Page 67 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

Though my mother will spend the rest of her life thinking her husband ran off with the family and the church's money, I actually felt safer with my father gone. Hell, my mother was safer, too. She was just too brainwashed to realize it.

As for my ex-husband, I'm pretty sure he's dead too. I just wished I could've killed him myself. I would've loved to watch him suffer. I would've been happy to see the life leave his eyes. Ugh! Look at me, becoming just as violent as Toya. No wonder Meka was wary about going places with us.

"Meka says we're asking for trouble," Monique mused, still staring out the window.

"I don't think so," Toya replied. "You simply want answers from Raz. And you deserve them. He can't break up with you via a phone call and expect you to let it go like that. After everything you've been through, you deserve some type of explanation."

"I feel like a stalker. I feel..." Monique paused, blinking back tears again. "I feel worthless."

"Monique..." Toya started, voice tinged with sadness.

"I told myself I'd never feel this way again. But look at me, brought low by a managain." Monique jerked in her seat when Toya suddenly slammed on the brakes. Her gaze swept to her friend. "What are you doing?"

Toya turned in her seat to face Monique. "This is nothing like the situation with Trevor's weak ass," Toya snapped as cars swerved past them, honking their horns.

"Toya! You can't just stop in the middle of the highway like this."

"Forget them people," Toya said with a wave of her hand. "I'm focused on you."

"Okay. But you can focus on me and drive at the same time," Monique explained as more cars honked their horns. "Do you want the police to notice us?"

"Oh, right. The cops." Facing forward in her seat, Toya put the car into drive and started down the highway again. "As I was saying, this situation is different. Trevor was a fuck boy. But Raz is doing this because he loves you. He's pushing you away because he wants to protect you."

"That's what makes this worse. That's what makes him worse than Trevor," Monique whispered.

"What? You consider him worse than Trevor?"

"Trevor didn't love me. So, his actions merely hurt my pride. They stung my ego. Sure, I was devastated. But I was angry with myself for staying with him for so long. I was mad that I'd allowed my parents and the church to influence my decision. I was disappointed in myself for not knowing my own worth and loving myself more. By the time we divorced, I'd already fallen out of love with him. But I was still angry because I'd wasted so many years on his sorry ass."

Monique paused, her thoughts moving to Orazio. "Raz, on the other hand, that man loves me," Monique whispered, voice shaking as tears sprang to her eyes again. "I see the love in his eyes when he looks at me. I feel it when he touches me. Even when he breathes, I feel like he's breathing for me. I know he is, because I breathe for him," Monique confessed, tears spilling down her cheeks after having promised herself she wouldn't cry again.

"This is nothing like what Trevor and I had," she continued. "This is more. This is real. Some go their entire lives without experiencing what Orazio and I share. Yet, he's throwing it away as if it isn't a once-in-a-lifetime type of love, which is why this hurts differently."

"But he's doing it to protect you," Toya told her again.

"I know, Toya. I know. I know Raz is afraid he won't be able to protect me. But isn't that what he pays guards for? I feel worthless because it seems he thinks I'm weak. It seems he doesn't know me at all. I mean, I may not be a killer, but I have a backbone. He should've at least talked to me. We should've had a discussion. He should've asked me if I could handle being with him or if I wanted out. He didn't give me a choice or a chance. That's why I said he makes me feel worthless, like I'm not worthy of that type of discussion. If the roles were reversed, he would've lost his mind. Had I decided on my own that I wanted out, his crazy ass would've kidnapped me and never let me go."

Monique paused, an idea forming in her mind. Why hadn't her silly behind thought of that sooner? Smiling, Monique slammed her hand against the dashboard, startling Toya. Monique jerked forward when Toya slammed on her brakes again.

"What is it? Are we getting kidnapped again?" Toya yelled as cars honked their horns at them.

"No," Monique said, facing her friend. "But another kidnapping is about to take place."

"Where?" Toya shouted, staring out the front window and then the back window. "Pass me my gun. It's in the glove compartment. Hurry."

"We don't need a gun because we're not the ones being taken this time," Monique explained.

Toya faced her. "Girl, what the hell are you talking about? And I thought I told you to keep a gun on you from now on."

"I do. It's in my purse. But forget the gun right now. I'm done going to Raz's casinos and other businesses looking for him and trying to talk to him. I'm done playing with his crazy ass," Monique said as more cars honked their horns. "Meka has been avoiding Cas's calls. And Cas has refused to let me talk to Raz. What if we convince Meka to talk to Cas, but only if he lures Raz to a destination where we'll be waiting to kidnap him."

"Are you serious?" Toya asked.

Monique nodded. "I'm so freaking serious."

"Sayfucking.Fucking serious.That's more crime-boss-like."

"I'm so fucking serious," Monique said, putting a little bass in her voice.

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