Page 153 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

“Let Den go,” Raz ordered.

“Young Denver here needs a guardian now,” his father said. “I’m his uncle. He’ll stay with me. And so will his inheritance.”

So, that’s what he was after!

“Dad,” Cas called out. “What the hell are you doing right now? Let Den go before he gets hurt and stand down.”

His father’s face twisted into something monstrous. It was a look Raz had never seen on his father before. His eyes, filled with contempt, zeroed in on Cas.

“It’s about time you stopped calling me Dad! Do you know how fucking upset it makes me to hear you say that? For years I’ve endured that bullshit. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of you!”

Frowning, Cas cocked his head to the side. “W-what?”

“I never got the test done. I never wanted to give my brother the satisfaction of knowing he’d gotten my wife pregnant. The bitch should’ve killed him when he defiled her instead of giving birth to a child that could be his! He wanted my organization, my wife. I damn sure wasn’t going to give him my son.”

The words hung heavy in the air, and it took a while for them to catch on. But they all caught on at the same time. And when they did, they all looked shocked and hurt, like they’d each been cut with a jagged blade.

Especially Cas. Cas stumbled backward and would’ve fallen if Rome hadn’t been there to catch him. His brother’s face was now a mask of shock and unbearable hurt. Their father’s eyes bore into Cas, his voice low and hateful.

“I don’t need a test to tell me who you belong to. You’re too weak to be my son. I was hoping your mother would’ve taken you with her when she left. But she left you with me to be a constant reminder of what happened to her. A reminder that she wasn’t strong enough to fight my brother off. She left you because she knew every time I looked at you, I’d think of how she failed. But she was wrong.” His lips curled in disgust. “When I look at you, I don’t think of what happened to her. I see the same bitch in you that I saw in her. When I look at you, I only remember how much I now hate her. I’m just glad I no longer have to hide it.”

The words were too much. Raz watched his brother’s shoulders slump, the weight of their father’s words crushing his brother, threatening to break him. Cas's hand trembled as he raised his gun.

Their father chuckled. “Oh, you want to grow a pair now, huh? Maybe I should send the bitch your head,” their father sneered, raising his gun toward Cas.

That was never happening.Raz moved faster than his father, his body acting on pure instinct, a pure need to protect his brother. He fired without thinking, without hesitating, without worrying about what such an act would do to his mind, his spirit.

The sound was deafening in the enclosed space. His father’s body jerked violently as the bullet tore through his chest. His grip on Denver slackened, and the boy bolted from his captor, sprinting straight into Raz’s arms. Denver buried his face against Raz, sobbing uncontrollably, his small body trembling.

“Mama’s dead,” Denver cried.

“I got you,” Raz told him, holding him close.

Raz watched as his father dropped to his knees, blood seeping from his wound. Raz held Denver tight, his hand cradling the boy’s head, shielding him from the horrific sight. His eyes met Cas’s.

His brother's face was streaked with tears. The hurt, the confusion, it was all there in his eyes. Rome, jaw clenched, strode forward. Without a word, he pointed his gun at their father’s head.

“Rome...” their father whispered, his voice weak, pitiful. “Your... your brothers have turned on me.”

“You turned on us first. But that’s okay. We don’t need you. We never did. This is for my brothers,” Rome replied, his voice cold, merciless.

“Don’t. You’re of my blood. I know you’re mine,” their father rasped, desperation creeping into his tone. But the power he’d once wielded over them was gone, just like his life was about to be.

Rome’s hand tightened on his gun. “None of us belong to you or our mother. We belong to each other. Now go to hell, where you belong.”

Raz covered Denver’s ears as the shot rang out. The old don’s head snapped back, and his body crumpled to the floor in a lifeless heap. It was over. The reign of their father had come to a brutal end, but the scars he’d left behind would remain forever.

Raz met Rome’s gaze. His brother’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, his usually stoic mask shattered by what they’d just done. Raz knew Rome was hurting. His brother was trying his best not to let it show, just as he always had.

“Grab Cas,” Raz said, his voice thick with emotion. “And come over here.... away fromhim.”

Just like when they were kids when their father had left them to fend for themselves, Rome obeyed. He gently pulled Cas by the arm, guiding their broken brother over to Raz. With both brothers standing before him, Raz took a deep breath.

He had to be the strong one for all of them, just like when they were children. Back when their father had been busy withthe organization and the companies, and their mother had been ignoring the fact that they existed.

He now understood why she hated them so much. When she looked at them, she must’ve seen the monster that was their father. Even so, they’d been hers also. She should’ve protected them when they were younger.

Even if she didn’t have the means to protect them then, once she had the means, she should’ve come for them. She should’ve done something. She’d escaped the monster but left her children in its lair.

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