Chapter Five
ORAZIO
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Very well ...
His dad had said very well .
Those two words echoed through Orazio’s skull. What the hell did very well even mean coming from his father in a situation like this? Did that mean his father would be okay with Leo shooting Orazio or Rome?
Raz didn’t know. And his father’s expression was unreadable, causing him to wonder if he’d ever known his father at all. The air in Orazio’s hospital room was stifling as tension crackled like electricity between the family members.
Orazio and Rome remained defiant, guns aimed at their father, while Don Cattaneo stared back with cold fury. Neither side was backing down. The difference was Raz and Rome would never fire on their dad. But would their dad let Leo fire on them?
A day ago, Raz would’ve said that was impossible. Today, he didn’t know what his dad would do. He didn't know who this man standing before him was, but it sure as hell wasn't the father who'd raised him.
Or was it? Had his father been this cold all along, and Raz had just imagined the rare glimpses of warmth from time to time? Shit . That was it, wasn't it? Leo still had his weapon trained on Orazio while the security officers stood behind the don, blocking the exit.
Every breath felt like a challenge, a silent dare to make the first move. Don Cattaneo’s phone shattered the silence with its shrill ring. Their dad hesitated for a moment before answering, never taking his eyes off his sons.
“Hello. Shit. Can’t you handle it until I arrive? What the fuck am I paying you jackasses for?” The don closed his eyes and sighed.
Orazio finally noticed something about his dad. He looked tired. He also looked like he was unraveling at the seams. What the hell was his father keeping from him?
“Alright!” his father yelled into the phone. “Yes, I’ll be there soon. Don’t kill him. Do not harm one hair on him. We still need him alive.”
Alive? Was his father talking about Jacob Tatum? Was he fucking alive?
“Don’t call me with this bullshit again,” the don snarled.
The call ended, but the tension remained. The don looked at Orazio with disgust. It was a look he’d never seen his father direct at him before. It stung. Fuck that. It hurt like hell.
“You still have your gun pointed at me,” the don snarled. “I guess my theory was right. I guess you really will turn on your family for this woman. I’d sensed that by the way you behaved when I came to your room that night. You seemed different. You seemed weak, whipped.”
Orazio’s grip on his gun tightened, and he had to remind himself that the man before him was his father. Raz had sinned a lot in his life, but shooting his dad would not be one of his sins, no matter how much bullshit his dad said to him.
“You’re being led around by your balls, son. I didn’t raise you that way. A don cannot love a fucking woman that much. And why would you even want our former consigliere’s leftovers?”
Orazio’s hand trembled, his knuckles turning white. He could feel the heat of anger boiling inside him, but he refused to let it show. Instead, he smirked, meeting his father’s gaze.
“Love makes you do crazy things, doesn’t it, father? Isn’t that why mom ran away from you, because you were crazy, and she was scared of you? At least my woman doesn’t have to fear me. I’ll kill to protect her, but I’ll never harm her. You and I may both be obsessive when it comes to love. But we are not the same.”
“Shut up!” the don yelled.
“Why?” Raz asked. “Oh, so you can throw bullshit at me but can’t catch it?”
“What kind of son says that to his father?”
“What kind of father says shit like that to their son?”
The don’s eyes darkened, his fury barely contained. “Family is everything,” Don Cattaneo ground out, but his words were hollow.
Actions spoke louder than words. And the don's actions had proved that family didn't mean shit to him. If family was everything, why hadn’t he helped Orazio protect the woman he loved instead of sending her into the lion’s den?
No, Trevor was no lion. That bitch didn’t deserve such a title. His father had sent Monique to a cub. But even a cub would bite when it was cornered. And if Trevor hurt Monique, Raz would not spare his father his wrath. He couldn’t.
“Just know this, Orazio. When it comes down to it, blood is thicker than water. And love? Love is nothing but a weakness.”
“Maybe,” Orazio replied. “But I’m not the weak one here. So, what’s your excuse?”
His dad let out a sarcastic chuckle. “I don’t have time for this shit. You’re making this more of an issue than it has to be,” his father stated. “If you keep this up, you’re going to ruin everything.”
More of an issue than it has to be? Did his father really not see how fucked up this situation was? Monique was in fucking danger! Orazio clenched his jaw, a muscle ticking in his cheek as he started to speak. But his father cut him off.
“I’d only planned to let Monique go missing for a while, just until we destroyed the Tatum family financially and framed Jacob Tatum for all the crimes my brother has been accused of.”
“Uncle? What new crimes has he been accused of? And why the hell would Jacob Tatum be framed for some shit Uncle did?” Orazio asked, confused. “What does he have to do with any of this?”
Don Cattaneo cocked his head to the side, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “You’re so eager to save your precious Monique, do you really care what your uncle has to do with this?”
Actually, he kind of didn’t. But he needed to know because his uncle was a hothead, and Bryceson was always cleaning up his mess. And now his uncle’s mess had gotten Monique involved. So, now, it was Orazio’s problem, too.
“Yeah, I want to know,” Raz replied.
“Do you really expect me to spill family secrets to a man who has a gun pointed at me?” the don sneered, his eyes narrowing as he looked down the barrel of Orazio’s weapon.
The tension in the air thickened, the standoff threatening to snap into chaos at any moment. But Orazio’s resolve held strong. He wouldn’t back down, not now.
“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you put Monique in danger,” Orazio shot back.
The don’s phone rang again, slicing through the charged atmosphere. He pulled it from his pocket, glaring at the screen before answering with an irritated growl.
“What? Yes, I’ll be there soon. I’m on my fucking way!”
Orazio wondered how many other lives were currently hanging in the balance of his father and uncle’s schemes. All he wanted was to save Monique, but it seemed that the web of deceit and betrayal ran much deeper than he’d anticipated.
The don was fucking up in more ways than one. But the don would soon see that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was.
“Leo, keep them here. Make sure they don’t leave. Cas either. I need to go check on Jacob Tatum,” the don ordered, shoving his phone into his pocket and fixing his security guard with a piercing stare. When Leo didn’t respond, the don’s impatience flared. “Did you hear me, Leo?”
As seconds ticked by, Orazio watched his father glare at Leo. This was the moment he'd been waiting for ever since his phone call with Monique. The game had changed, and now it was time to see where everyone’s loyalty truly lay.
“You mentioned family secrets,” Orazio mused, pulling his father's glare his way. “Well, maybe it’s time we started being honest with each other, don’t you think?”
“Keep quiet,” the don snarled, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes that Orazio seized upon.
“Or what? You’ll take someone else I care about?” Orazio challenged. He’d had enough of his father’s manipulations and threats.
“I’m done talking to you,” his dad told him. “We’ll discuss this further after I handle some business. Keep them here. Did you hear me, Leo?” the don demanded again.
“Sorry, Mr. Cattaneo,” Leo finally responded. “But I can’t do that.”
The don’s gaze narrowed with suspicion. “What did you say?”
“Forgive me, sir,” Leo stated. “But I cannot follow that order.” In one fluid motion, Leo pivoted, turning the gun on the don himself. This was the moment everything changed. This was the moment they took control.
“You traitorous bastard,” the don spat, rage twisting his features into a snarl. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
“I’m doing what you hired me to do. I’m protecting the Cattaneo family, sir,” Leo replied, his voice calm, almost nonchalant. “The contract I signed states that my job is to protect the Cattaneo family, not just the don. You’re my boss. But it’s your family I serve. And right now, you’re the threat to your family, sir.”
“Fucking bastard,” the don scoffed, his laughter bitter and cold. “Who the hell do you think you are? I saved your sorry ass. Gave you a life. You’re nothing more than a pawn in a game you can’t even begin to understand.”
“Perhaps that’s what he is to you,” Orazio interjected. “But to me, he’s a friend. No, he’s more than that. He’s like family. And I think you’ll find that when it comes to family, we’re not so easily outmaneuvered and manipulated. And when it comes to us brothers, no one can turn us against each other, not even you, father.”
The don’s eyes flicked between Orazio, Rome, and Leo, searching for any hint of weakness or hesitation. But there was none.
“Is this a joke?” The don shook with fury, glaring first at Leo, then at his sons. “Answer me!”
“Are we laughing?” Orazio asked, his gaze never wavering from his father’s face as a storm of emotions swirled within him.
The don’s nostrils flared, his ego bruised by the betrayal. “You will all pay for this. I swear.”
“Such dramatics.” Orazio rolled his eyes. Gone were the days of bending to his father’s will. Now, he was taking control. His father had forced him to do this.
“Enough!” The don barked, trying to regain some semblance of authority. But it was too late – the tide had turned against him, and there was no going back.
“You’re right,” Orazio agreed. “We’ve had enough of this. Let’s not waste any more time, shall we?” Orazio said, addressing the room. “I have someone to save. Someone who is family to me. I’m done chitchatting.”
“You’re going to her?” The don asked. “Fuck Leo. I’m fine with letting his sorry ass go. But how can you go save a woman who stole from you? Son, she’s a thief. You can’t trust her.”
Orazio’s lips curled into a sly smile, his eyes locked on his father.
"How do you know Monique stole from me? You weren't here when she called?"
"I..." his dad started.
"You don't have to answer that," Raz interrupted. "I’m guessing it was you who came up with the idea of making it seem like Monique stole from me. You know I hate thieves. That would’ve been a solid plan if I didn’t trust her. Also, you should’ve chosen someone other than Leo to set the scheme up with Trevor. I’m guessing you told Leo to hand something over to Trevor as proof that Monique stole something so that I would fall for that lie. You should’ve been more specific. Because what he handed Trevor was the C459 file.”
The don’s glare turned to Leo. Leo kept staring at the don, expression not giving anything away.
Finally, the don sighed. “What the fuck is the C459 file?” he growled.
“It’s nothing,” Raz told him, watching his father’s eyes narrow in confusion. “It’s a corrupt file that will add a virus to the computer of anyone who tries to download it. Only my high-level guards, who I trust, know about it.”
The don clenched his fists, seething with rage as Orazio continued.
“More importantly, when someone is given that file, it’s a code for me and my brothers. A code to let us know that a member of our security team is being forced to do something against their will.”
As the words sunk in, Orazio could see the realization dawning in his father’s eyes.
"If that's true," The don started. "Trevor would've known something was up when he was given that file. He's been our consigliere for years."
"The file is something my brothers and I came up with, and only our men know about it. Trevor was on your payroll, Don Cattaneo, not mine. He wasn't one of my guys. I never trusted the bastard."
Don Cattaneo opened his mouth, then closed it. Raz continued explaining the situation to the don.
“459 is kind of like a code to let us know not to believe the lies. Room 459 is the room we put guests in when we think they’re up to something nefarious. Our security will pretend to treat those guests like VIPs while monitoring their every move. We even have a security code 459 for when one of our members is in a compromised position and needs assistance but needs us not to reveal their true identity.” Orazio leaned in closer, his voice growing deeper, darker. “So, when Monique told me she took the C459 file, I knew it had to be Leo who'd made sure Trevor got that particular file. I also knew he'd given him that file to let me know he hadn’t betrayed me. He’d betrayed you.”
Orazio smiled as his father released a torrent of expletives. Raz’s gaze met Leo’s. The guard nodded to him. Raz nodded back, thankful that his friend had chosen to side with him. He’d even taken a bullet in the process.
And to think, he’d planned to kill Leo until Monique said the magic word. C459. Which meant security compromised. Don’t believe the lies. Don Cattaneo was no longer calling the shots, and this was the angriest Raz had ever seen his father.
"You motherfucker," the don growled, fury contorting his face. The Don's hand moved towards his weapon, but the security team behind him was quicker.
Guns drawn, they barked a stern command. "Stand down!"
The don froze, his expression of shock almost comical. Raz couldn't deny that he was surprised at the guards also. They weren't his men. Were they Leo's? His father glared at the guards behind him, his face a twisted snarl of humiliation and hatred.
The tension in the room was intense, a live wire threatening to shock them all. He'd thought all the cats were out of the bag until Rome dropped another bombshell.
"Don't look so shocked, dad," Rome told the don. "Aren't you the one always telling us to keep loyal people by our side? You should be proud of me for heeding your advice. The nurse who called for security is also a part-time blackjack dealer from the casino," Rome revealed, surprising Orazio.
The don looked pissed off and ready to kill.
"Really?" Orazio asked, his eyes widening as he took in Rome's words. Raz hadn't recognized her. Then again, he didn't know all the casino's employees. Still, he should have known Rome hadn't come there without backup.
"Yep," Rome smirked, clearly enjoying the moment. "And the security team she went to find wasn't hospital staff. They were my people."
Orazio couldn't help but grin at his brother, admiration and pride surging through him. Rome had outplayed their father.
"Smart move, Rome," Orazio praised. "Thanks, brother."
"Anytime, brother. I couldn’t leave you and Cas in the clutches of a man who clearly doesn’t give a fuck about your safety. He sent you out on a mission without telling you all the details. If you ask me, the wreck is his fault."
Their father's anger simmered beneath the surface, a volcano waiting to erupt. But for now, they held the upper hand. And they had their father to thank for that.
"I should also thank you, Dad," Raz said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You told me to build my own team over the years so that when it was my turn to take over, I'd have loyal people beside me. Without your advice, I'd be in quite a bind right now."
He eyed Leo, who still had his gun trained on Don Cattaneo. "Leo, keep my father here until I return. Make sure he doesn't cause any trouble. And security..." He gestured toward Rome's men. "Come with us. It's time to find my wife."
And Monique was indeed that, his wife . He didn't need a ceremony to confirm what his heart had already decreed. But he'd give her a ceremony, so she'd never doubt that she was his and he was hers.
The security team nodded to him, ready to follow his orders. Don Cattaneo's face flushed red with fury, his eyes wild like a cornered beast. He tried again to assert his authority.
"I am still the head of this family!" the don yelled.
Orazio dismissed him with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "For now. Step aside, dad." Raz strode forward. His father didn't move. He kept walking until he was face to face, toe to toe with his father.
"Know your place, Orazio," Don Cattaneo growled, his face inches from his son's. "Don't get cocky. This isn't over."
"Isn't it?" Orazio whispered back, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. He could feel his father's hot breath on his skin and smell the stench of betrayal on him. It was intoxicating, a twisted game of power and deceit. A game his father started, but Raz intended to finish. "Move, dad, while I'm still being respectful."
"And if I don't?" his father snarled.
"Then I'll treat you the way you've treated me these past days."
"How have I treated you?"
"Like a stranger."
"That's a damn lie."
"Of course, you'd think that. To you, Monique is no one. She's a weakness that I need to get rid of. But when our family wanted you to leave Mom, you fought for her..."
"And you should learn from my mistakes."
"Monique isn't a mistake. And she's nothing like mom. Come, Rome," he said, no longer wanting to explain the love of a woman to a man who'd never properly loved a woman. "We've got business to attend to."
Behind him, he heard Rome gathering his belongings. Raz continued glaring at his father, who no longer looked like the strong Don Raz had always known him to be. He now looked tired, exhausted, old.
Which pained Raz's heart. But Raz knew if he weakened his stance even a tiny bit, his dad would unleash hell on his life. He couldn't give his father an inch. Not if he wanted to protect Monique.
"Dad, when I get back, we'll talk about what you and uncle have been up to. And me and my brothers will figure out a way to get us out of whatever mess you've gotten us in. And after we're done, you'll step down as the Don of the Cattaneo family."
"I will not," his father whispered.
"You will," Raz said with a sigh. "You have no choice. Don't make this harder than it has to be, dad. And don't do anything else to piss us off. I'm trying my best not to hate you right now. Don't force me to truly treat you like a stranger. You won't like that."
Together, the two brothers strode out of the room, a united front against their father's tyranny as they brushed past him.
"Wait," Don Cattaneo called out after they stepped over the threshold. His voice was low and menacing, but it had an edge of desperation to it. "You'll never be the Don of this family. Not without my approval, which you no longer have."
The brothers halted, and Orazio slowly turned back to face his father.
"To some, I'm already the don," Raz told him.
Don Cattaneo's face twisted with rage, but Orazio didn't flinch. Instead, he let his smile widen, revealing the predator within him, the predator his father raised him to be.
"Face it, father," he continued. "You're losing your grip on power. And you've only got yourself to blame. The proof is in these half-assed plans you’ve come up with. I don’t know what you and Uncle are up to, but I’ll find out. And if anyone close to me ends up hurt because of you or Uncle, you won’t like how I respond."
"Watch your tongue, boy."
"Or what? You'll go after Monique again?" Orazio taunted, wanting to see just how far he could push his father. "If anything happens to her, you'll wish I was never born."
"Is that a threat?" Don Cattaneo hissed.
"Call it what you want. We're done here."
Raz turned to leave again, but this time, it was Leo who stopped him.
"Raz," Leo called out.
Raz stopped and looked over his shoulder. "What's up?"
"Trevor may try to move her now that he knows you're on your way. If he does, he'll take her to the abandoned warehouse over on old Industrial South Blvd. It's where I told him to go if anything seemed off or if he thought you were on to him."
"Thanks, Leo," Raz said as the don began cursing Leo out for being a traitor.
"And Raz, tell Toya... I'm sorry."
Raz faced Leo. "What did you do to Toya?"
The guard was hesitant to reply. Finally, he answered. "I tried to take a gun from her before drugging her and Meka."
"She's the one who shot you, huh?"
Leo nodded. "If I hadn't tackled her, it would've been a headshot."
Raz chuckled. "I'll let you tell her you're sorry yourself. You owe them all an apology."
Leo nodded. "I know. Go. I'm sure Trevor is on the move. Oh, and Raz, he's partnered up with Monique's dad."
"Her dad is in on this?" What the fuck was wrong with fathers these days?
"Yeah. He is. Trevor has something on him. When I talked to Trevor, he said Monique's father would help him keep her in line because her father didn't want Trevor revealing some dirt on him."
Shit. He'd planned to kill everyone involved. But he couldn't kill Monique's father. That didn't mean he couldn't beat the fuck out of him.
"Alright," Raz muttered, mind still processing this new information.
With that, he turned on his heel and strode down the hall with Rome at his side. Raz clenched his teeth, ignoring the pain and trying his best not to limp. He could feel the stares of the security team as they followed, their loyalty now firmly in his corner.
As they walked down the hallway, Orazio's thoughts raced. They would save Monique before it was too late. They had to. There were no other options. Though he was wounded, he knew what he and his brother were capable of.
Even wounded, he could still fuck shit up. More importantly, he knew what he wanted: to protect Monique, to force his father to step down as don and to finally break free from his father's shadow and insane notions of what family and love meant. Orazio took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus.
He could feel Monique's absence like a physical ache, but he couldn't let it consume him. Not now, when she needed him most. Rome led him to a black sports car when they made it outside.
"I'll drive," Rome told him as he unlocked the door and placed his items in the back seat.
His brother popped the trunk so Raz could get a pair of boots out. Every part of him hurt as he slid the boots on. Fuck! He held his breath as he completed the task. The security team filed into SUVs parked near Rome's car.
"Follow us," Rome told his men as Raz eased into the passenger seat of his brother's ride. Rome placed a small tracker device in Raz's lap. "You keep up with the movement of Trevor's phone. If that red dot starts moving, let me know, and we'll go to the location Leo told us about."
Raz nodded as he stared down at the device. There was a blinking red dot on the screen. That dot represented Monique's location. Raz touched his finger to the dot. Tears threatened to fall. He blinked them back as his brother pulled out of the hospital parking lot. Five minutes into the drive, the red dot began to move.
"Trevor's in motion," Raz said, heart racing.
"Is he headed toward Old Industrial?" Rome asked.
Raz zoomed out to get a better view of the map. "Yes, he is."
Rome flicked his right signal light on. "We're closer to the warehouse than he is. We should be there at least ten minutes before him. We can set up an ambush and bring him down. If things go according to plan, you should have Monique in your arms in about an hour, maybe less."
Raz released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.
"I'm coming, love," he whispered as the red dot continued to move. "I'm coming as fast as I can. Be safe, love. Please be safe."
But Monique wasn't safe. And what Raz didn't know was that when he found his Rosa, she would be a bloody mess.