Chapter Twenty-Three
MONIQUE
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Cas finally turned around. He looked a bit calmer now. He took another deep breath, then continued toward the porch. He stopped on the front step, his gaze sweeping over Meka. Monique really wanted to see Meka's expression, but her friend's back was to the camera.
"I love you," Cas whispered.
"Turn the volume up," Toya told her.
"Shhh," Monique hushed her, not wanting to miss anything Cas said.
"I love you so much that I feel like I'm dying without you," Cas told Meka. "Normally, you're the person I'd call to talk about this. You're the person I'd turn to when things got hard. Without you, I had no one to confide in. I had no one to tell me it would be alright. I had no one to play inspirational music for me or write poetry with me to help me escape my dark thoughts."
"Cas..." Meka started forward.
Cas raised his hand, halting her. "When I was alone in my room, alone with my thoughts, alone missing you, that's when I realized how much I'd come to depend on our conversations. That's when I realized how much I depended on you. That's not fair to you, Meka. I've been laying all of my burdens on you, but I haven't picked up any of yours."
"That's not true," Meka told him. "I've come to depend on you just as much as you depend on me."
Cas shook his head. "Not true, love."
"It is true, Cas. I feel like I've been dying without you."
Cas wiped his eyes again. "You almost died because of me," he said, looking ashamed and guilty. "Because of me, your light was almost snuffed out. I told myself that staying away from you was what was best for you. But I'm a selfish asshole. I can't stay away. I can't let you go. You've shined your light on me, Meka, and I can't go back to being alone in the dark."
Tears pricked Monique's eyes.
"If a man doesn't say shit like that to me, then I don't want him," Toya whispered as Monique nodded in agreement.
"I want to step into the light with you. But you deserve a man who's all in. I can't have one foot in the light and one in the dark. I can't be yours and also be a part of the Cattaneo Organization. I must let one go, or things like what happened recently will continue to happen. Meka, I love you more than I love myself. From this moment on, I'll always put you first. I'll become a man you can depend on. I'll become a light that shines on you when you're feeling down. I'll protect you from everything, even my family and the darkness that comes with them. You are my life and my light. You are my everything, Meka."
"Now, he's just showing off," Toya whispered, wiping her eyes.
"I know, right?" Monique whispered, blinking back tears of her own.
"Cas, what are you saying?" Meka asked, voice shaky.
"I'm saying," Cas started, taking a step forward. "I'm saying that I choose you. I choose a life with you. I can't be a part of the family business anymore. I love my family. And I'll always be there for them. But it's time for me to live my own life. This means I won't have as much money as I had before. But it doesn't mean I'll be broke. I have a profitable business in my name that has nothing to do with my family. I'll be able to provide for us. I have a house. I have cars. I can still buy you anything you want. You won't suffer at all, I promise."
"Cas, I have my own house and my own car. I have money, too. I don't need a flashy lifestyle."
"Hold on now, Meka," Toya whispered. "The riches are important too."
Monique shoulder-bumped Toya. "Stop it."
"I'm just saying," Toya whispered. "Turn the volume up. I can barely hear them."
"Alright." Monique started fiddling with the volume while listening to Cas and Meka.
"I don't need to be rich," Meka continued. "I didn't fall in love with the Cattaneo family. I fell in love with you. Even without knowing how you looked and what you possessed, I still fell in love with you. So, all I need is you."
"Meka," Cas started forward.
This time, it was Meka who raised her hand, halting him. "I need you to be happy, Cas. I need you to be safe. But I also need you to be you. The real you. And if the real you..." Meka took a deep breath and released it slowly. "If the real you still yearn to be part of the Cattaneo organization, then I'll accept that part of you too."
"Wait a damn minute," Toya started. "This heffa said she couldn't accept that. Why is she changing things up on us?"
Monique chuckled. "Love makes you do crazy things."
"But..."
"No buts," Monique told her friend. "If she wants to try to accept it. Let her try. No regrets, remember?"
Toya shook her head. "I swear, these Cattaneo men be having y'all losing y'all minds. I don't want one. I'm already crazy. I don't need anything that's going to make me crazier."
"Shhh. I want to hear how Cas responds," Monique whispered as she pressed a button on the screen.
"I don't want that," Cas told Meka. "I don't want that lifestyle. I don't want that life. Thank you for being willing to accept it. But I no longer want to accept it. I want to start over. With you. I want..." Cas paused. He swallowed, looking even more nervous. "I want forever with you. And I'll do whatever it takes to have that, to have you. Will you have me, Meka?"
He hadn't even finished the sentence before Meka was rushing toward him. She threw her arms around him, crying against his chest as he held her tightly. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he closed his eyes and hugged her.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," Meka cried.
"Awww," Toya and Monique cooed.
Cas's eyes snapped open. He stared at the front door and asked, "Is someone listening in to our conversation?"
Meka turned to glare at the doorbell camera. "They better not be listening in. If they are, I'm going to kill them."
Toya stared at Monique. Monique stared down at the phone. Damn it. She'd pressed the wrong button.
Returning her gaze to Toya, Monique whispered, "Sorry."
Toya shook her head, disappointment flaring in her gaze. They'd been caught in the act. How the hell were they supposed to pull off a kidnapping if they couldn't even pull off an eavesdropping?
"Busted!" Meka exclaimed, glaring at the camera. "How are we going to pull off kidnapping Raz if you two can't even eavesdrop quietly?"
"Wait," Cas said, smiling. "You all plan to kidnap my brother?"
Pressing the intercom button again, Monique leaned closer to the phone and whispered, "Yes."
Cas burst out laughing. "Count me in. His stubborn ass deserves to be kidnapped."
Monique and Toya smiled. Cas was on board with their plan, and they didn't even have to threaten him to make him join their team. Soon, Operation: Kidnapping The Don would begin with the help of the don's little brother. Get ready, Raz. We're coming for you!
“Should we go inside now?” Meka asked Cas.
Cas nodded. Monique closed the security app. She and Toya grinned at each other as they waited for Meka and Cas to join them so they could plan their kidnapping. It took a few minutes for everyone to get settled.
But now, everyone was seated, yet the planning hadn’t begun yet. But Monique couldn’t bring herself to rush the love birds. They looked so in love! It was freaking adorable. Better than any romance show she’d seen in a while.
Monique smiled as she stared at Meka and Cas, who were seated on the couch across from her and Toya. Cas was holding Meka's hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles as he stared into her eyes.
Smitten! That was what those two looked like. They looked smitten with each other. Both wore silly grins as they sat hand in hand, not listening to a damn thing Monique and Toya were saying.
But Monique wasn't mad at them. How could she be? If Raz were there, she'd be doing the same thing. Damn, I wish Raz was here. A soft sigh escaped her as tears filled her eyes.
"Oh, sorry," Cas said after hearing Monique sigh.
Blinking back tears, Monique offered him a smile. "Don't be sorry. It's good to see you and Meka happy."
She noted the blush that crept into Meka's cheeks. Wait! Was Cas blushing also? Those two were just too freaking adorable. It was like she was watching a romance book being written right before her eyes.
"It's a bit hard to focus right now," Cas admitted, eyes on Meka. "I still feel like I'm dreaming. It feels good to be here with her. It feels so damn good."
Meka's smile widened as she whispered, "Yes, it does."
And then they were lost in each other's gaze again. Toya leaned closer to Monique and shoulder-bumped her.
"What?" Monique whispered.
"You invited him in so we could start planning the Don-napping. But all they're doing is gazing into each other's eyes," Toya observed. "When will we get this show on the road? If we're not about to start planning, I can head to the backyard and practice my decapitation swing."
Monique glanced at her friend. "We said we weren't going the decapitation route. That's why you canceled your order of fake chickens."
"I, uh, may have put in a new order so I can practice for the future. You never know when you may have to decapitate someone. The order hasn't arrived yet. It'll be here in three days. But I have been practicing my swing. My swing is kind of off. I practiced cutting up that whole chicken you had in the freezer..."
"That's for dinner tomorrow!" Monique hissed.
"We can still eat it. I wore gloves while I practiced cutting it. The problem is, I can't seem to slice through any of it with one cut."
"When did you even practice this?"
"When Meka irritated me earlier and I said I needed to step out for a cigarette."
"I knew you were up to something. You don't even smoke."
"By the time I was done with that chicken, I damn sure needed a cigarette. Or something stronger."
"Did you thaw it first?"
"Yes. I'm not crazy."
"Oh, really?"
"I thawed it partially. I needed it kind of frozen so it could be tough, like a human's neck. You know, with all the tendons and cartilage and shit. But I thawed it fully when I realized I couldn't cut through any of it with one hard swing. That didn't help much. It still takes a few swings to cut through the meat completely."
"Toya, did you ruin the chicken?" Monique asked, sounding exasperated.
"It's not ruined. It's... tenderized. But listen. If I can't cut through a chicken with one swing, I damn sure won't be able to cut through a human if I had to. I don't know about you, but I don't have time to be sitting there sawing on a motherfucker's throat, getting blood splatter all over my new kidnapping outfit. I've got to become good at this!" Toya yelled.
"Shhh," Monique hushed her.
"Don't shush me. I'm ready to start planning. Meka and Cas have all night to eye-fuck each other. They can fuck each other for real if they want, but first, we need to plot."
"I can hear you, Toya," Meka mumbled, eyes never leaving Cas. "Stop letting your crazy show in front of company."
"If the company we had was sane, I wouldn't show my crazy to him. Since he's not, he can get all the crazy. And since you hear me, Meka, can we start planning? Or should we give you two a few minutes alone?" Toya asked.
"A few minutes won't be enough," Cas answered before Meka could. "When I get her alone, I don't plan on coming up for air until morning."
Oh, wow! Meka practically swooned. Monique had never seen a person swoon before. But she was pretty sure that was what Meka was doing. Meka swayed a little closer to Cas with hearts practically shooting out of her eyes, just like in those memes.
"Oh, well, uh..." Toya cleared her throat before saying, "Uh. I don't know where to go with the conversation now."
Monique chuckled. "Someone has finally shocked you silent."
Toya joined in the laughter. "I know, right? I'm not used to this."
"Good job," Meka praised Cas. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before facing them. "Okay. We can start planning now since Toya is in a rush."
"Thank you!" Toya exclaimed.
Cas faced them. "First, I want to say thank you for letting me in on this. My big brother is stubborn. Like me, he's new to these types of emotions. We were taught to avoid them. So, we don't really know how to handle this thing called love. I admit, I never knew it could make you feel like you were losing your mind until I lost Meka. That's why I can now understand what Raz is going through. Plus, he's dealing with a lot when it comes to the family and the family businesses. I can't go into too much detail, but if I were him, I don't know if I'd be able to handle it all."
"Doesn't he have help?" Monique asked. "He has a staff, right? And goons or something?"
"Right!" Toya added. "Where his goons at? And why isn't Leo helping him? Oh, and is Raz hiring? Because I can be a goon."
"Toya!" Meka and Monique yelled.
"Stop yelling in front of company," Toya said dismissively.
"Which question should I answer first? Uh, Leo is helping my brother," Cas assured them. "But he can only do so much. Rome and I, along with my cousin Bryce, are also helping. I hate that Rome will have to return to Italy soon. But he's the only one Raz trusts to handle our businesses with the DeLucas."
"The DeLucas?" Meka whispered. "They sound important."
"And dangerous," Monique mused.
"Yes, to both of you," Cas replied. "They are important, and they are dangerous. They're also loyal, and they're backing Orazio up in Italy. Some of our family there are complaining about Raz being don and about the new casinos we've set up over there. The DeLucas and Rome are making sure the family over there doesn't interfere with our progress. You all asked about our goons. Yes, we have staff . And they do their jobs. They're great at their jobs. The problem is that Raz is trying to handle too much alone. No one can do that. My dad couldn't even do that."
"I know you can't go into all the details," Meka said. "But can you explain what all he's facing?"
"Well, he has the family to take care of. As don, he's in charge of all the..."
"Criminal activities?" Toya guessed.
Cas paused, then said, "He's in charge of all the dangerous activities. Some of our cousins oversee those activities. But Orazio still has to be in the know. And there are a few cousins he's monitoring to make sure they don't do anything that goes against what we believe in. Though we may not be the most moral family, we don't condone hurting women and children. Then there are the family members who don't think he has the right to be don. Though he's told them they can call him out and try to take the title from him..."
"Wait," Monique stopped Cas. "How does that work? How do they call him out?"
"They schedule a time and place, and they show up and see who is the strongest."
"So, a fight?" Meka asked.
"Yeah."
"How barbaric," Toya whispered. "Can we watch the next one?"
"Toya!" Monique and Meka gasped.
"I just want to watch and root for Raz," Toya explained. "I can be on the sidelines shouting , This... is... Sparta! "
Monique shook her head. Toya didn't even realize how serious and how dangerous this calling out crap was. Raz had enough on his plate already. He didn't need his own blood making things more difficult for him.
Mind racing, Monique stared down at the floor. Raz had so much on his plate. Hell, he no longer had a plate. He now had a platter. A platter of problems. Would this kidnapping add more stress to him?
She wanted to help lighten his load. But would having her in his life only bring him more trouble? Maybe she needed to rethink all of this. Maybe she needed to wait until his position as don became more stable before she tried to convince him that she could handle whatever this world threw at them.
But by the time that happened, would he have completely forgotten about her?