Chapter Ten
ORAZIO
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Monique was safe. So were her friends.
There was no longer a reason for Orazio to restrain himself when it came to Trevor Fucking Wilks. After his phone call with Leo, Raz stormed outside and pulled Trevor from his vehicle.
Now, his knuckles ached slightly as they connected with Trevor’s jaw. The blow sent the man reeling back. Rage clouded Raz’s vision. Each punch was a raw expression of his fury as he thought of Monique, bruised and broken because of this bastard.
“Did you really think you could hurt her and get away with it?” Orazio snarled, his voice low and dangerous.
Trevor spat blood onto the floor. “We... had.... a deal.”
"Meka and Toya are safe. A deal is no longer needed,” Orazio growled, grabbing Trevor by the collar and slamming him into the wall. His fist collided with Trevor’s face repeatedly, the satisfying crunch of bone fueling his anger.
Orazio’s eyes blazed with intensity as he continued his assault, the dull ache in his hands barely registering in his consciousness. Trevor’s cries turned to grunts of pain, then weak gasps as Orazio’s relentless blows left him bloody and broken.
As Trevor slumped against the wall, his once arrogant smirk replaced with a swollen, bloody mess, Orazio knew he had to stop before he killed him. A quick death wasn’t in the cards for this bitch.
Even so, Raz couldn’t stop himself from punching him again and again. Orazio beat Trevor until the man was black and blue. He beat Trevor until the man could no longer beg for his life, and neither could he whimper.
All he could do was stand there, silent, bloody, and battered, as tears streamed from the corners of his eyes. Orazio would’ve continued beating him if the med team hadn’t told him they were ready to move Monique to the hospital.
Only then did he let Trevor go. Releasing Trevor, he let the bastard drop to the floor. But he wasn’t done with him. Trevor was heading to the basement, and that was where he would spend the rest of his life until Orazio killed him.
It took herculean strength for Raz to walk away from Trevor without killing him. Raz left the transport of Trevor to Rome and the guards and chose to ride in the ambulance with Monique.
As Orazio climbed into the ambulance, his eyes never strayed from Monique’s unconscious form. The adrenaline that had fueled him during his confrontation with Trevor began to wane, leaving behind the aftershocks of worry and guilt.
“Everything will be alright,” one of the medics reassured him, though Orazio barely registered their words. All he could focus on was Monique, her bruised face a stark reminder of the danger she faced as long as she remained in his world.
“Take care of her,” he ordered, trying to keep the tremor from his voice.
The medic nodded, carefully adjusting the I.V line running into Monique’s arm. Orazio wanted to touch Monique, needed that physical contact, that connection even more than he needed his next breath.
But his hands were dirty, knuckles swollen and stained with Trevor’s blood. So, he held back, not wanting to stain her with the blood of her ex. The ambulance jolted into motion, carrying them away from the abandoned facility, away from the place where Trevor had planned to turn Monique over to Raz’s father.
That thought caused another surge of anger to flow over him. Her life had meant nothing to his father, to his don. Even after talking to Raz and learning that Raz wanted her, loved her, his father had still hired Trevor to take her.
His father had done some low things in the past, all in the name of protecting the Cattaneo family. However, in Raz’s eyes, this was his lowest act. And to Raz, this was unforgivable.
As they sped down the road, Orazio watched Monique’s chest rise and fall, counting each breath she took. Her eyes were still closed. The med team assured him that she was only sleeping.
As he sat next to her, staring at her on the stretcher, Orazio felt like beating Trevor’s ass all over again for the pain he’d caused Monique. However, it wasn’t only Trevor that should pay for this. So, should Raz’s father and uncle.
Raz reached for Monique’s hand, then paused. His gaze dropped to his own hand. How could he keep forgetting that he was dirty? He couldn’t touch her with these hands. Not yet. Orazio jostled when they hit a bump.
Raz inched closer to Monique to make sure she was still okay. Again, the medic assured him that she was fine. Still, Raz was on edge. He wouldn’t be able to rest until she opened her mouth and said three words to him : I love you .
No, those words could come second. The first words he yearned to hear were, I forgive you . I forgive you for what your father did. I forgive you for what Trevor and my father did. I forgive you for what Leo did.
I forgive you for taking so long to locate me. I forgive you for forgetting about my friends. I forgive you for being a Cattaneo. There were so many things he needed her forgiveness for. Until he was able to get that forgiveness, he’d feel like he was losing his mind.
What made things worse was that there was absolutely nothing he could do to help her. He could torture Trevor forever, but that wouldn’t help Monique, nor would it take away her pain. It wouldn’t make her forget the things she’d suffered at Trevor and her father’s hands. Speaking of her father .... Raz pulled out his phone and called Leo.
“What’s up, boss?”
“Where’s Monique’s father?”
“Shit! I forgot to tell you. He, uh... I found his body in the warehouse.”
“His body?”
“He was dead. A bullet to the head. I’m assuming Trevor betrayed him.”
“Fuck!” Raz’s gaze shifted to Monique. How was he supposed to tell her that her father was dead, killed by Trevor? Fuck!
“I’m arriving at the hospital,” Leo told him. “I’m going to make sure everyone is on the same floor as Cas. It will be easier to guard them all if they’re not separated.”
“Sounds good,” Raz mumbled as he massaged his forehead. Then Leo’s words sank in. “Wait. Isn’t Cas on a trauma floor? I was told Monique wasn’t that bad off.”
“About that. Your father exaggerated Cas’s condition to get you to stay away from him and to make you angrier at the Tatums. He told the same story to Cas about you. Cas thinks you’ve had surgery.”
Of course, his father lied about that.
“Leo, I really want to fucking stab you right now for your part in this bullshit.”
“I know. Trust me, I know.”
Orazio sighed. “You know what? It’s good that Cas isn’t as bad off as I’d been told he was. That’s a good thing. Having everyone on the same floor is great, also. It’ll be easier to keep an eye on everyone. I’ll let you get back to it.”
“Are you going to tell Monique her father was killed?” Leo asked.
“You shouldn’t be discussing this while you’ve got eyes on you,” Raz reminded him, referring to Meka and Toya.
“Don’t worry. It’s safe for me to talk. Meka and Toya are sleeping. They look exhausted. So, are you going to tell her about her dad’s death?”
“I will. I can’t lie to her about it. We promised not to lie to each other about anything. Plus, she probably already knows. She was there, after all.”
“You know, all lies aren’t bad lies. If you plan to be the future don, you’ll have to lie to her about some things, right?”
Raz stared at his Rosa. Lying to her was not an option. “I... I can’t lie to her.”
“But you won’t always be able to tell her the truth. Sometimes, we lie to the people we love to protect them. I’m not saying lie to her about her father. I’m talking about stuff regarding the organization. Some of that stuff may have to be kept from her. Just... think about it. I’ve got to go now.”
The line went dead. Raz pressed end call as he stared at Monique. Being the don, would he have to lie to her? Would he have to treat her the way his father treated his wife, keeping her in the dark about everything?
To protect her, would he have to keep her shut up in their home like his stepmother was? Fuck! He couldn’t think about this right now. The ambulance went over another bump, causing his Rosa to groan in her sleep.
“Hit another bump, and I’ll kill everyone,” Raz yelled.
“Yes, sir,” the med team mumbled.
Raz’s gaze remained glued to Rosa. She was alive, she was safe. But how long could he keep her that way? How long could he shelter her from the ugly side of his life before she decided she didn’t want to be part of his life at all?
Raz reached for her again, wanting to caress her face. And again, he hesitated. His hands were dirty and bloody. Too dirty and bloody to touch her. Even when they were clean, they were still too dirty and bloody to touch someone as precious as her.
She was the beauty to his beast. The light to his dark. The sweetness to his bitterness. But when an angel spent too much time around a demon, its feathers began to darken. Raz swallowed, trying not to let his mind take a trip down a dark path.
Instead, he closed his eyes and told himself everything between him and Rosa would be fine. He wouldn’t have it any other way. And he’d kill any motherfucker who tried to change that. Raz held in his sigh.
That thought was further proof that his life was too dirty and bloody for his Rosa. When they reached the hospital, he walked behind the med team as they wheeled Rosa inside. Would he have to make this walk again in the future?
Would he have to follow behind her on a stretcher, wondering if she’d be alright while worrying that his lifestyle would get her killed? They wheeled her in through the emergency exit, where Dr. Sullivan was already waiting for them.
“Leo already explained things to me,” Dr. Sullivan told him.
“I’m sure my family pays you enough to keep this quiet, right?” Raz asked.
Dr. Sullivan nodded. “This floor is yours for however long you need it.”
Nodding, Raz continued following behind Monique’s stretcher as Dr. Sullivan showed the team to a room he’d readied for Monique. Raz remained near the door, watching as they moved Monique from the stretcher to the bed.
“Be careful with her,” Raz ordered.
“She’s in good hands,” Dr. Sullivan said as he worked.
“Watch her head,” Raz instructed.
“We’ve got this,” Dr. Sullivan told him.
“Her hand is hanging over the bed,” Raz informed them.
The doctor turned and faced him. “Please step outside until we have her settled.”
“Why the fuck would I do that?” Raz growled.
“Because you’re making the nurses nervous.”
Raz glanced at the two nurses. He’d seen them before. One was the nurse Rome said was part of his team. The other was Dr. Sullivan’s wife.
“I’m not leaving the room,” Raz stated, folding his arms over his chest.
“We can help her better if you’re not directing our every move. Please step outside for a moment. Not for us, but for Monique.” When Raz didn’t move, Dr. Sullivan added, “Please.”
With a sigh, Raz stared down at Monique. Was he getting in the way of her being treated? What if she woke up and didn’t see him? He had to be there when she opened her eyes.
“Ten minutes,” Dr. Sullivan said. “Give us ten minutes. Let us take care of her for you, Mr. Cattaneo.”
A few seconds ticked by before Raz nodded. “If anything happens to her...”
“You’ll burn this hospital down,” Dr. Sullivan finished for him. “I know. You said the same thing when Rome came in a few years ago with a gunshot wound.”
That’s right. Dr. Sullivan had been taking care of his family at this hospital for years.
“Call me as soon as you’re done,” Raz ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Dr. Sullivan told him. “While we get her set up and check her vitals, how about you go to the bathroom and freshen up? You don’t want her to see you like that when she wakes up.”
Again, Raz stared down at his bruised and bloody hands, which ached slightly. With the way they were bruised, they should be throbbing in pain. The meds Rome had given him were dulling the ache, making it barely noticeable.
But it hadn’t taken the pain away entirely. He’d have to let Rome know that. Raz’s gaze drifted to Monique. Did that mean it hadn’t taken all her pain away, either? Was she hurting right now?
If so, he needed to let the hospital staff do their job. Though he was reluctant to leave, Raz knew he was just in the way. I’ll be right back, Rosa. After casting one last glance at his Rosa, Raz turned and left the room.
At the time, he didn’t realize he was lying to himself. He wouldn’t be right back. The truth was, Raz wouldn’t enter that room again.
Ever .