Chapter Thirty-One
MONIQUE
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"I'm coming on too strong, aren't I?" Mr. Miconi asked.
Monique chuckled. "A little. It must be an Italian trait or something."
"It is," he agreed. "But it's also because I've wasted enough time already. I don't want to waste anymore. Monique Rose, will you go to the gala with me?" he asked. "Just as friends. And if you and Orazio do not work out, I'm willing to wait until you're over him before I ask you to join me at my villa in Italy."
Again, Monique opened her mouth and ended up closing it without uttering a word. This man wanted to take her to his villa in Italy. Was he serious?
"Mr. Miconi, I..."
"Frederico," he corrected her for almost the fifth time. Or was it the tenth?
"Right, Frederico," Monique continued, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, noticing the way his eyes followed her every movement. "I don't want to lead you on. I plan to leave the gala with Orazio Cattaneo. We have some unresolved issues to discuss. But I don't want my issues with Orazio to hurt you or your daughter."
Frederico smiled. "Most women wouldn't care if the current date of the man they loved ended up hurt."
"I'm not most women. I have no problem with your daughter. Orazio is my problem. And I'm the type of woman who faces her problems head-on. My only reason for attending the gala is to confront Raz. I'm not going to mingle or have fun."
"Understood. But having fun could also be a means of confrontation."
"Well..." She thought that over for a second. "True. That's true. But that's not the point. The point is, I plan to leave there with Raz." Monique cocked her head to the side as she stared up at him. "Will you be okay with that?"
Frederico took a deep breath, held it in for a few seconds, and then released it slowly before responding.
"Will I be okay with you leaving my side to be with another man?" He shook his head. "But do I understand why you must do so? Yes, I understand. I won't interfere with whatever you have planned. I swear. However, I'll leave my number with you just in case you need to reach me. All my numbers. If you can't reach me, you can call my guard. Call if things don't go your way and you need someone to talk to. I won't pressure you at all if you call. I'll just listen. And if you need a shoulder to cry on, I have two you can borrow. No strings attached."
Was this man real? He couldn't be. He was saying all the right things, which should raise green flags, yet Monique was seeing red flags. Perhaps it was because of her past experiences with men.
Trevor, well, that bastard wasn't even human, so his promises didn't count. Then there was Raz, who made her feel like he'd destroy the world to be with her. However, when the world needed destroying, he decided he wanted to save the damn planet and not her.
At least, that was what it felt like. Then, along comes Mr. Miconi, saying all the right things. Were his words just as empty as the others? Or was she so fed up with lying ass men that she couldn't see the truth even when it stared her in the face.
Maybe Frederico wasn't all talk. Maybe what one crime boss wouldn't do, another one would. Monique's main concern was that Frederico would somehow interfere with her kidnapping plans.
She couldn't allow that. But, going to the gala with him would provide a great cover and make her seem less suspicious to Raz... maybe. Then again, it could end up backfiring in the worst way. That was a risk Monique was willing to take.
"I'll take your silence as a yes; you will accompany me to the gala," Mr. Miconi drawled. That charming smile returned to his face, causing her lips to curve in a smile of her own.
"Yes. I'd love to."
"Great," he told her, smile brightening. He glanced over her head to stare behind her. "I'm glad we got that straightened out because your friends and Cas are heading this way."
Monique looked over her shoulder. Yep . They were almost to them. Toya winked at her. Heffa . Monique wasn't as mad at her as before, but she still had to somehow teach her bestie a lesson. That could wait. There was one more thing she needed to make clear with her date. Monique faced Mr. Miconi again.
"Just to be clear, I love Orazio," Monique reiterated, not wanting to lead Mr. Miconi on in any way.
"I know. And I know you can't shut love on and off like a valve. I love my wife. She was my soul mate, and she passed away too early. I'll never stop mourning her. And if you never stop loving Raz, I'm okay with that. You can love someone you can't be with while also enjoying someone who is willing to share his life with you. And to be honest, I'm not looking for love. But I am ready to start living again. And I think you are, too."
"I'm already living," Monique pointed out.
"Waiting for a man to realize you're his everything isn't living. It's called being stagnant. And you're too beautiful and kind to spend your time waiting on anyone."
His words struck something deep within her heart. Before she could process the feeling, Cas spoke up.
"We're back!" Cas yelled a little too loudly as he moved to stand next to Monique. "Thanks for keeping our Monique company for us," Cas told Mr. Miconi.
"I did it for myself, not anyone else," Mr. Miconi replied smoothly.
Monique didn't miss the look that passed between the two men.
"We should go," Monique suggested, easing some of the tension that had entered the room. "Frederico, I'll see you tomorrow evening."
Frederico grabbed Monique's hand and kissed the back of it. "I can't wait, beautiful."
"And that's how plagues are spread," Cas muttered as he placed his hand on Monique's shoulder and steered her away from Mr. Miconi. "We should hurry up," Cas told them. "It looks like it's about to storm. I'm pretty sure there's a tornado warning out for our county."
Monique looked back and waved one last time to Mr. Miconi, then allowed Cas to escort her out of the building, with Toya and Meka following them. Why the hell was she smiling and feeling giddy inside? For some reason, she couldn't wipe the silly grin off her face. Outside, Monique stared up at clear skies.
"Cas, it's not about to storm," Monique pointed out.
"Oh, it is. You just can't see it yet. But I can hear the sirens."
Monique held in her smile. Cas was worried about how Raz would react to seeing her with Frederico. What he should be worried about is whether she cared about Raz's feelings at all. On the entire ride home, Monique kept thinking over Frederico's words, unable to believe how small the world was.
Small world or not, she wasn't a first come, first served kind of woman. Just because Mr. Miconi had seen her first didn't mean she would be his. No matter how angry she was with Raz, her heart still belonged to him.
But she was tired of waiting on him. She was tired of being stagnant. Been there, done that, will never do it again. She was ready to start living again, and she wanted to live her life with Orazio Cattaneo.
However, with or without Raz, it was time for her to stop remaining in place. This gala would determine whether they returned to their original path or parted ways forever. She wouldn't even consider Mr. Miconi's offer until she and Raz had a chance to talk face-to-face.
If he looked her in her eyes and told her she wasn't worth fighting for, that would be the end of something that could've been great, and there would be no coming back from it. She was ready to be someone's priority, even if it was just her own priority.
When she arrived home, Cas stuck around for a little while, and they went over the kidnapping plan one final time.
"Remember, Monique, you have to excuse yourself and go to the bathroom on time," Cas reminded her.
"I remember."
"You can't let Fauci distract you or hold you up," Cas told her.
"Fauci?"
"Whatever the old man's name is," Cas mumbled.
Monique, Meka, and Toya burst out laughing.
"You know that man's name isn't Fauci," Meka teased, shoving Cas's shoulder playfully. "Don't be mad at Mo for going to the gala with him. Be mad at Raz for going with Mr. Miconi's daughter. Monique never would've said yes to Frederico if Raz hadn't ASKED out his daughter."
"Notice the difference," Toya chimed in. "Monique said yes to being asked. Raz did the asking. He was in the wrong first, and his wrong is worse."
Meka nodded.
"You don't have to gang up on me," Cas defended. "Isn't the point of this kidnapping to get Raz and Monique back together?"
"Yes," Toya agreed. "But it'll be good to show Raz that if he doesn't get his act together, someone else will step in."
Cas shook his head. "I don't trust Miconi. Why did he show up all of a sudden ready to escort Monique to the gala?"
As Toya and Meka argued that they didn't care what his agenda was, Monique stared down at her hand that Frederico had just kissed. Was she being swayed by the older gentleman? Surely not.
But the things he'd said and the way he'd looked at her had made her feel good. She hadn't felt good in a while. She wouldn't allow those fleeting emotions to cloud her judgment, though.
While she liked Frederico as a person, she didn't completely trust him. Why would she? She'd just met him. But...
"Did you hear us, Monique?" Toya called out, jolting Monique out of her thoughts.
Blinking rapidly, Monique asked, "What? What's wrong?"
"You didn't hear a word we just said, did you?" Toya asked.
"Uh..."
"What were you thinking about?" Meka asked. "Or should I say, who were you thinking about?"
Monique couldn't stop a blush from heating her cheeks.
"Frederico!" Toya exclaimed. "She was thinking about Frederico."
Busted . Monique didn't affirm or deny the allegation.
That didn't stop Cas from lowering his head and muttering, "My brother is going to kill me. My brother is going to kill everyone."
"Let's just finish this meeting. I need a nap," Monique announced to cover up her embarrassment at having been caught thinking about Frederico.
Cas lifted his head and met Monique's gaze. He looked... disappointed. Guilt crept over her. She quickly stamped it down. There was no reason for her to feel guilty. No , she wasn't swayed by Frederico. Yes , she still loved Raz and wanted to be with him.
But if she were a tiny bit attracted to Frederico, there would be nothing wrong with that. They were both single and grown as hell. Therefore, she had no reason to feel ashamed. And Cas had no right to look disappointed in her.
Loyalty was important to her, and she knew it was important to Raz as well. She was a loyal ass woman. She was willing to stand by Raz's side no matter what this world threw at them. But she'd never be loyal to a man who wasn't loyal to her.
Been there, done that. Even if Raz had to leave her for her protection, he could've done it in a better way. She met Cas's gaze without looking away. Only the guilty were scared to make eye contact.
Cas sighed. "I've got a bad feeling about all of this."
"Why?" Meka questioned. "I think the kidnapping will go off without a hitch. Or at least without any major difficulties."
"Yeah," Toya added. "We all know our tasks. I know where I need to be and what I need to do. Monique's tasks are the same despite her having a date."
"And I'll be by your side," Meka told Cas. "Keeping an eye on everything and reminding everyone of the countdowns and locations. We have our timeline memorized, and we all know not to act until after Raz has said his speech and the dancing has begun."
"We're not to act until after the fourth song has been played,"' Cas reminded them. "We must allow Raz time to mingle with investors and important business associates before the kidnapping occurs."
"I know," Meka told him. "And if any of us forget, we all have our earpieces to communicate. You have the getaway car in place. The cabin is set up and ready. We all know where our rendezvous spot is to check in after Monique and Raz are gone. What else do we need to go over?"
Cas rubbed his chin. "I guess that's all of it. My guys have been briefed on what they need to do. Therefore, we're good on that. Still, something just doesn't sit quite well with me." Cas's eyes moved to Monique.
"If you've got something to say, say it," Monique challenged.
"Raz loves you and..." Cas started.
"This is no longer about love, Cas. Yeah, I know your brother loves me. He knows I love him. Love has never been the issue. This is about whether he's willing to trust that I can handle his lifestyle or not. The fact that he's willing to accept someone else means he thinks I'm too weak for him."
"Not true," Cas corrected her. "It means he doesn't care about that other person."
"In time, he will come to care for her."
Cas started to deny that, but Monique spoke again.
"He will, Cas. That's just how life works. In time, he'll begin to care for her. Soon, he'll be in love with her. What will he do then, divorce her to keep her safe? If so, he's a coward, and I would've lucked out on not being with another coward in my lifetime."
"That's harsh," Cas told her, frown in place.
"No. What he did to me was harsh. I'm just being real."
"I feel like you're acting differently since meeting Miconi," Cas pointed out. "Do you still want to be with my brother?"
"Of course, I do. And tomorrow evening, we'll find out how badly he wants me."
"Trust me, he's going to come to his senses when he sees you face to face. I just fear he's going to lose his damn mind when he sees you with a date. Then, when he sees who your date is, he will see red."
"Good," Monique drawled. "It's about time he sees red because I've been seeing red for a long time."
"When Raz sees red, people die," Cas clarified.
"Let them die," Monique countered, causing her friends to look at her with wide eyes, mouths hanging open. "What?" Monique shrugged. "I trust Raz not to kill innocents. If he kills them, it must mean they did something deserving of being killed."
Toya nodded. "See. That's why he needs a bad bitch like you in his corner. He doesn't even know what he's about to miss out on."
Monique smiled at her friend. Unfortunately, Cas was still determined to make his point.
"What if he kills them because of you?" Cas asked Monique. "What if he kills Frederico?"
"He won't. You already told me that Frederico is an important investor."
"When Raz is mad, he doesn't care about that. He killed most of our previous investors."
That kind of statement should shock and frighten her. After being kidnapped by her father and ex, not much scared her these days. She'd stared death in the face. She'd stared evil in the eyes.
Raz didn't have evil in his eyes. He did what needed to be done and that was that. She trusted his judgment on most things, just not how he handled their relationship. Which was why they were kidnapping him.
"Are you okay with him going crazy at the gala?" Cas asked.
"Maybe this will be a learning experience and teach him to control his anger," Monique said with a shrug. When Cas groaned in frustration, Monique added, "You're acting like Miconi is an enemy of your family or something? Is he? Because if he is, I won't go to the gala with him. And don't lie, Cas."
"He's... not an enemy. In fact, he's an ally. It's just..."
"It's just me going to the gala with him will piss Raz off, right?"
"Right!" Cas agreed.
"Good," Monique drawled.
Cas closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Monique resisted the urge to chuckle. Poor Cas. By the time this was over, he would be sick and tired of them.