Chapter Seventeen
ORAZIO
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When Frillman finally spoke, he said, "I-I wasn't thinking. I'd lost a lot of blood. I was out of it and..."
"I'll see what you were thinking for myself when I put a bullet in your brain and watch it splatter on the wall," Raz told him.
"P-please, Orazio..."
Footsteps echoed behind them, announcing Cas's return. The way Frillman trembled let Raz know that Cas had the weapon Raz wanted.
"T-that's not a knife," Frillman stuttered, his eyes wide with terror. "That's a meat cleaver."
"Here you go," Cas handed Raz the meat cleaver.
Raz gripped the hilt as Frillman pulled his hand back, reluctant to offer it up now.
"Hold his hand down for me," Raz ordered Cas.
"With pleasure," Cas replied, moving to the other side of Frillman and gripping his arm.
Frillman struggled, trying to keep them from stretching his hand out and placing it flat on the floor. They didn't have time for this. With a swift motion, Raz slammed the butt of the meat cleaver into Frillman's face twice, making the man's head slam against the wall. Frillman's body went lax, giving Cas a chance to flatten his hand on the floor.
"No, please don't!" Frillman cried, slightly recovering and pressing his fingers tightly together.
Raz only needed the thumb. But since this bitch wanted to be difficult.... Raz raised the cleaver and brought it down hard, slicing all four of the board member's fingers off.
"Damn," Cas called out, speaking over Frillman's screams. "You didn't let me say this little piggy went to market," his brother protested as Raz raised the cleaver again and chopped off Frillman's thumb.
Raz picked the severed digit up and used it to unlock Frillman's phone as the board member's wails filled the room. He checked his most recent text message. Rage flowed through his veins as he stared at a picture of Monique. His Monique. It was a picture of his Rosa smiling.
It was a familiar photo, one that Raz had seen before on her ex-husband's social media page when Raz had been investigating Monique, looking for ways to make her his. Seeing that photo on Frillman's phone had Raz seeing red. However, the message that came with it sent him over the edge.
The message read: I had my team search Orazio Cattaneo's image in the public surveillance database. This woman was spotted shopping with Orazio Cattaneo recently. We'll begin the search for her. Send half the money now, the other half when I bring you her head.
The phone shook in Raz's hand as anger pulsed through him. It clattered to the ground, the sound barely registering as his mind raced with what he'd just read. He slowly faced Frillman, his eyes burning with fury as Cas picked up the phone Raz had dropped.
"I'm s-sorry," Frillman sobbed, tears dripping down his cheeks. "I'll call it off," Frillman cried, already knowing what the message said. "I'll go away. Far away. Y-you can take my family as payment. Take my money, too. I'm rich. And I won't..."
Raz raised the knife and brought it down on Frillman's face, wanting to silence the bitch forever. A garbled cry gurgled up from Frillman as Raz pulled the meat cleaver out and brought it down on his face again.
A huge gash split across the man's face as blood splattered onto Raz and the wall. He tasted the blood, felt its warmth against his skin. But he didn't give a fuck. He needed Frillman to shut the fuck up.
"Did. You. Really. Think. I'd. Let. You. Get. To. Her?" Raz yelled as he chopped, each word accompanied by a swing of the cleaver.
Frillman convulsed as Raz raised the cleaver and brought it down again, then again, and again, slicing and slicing, sending blood flying until he'd completely cut the bitch's face and head in half. But Frillman's head was still attached to his body. Raz began cutting at his neck.
"He's dead," Cas said from beside him.
That didn't stop Raz from cutting until the man's head fell from his body, one half sliding to one side, the other falling to the other side. Raz took a deep breath, struggling to breathe, heart racing, side aching.
"Damn," Rome drawled from behind Raz.
"We need to leave," Leo said, entering the room. "We need to add his body to the lobby so I can set this place on fire and make it look like a meth lab explosion. Come on, Raz," Leo called as Raz sat there, glaring at Frillman's headless body that was still bleeding.
He hadn’t punished the motherfucker enough. He needed to do more. For Monique. Fuck ! They even had a picture of her. They had a fucking picture of her. He had to protect her. He could not let them hurt her. Raz raised the cleaver, ready to continue cutting.
Cas grabbed his arm and said, "It's done."
Shaking with Rage, Raz tried to jerk his arm free of Cas. His brother held on to him tightly.
"I saw the text, Raz. I get why you're mad. But they won't get to her. Rome will track the phone. We'll get them. We can even use Frillman's phone to lure them to us. But we have to go."
Raz continued glaring at Frillman's head, and the brain matter splattered everywhere.
"I'm taking his head with me. He's coming to this meeting with us."
"We can do that," Cas said.
"I'll get a bag," Rome stated.
Raz started to rise from his crouched position. Blood rushed to his head, making him dizzy. Cas helped Raz stand up. Orazio stared down at Frillman's still-bleeding body. The man was dead, but Raz wouldn't be satisfied until everyone who was a threat to Monique was gone.
"We will kill them all," Raz declared. "No one can live."
"Kill them all," Cas agreed.
Raz turned to leave the room. Another wave of dizziness washed over him. Fuck! He swayed. Cas caught him before he could hit the ground. The room began to fade. Darkness encroached on him. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, he couldn't control his body. He felt himself getting weaker.
"Fuck, we should've made him wait until he was completely healed," Rome yelled.
"Look at his shirt," Cas called out. "He's been hit. Damn it, Raz."
He wanted to tell them he was okay. He wanted to tell them that he couldn't rest until all their enemies were dead. But his body wouldn't let him. Though his will was strong, his body was wounded in more ways than one. It would seem he'd made it as far as he could on will alone. He could go no farther.
Orazio Cattaneo passed out.
***
He was floating in and out of consciousness. Each time he was technically awake, he tried to force his eyes open. But his lids were too heavy, much like the rest of his body. He was never awake for long.
When he was, he heard the hushed voices of his brothers and felt excruciating pain. One side of his body felt like it was on fire. When the pain became unbearable, he ceased fighting and let the darkness pull him under.
He awoke once to the dings of Rome's computer, followed by a muffled conversation between his brothers and Leo. A conversation he needed to be a part of but was too fucking weak to wake up and participate.
"What's those dings? Did something happen?" Cas asked.
"Cameras are picking up the board members," Rome replied. "I have the locations of three more."
"I'll send some teams after them," Leo stated. "Instead of having teams watch those particular board members' homes, I'll have them go get the board members themselves."
No, Raz thought it but couldn't open his mouth to utter the words. He wanted those homes under surveillance. He wanted to know who would come to those families' aid. He had a feeling this went much deeper than just the board.
"Sounds good," Cas stated. "Tell them to kill the board members and bring us their heads."
"Okay," Leo answered. "I'll have them meet us at the hospital with the heads."
What the hell, Cas and Leo? Raz thought, growing angry but unable to do anything about it. He didn't want to be brought their heads. He wanted to take them himself. He wanted to see the life leave their eyes.
He wanted to feel their blood seeping between his fingers. He wasn't ready to go to the hospital. Not yet. Not until all those bastards were dead. Then and only then could he return to Monique's side.
But he couldn't issue that order. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He couldn't even open his fucking eyes. All he could do was let sleep claim him as the darkness closed in on him again, pulling him under, leaving his brothers in charge.
The next time he woke up, he heard Leo talking. Leo must've been on the phone because he was ordering the cleanup crew to go to the board members' locations and clean up the scenes.
Leo instructed the crew to get rid of the bodies so the authorities couldn't find them. Rome was already working on a cover story for why all the board members were killed or missing. And it involved their father being reported as missing also.
"We'll blame it on the Tatum family," Rome explained. "This will also clear your name, Cas, with what happened with Tatum's daughter. We'll make it look like they wanted to bring down Cattaneo Corp when we wouldn't sell it to them. They started by trying to blackmail us by blaming Cas for something he didn't do."
That was a good story. A damn good story. Raz loved that this could clear Cas's name with the police. However, Raz wanted to be a part of what was happening. Still, it was good to know that even without him, his brothers could handle things.
A phone rang. It was Leo who answered it. Raz strained to hear Leo's side of the conversation better.
"What the fuck you mean?" Leo shouted, sounding both angry and shocked.
Shit! What had happened now? Had some of the board members escaped? Or worse, had some of their own guys been killed?
"Are you saying none of the guards were killed?" Leo shouted. "But they were all unconscious when you arrived?"
What the hell? What guards? What fucking guards?
"The hospital staff was out, too? Stop making me ask fucking questions. Tell me everything," Leo yelled.
The hospital! Monique!
"What happened at the hospital?" Cas questioned. "What happened?" Cas yelled when Leo didn't answer right away.
"I'm trying to find out," Leo replied.
Find out faster! Why the hell couldn't he wake up? What drugs had Rome given him to keep him out like this? This had to be some of Rome's shit.
"They're gone?" Leo shouted. "Are you sure? The three of them are gone?"
"Who?" Cas yelled. "Meka and her friends?" Leo must've nodded because Cas shouted, "Who took them? Who the fuck took them?"
"They don't know yet. The team sent to watch over the hospital arrived to find everyone in the facility passed out. It must've been a knockout bomb. The don and his guard were still on the premises. Monique, Toya, and Meka..." Leo paused. "They're missing."
"Fuck!" Cas roared, echoing Orazio's thoughts.
Raz couldn't breathe. He felt like his heart had stopped beating. They'd gotten to her. Frillman's men had gotten to her. That was the only explanation. While he'd been passed out like a little bitch, his enemies had taken her from him.
And Frillman had asked for her head. Fuck! Tears welled in his eyes. There was nothing he could do to stop them from running down his cheeks. He couldn’t even wipe them away. He couldn't do shit.
What kind of man couldn’t protect the woman he loved from his enemies? He was no better than her ex. At least Trevor had divorced her before she could be hurt. Yes, the little bastard had come back into her life later.
But he'd divorced her, giving her a chance to live her life free of him. What had Raz done? He'd tried to keep her close, refusing to let her go, so sure that she'd only be safe with him by her side.
Instead of keeping her safe, he'd ended up dragging her into the hell that was his life. Not only her, but her friends also. Keeping her close hadn’t been the solution. It had been the problem. He was the problem.
"Drive faster," Cas yelled.
"The cops," Leo started.
"Fuck the cops!" Cas shouted, just as Raz thought those exact words.
"Flooring it," Leo answered.
Raz attempted to open his eyes. He attempted to part his lips but couldn't. Because of him, Monique was in danger again . And once again, when she needed him, he wasn’t around. This was his fault. This was all his fault.
It wasn’t long before the darkness was encroaching on him again. His brothers' voices became more muffled, sounding like they were miles away, and then he couldn't hear them at all. Raz passed out for the... actually, he had no idea how many times it had been.
The next time he awoke, he was able to open his eyes. Finally! Raz inhaled deeply, releasing the breath slowly as relief washed over him. He was awake... for real this time. He tried to sit up. A groan escaped him.
"He's awake," he heard Rome say. "Told you the meds would wear off. Eventually."
He'd known that fucker had given him something. Groaning, Raz continued trying to push himself into an upright position. Leo rushed over to his bedside and gently pushed him back down.
"Don't try to sit up yet," Leo told him. "Not until the doctor checks you."
Raz frowned, a sense of Deja Vu creeping over him.
"Lie back," Leo insisted. "You're in no shape to be moving around yet."
"I feel fine," Raz lied, voice hoarse, body sore.
"You can't even say that without grimacing. Relax, boss."
Leo didn't remove his hand from Raz's shoulder until Raz relaxed against the pillow. Closing his eyes briefly, he took a deep breath and released it slowly. There was still pain in his side, but it wasn't as bad as before.
His body was still heavy, like it was weighing him down, preventing him from moving properly. At least he didn't feel as out of it as he had before. He opened his eyes and stared around the room.
Rome was seated in a chair against the wall. In front of him was a small table that his laptop was perched on. As usual, Rome's eyes were glued to the screen, and his fingers were clicking across the keyboard.
Raz looked toward the window, where Cas stood, staring out. What the hell was he looking at that had him so damn enthralled? Raz's gaze returned to Leo in time to see his guard swipe his hand across his face.
Something was wrong? They were all acting strange. They were all looking... defeated . Raz attempted to sit up again. When Leo tried to push him down, Raz shoved his hand away.
"What the fuck is going on?" Raz asked, sitting up, ignoring the I.V. in his arm, ignoring the pain in his body.
"We'll tell you," Leo assured him. "First, you need to get better. I've got guys taking care of everything."
"What’s everything?" Raz asked. "How long was I out?"
Leo's gaze moved to Rome, who didn't look up from his laptop.
"How fucking long was I out?" Raz yelled.
"Two days," Leo told him.
"Two days?" Raz mumbled, mind racing. "The board? Are they dead?"
Leo nodded. "All of them. First, they were reported as missing. The next day, the bodies were found in one of Tatum's warehouses, burned to a crisp, only identifiable by their dental records. We convinced their families to say that Tatum was behind their deaths in exchange for their lives. The police are looking for Tatum and his son. We have them both."
Shit. He'd missed a lot.
"The police interviewed us," Rome spoke up, eyes still on his laptop. "Cas and I told them that our father and uncle left, saying they were going to a meeting with Tatum and never returned. To keep the police looking for Tatum, I booked a flight for Tatum and his son to Mexico, making it look like they were on the run. I had two of our guards take the flights. I'll send someone to get them in a few days. The police want to talk to you when you wake up. To explain your wounds, I told them you were on your way to meet with me when your car was shot at. I explained that I was on the phone with you when it happened. I told them I tracked your phone, found you wounded, and brought you here. You were out when the police came to talk to you. I'll tell you your cover story in detail so you know what to tell the police when they come in. For now, we'll pretend you're still out so you can rest some more."
"When they come in? They're still here?" Raz asked.
"They won't leave until they get your statement. And they'll be watching us for as long as the investigation lasts. Probably longer because it's us."
“What about our guys on the force? Can't they do anything to take this heat off us?" Raz asked.
"I contacted them. They can't do anything yet. Too many people have gone missing for them to push this under the rug. It looks like this is going to hang around for a while."
Raz nodded. "Make sense. Tell me my cover story..." Raz started, then paused. "Wait. We're in the hospital." His gaze jerked to the hospital door. Rosa was here! "Where is she?"
Where was his Rosa? He needed to see her, to hold her, to see for himself that she was safe.
"Relax," Leo told him.
That was the last fucking thing he wanted to hear.
"Where is she?" Raz asked again. "Where is Monique?"
"There's something we need to tell you," Leo started, then paused.
Raz frowned, a memory flickering to life in his mind. While he'd been out of it, he'd heard Leo say something about everyone in the hospital being found unconscious. The guards had searched but hadn't been able to find Monique. Raz's eyes widened.
Gripping Leo's arm, he shouted, "Is she gone? Did they take her? Tell me, Leo! Tell me!"
"Raz, you've got to calm..." Leo started, only to have Cas talk over him.
"They took her," Cas said from in front of the window, confirming Raz's suspicion. "They took Monique. They took Toya. And they..." Cas inhaled deeply and released the breath slowly. "And they took Meka." Cas turned and faced him. "They took them, Raz. Because of us. Because of the Cattaneo brothers."
Raz wanted to know more. He needed to know more. But he couldn't force himself to ask the next question. He was afraid to hear the answer. Even so, he needed to know.
"Are they... Are they alive?" Raz asked.
Cas lowered his head, unable to meet Orazio's gaze. Was that the answer? Orazio asked the question again, voice barely above a whisper. Cas remained silent. That silence was the answer. It had to be. And it was enough to send him plunging into despair.
Orazio's heart broke into a thousand pieces.