Chapter Eight
ORAZIO
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Orazio Cattaneo had never wanted to kill a man more than he wanted to kill Trevor Wilks. Now that he had him, he couldn't wait to unleash all his rage onto him. Trevor continued backing away from Raz, stumbling down the dirt road as Raz stalked him.
Trevor turned to run again. Bullets littered the ground before him, forcing him to halt. Trevor faced Raz. Raz's lips curled into a sinister grin as he continued his slow, predatory approach.
The dirt crunched beneath his shoes. Soon, that would be the sound of Trevor's bones crunching under the weight of Raz's foot. Trevor's eyes darted around the area, desperately searching for signs of the hidden gunmen.
"Give up. There's nowhere to run," Raz taunted.
Desperation lit up Trevor's eyes. "Please, listen...it wasn't my idea to kidnap Monique!" Trevor exclaimed, sweat dripping from his forehead. He knew he was cornered, caught in the crosshairs of Raz's wrath, and there was no escape.
"Whose idea was it?" Raz questioned.
"Your father's guard approached me," Trevor stammered, trying to find any means of self-preservation. "He said your father wanted to meet with me."
"What did my father want with you?"
"He... he'd investigated Monique," Trevor confessed. "He found out she was my ex-wife. He said he couldn't have his son involved with a woman like her, a woman who couldn't bring anything to the table or help you advance in any way."
Raz's fists clenched. "Go on," Raz commanded, his voice ice-cold.
Trevor swallowed hard, knowing his life hung by a thread. He took a deep breath and continued. "That's why your father wanted me to kidnap her...to get her out of your life."
"Interesting," Raz mused, his mind racing with thoughts of betrayal and vengeance. "Is that all?"
"Uh, no. There's more. Lots more. I-If I tell you why the Tatums really want to get in with the Cattaneos, will you let me go?" Trevor stuttered. “You already have Monique back.”
"I don't know. It depends on how good the information is," Raz replied, knowing there was nothing Trevor could tell him that would get him to spare the bastard's life.
However, the longer Trevor talked, the more time Raz had for his meds to kick in. Already, the intense pain had lessened to a dull ache. Soon, he would be in no pain at all, and Trevor would just be starting to feel it.
"Tatum's daughter, Bethany Tatum, she, well, her father found out she was sleeping with your uncle."
"What?" Raz growled.
"Patrick Cattaneo," Trevor stammered, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. "He was sleeping with Bethany while she was seeing Cas. He was only using her to spy on Cas. She was supposed to report back to him any details about Cas that he could use to blackmail the Don."
Raz clenched his hands into fists. When his uncle fucked up, he fucked up in a big way. His uncle had yet to give up his dream of becoming the Don, and he didn't care who he hurt on his journey to trying to steal the title.
That was why his cousin, Bryceson, hated his father. On the drive to this warehouse, Rome had informed Raz that Bryceson and his ex, Tatianna, had recently gotten back together after discovering that Bryce's father had played a role in her running away five years ago.
Bryceson already loathed his father, Patrick Cattaneo. Raz knew this new information would further sever the bond between them. His uncle would have to be dealt with. But first, Trevor.
"When Bethany was unable to get any information out of Cas," Trevor continued. "Patrick broke things off with her, which pissed her off because she thought he'd become Don one day and leave his wife for her."
Stupid her.
"So," Raz said, slowly approaching Trevor, who continued to back away. "My uncle used Beth, and when she became useless, he dumped her. To ease her anger, she accused my brother of assault, right?"
"Yes," Trevor told him.
"And the Tatum's knew this? They knew Bethany was seeing my uncle and accused Cas wrongly?"
Trevor nodded, looking like a fucking bobblehead.
"Your dad paid them off to keep them silent about it," Trevor told him. "Not only to protect Cas, but also to prevent others from discovering what your uncle had done. The Don didn't want others to know about the beef between him and his brother.”
Of course, his father hadn’t wanted that to get out. When vultures smelled blood, they swooped in. If their enemies knew there was discord in the Cattaneo family, they’d pounce. His dad had been trying to avoid that in the easiest way possible, with money.
“Your father entered an agreement with the Tatums. The agreement stated that neither side would ever contact the other again. This wasn’t really to keep Bethany away from Cas. It was to keep your uncle away from the Tatums. It was a warning to your uncle not to overstep again. And the payoff was to appease the Tatums for your uncle using their daughter and discarding her. But secretly, the Tatums weren’t happy with the deal. They wanted more. They were upset that Patrick hadn’t been able to find a way to take over the Don spot. So, when Bethany came home complaining about you calling her over just so Cas could show off that he had someone else, her father saw another way to get what he wanted. That's when he called me to vent and see if, legally, he could apply pressure to the Cattaneo family and find a way to get his daughter married off to the future Don."
"Her father wanted her to marry me?"
"Yeah," Trevor admitted, swallowing hard. "He thought it would secure a powerful alliance for his family and elevate their status. They're wealthy. But Mr. Tatum craves more than wealth. He wants to be feared. And being connected through marriage to the Cattaneos would've gotten him what he wanted. After you broke the contract and contacted Bethany, Mr. Tatum began telling his friends that soon, the Cattaneos would be bowing down to him. I’m pretty sure those rumors reached the Don’s ears quickly."
Raz snorted, amused by the sheer audacity of such a plan. He could see where Bethany got her delusions of grandeur from.
"And you were supposed to facilitate this arrangement, right?"
Trevor nodded, his eyes darting around nervously. "That's what he wanted, yes. Since Patrick didn't get his way and become Don, the next best thing, the next sure thing, was you. Mr. Tatum knew Don Cattaneo would be passing the title down to you. So, he ordered Beth to stay away from Cas, and set his sights on you," Trevor told him. "But the Don didn't like the fact that Mr. Tatum dared go up against him in a cocky manner. Which was why he involved you all and ordered you to kidnap the only son of Tatum."
Trevor knew everything, even things Raz didn’t. There was no way his father planned to keep him alive. Which meant his father had planned to kill Trevor and Monique.
"You were told to take Monique and do what with her?" Raz asked.
"He... he said he'd give me further instructions later. But that if she died, he wouldn't mind. And he was supposed to pay me for doing this behind the Tatum's back, without telling them that the Don was kidnapping his son. That's why I'm here. I'm just here to get my money," Trevor said.
"One more question, and then you can go," Raz told Trevor.
"Really?" Trevor asked, a smile appearing on his worried face.
"I swear," Raz vowed.
"Ask me anything. I won't lie. I swear."
"I believe you," Raz told him. "What about the deal with the Tatum's? Did my father agree to have me marry Bethany?"
Trevor nodded. "He did. But he took Jacob to teach them a lesson. He planned to return him, beaten but alive. After that, he would threaten the Tatum's not to try to bargain with him again. Then he’d planned to announce the wedding between you and Bethany to assure the Tatums’ that their families had no more beef. Wedding plans would ensue, and at the wedding, he'd have his guys come in and kill everyone there with the last name Tatum and those related to the Tatums."
Raz's mind raced as he tried to piece the puzzle together to figure out what his father's grand plan had been.
"So, he didn't just want to ruin the Tatum's. He needed a reason for them to invite the rest of their family to town, and then he'd kill them all."
"Exactly," Trevor said, nodding. "At your wedding to Bethany, the Don wanted to eradicate the Tatum family for daring to go up against him and for trying to assist his brother in stealing the title of Don. This would put your uncle in his place and remind your enemies of how powerful your family is. Oh, and somehow, I don’t know the details, but somehow, he was going to let the word get out at the wedding that it was Jacob Tatum who kidnapped Monique. That way, you’d be eager to kill the Tatums just as much as him."
Damn . "My dad has always been a ruthless motherfucker," Raz drawled, more to himself, than to Trevor.
Raz’s mind was reeling as all the pieces came together. The Don had planned to use Raz to get rid of the Tatum family. But first, he'd had to get rid of Monique to do it. But he hadn't wanted Raz to discover he was connected to Monique's disappearance.
He knew Raz, in his anger, would've believed the Tatums were responsible, especially since Bethany had seen Monique that night at the Casino's restaurant. Raz chuckled. His father was quick on his feet.
Raz had thought it was his idea to kidnap Jacob Tatum. He thought he’d come up with such a plan. He’d thought his father had been handling the Tatum’s with kids' gloves and thought he, himself, had elevated their plan to apply more pressure.
He was wrong. It hadn’t been him. He’d just been a puppet. All along, it had been his father steering him down that path, pulling his strings. His father had planned this out perfectly. And it would've worked if it hadn't been for Raz’s car accident and for Leo being loyal to Raz. Raz inhaled deeply, attempting to rein in his anger.
"Is there anything else you want to know?" Trevor asked, eyes darting left, then right.
Raz shook his head. "No, that's it. Oh, wait... one last thing."
"I'm listening."
"Did Monique scream when you hurt her?"
Trevor’s eyes widened. His nose flared. Trevor opened his mouth, then closed it. He opened it again, only to close it once more. Fear danced in his eyes as he glanced at Raz, struggling to find the right words that might save his life.
"She... I... She's... bruised. But not because of me. Her father did that! He was with me. I killed him to keep him from selling her to pay his debts. We may be divorced, but I don't want her hurt."
Raz laughed, a dark and bitter sound that filled the air between them. Trevor looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. Raz continued to laugh.
Trevor chuckled nervously and asked, "Did I say something funny?"
Raz nodded, noting that he didn't feel any pain anymore. The pill had worked.
"Yes," Raz told him. "You said you didn't want her hurt. But before your divorce, it was you who wanted to kill her, as I recall, for life insurance money. It was you who wanted to sell her to collect money to pay your debts."
Trevor's face flushed, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, unable to form any words in his defense.
"Now," Raz growled. "You want me to believe that all of a sudden, you don't want to hurt her. That's funny. It’s funny that you think I’m stupid enough to believe some bullshit like that."
"I'm sorry," Trevor whispered.
"I don't want you to be sorry," Raz told him, laughter fading away, leaving only a look of rage. "I want you to be in pain."
The color drained from Trevor’s face. "You said you’d let me go and...."
"You’re right. I said I'd let you go," Raz stated, slowly approaching Trevor. "And I will. I'll let you go to hell, you little bitch." Raz rushed forward.
Trevor tried to run. Raz stalked him down, tackling him to the ground, the act causing a cloud of dirt to kick up around them. He forced Trevor onto his back. Trevor tried to fight back. It was like a baby bird trying to fight a full-grown lion.
His fists rained down on Trevor's face. Raz felt and heard the cracking of the man's nose, blood splattering as it broke from the force of his knuckles. With each punch, he thought of Monique and the bruises he'd seen on her body when he'd checked to make sure she was still alive.
"You hurt her, you sorry excuse for a man," Raz yelled, fist slamming into Trevor's mouth.
Blood coated his knuckles as he slammed them into Trevor's face, mentally counting each bruise he'd seen on Monique and delivering a punch for each one. Trevor had longed ceased moving.
But Raz didn’t. In his rage-filled mind, he heard someone calling his name. It took a few seconds for him to register who was calling out to him.
"Raz!" Rome's shout broke through his haze of anger.
He froze, fist clenched and still hovering above Trevor's bloody face.
"Raz! You said you wanted to take your time with him," Rome yelled, stepping closer. "If you keep this up, you're going to beat him to death right here, right now."
Trevor's chest heaved with each ragged breath, his eyes swollen shut from the brutal assault. Right . A quick death was too good for this bastard. Raz lowered his raised fist and glared down at the bloody mess below him.
Eyes still on Trevor, he asked Rome, "Where's the medical team?"
"On their way. I gave Monique the same pill I gave you. Her pain will be gone soon."
"How..." Raz swallowed, feeling choked up. "How is she?"
"She’ll live. None of her wounds are life-threatening. She’s just in a lot of pain right now. But that will be gone soon."
Raz sighed, closing his eyes, feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. She’d live. His Rosa would live. When he’d seen her on the ground, not moving, he’d thought he might lose her.
But he wouldn’t lose her. His Rosa was still with him. Swallowing back tears, he quickly opened his eyes and pushed his feelings aside. He couldn't let emotions overtake him. Not yet. There was more work to be done.
Pushing himself to his feet, he stood up, then grabbed the front of Trevor's shirt collar and began dragging him back to the warehouse where he could torture the bitch properly.
"Wait," Trevor groaned.
"Hell waits for no one," Raz growled, dragging Trevor along the dirt road.
"If you kill me,” Trevor started, then coughed. “You won't find... her... friends... in time," Trevor groaned.
Her friends? Raz stopped, his gaze jerking to Trevor's car. That's right. Only Monique and Trevor had gotten out of the vehicle. Fuck. He'd forgotten all about her friends.