“No!”
“It’s not about money—”
“Money has done nothing but ruin your lives. Don’t you see that?” Tears streamed down my face. “Just give them what they want. Get Cato back… I need him. His daughter needs him.”
Bates gripped my shoulders and tried to calm me. “I will do everything I can to get him back, okay? Look, I’m on your side. I just need a second to think.”
“We don’t have a second.” I pushed his arms down. “They’re going to torture him. They’re going to torture and kill him the way they tortured and killed my father. I’m not letting that happen to him.”
“Well, do you have any ideas? You’ve been there before. How do we infiltrate their building? Get underground?”
I’d been there before, but never under the hatch. “I’ve only been on the bottom floor. I didn’t even know they had an underground. I don’t see why we can’t storm the building, kill all the men, and smoke them out.”
“I’m sure they’re prepared for that eventuality.”
“Then negotiating is our only option.”
“I can’t, Siena—”
“Then offer them something. Offer them a billion or something.”
He shook his head. “Then all our enemies will think they can do that to us.”
“How about we just focus on getting Cato back before we think about the future?” I hissed. “Give them the business and get out of the game for good. Money isn’t worth this nightmare.”
Bates sighed. “Siena, you’re oversimplifying it.”
“This is your brother. He’ll be tortured and—”
“I may not be in tears, but that doesn’t mean I’m not falling apart,” he growled. “I love my brother more than anything in this damn world. I want him back more than you do. But it’s not that simple. If we get out of the game, people might hunt us down and slaughter us anyway. This is beyond your understanding at the moment.”
Bates was just talking in circles, and we weren’t finding a solution. Damien was taking pleasure in this because he knew Cato was sleeping with me. So this was personal to him. He would make it hurt for that reason alone.
The thought of Damien gave me an idea. It made me sick to my stomach, terrified, and so scared that my hands actually shook…but it was the only solution that might actually work. I didn’t care what the consequences would be to me. All I cared about was getting Cato out of there…because he didn’t deserve that fate. “I have an idea…and I know it’ll work.”
“What?” Bates asked, stepping closer to me in enthusiasm. “What is it?”
“Damien wants me…”
He raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I could walk in there and offer a trade. Cato for me. He’ll take it.”
Bates looked furious, like I’d just suggested we forget about Cato entirely. “Cato would rather die than let that happen.”
“I know…but I don’t care.”
“I can’t let that happen, Siena. I prefer him over you, but he would kill me if I didn’t stop you. Cato would rather be tortured a million times than let you take his place.”
“I wouldn’t be taking his place, necessarily.”
He cocked his head. “You’re gonna let a guy rape you until he kills you. That’s worse than death, if you ask me.”
“But it’s not worse than Cato dying. This is the only option we have. I walk in there, make the trade, and then…I’ll find a way out.”
“You don’t understand how complicated that is. I don’t have a schematic for you. I can’t give you a blueprint.”
“I’ll memorize the way out on the way in.”
He dragged his hands down his face. “How are you going to get away from Damien in the first place?”
“He’ll take me somewhere private to fuck me. That’s when I’ll pull out a knife hidden in my hair and kill him with it.”
His nostrils flared as he sighed. “What if you offer the trade, and they keep you without letting Cato go?”
“I’ll offer my compliance—and that will make it worth his while.”
“But he can get billions out of Cato. You’re just pussy…sorry.”
With Cato captured, I didn’t have time to be offended. “You’ve seen how distracted men can become over pussy.” Cato changed his whole life when he met me, and Damien had wanted me for years. “Trust me, Damien wants me. He’ll make the trade.”
“Fuck, I don’t know…”
“You’ll wait for me outside in a shitty car. I’ll run out and hop in…and we’ll drive like hell.”
He stared at me for a long time, his blue eyes shifting back and forth as he looked into mine. His jaw was clenched tight as he considered my offer. “What about Martina?”
“Giovanni will take care of her…and give her to Landon if Cato and I don’t survive.” I didn’t want to think about not seeing my baby again. That terrified me even more than losing Cato. But one day she would understand why I had to do this…because I had to save the man I loved.