Chapter Twenty-Six
ORAZIO
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Leo maneuvered the vehicle down the dark road in the middle of nowhere. Not much traffic passed this way. Not yet. Soon, this location would become a profitable tourist attraction, complete with a shopping outlet, restaurant, and casino/resort, thanks to the Cattaneo family.
Orazio stared out the car window, his mind a hundred miles from where it should be. As Leo turned onto a darker road flanked by endless trees, Orazio's thoughts shifted to the task at hand.
He'd been to this location a few times. It was where they were laying the foundation for their new casino. The parking garage was currently under construction. Here is where they would deal with Tatum.
Bright lights pierced the darkness, illuminating the area where the concrete crew worked. Cars were parked in the gravel lot near the site. Leo pulled up next to Bryceson's car. Orazio stepped from his vehicle before Leo could come around to let him out.
"You're supposed to wait for me to open the door, Raz," Leo mumbled, jogging to catch up with him.
"I'm ready to get this over with," Raz replied, mood sour.
"Why?" Leo asked, now walking beside him. "Do you have somewhere important to be?"
Raz stopped and glared at Leo, prompting him to stop also. "You must be tired of breathing?" Raz growled.
Leo shook his head. "I happen to enjoy breathing, boss."
"Then act like it."
Turning away from his guard, Raz continued toward the site. He found his cousins, Bryceson and Julian, along with Raz's two brothers, standing off to the side, talking. They stopped talking when Raz approached them.
Cocking his head to the side, Raz said, "Don't go silent because of me."
It was Julian who spoke up. “Don Orazio Cattaneo!” Julian exclaimed, smiling. "You just don't know how fucking proud I am to have you as my Don."
Though Orazio was in a shitty mood, he couldn't help but smile at Julian Cattaneo. His cousin had just turned twenty-nine a few days ago. Raz had planned to go to his party but opted out, not wanting his mood to bring everyone down.
"Sorry I couldn't make it to your party, Julian," Raz apologized.
"Don't apologize. I wasn't there either," Julian told him, shrugging off the apology.
Cas chuckled. "Julian was a no-show to his own party. Guess where he was?"
"Where?" Raz asked.
"Chasing after some woman who wants nothing to do with him," Cas answered, smirking at Raz.
Raz side-eyed his baby brother, feeling Cas was trying to insinuate something.
"She does want me," Julian defended. "She's just a little nervous about dating someone younger than her."
"How old is this woman?" Raz asked.
"Older than me," Julian admitted. "But age doesn't matter. She's worth fighting for."
"How old?" Raz asked again, gaze narrowed on Julian.
"Thirty-Nine," Julian revealed.
Ten years older! Rome chuckled at the revelation while Cas merely shook his head in disbelief. Raz took a deep breath, attempting to hide his own surprise. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this nonsense.
He could only imagine how Julian's mom would react if she found out her twenty-nine-year-old son was involved with a woman who was old enough to be his mother. Well, maybe that was taking it a little too far. Still, she was too old for Julian.
"How old is your mother?" Raz asked Julian.
"What does my mother have to do with this?" Julian frowned. "This is between me and Stefanie. No other opinions are needed."
"How did you meet Stefanie?" Raz asked.
Julian's eyes lit up as he recalled his first encounter with Stefanie. "I met her when I stopped by to pick up my little sister from college last summer break. Stefanie was having trouble finding a building, so I helped her find it."
"Ah," Raz nodded. "So, Stefanie is a student, too?"
Julian shifted nervously, suddenly seeming less confident. "No. She was there picking up her daughter."
"She has a college-age daughter?" Raz growled. "Give it up. Your parents will never let you be with her."
"You all are just as judgmental as my parents. I bet you're going to shit a brick when I tell you she's a black woman, right?" Julian challenged.
Raz shook his head. "Race doesn't matter. But she's far too old for you. And she has a daughter who is closer in age to you than she is."
"Fuck you, Raz," Julian seethed. "Worry about your own shit, and I'll worry about mine."
"You were just happy to see me," Raz joked, wondering if his brothers had told Julian about his situation with Monique.
"Yeah, well, I'm not happy to see your ass now," Julian stated, causing Raz's brothers and Leo to laugh.
After the laughter died down, Raz asked Julian, "Does she know who you really are and what you do for a living?"
“I’m a businessman. Self-employed.”
“Yeah, but does she know what you do on nights like tonight?”
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Julian stared off into the distance. Raz took that as a no. Julian was young, handsome, and rich. He could have any woman he wanted. But what he wanted didn't matter. Not when it came to love. Not for the Cattaneo men.
"Leave her alone, Julian. She has a family to worry about. Don't bring our family's dangers to her doorstep. I know you care for her. I can see it in your eyes when you talk about her. But your love for her could be detrimental to her and her family. Trust me. I'm speaking from experience."
Julian met Raz’s gaze. "She makes me happy, Raz," Julian told him. "I've never felt like this before. Even now, I wish I was with her instead of here. I’m going straight to her as soon as I leave here.”
“I thought Cas said she didn’t want you. Are you stalking the woman?” Raz asked.
“If she didn’t want me, she never should’ve let me into her life, into her world. Letting her go, that’s not something I can do."
Damn, Julian . Raz knew the feeling. And he hated that his cousin had found true love. True love wasn't a luxury the Cattaneos could afford.
"Is your happiness worth her life?" Raz asked Julian a question he asked himself every time he felt the burning urge to go to Monique.
Julian blinked rapidly before sighing deeply. His young cousin started to say something, but Julian's father, Guiliano, called out to Raz.
“Orazio, over here,” Guiliano called.
Julian shot them a warning look as they made their way to the others. "Don't say anything to him about Stefanie."
Raz nodded before moving over to his cousin Guiliano Cattaneo. The scene ahead was lit up like a stage, and the drama was about to unfold. The star of the show was already in place. Guiliano shook Raz's hand when Raz reached him.
"Glad you're here. We can get started now," Guiliano told him. "Our set up crew is ready."
"It's our team, right? No freelancers?" Raz asked, already knowing the answer but needing to ask anyway.
"Yes. It's Cattaneo Concrete Solutions pouring the concrete and setting it up."
"Good."
Julian and Giuliano managed Cattaneo Concrete Solutions. He trusted them to only hire personnel who were loyal to the organization. They had everything set up already. And the star of the show was in position.
The rain had calmed to a light drizzle. The smell of damp earth filled his nostrils. The hum of the concrete truck's engine filled the night. Orazio stared down at Tatum, who was bound in plastic and lying prone at the center of the foundation. Only Tatum's mouth was free, a small mercy that wouldn't last long.
"I'm surprised he isn't talking," Orazio remarked, gaze moving to the concrete truck, whose driver was expertly maneuvering the vehicle into position. The floodlights cast shadows on the surrounding trees, adding an eerie vibe to what was already a crime scene.
"He's not talking because he's unconscious," Giuliano told Raz. "He should be waking up soon."
As if on cue, Tatum began stirring as soon as the concrete began to pour from the chute, flowing like thick gray molasses around Tatum's body. Raz's gaze rose to those standing on the other side of the foundation, landing on the two men in wheelchairs. One was his father. The other was his uncle.
Both looked like they'd aged a great deal since the last time he'd seen them. His father had his eyes closed. His uncle was staring down at Tatum. Raz's gaze roamed over his uncle, who was now missing an arm and a foot.
He was being tortured on a daily basis. Such was the punishment of those who betrayed the family. They wouldn't let him die for a very long time. His uncle's gaze rose and met with Raz's.
His uncle looked defeated and tired. A sliver of guilt threaded through Raz's veins. He shoved it aside. His uncle didn't deserve his guilt. For what he'd done to the family, especially to Bryce, he deserved what was happening to him.
"Help," Tatum cried out suddenly, snapping Orazio's attention back to the grim scene unfolding before them. The doomed man squirmed as concrete rose around him, slowly encasing him in a grisly tomb. "Help! Please! I'm sorry," he sobbed, desperation seeping through every word. "I'm so sorry!"
Raz glanced over at Cas, whose eyes gleamed with dark satisfaction as he watched the concrete slowly envelop their enemy.
"Help," Tatum yelled again, squirming as concrete surrounded him. "Please. I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry," the man sobbed.
Sorry didn't do it, son of a bitch. You did. Raz glanced at Cas again and found his brother smiling as he watched the concrete slowly inch higher and higher. Tatum continued begging for his life, calling out to Cas for mercy.
"I'm sorry, Caspari," Tatum wailed. "I was wrong. I'll make it up to you. Just give me a chance."
The concrete rose higher, covering Tatum's arms and legs.
"Fuck you, Cattaneos," Tatum yelled, voice trembling as he realized he would be shown no mercy. "Fuck you all! I hope you all rot in hell!"
The concrete had now reached the side of Tatum's face. Soon, the man's cries became muffled until, finally, he was unable to make a sound and was no longer squirming. It was over. Tatum was dead.
"Rest in hell, bitch," Cas mumbled.
Orazio watched on as their crew smoothed out the surface of the concrete, forever entombing their enemy in a cold, stiff grave. Now that the show was over, Raz felt as if he should say a few words to his family and members of the Cattaneo organization.
"The new parking garage will be built on this foundation," Raz announced. "Soon, four levels of parking spaces will be on this spot. Forever, Tatum's weak ass will be living under us, under our rule, under our success, under our feet. He'll never be reunited with his family, not even in death."
Those gathered nodded as Raz continued.
"This is what we will do to all of our enemies," Raz informed them. "We will show them and everyone else that our family isn't weak. Never has been and never will be. Together, we'll continue to grow and prosper. And if anyone in this family decides to betray us..." Orazio's gaze met his uncle's. "We'll tear them apart, piece by piece," Raz growled. "No one can stop us. No one can defeat us. We are the Cattaneos. Everyone else is either our allies or our prey."
After he finished his speech, his family and crew cheered. It was now time to let the crew finish setting up the foundation. The concrete would take about two hours to harden. Raz had no intention of sticking around until that happened.
Thankfully, Julian and Bryceson volunteered to remain behind until the concrete was set. Raz turned to leave, but not before overhearing Cas tell Leo that he needed to talk to him about something tomorrow. Raz glanced at Leo, Cas, and Rome.
"What are you three up to?" Raz asked, feeling uneasy.
"I'll be heading back to Italy soon," Rome told him. "I need Leo's help with a few things before I fly out."
"Like what?" Raz asked.
"Like things that don't pertain to the don," Rome told him.
This motherfucker!
"Leo, let's go," Raz ordered, leaving his two brothers staring at him with suspicious grins on their faces. "What do you think those two are up to?" Raz asked Leo as they headed to their car.
"Probably something to do with Rome's flight back to Italy. I plan to send two of our guys there with him to guard him while he's there. I know the DeLucas have guards for him. But I want our own with him, too."
"Good idea," Raz stated, glancing back at his brothers again. Cas winked at him. Rome waved. "Keep an eye on those two. I feel they're up to something besides that."
Leo nodded. "Okay, boss."
Raz climbed into the back seat of his vehicle. One item off his to-do list was done. The next item he needed to scratch off was the Cattaneo Gala. Closing his eyes, he relaxed against his seat.
He must've dozed off because he dreamed that Monique was his date at the gala. And she'd been dressed to kill, drawing the attention of other men at the gala. Seeing their hungry gazes lingering on his woman had sent Raz into a rage.
The gala had ended in bloodshed, with Raz killing everyone who'd dared look at his woman. Blood and body parts decorated the floor and walls. There was even blood splattered on the ceiling, with blood dripping from the gala's chandeliers.
He awoke with a start, heart racing. Staring out the window, Raz thought to himself, "It's a good thing she isn't coming to the gala. I'd hate to lose my cool at my first official event and kill half the motherfuckers present."
What the Don didn't realize was that some dreams had a weird way of coming true.