Page 130 of Dangerous Contract: Part 1

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Rain pelted the windowpanes like bullets, drowning out the low hum of conversation in the room. Raz sat across from his father and Cas in the shadowy recesses of his father’s home office. The air was thick with tension as they weighed their options.

Orazio was just listening to them go back and forth. He already knew what he was going to do. But, he had to entertaintheir opinions. Especially his father’s. His father didn’t like it when Raz made plans without first listening to what he had to say.

So, he pretended he was interested in their suggestions while knowing that it would take a more brutal approach to teach the Tatums a lesson.

“Look, I don’t love it,” Cas admitted, running a hand through his hair. “But, I don’t like any of this. I don’t like that a deal had to be made with the Tatums, to begin with. And I hate Bethany’s ass with a fucking passion,” Cas stated, balling his hands into fists. “But I can’t think of a better way to hit them where it hurts without the police looking at us when the dust settles.”

“The Tatums don’t lack money,” Don Cattaneo drawled. “If we want to hit their businesses, it must be a big hit. One that almost cripples them. One it would take years to bounce back from.”

“We can do that,” Cas insisted. “We can cripple them financially. That’s my vote. I vote to hit them where it hurts most: their pockets.”

“Too predictable,” Raz countered, shaking his head.

The rain beat harder against the window, mirroring the storm brewing within him. He didn’t want to cripple the Tatums financially. He wanted to cripple them physically.

“Bethany tried to ruin you,” he told Cas. “Then her family tried to extort our family. They tried to force us to unite with them. They think they hold all the cards. They think we’re at a disadvantage because the police don’t like us. They think we fear the police and don’t want to bring unnecessary attention to ourselves and our businesses.”

“Wedon’twant to bring unnecessary attention to ourselves and our businesses,” Cas reminded him.

“Cas,” Raz started. “Our family has been quiet for a long time. We’ve been building our empire, staying off the radar as much as possible. I think some people have started to think we’re weak.”

“We own half this damn city,” Cas argued. “More than half. What’s weak about that? Do we have to go on killing sprees to show our strength? Uncle did that in the past, and Bryceson nearly died because of it. Plus, it took dad a long time to clean up our image after that. It’s clean-ish now. Why fuck that up?”

“When have you ever cared about any of that? I think you’re playing it safe because of what happened with Bethany,” Raz told his brother.

“I’m not.”

“You are. And I get it.”

“You don’t!” Cas yelled. “You don’t get it. You can’t get it.”

“Okay, I don’t completely get it,” Raz agreed. “I don’t understand what you went through. And I don’t understand what you’re going through right now because it didn’t happen to me. What I do know is that what she did to you, it gave her power over you.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Cas asked, shaking his head. “No one has power over me.”

“They do. Bethany and her family have power over you. And because they do, dad made a deal with them to keep you safe.”

Cas threw a glance at the Don, and Raz didn’t miss the flash of hurt and anger in his brother’s gaze. Their dad was staring down into his drink, so he didn’t see the result of his actions, which were written on Cas’s face.

However, Raz saw the tick in his father’s jaw. Raz was right. His father hadn’t taken action because he was trying to protect Cas’s state of mind. But what his father was doing wasn’t helping Cas.

And if his dad was thinking straight, he’d realize that. Protecting Cas’s state of mind meant obliterating the Tatums,not placating them. That deal with the Tatums had made Cas look guilty and had made the family appear weak. Violence was the only way to undo the damage his father had done. There was no other way around it.

Cas leaned back in his seat. “I don’t need protecting. As I said, no one has power over me.”

“If you’re feeling like this, afraid to leave the casino, afraid to be yourself, afraid to take action against the Tatums, then yes, they do have power over you,” Raz told his brother.

“Son,” the Don said, looking at Cas. “What do you really want to do to the Tatums? And don’t say ruin them financially. That doesn’t even sound like you. What do you really want?”

Cas stared from Raz to his dad. “I...”

“Be honest,” Raz said.

Cas swallowed. “I... I want Bethany to suffer. But that’s wrong. I know it. It’s wrong for a man to want a woman to suffer. But she got away with what she did, and nothing happened to her. That shit pisses me off. Now, her dad is trying to capitalize on my pain and embarrassment. Fuck that! I want them to hurt. The entire family. I want them all to feel the same pain and shame I felt.”

“Then let’s hurt them, the entire family,” Raz said.

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