Chapter Sixteen
ORAZIO
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You can't protect everyone.
His uncle's words drifted through Orazio's mind as he stared out the car window, feeling like the entire world was closing in on him. Those words wouldn't fade away. They were playing on repeat, echoing in his mind, taunting him, gnawing at his resolve.
He clenched his hands into fists, knuckles white as he tried to keep his anger and anxiety under control. That was hard to do, considering everything going on around him. And why the hell was this car going so fucking slow?
"Speed up," Raz growled.
"Boss, if the police pull us over and see that it's us, I'm sure they'll want to check the trunk," Leo told him. "We don't have time for that kind of heat."
Orazio wanted to say fuck the cops . But that would be reckless of him. He couldn't afford to be reckless. Gritting his teeth, he faced the passenger seat window, barely resisting the urge to slam his fist through the glass, hoping the pain would distract him from his wayward thoughts and dull the ache in his chest.
But that ache wouldn't go away until he was back with her . Don't think about her, Raz thought to himself, afraid that if he thought about her right now, he'd have Leo turning the car around and taking him to her side, where he belonged.
She was safe. His team was on their way to secure the hospital. Monique was fine. She's fine, he repeated in his head a few times, hoping it would stick. Raz closed his eyes, but he couldn't shut out the dread he was feeling.
To calm himself, he went over everything that was happening right now. Bryce had taken Uncle Patrick and Tatum's bitch ass to the family, where they'd be locked up until Raz took care of more pressing matters, the motherfucking board .
He was still pissed that Patrick had recorded their entire damn plan. Now, the members of the board had a chance to run and hide. They had a chance to reach out to their connections. They had a chance... period .
Raz didn't want them to have any chances. Releasing a sigh, Raz turned to look into the back seat. With his laptop perched on his lap, Rome sat hunched over in the backseat, eyes darting across the screen as he tried to hack into cameras around the city.
Rome was mainly focusing on the cameras at red lights. His brother had some type of program that would ping when the image of the board members appeared on any of the cameras. So far, they hadn't had any pings.
There was no way those fuckers could've gone into hiding that fast. Raz faced forward in his seat. There was no point in rushing Rome. Raz would hear the ping whenever his brother found something.
Closing his eyes again, Raz asked, "Leo, we have teams going to the board members' homes. Have any of them checked in yet?"
"No, boss. They haven't made it to the homes yet," Leo replied.
"How fucking long does it take to reach an address?" Orazio snarled.
"I'll contact them," Leo stated before pressing his hand against his earpiece and talking to those he was connected to. "Team one, check in," Leo said. "What's your ETA?"
Raz listened as Leo checked in with the teams. No one had made it to their destination yet.
"What the fuck am I paying them for if they can't do their fucking jobs?" Raz yelled.
"Calm down," Rome ordered from the back seat, prompting Orazio to turn around to glare at him.
"Calm down?" Raz yelled. "How the fuck do you expect me to calm down at a..."
Rome interrupted him by saying, "You're proving Uncle Patrick right. He said love made us weak. It made us act out of character. It made us reckless. He also said you'd lose the woman in your life because of love. Stop proving him right before it's too late."
This motherfucker! Before Raz could go in on his ass, Rome's computer pinged.
"A face has been picked up on one of the cameras," Rome told him.
"Whose face was picked up, and which red light are they at?" Orazio asked, no longer blinded by rage.
"It’s not at a red light. This one was picked up on a camera at Motel 6." Rome went on to list the address to the motel.
"Head there now," Orazio ordered Leo.
"On it, boss."
Finally, something to go on!
"Who the hell is at Motel Six?" Raz questioned, confused as to why any of the board members would go there.
"One sec. I'm pulling up the feed now," Rome told him. A few seconds later, his brother chuckled. "It's the person I least expected it to be. It’s Frillman."
Frillman? Raz frowned, mind racing.
"The only reason that bastard would be at Motel 6 was if he was meeting some seedy individuals there," Raz stated.
"That’s the most likely reason he’s there," Rome agreed. "He hasn’t made a call or texted on his phone. None of them have. But that’s because our uncle recorded our conversation, so they know we're monitoring them. He had to use someone else’s phone to make the call and schedule this meeting. I’ve got the camera’s live feed pulled up," Rome informed Raz.
Cas, also seated in the back seat, leaned over to look at the laptop screen as Rome continued talking.
"Frillman was escorted into a room on the first floor of the motel. Looks like he has three guards with him. One of the guards had the room key. This place still uses an actual key instead of a key card." Rome shook his head and continued. "So far, only three guards have gone into the room with him. That’s not to say that they didn’t meet someone there. There are only three cars parked on that side of the building. The motel isn't packed. I’m going to run those plates now to see who comes up," Rome told them.
Raz looked at Cas. "Search that particular Motel 6 and see what guests say about it. It could be a place run by Frillman’s people."
Nodding, Cas pulled out his phone. "Who would’ve guessed that Frillman’s weak ass would actually keep a team posted up at Motel 6? This makes me think he’s pushing weight out of there. It seems there's more to our father's board than we thought."
Raz nodded. "This would've been the perfect place for him to lay low because it would've been one of the last places we looked for him. If his people manage this place, they’ll come to his aid when they see us here."
"I’ll put the cameras on a loop before we get there," Rome stated. "It shouldn’t take me more than five minutes."
"You’ve got three," Leo announced. "We’ll be there in three minutes."
"Working on it." Rome's fingers clicked across the keyboard.
"Hey, Raz, reviewers say this place is a dump. There’s been multiple reports of shootouts and seedy people hanging out late at night. A few even said when they tried to enter the lobby to pay for a room, the door was locked, and it was during the middle of the day." Cas chuckled. "Isn’t this place supposed to always keep the light on for customers?"
Raz glared at his brother.
"No one else found that funny, huh?" Cas said. "Fuck y’all. That was funny."
"Is that all they say about the place?" Raz asked.
"Pretty much," his brother replied.
"I’ve got it," Rome chimed in. "The cameras are on a loop. Since Frillman’s people may manage this place, one of us should keep the people in the lobby distracted while the rest of us engage with Frillman. I’m sure Frillman has alerted his team to be on the lookout."
"We’re almost there," Leo stated. "I’ll park in the McDonald’s parking lot next to the motel and walk over. Cas, you drive after I get out. I’ll make sure the lobby person doesn’t make a call to Frillman, alerting him of our presence. If there are other watchers..."
"Hold up," Rome called out, causing everyone to go silent. "As soon as you turn into the motel’s parking lot, I’ll press this button, and all cell service in a three-mile radius will go down."
"Sounds good," Leo stated. "But I'll still handle the lobby person. We don't need them coming to Frillman's aid. I'll take that person out quick, then guard the door to see if anyone comes to help."
"Sounds like a plan," Raz agreed. "But we have to be in that room within one minute. Do you know the room number?" Raz asked Rome.
"No. I can’t see it with the camera angle. But I know which room it is. I can lead us to it," Rome replied.
"Good. Listen. We only have a few minutes to get in and get out. I do not need anyone alive. Kill them all. But Frillman's bitch ass is mine," Raz ordered. "Leo, you take care of the lobby and any watchers they may have. Cas and Rome, you enter the room with me. It should be a simple lock and chain setup if they use keys to open the doors here. Shooting the door knob off, then kicking it open to break the chain, will be our quickest way in. The only problem is, that first shot will get their attention..." Raz paused when Rome's laptop pinged again.
"Hey, that's no longer a problem," Rome told him. "Frillman is exiting the room now with two of his guards."
"It seems luck is on our side," Raz stated before telling Leo to floor it.
They couldn't allow Frillman to leave the parking lot. Raz tapped his foot against the floorboard as Leo pulled into the parking lot of Motel 6.
"Frillman is walking over to a different car," Rome informed them. "Not the one he arrived in. I assume he came here to switch vehicles. He's heading to the trunk of the new car."
Weapons! Frillman had switched cars so he could weapon up. Smart . But Raz didn't give a fuck about his weapons. Frillman wasn't going to be alive much longer. Leo swerved around the corner, approaching the room Rome had directed them to.
There was that bitch! Raz clenched his jaw, angry that his hands weren't already around Frillman's neck. Their headlights shined on Frillman and two of his guards. Frillman shielded his eyes as Leo slowed down.
Raz hopped out before the vehicle could come to a complete stop. Frillman lowered his hand. The bitch's eyes widened, looking like he'd seen a ghost when he caught sight of Raz stalking over to him.
"He's not with us. Shoot him," Frillman yelled.
Raz raced toward Frillman as two shots rang out. Frillman's guards dropped. Raz didn't bother to look back to see who on his team had fired. Right now, all he could see was Frillman, who was trying to race back to the motel room he'd exited.
The door to the motel room opened from the inside. Frillman rushed into the room and tried to close the door behind him. Lowering his shoulder, Raz rammed into the door before Frillman could shut it, forcing it open and knocking Frillman to the floor.
Frillman turned over onto his back and tried to scoot away from Raz. I've got your bitch ass now! Raz rushed toward Frillman, ready to choke the life out of that bastard with his bare hands.
A shot was fired from someone in the room. Shit. In his blind rage, he'd ignored the others in the room. Pain radiated up his side. Fuck! A bullet wasn't about to stop Orazio Cattaneo from ending Frillman's life tonight.
Though his side stung, it felt like the bullet had just grazed him. He'd been shot before. This didn't feel like that. Even if it was, that didn't stop him from grabbing Frillman by the collar of his suit and lifting his ass up, using him as a shield.
When the guard fired again, the bullet struck Frillman in the shoulder, forcing a cry of agony from the bitch. Raz looked up at the guard, who was staring at his boss in shock, unsure of what to do next.
"Sorry, boss," the guard called out, voice shaking.
"Kill him, you idiot!" Frillman roared.
The man raised his weapon, training it on Raz again as Frillman tried to escape Raz's grasp. Orazio raced forward, pushing Frillman with him, ducking and using the board member as his bulletproof vest.
"I can't get a clean shot, boss," the guard whined, sounding like a child instead of a grown-ass man.
The guard leaned left. Raz moved Frillman left, peeping around the board member’s neck to see the guard. The man was waving the gun from side to side, trying to get off a shot. Raz was moving Frillman in the same direction the guard waved his weapon.
"Get off me," Frillman roared, spit hitting the side of Raz’s face.
Raz headbutted the bitch but didn’t release him. Raz continued pushing Frillman forward, backing the guard into a corner of the dingy room. He then shoved Frillman at the guard. The collision forced the guard to drop his weapon. The gun clattered to the floor.
Without hesitation, Raz lunged for it, snatching it up and scanning the room for other shooters. He spotted one in the corner, hands raised in surrender. The man's eyes were wide, darting between Raz, Frillman, and the downed guard.
"Shoot him!" the guard yelled, struggling to help Frillman up.
The man shook his head, not even reaching for his gun that lay on a nearby table.
"I know who you are," the would-be shooter said, hands still raised. "I just push coke and supply weapons. I'm not trying to have beef with the Cattaneos."
"Problem is," Raz replied coldly. "You know that the Cattaneos were here. Knowledge is power."
Raz fired, splattering the man's brains on the far wall. He couldn't let anyone have that kind of power. He turned to face Frillman and the other guard.
"I..." the guard started, but a bullet to the face silenced him.
There wasn't shit that guard could say to him. He was here for Frillman. Blood splattered onto Frillman, who sputtered and tried to get away from the dead body. Outside, the sound of cars screeching to a halt reached Raz's ears, followed by shots ringing out in the parking lot.
He didn't look back. He trusted his brothers and Leo to handle the situation. Now, Frillman had his undivided attention. Raz's eyes narrowed as he stalked toward Frillman, who had scooted up against the wall. Raz's lips curled into a sinister grin.
"You’re one ungrateful son of a bitch, aren’t you? I let you live," Raz snarled, his voice low and menacing. "I let you leave that room alive."
"You shot me!" Frillman yelled, his voice cracking.
Ignoring the pathetic outburst, Raz continued. "I let you live. But as soon as you were free, you asked your people to look into me and my family. You wanted to know who I was fucking, who I loved, where I hung out, where I slept, all that shit. You wanted my loved ones' heads in a box, right?"
Frillman shivered but didn't reply, not that Raz needed him to.
"You said you would rain down hell on me and mine," Raz continued, standing in front of the cowering man. "Who's in hell now, bitch?"
"You little fucke..." Frillman tried to spit out.
Raz planted his foot in the bitch's face before he could finish the sentence, breaking his nose with a sickening crunch. Blood spilled from Frillman's nostrils as he cried. The man's hand went to his nose before he pulled his hand back to stare at it.
He gasped, tears mixing with the crimson streaks that poured from his nose. Raz crouched down in front of the bundle of whimpering bitch before him.
"You have a wife," Raz said, voice low and menacing. "You have children. You should've thought of them before you pissed me off. Because of you, I'm thinking of them. Because of you, they're next on my list."
Frillman shook his head desperately, tears streaming down his face. "No. Please. They did nothing wrong."
"You're right. They didn't," Raz replied icily. "Just like the woman I love did nothing wrong. Yet, you've sent your people after her. All is fair in war. Nothing is off-limits."
"Please..." Frillman choked out, but before he could say anything more, Raz dug his finger into the bullet wound he'd gifted Frillman not even two hours ago. The man screamed, blood gushing from the wound as Raz twisted his finger inside it.
"Do I look like a man who'd be swayed if you beg?" Raz asked, his tone dripping with contempt.
"N-no... Please..." Frillman stammered, pain contorting his features.
"Shut the fuck up," Raz snapped just as a cell phone chimed from inside Frillman's coat pocket. "Someone's texting you. Let's see who it is."
Yanking his finger from the wound, Raz reached for the coat. Frillman tried to twist away, but Raz slammed his fist into the man's already bleeding nose, relishing the pained groans that followed. He finally retrieved the phone from Frillman's pocket, only to find it locked and asking for a thumbprint.
“Give me your hand,” Raz demanded.
Frillman shook his head, clenching his hands into fists.
"Bro," Cas called from behind him. "We need to leave. I'm sure the cops have been called. Leo and Rome are dragging the bodies into the lobby. They told me to come get you."
"Pop the trunk and bring me a knife," Raz told Cas, his voice low and dangerous. Frillman's gaze flickered from Raz to Cas, the fear in his eyes intensifying.
"A little job knife or a big job knife?" Cas asked.
"A big job knife," Raz answered, never taking his eyes off Frillman.
The man quickly unclenched his fist, presenting his hand to Raz with a desperate plea in his eyes. But Raz just smiled down at him.
"Here," Frillman said, shoving his hand forward.
Raz's smile didn't falter.
"This was Patrick's doing," Frillman began snitching, desperation seeping into his voice. "Your uncle convinced us all to turn on the president."
"Did he convince you to send your people after the woman I love?" Raz growled.
Frillman's mouth opened, then closed as the man searched for the right words, hoping he could find words that would save his life.
Unfortunately for Frillman, those words didn't exist.