Page 141 of Dangerous Contract: Part 1

With a sudden, daring swerve, Cas guided their car into a tight alleyway, barely wide enough for a single vehicle. The car behind them hesitated briefly before following suit, their car nearly slamming into the graffiti-covered wall.

“Nice move,” Orazio remarked, impressed by his brother’s driving. “But we’re not out of the woods yet.”

“Trust me,” Cas replied, his eyes alight with excitement. “I’m just getting started.”

As they sped down the alley, Cas smoothly navigated around dumpsters. The bodyguards struggled to keep up, their bulkier car scraping against the walls in their haste.

“We’re almost to the main road. Hold on,” Cas whispered.

Raz leaned back in the seat as Cas whipped the car left, turning onto the main road. They swerved left then right before Cas was able to get them back on track. Luckily, no other vehicles were driving in that direction. His move slowed the guards down.

“See?” Cas teased. “Told you I had it under control.”

“Good job,” Orazio admitted, casting a glance over his shoulder at their captive.

Jacob glowered back at him, defiance burning in his eyes despite his battered state. Raz’s cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and noticed that his knuckles were bruised. Hecouldn’t let his Rosa see that. That would make her worry about him.

“Hello,” Raz said into the receiver.

“They’re gone,” Leo told him, voice low, tone dark.

“What?” Raz asked, unable to process Leo’s words.

“They’re gone. I’m at Monique’s house. Your car is here. The front door of her home was open. But the ladies are not here. And, Raz, there’s signs of struggle.”

Raz’s breath caught in his throat. Gone? Gone!

“What happened?” Cas asked.

Raz couldn’t answer. He was finding it hard to breathe.

“I checked the camera footage on my phone,” Leo told him. “Raz, the damn cameras were on a loop. They’ve been replaying the same shit over and over again for almost two hours. They don’t even show Monique pulling up to her house.”

“How?” Raz rasped, managing only to get that word out.

“I called the casino to check. I couldn’t reach the security guys. I called Mitchell and told him to check the security office. James, our security guy, was found dead in the security office. And Matthew, the other tech on duty today, is missing. Mitchell checked the casino’s cams, and they showed Matthew leaving over an hour ago. He rushed to his car while talking on his phone. He hasn’t returned, so the fucker didn’t go out for lunch. I’ve sent some guys to his house. Behind Monique’s home is an alley that leads to another street of houses. I found car tracks through her backyard and the alley. I’m looking into it now.”

“I’m on my way,” Raz said, no longer giving a fuck about Jacob in the back seat or the Tatums.

“What happened?” Cas yelled.

Raz was about to tell him, but without warning, Jacob’s bodyguards’ car reappeared in their rearview mirror, barreling toward them at breakneck speed. The car collided with fullforce into the back of Orazio and Cas’s vehicle, sending them careening off the road.

Cas jerked the car back onto the road, but the guards were there, hitting them again. The car clipped the front end of their vehicle. The impact sent them veering off the road, skidding across the asphalt, then the gravel of the emergency lane.

Tires screeched as Cas fought to get control of the car to keep them from going over the shoulder of the road and dropping into the ditch below. They were hit again, and their car went tumbling over.

Raz’s head jerked back. A whirlwind of shattered glass, twisted metal, and panicked shouts filled the air as their car flipped and crashed into the ditch below. Everything went dark as pain sliced through his head and side.

His last thoughts were of Monique. He had to find her. He had to save her. But he was in no condition to do anything. He couldn’t even move his body. Neither could he keep his eyes open. Darkness dragged him under, keeping him from the woman he loved, the woman he’d failed to protect.Gone. His Rosa was gone.

And so was he.

Chapter Thirty

MONIQUE

Before the car accident...

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