Page 53 of Dangerous Contract: Part 1

ORAZIO

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He stormed from the elevator, ready to kill someone.

Trevor, preferably, since he was the fucker she’d kept comparing him to. However, at the moment, anyone would do. With anger coursing through his body, Orazio was trying to put as much distance between himself andheras possible.

He couldn’t think when he was around her. He could barely fucking breathe. That woman was intoxicating, even when she was angry. He needed to clear his head, and he couldn’t do that while staring into her eyes and seeing them brim with tears, knowing he was the reason they were there.

However, his mind wouldn’t let him clear it of Monique Rose. It kept returning to her. Thoughts of his Rosa were holding his brain captive. His mind was replaying his confrontation with Rosa over and over again.

For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why the hell she felt like he’d ruined her life. It was Trevor who’d done that. Orazio was trying to put it back together for her. He was trying to make it better than how Trevor had left it.

Trevor planned to have her killed. Because of Orazio, she was alive. But did she appreciate that?Fuck no!All she could thinkabout was the means he’d used to protect her, not the fact that he’d protected her.

There had been no,thank you. No,I understand that you did what you thought was best. None of that. Just,fuck you, I hope you die, and I want to go home. Instead of being grateful to him, her crazy ass had tried to kill him with his own pen.

He’d faced off with hardened criminals before. The worst of the worst. Yet, none had ever stared at him the way she’d stared at him at that moment. Her eyes had been wild. He’d seen despair and hatred toward him within the depths of her brown gaze.

And that hurt. That hurt him more than it should, more than he was willing to admit. Orazio didn’t do pain, but because of her, his chest ached. He didn’t do weak, but because of her, he felt weak as fuck.

As he walked, he stared down at his watch. It wasn’t even noon yet, and he already needed a drink. In the service hall, Orazio ran into his brother, Caspari Cattaneo.Damn it.Of all people, why did it have to be Cas?

Orazio had taken the elevator to this floor to get away from people. Yet, he’d run straight into the person who could irritate him more than his Rosa just had. This morning just wasn’t his morning. The first words out of Cas’s mouth further proved that.

“I was just coming to check on you. I heard you’ve acquired a rare jewel,” Cas joked, grinning from ear to ear. “Congratulations.”

Word traveled fast in this casino.

“Did you hear me, Raz? I said congratulations.”

“Fuck off.” Orazio stormed past Cas, heading to the back bar that was normally only open to special clients on special days.

Today, he would be the special client. He needed a drink. Or two. Fuck that. He needed a bottle.

“You should be in a good mood, Raz,” Cas called out, following him. “You finally have the woman you’ve been waiting for, the woman you’ve been stalking for months.”

Having her was one thing. Having herwillinglywas something entirely different. He thought he’d be happy either way. He was wrong.

“Stop walking so fast,” Cas said from behind him.

“Why are you on the service floor?” Raz asked.

“I’ve been down here for two hours, looking at security videos.”

Raz stopped. Over his shoulder, he asked, “Did something happen last night?”

Did something happen while I was with Rosa, having the best night of my life? Only to awaken to a nightmare.

“We had a few uninvited guests at the casino,” his brother replied. “Security took care of it.”

“Uninvited guests? Don’t tell me they were sent by the Silver Nugget Casino owners?”

“They were. Their boss is rebuilding his casino after all of that storm damage. They were in here taking photos of our casino. In the grand scheme of things, they and their boss are the least of our worries.”

True!With a nod, Raz continued on.

Cas continued following him. “Why are you the same grumpy bastard you always are? I thought one night with your new treasure would make you happy.”

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