned by the same man.”
“Jesus…and you think I can touch this guy?” I laughed despite the seriousness of the situation because it was ridiculous. “He’s like the richest dude in the universe. You think I can just walk up to him and ask him to come with me?”
“No.” Damien watched me without blinking. “But you could get into his bed.”
Now it became crystal clear. They wanted me to spread my legs and seduce this man. They wanted me to bed him like a whore. Once I gained his trust, I could trick him into being caught by the wrong hands. “I’m not in that line of business.” I grabbed the bottle of scotch and refilled my glass.
“Then you better find another plan,” Micah said. “It doesn’t matter how you pull this off. As long as we get Cato Marino, your father walks free. It’s that simple. Do nothing—and I will kill him.” The gentlemanly attitude was long gone, and now his true colors rose to the surface. He squeezed his glass with his fingers. “Your father encroached on our territory and was stupid enough to cross the line one too many times. I was kind enough to give him a warning—but no more.”
My father ran a cigar business, exporting them all across Europe. They were high quality, sometimes costing eighty euros just for a single one. But that wasn’t how he made his money. His cigars were stuffed with drugs—the finest drugs in this hemisphere. He smuggled them where they needed to go under the clever disguise. The problem was, Micah was in the same line of work—and Italy just wasn’t big enough for the both of them. I warned my father that his good luck would run out, that he would take a bigger bite than he could chew. When he didn’t listen to me, I turned my back on my family—because I wanted a simple life.
“You’re a clever woman, and I respect you.” Micah had just threatened me, but now he’d flipped his attitude like it hadn’t happened. “You didn’t approve of what he was doing. You warned him this would happen. You left your family and started over. Unfortunately, the rest of your family didn’t inherit the same intelligence.”
“But I’m still here with you…so I can’t be that smart.” I should have left Italy. I should have moved to France or London. Or better yet, I should have crossed the pond and started a new life in America.
Micah gave me a slight smile. “You can blame your father for that.”
Yes, I could blame him for all of this. I wanted nothing to do with his criminal life, but I somehow had been dragged back into it. “What do you want with Cato Marino?” I didn’t know anything about this guy, but I knew he wasn’t innocent. If he were, Micah wouldn’t be risking his organization to take down such a powerful man. There must be a good reason.
“Our business.” Micah took a drink. “Not yours.”
Why did I expect anything else? “And if I say no?” I had every right to walk away right now. I’d warned my father so many times. Even when my mother was murdered, he didn’t stop. That was the last straw for me. He was blinded by greed and power. Fortune was more important than his family, more important than the woman who gave him his children. He got himself into this mess, and I should let him suffer for it.
Damien cocked his head slightly, as if that answer was the one he was hoping for. “Then you can join me in my bed.” The threat was palpable, filling the air around us and permeating our skin. His lust matched his hostility, and there was no evidence of a bluff. “And when I’m done with you, I’ll throw your dead body into your father’s prison—naked and dripping with come from every hole.”
Like bugs were crawling across my skin, I felt my body being twisted under invisible hands. My breathing picked up slightly, and my fingers flinched automatically, wishing I could grab a glass and smash it over Damien’s head. But I already had a gunshot wound, and I wasn’t craving another.
Even if Damien hadn’t threatened me with that terrifying image, I knew my conscience wouldn’t allow me to abandon my father. If he were anyone else, I would have kept fighting until the last drop of blood left my veins, but