Page 71 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

"Just tell me so we can be done with this conversation."

"You've always been ornery. Now that you no longer have Monique, you're worse. You need your medicine. Call her."

"She's not my medicine."

"Just call her and..."

"What the hell is so special about today?" Raz yelled into the phone, ready to be done talking to his brother. "Tell me. Now!"

"You're really a bastard these days," Rome drawled. "Today is the day we get rid of Tatum. And we have the Cattaneo Gala in two days, your first official event as don, where you'll mingle with some of the richest men in the south."

Fuck!Raz massaged his forehead. He'd almost forgotten about both events.

"I'm still working on my plans for the gala," Orazio stated. "As for Tatum, I know where it's going down. I'll meet you all there tonight."

"You know the time?"

"Yeah. I know."

"Alright."

"Bye." Before Raz could hang up, Rome called his name.

"Raz!"

"Yeah," he replied, tone cold.

"We didn't grow up around a lot of affection," Rome told him.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Just listen for a moment," Rome insisted.

Relaxing against his seat, Raz closed his eyes and listened.

"As I said," Rome began again. "We didn't grow up around a lot of affection. We had no mom. And we never gave our stepmoms who popped in and out of our lives a chance. Dad did his best. But he was the don. He was always busy. But he tried. You know he tried. He loved us the best way he knew how. We were always doing drills on what to do if an intruder broke into the house. He tested us often on how quickly we could get out of bed and rush to the panic room. He even had us doing target practice at a young age. He did that because he loved us, because he wanted us to be able to protect ourselves. Though you were only a couple of years older than us, it was you who had to make sure we made it to the panic room in record time. Dad placed alot of weight on your shoulders because you were the oldest. And you've carried that weight all this time without complaining. That's why Cas and I kept our complaints to ourselves. What right did we have to complain when you, who had it worst, hadn't uttered one complaint."

"Rome..."

"No, listen. You never complain, Raz. Yes, you're an ornery bastard, but you hold a lot in. When we got older, Dad put more and more weight on your shoulders. You bore it all so that we didn't have to. Still, you never complained. I know rumors are circulating that you forced Dad to hand over the title because you were eager to be the don. But those important to you know that you only did it to protect the ones you love because dad was slowly losing his shit. You only do things like that when you feel there's no other way to get the job done. Same thing with Monique. You kidnapped her because you didn't believe you could win her love any other way. You didn't know how to romance a woman the right way."

"Hey..."

"Maybe you were right," Rome rushed to say. "Either way, you won her love. You earned it. And yeah, some bad shit happened afterward. But it wasn't your fault. It was Dad's fault."

"And I'm connected to Dad, so..."

"So, you're bearing the weight of his sins without complaining as always. And I'm tired of it. I want to hear you complain. I want you to scream about how unfair life is and how much you miss Monique."

Raz squeezed his eyes shut. "What's the point when it won't change anything?"

"How do you know it won't? Maybe shouting it out will make you realize that you need to do something about it."

"Iamdoing something about it. I'm avoiding her to protect her. That's the best thing I can do."How many times did he have to tell motherfuckers that?

"Raz..."

"Thanks, brother, for being worried about me and wanting what's best for me. But Monique's safety comes before my happiness. So, let's end this conversation here." Raz hung up the phone while his brother was still talking.

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