Chapter Four
ORAZIO
––––––––
Raz's hand shook as he gripped the cell phone, his heart racing. He was so damn happy to hear Monique's voice.
"Can you hear me?" she asked.
"Yes, love. I hear you. It's so good to fucking hear you," he replied, his voice calm despite the raging storm inside him.
"Raz," Monique whispered.
Orazio could hear the tremble in her voice. That tremble made him want to fuck someone up. Rome waved to him and mouthed, “ Relax .”
After taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Raz asked, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"No," Monique answered. "I'm not hurt. But..."
She went silent. Muffled voices sounded in the background. She wasn't alone. Orazio's grip on the phone tightened as he gritted his teeth. He needed to be next to her right now. Again, his brother motioned for him to calm down. It was hard to calm down when the person you loved was in danger.
"Keep her talking," Rome whispered.
Raz closed his eyes and prayed for patience. His prayer was not answered. He was still on edge, close to snapping.
"Monique, talk to me, love. Where are you?" he asked, despite knowing her captors wouldn't allow her to reveal their location. But, he had to keep her talking.
"Raz," Monique started again, voice trembling. "It's over."
Those two words were like a knife through his heart. His world tilted, throwing him off balance. A rush of blood thundered in his ears, drowning out all but her voice, that sweet, fragile sound that held the power to shatter him into a million pieces. Over? What the hell was she talking about?
"What's over?" he asked. "Are you talking about this little game someone is playing, or..."
"We're over," she whispered.
Raz's heart stopped beating. "Rosa, we are not over," he growled into the phone.
"Raz, we are. I'm done. I'm... I'm leaving you."
"You cannot leave me," he told her, only to have her talk over him.
"I can, and I am."
"I told you that wherever you go, I go. Did you think I said that just to hear myself talk?"
"Don't make this harder than it has to be."
"This isn't hard, love," he replied. "This is easy as fuck. We're not over. It's as simple as that. And if..."
"Raz!" she cut him off, her voice cracking. "Just let me go. Please."
"Never," he vowed, the word a promise and a threat. "I'll find you, Rosa. I don't care if I have to burn down the world to do it."
His Rosa went quiet. And again, he heard someone talking in the background. Raz couldn't make out what they were saying. His gaze swung to Rome.
Rome raised one finger. "One more minute," Rome whispered. "That's all I need."
In one minute, he'd know where his Rosa was. Why did this one minute feel like a lifetime? Raz leaned forward, trying to look at Rome's device. Even if he could see the screen, he wouldn't know what the numbers meant. He was pretty sure they were listing the longitude and latitude, but he wasn't sure.
"Raz," Monique finally spoke again, sounding angry this time. "Everything we shared was a lie. I never truly wanted you. I only approached you because..."
Raz's chuckle silenced her, the sound echoing through the room like a dark melody. His eyes gleamed with a predatory glint, watching Rome's every move as his brother continued to work on tracing Monique's location.
"Why are you laughing?" she asked.
"Because, love. You're simply not that good of an actress. You're lying."
Her silence spoke volumes, but he didn't need a response. He knew this desperate attempt at pushing him away wasn't her idea.
"I'm not lying. I'm..."
"Let me tell you something, Monique Rose," Raz started, his voice low and dangerous. "Even if what you said was true, which it's not, it wouldn't matter. I want you. You are mine. Nothing you say will change that. I refuse to let you go. You'll be mine forever. I'll do anything to keep you."
"Is that a threat?" Monique challenged, her voice wavering slightly.
"Consider it a guarantee."
"I don't need your guarantee. Whether you believe me or not, it's over, and what I felt for you was fake, Orazio."
"Monique, listen to me," Raz said, his voice softening. "You can lie to me if you want, but please make it something more believable."
"Why don't you believe me? What must I do to make you believe me?" she cried.
"There's nothing you can say to make me believe you don't love me. Sorry, love. But you've spoiled me. You loved me too well for me ever to believe it was a lie. Before I met you, I didn't even know what it felt like to be truly loved," he told her. "I had no idea what love was or that I could love someone so deeply and fiercely."
He paused, letting those words sink in. "I've felt your love, Monique. In every touch, every taste, every whispered word, and every smile you've given me. You are love personified in my life. You are my life, Monique Rose. And nothing can change that."
Her choked sob echoed through the phone. His grip tightened, the cell phone's edges digging into his skin. He longed to hold her in his arms and hated that he couldn't comfort her. Her sobs grew louder, tugging at his heart like barbed wire.
Muffled voices reached his ears, and he strained to hear them. There – he heard it. It was Trevor's smug tone, unmistakable as ever. Fury surged through him, white-hot and all-consuming.
Damn it. He wished he would've put a bullet in that bastard when he had the chance. They would've been spared this nightmare if he had, and Monique wouldn't be in danger. Then again, his father would've found another way to separate him and Monique.
"Rosa," Raz said, but she spoke again, silencing him.
"Raz," she started, then took a deep breath, sounding like she was trying to keep herself from crying again. "I have proof that our love wasn't real. The truth is, I was only there to steal from you. It's the main reason I approached you in the first place. I just pretended it was because of a dare."
"You stole from me?" he asked.
"Yes. I did."
"How can you steal from me when everything I own belongs to you, including me? You can't steal what's already yours, Rosa. Do you have any more lies to tell, or can I address your captors now?" Orazio looked up when Rome motioned to get his attention.
"Got them," Rome announced, smiling, just as the doorknob to the room turned.
Shit . His father or Leo was back. There was a knock on the door.
"Hi, this is Nurse Jennie," someone called out. "Open the door. The doors aren't allowed to be locked or blocked in any way. It's a safety hazard."
Rome moved over to the door, leaning against the chair to keep it from opening. He motioned for Raz to wrap things up. They had the information they needed.
"Raz, I really did steal from you," Rosa said again. "I stole the..." She paused. "I stole the C459 file for my husband."
"You don't have a husband," Raz told her. "I haven't proposed yet. But I will. Soon."
"I stole it for my husband, Trevor."
"That bitch will never be your husband again, Rosa," Raz growled. "That's one lie I won't tolerate."
"Raz," Rosa started again.
"It's okay, love. I know you're being forced to say this. Don't worry. I'm going to get you back. And when I do, I'll never let you leave my side again. The only man who can be your husband is me. And the only woman who can be my wife is you. I'm coming for you, Monique Rose. Just wait for me. I'll talk to your captors now. Okay, sweetie?"
A few seconds passed, and then she whispered, "Okay, Orazio. I'm glad you're not breaking our contract."
"Never," he told her. He smiled, happy that she sounded a bit more confident now. His smile faded as he addressed her captor.
"This is for Trevor," Raz stated as he climbed out of bed, ignoring the pain in his body and the nurse on the other side of the door, who was shouting for security. "Trevor, you stole money from the casino. And I gave you a second chance. You lied to my family. And we let you live. But you've fucked up now. I don't know who gave you the balls to pull this, but I'm going to chop those balls off when I find you. You took my heart from me. A man can't live without his heart. I will get her back and make you wish you'd never heard the names Monique Rose or Orazio Cattaneo. And whoever helped you take her from me will suffer my wrath too. Get ready, bitch. And don't try to run. There's nowhere you can run or hide to escape the pain I'm about to deliver to your weak ass."
Raz ended the call. It was time to kill. He limped over to the duffle bag. He winced, his body still sore from his injuries, but the pain would not slow him down when Monique's life was on the line.
"Did you happen to bring any clothes?" Raz asked.
"Yeah. I did."
"Good."
His brother was always thinking ahead. Raz pulled the clothes from the duffle bag. He had black jeans, a dark shirt, and a leather jacket.
"No shoes or socks?" Raz asked.
"Shit. I forgot. I've got some boots in my trunk."
He didn't have time to ask why his brother had boots in his trunk. Orazio rifled through the duffle bag. He froze when his fingers brushed against cold metal. His eyes widened as he pulled out a sleek handgun.
"I see you brought guns, too."
"I never leave home without them. There's more in my trunk."
"Good. We're going to need them."
Orazio checked the clip, making sure it was fully loaded and ready for action. It was. As if on cue, the sound of footsteps and raised voices echoed in the hallway outside his room, growing louder with each passing second.
Rome's eyes narrowed as he put his ear to the door. "Incoming," he warned.
Orazio quickly finished dressing, grunting when he moved in a way that aggravated his wounds. He knew what they were about to face: hospital security, maybe even some of his father's men. Whoever got in his way was getting a bullet. Plain and simple.
Rome sprang into action, quickly repacking his gear as the sound of pounding fists came from the other side of the door. Orazio tossed Rome a gun. Rome caught the weapon with ease and slung the duffle bag over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the door.
"Ready?" Orazio asked.
"Always," Rome replied.
The door suddenly burst open. The chair that had been propped against the door was sent flying across the room. Raz and Rome raised their guns, pointing them at the door.
"Code Silver!" security shouted, but their cries were cut off by a commanding voice.
"Stand down!" Don Cattaneo ordered, stepping into the room. His dark eyes flicked between Rome, Orazio, and their weapons, a hint of annoyance flashing across his face. "Lower your guns, sons."
Orazio's grip on his weapon only tightened.
"I know it was you behind Monique's kidnapping," Raz spat, his voice laced with venom.
The don's eyes widened, but he didn't respond to Raz's words.
Instead, he spoke to Rome. "Rome, you should be at home with your mom and gran."
“Why do you always call them mom and gran?" Rome questioned. "That woman isn't our mother, and her mother isn't our grandmother.”
Raz had forgotten how much his brother loathed their father's woman, a woman he called wife but had never actually married. A woman who'd entered their life when they were teens but had never been kind to them.
Oh, she pretended to be. But even a blind man could tell her actions were fake. Since Raz generally ignored her, he'd almost forgotten she existed.
"Boys," the don started.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out?" Orazio growled, his finger itching to pull the trigger. But this was his father. And that was the only thing stopping him.
"Lower your guns," the don repeated.
Neither Orazio nor Rome obeyed. Suddenly, Leo entered the room, gun raised and pointed at the Cattaneo brothers. The air in the room seemed to grow even heavier with tension. Raz couldn't deny that seeing Leo point a gun at him pained him.
"Is this really how you want to do this?" the don asked, his voice dripping with disappointment. "Do you really want to add bloodshed and betrayal to an already fucked up situation?"
"Don't speak to me of betrayal. You two betrayed me. Not the other way around."
"Last chance," the don warned, his gaze unwavering. "Lower your weapons."
"Never," Orazio replied, gaze locked with his father’s.
And with that single word, he knew there was no turning back. They were on a collision course, and only one side would emerge victorious.
"Very well," the don said, his voice as cold as ice.