Chapter Forty-Four
ORAZIO
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Frederico’s team chose to work with them. Raz had been secretly wishing they’d chosen to go against him so he could kill them all. Instead, he had to force himself to play nice for his Rosa. Raz stood in the dimly lit corridor, gripping his guns as Monique briefed Frederico’s team on the plan.
"Team A will draw the guards’ attention away from the main room by creating a distraction,” she explained. “Team B will focus on securing the people in the main room and getting them out of the building. If we move fast, we can get the people out while the don’s men are engaged with Team A. We’re hoping Team C will have the exits cleared in time. If not, Team B will have to help Team C clear the exits.”
As she talked, gunfire echoed from the direction of the gala, mingling with the faint, desperate cries of the trapped guests. The sounds gnawed at him. He had to help those trapped in that room quickly.
But he couldn’t do so without a plan. Going in guns blazing could lead to more deaths. He didn’t want more innocent people to die because of his family. His eyes remained on Monique as she confidently laid out the plan.
His Rose was in her element. She belonged here just as much as anyone else in the room. Though he’d rather have her somewhere safe and sound, he had to admit, he couldn’t imagine doing this without her.
Because of her presence, he was calmer. He was more rational. He was thinking before acting. She made him a better man, a better don. Though his eyes were on Monique, he hadn’t missed the way father and daughter Miconi had been staring at his Rose.
One was staring at her like he wanted to hold her, making Raz want to put a bullet in him. The other was staring at Monique like she wanted to claw her eyes out, making Raz want to put a bullet in her also.
Though they’d agreed to work together, Raz wasn’t an idiot. Trust was a fragile thing in this world, and it didn’t come easily to him, especially not with someone like Frederico. Someone who’d already violated Raz’s trust by bringing his woman to the gala.
He knew the man’s loyalties were paper-thin. And while they might be on the same side for now, Raz wasn’t letting his guard down for a second. He’d never trust a man who wanted the same woman he wanted.
His attention was pulled from Monique when the guard he’d had watching Isla before all this chaos happened leaned over and whispered, “Lady Boss knows what she’s talking about. She was built for this.”
The compliment caused Raz’s temper to flare. His voice was low and lethal when he responded, “If you keep noticing the way she’s built, I’m going to put a bullet in your head.”
“I was talking about...”
Raz turned his glare on him, silencing whatever weak excuse the man had been about to offer.
“Got it, boss,” the guard muttered, eyes shifting to the wall as he wisely decided not to finish his sentence and not to look at Monique.
Raz’s attention snapped back to his Rosa. She was in full Lady Boss mode, explaining things like she’d been doing this her whole life. He kept waiting for a motherfucker to say something rude or contradict her.
He was itching to shoot someone, but no one said anything. And the one time Isla tried to interject, Raz hadn’t had to come to Monique’s aid. His woman had simply stared at Isla and said, “ Lives are on the line. Let’s save the little girl drama for later. The adults are handling business right now.”
That had shut Isla up, leaving her with her mouth open. And when she’d started to speak again, her dad had shot her a look that silenced her quickly.
“I think this plan is the best plan and will have the least number of casualties,” Monique said, finishing up her speech. She faced Raz. “How do you want the teams split up, boss?”
She’d called him boss. If they were in a different situation, he’d have her against the wall right now. Since they weren’t, Raz kept his composure, holding in his smile.
“You’re the boss,” he told her, ignoring the sound of Isla sucking her teeth. Chuckling, Monique repeated her question to him. “Let’s have Leo and Rocco,” Raz started to answer just as a phone rang.
It was Leo’s line. They all paused as Leo answered. The sound of another phone chiming soon followed. This time, it was Tomas’ phone. Raz’s attention drifted between the two conversations, picking up tidbits of information from each call.
On Leo’s call, Leo was saying, “That’s good. You’re in the building.”
On Tomas’ call, he was saying, “You’ve cleared two of the exits, and the don’s men are coming in. Good. Good. I will let them know.”
Across from him, Monique released a soft sigh, tension easing from her shoulders.
“Since Team C already has two of the exits cleared, we may be able to have Team C get the people from the gala out. Team A will still go after the old don’s guards to distract them. But Team B can now accompany the don as he goes after the old don,” she said, glancing at Raz, the faintest trace of relief flickering in her eyes.
His Rosa hadn’t wanted him to go after his father alone. She’d wanted a team with him. That was fine with him. But he still wanted to face his father one on one. Raz nodded to his Rose, his mind already shifting gears, adjusting the plan.
“We should have enough people to execute your strategy,” Raz told her. “Team A will still create distractions to draw the guards away. Rocco and Stoney will take the lead on that. Team C will focus on getting the guests out now that they’ve cleared the exits. Leo and Tomas can handle that with Tomas and their team. Team B...” Raz’s gaze found Monique’s. “Monique and I will lead Team B straight for the old don.”
Monique smiled brightly. Raz found himself smiling back.
Isla spoke up, her voice irritating as hell. “What about the rest of us? I wasn’t added to a team. I can help you against the old don.”
Raz’s jaw tightened at the unnecessary interruption, his patience for Isla already worn thin. He didn’t even bother to look at her. His focus stayed on Monique, her presence helping him remain calm. Monique didn’t even blink at Isla’s outburst.
Her cool, composed demeanor remained intact, her gaze on Raz as she replied, “Isla, you’re needed elsewhere. I already told you that you’ll be in a safe location and you’ll have a guard to watch over you and your father. If you really want to help, follow the plan. This isn’t the time to play hero.”
“But why do I have to stay in a safe location when I can help fight?” Isla argued.
Monique faced her fully. “Because we don’t trust you.”
Isla gasped. “We? Who is we?”
“Orazio and I,” Monique replied.
Isla’s gaze snapped to Orazio.
Before she could speak, Orazio said, “Monique has spoken. Her words are my words. I hope we’re all on the same page. If not, there will be a problem.”
“Right,” Monique agreed. “Either you’re with us or against us. We don’t have time for fuck ups.”
Raz couldn’t hold in his smile. He couldn’t have said it better himself. Monique’s prompt shutdown of Isla caused the woman to fume. Isla’s face was flushed, her lips parting, ready to argue some more. One look from Frederico silenced her.
Raz turned back to the group. “Rocco, Stoney, you know your jobs. Get ready to lead Team A. Keep those guards distracted. The more chaos, the better. Leo, Tomas, you’re in charge of Team C. Get the guests out safely. Use the exits we’ve secured. Don’t let anyone fall behind.”
Tomas looked at Frederico for confirmation. Frederico nodded. Tomas returned his attention to Orazio and nodded.
“Team B,” Raz said, looking at the guard beside him, then at two of Frederico’s men who were coming with him. “You follow me and Monique. For all of us, the plan is to move fast, hit hard, and don’t hesitate. If anyone gets in your way or tries to hinder the plan, kill them. We don’t have time for fuck ups,” Raz said. “Let’s finish this.”
And with that, the plan was set. Or, so he’d thought.
"Boss," Leo said, stepping forward, phone still in hand. "Why not let him help with Team C and get the guest out." He nodded toward the guard standing next to Raz. “And let me help with the old don.”
Raz frowned. He didn’t like changing plans at the last minute, especially when everything was finally starting to fall into place. But Leo wasn’t done.
"I know the old don well," Leo pressed. "I know how he thinks. I should be by your side when you face him. I should be protecting you and Lady Boss."
It was that last sentence that made Raz pause. Protecting Lady Boss . Those words struck a chord with him. Leo wasn’t just thinking about the mission. He was thinking about Monique, about her safety.
Raz knew that if he ordered Leo to do so, Leo would protect Monique over him. His other guards would hesitate. They’d hesitate because they were trained to protect him first. But Monique came first. Always.
And though he knew Leo would want to guard him first, his guard had seen how down and out Raz had been these past months. He knew that if anything happened to Monique, Raz wouldn’t want to live.
Raz gave a short nod. "Alright," Raz agreed. Glancing at the guard beside him, he said, “You’ll help get the guests out. No one gets left behind. Understood?”
His guard nodded. “Yes, boss.”
“Before meeting up with Team C and getting the guests to safety, escort Isla, Frederico, and one of their guards to a safe room where they can wait this out,” Raz ordered.
The guard nodded immediately. “Yes, boss.”
Raz then faced Frederico, forcing himself to maintain a semblance of diplomacy he didn’t feel. “I know we have a lot to discuss,” Raz told the old bitch. “But let’s save that conversation for after this is all over.” He paused for just a beat before adding, “And for the record, I apologize for taking things too far.”
Frederico only nodded in response while Isla clucked her tongue. The sound grated on Raz’s nerves, but he kept his composure. Not for their benefit, though. Hell, if he had his way, both of them would be dead by now, and he’d pin it on the chaos around them. He kept his cool for Monique.
He was doing this for her. So she could see him as the bigger person. She was the reason he held back. She was the reason he bit down on his anger and let them walk away. But in his heart, he didn’t give a fuck about either of them.
As far as he was concerned, the only reason Frederico and his daughter were still breathing was because it wasn’t the right time to deal with them. If this wasn’t a war zone, their bodies would already be in the ground, and Raz wouldn’t lose a second of sleep over it.
He watched as the guard led them away. As soon as they disappeared around the corner, he turned back to the others, giving them their last instructions and making sure Tomas and Leo relayed them to those on the phone.
Finally, he was left with his small team, which included Leo and Monique.
“Once Tomas lets us know guests are being evacuated, and once we know my father’s main guards are distracted and they have an idea where my father is, we’ll go after him,” Raz told his team, who all nodded.
This was it. The final showdown was about to happen, and only one don would be left standing. Raz refused to fall. He had too much to live for. He glanced at Monique. Her . He had her to live for.
Therefore, failure was not an option.