“You’re being stupid right now.”
He stepped back into the hall and gestured to someone. “There’s a few people here to see you.”
“Who?”
A tall man with dark brown hair stepped inside. With hazel eyes, tanned skin, and in black jeans and a matching shirt, he looked familiar right away. He was a man in his late fifties, but he moved like he was in his early twenties. He approached my desk, holding my gaze like he wasn’t afraid of me—but he wasn’t hostile either.
Siena walked in behind him, beautiful in a deep blue sundress and a yellow cardigan. Martina wasn’t with her. She looked slightly guilty for ambushing me, but she didn’t apologize for it.
I was angry with her, but it was hard not to love her when she looked so beautiful. Her hair was curled the way I liked, and she wore the bracelet I gave to her for Christmas. She stood beside the man I didn’t know. “Cato, this is Crow Barsetti…a friend of mine.”
Crow didn’t reach out his hand to shake my hand. Most men who stepped into this office immediately kissed my ass, but he didn’t bother with the practice. He gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
I finally took my eyes off Siena to really look at Crow. “We’ve met before.”
“But it’s been almost ten years.” He lowered himself into the armchair and crossed his legs. “I hear you’re a fan of my wine.”
“I am.” I looked at Siena again, not understanding the purpose of this meeting.
She sat beside him. “You and Crow have a lot in common. I thought he could tell you his life story…and maybe it would resonate with you.”
I remembered she’d mentioned him recently, that he gave up his life in crime for a simple one in the countryside. He did it to protect his family, and now she wanted him to talk me into doing the same thing. The gesture annoyed me. “You think I give a damn what this man has to say? That’s his life—not mine.”
“Could you just listen?” she asked quietly. “It’s the least you could since I saved your life.”
She threw that in my face every chance she got. “Fine. But I want to talk to him alone.”
Siena stiffened at the request. “You can’t hurt him, Cato. Lay a hand on him, and I will take your daughter away.”
I didn’t appreciate the threat. It only escalated my rage. “You must think very little of me to assume I would hurt someone you consider a friend. Seems out of character for a man who retrieved your father’s body so you could bury him properly.” If she wanted to throw shit in my face, I could do the same to her.
Siena gave me a cold look before she walked out.
Now I was left alone with Crow Barsetti, the renowned winemaker who lived farther west in Tuscany than I did. “I know your story. I know you were a powerful arms dealer before the Skull Kings took over. Now you’ve disappeared into the countryside to make wine and spend time with your family. I understand the lesson Siena is trying to teach me.”
“Yet, you refuse to learn it.”
My eyes narrowed on his face, shocked that this man had the balls to speak to me that way.
“I see the way you look at her.” He ignored the glare of rage I threw at him. “It’s the way my son-in-law looks at my daughter, and my son looks at his wife. It’s the way I look at my wife—even though I’ve been married to her for over thirty years. You love her.”
“That’s pretty obvious.”
“But it’s not obvious why you aren’t being the man she deserves. A man can’t say he loves a woman unless he’s willing to give her everything she needs. That’s why a man is so choosy when looking for the right woman. Because a real man knows the sacrifices he’ll have to make once he says those words. We won’t sacrifice just for anyone. Only someone we can’t live without. Siena is clearly that person to you, yet you won’t do the right thing. That’s irresponsible, if you ask me.”
This guy had a lot of nerve. “Siena said you were going to share your life story, not provoke me.”
“You know my life story. You know I sacrificed everything the second my wife became pregnant. I knew we would never be safe until we gave up everything. And we were happy for a long time. When my son grew up, he got involved in the bullshit I tried to protect him from…and then the cycle started all over again. Men are easily attracted to ambition, money, and power—but nothing good ever comes from it. I was exactly the same way when I was your age. All I wanted was pussy, money, and power. But once I met that right woman…it all turned to bullshit. I wouldn’t trade my quiet life in the countryside for all those years of power. Never. It’s hard to make that transition, I understand. But your family will always be at risk until you do. You’re arrogant enough to think you can keep them safe, but you can’t. Someone will outsmart you someday…and you’ll lose everything.”