Page 36 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

“He was dead. A bullet to the head. I’m assuming Trevor betrayed him.”

“Fuck!” Raz’s gaze shifted to Monique. How was he supposed to tell her that her father was dead, killed by Trevor?Fuck!

“I’m arriving at the hospital,” Leo told him. “I’m going to make sure everyone is on the same floor as Cas. It will be easier to guard them all if they’re not separated.”

“Sounds good,” Raz mumbled as he massaged his forehead. Then Leo’s words sank in. “Wait. Isn’t Cas on a trauma floor? I was told Monique wasn’t that bad off.”

“About that. Your father exaggerated Cas’s condition to get you to stay away from him and to make you angrier at the Tatums. He told the same story to Cas about you. Cas thinks you’ve had surgery.”

Of course, his father lied about that.

“Leo, I really want to fucking stab you right now for your part in this bullshit.”

“I know. Trust me, I know.”

Orazio sighed. “You know what? It’s good that Cas isn’t as bad off as I’d been told he was. That’s a good thing. Havingeveryone on the same floor is great, also. It’ll be easier to keep an eye on everyone. I’ll let you get back to it.”

“Are you going to tell Monique her father was killed?” Leo asked.

“You shouldn’t be discussing this while you’ve got eyes on you,” Raz reminded him, referring to Meka and Toya.

“Don’t worry. It’s safe for me to talk. Meka and Toya are sleeping. They look exhausted. So, are you going to tell her about her dad’s death?”

“I will. I can’t lie to her about it. We promised not to lie to each other about anything. Plus, she probably already knows. She was there, after all.”

“You know, all lies aren’t bad lies. If you plan to be the future don, you’ll have to lie to her about some things, right?”

Raz stared at his Rosa. Lying to her was not an option. “I... I can’t lie to her.”

“But you won’t always be able to tell her the truth. Sometimes, we lie to the people we love to protect them. I’m not saying lie to her about her father. I’m talking about stuff regarding the organization. Some of that stuff may have to be kept from her. Just... think about it. I’ve got to go now.”

The line went dead. Raz pressedend callas he stared at Monique. Being the don, would he have to lie to her? Would he have to treat her the way his father treated his wife, keeping her in the dark about everything?

To protect her, would he have to keep her shut up in their home like his stepmother was?Fuck!He couldn’t think about this right now. The ambulance went over another bump, causing his Rosa to groan in her sleep.

“Hit another bump, and I’ll kill everyone,” Raz yelled.

“Yes, sir,” the med team mumbled.

Raz’s gaze remained glued to Rosa. She was alive, she was safe. But how long could he keep her that way? How long couldhe shelter her from the ugly side of his life before she decided she didn’t want to be part of his life at all?

Raz reached for her again, wanting to caress her face. And again, he hesitated. His hands were dirty and bloody. Too dirty and bloody to touch her. Even when they were clean, they were still too dirty and bloody to touch someone as precious as her.

She was the beauty to his beast. The light to his dark. The sweetness to his bitterness. But when an angel spent too much time around a demon, its feathers began to darken. Raz swallowed, trying not to let his mind take a trip down a dark path.

Instead, he closed his eyes and told himself everything between him and Rosa would be fine. He wouldn’t have it any other way. And he’d kill any motherfucker who tried to change that. Raz held in his sigh.

That thought was further proof that his life was too dirty and bloody for his Rosa. When they reached the hospital, he walked behind the med team as they wheeled Rosa inside. Would he have to make this walk again in the future?

Would he have to follow behind her on a stretcher, wondering if she’d be alright while worrying that his lifestyle would get her killed? They wheeled her in through the emergency exit, where Dr. Sullivan was already waiting for them.

“Leo already explained things to me,” Dr. Sullivan told him.

“I’m sure my family pays you enough to keep this quiet, right?” Raz asked.

Dr. Sullivan nodded. “This floor is yours for however long you need it.”

Nodding, Raz continued following behind Monique’s stretcher as Dr. Sullivan showed the team to a room he’d readied for Monique. Raz remained near the door, watching as they moved Monique from the stretcher to the bed.

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