Page 70 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

"You weren't like this with my dad," Raz called out.

"Your dad didn't lose sleep over anything but money. And he didn't even let money make him miss a meal. I didn't have to be this way with him."

"If you touch her, you'll die," Raz called out, throwing his cell phone at Leo.

The device whizzed through the air, narrowly missing its target as Leo sidestepped it.

Leo looked back, his expression unreadable. "If I touch her, I'll die. I got it. But if I don't do something, you'll die. Make a decision. Or we're all going to die in a week. I don't fear death. What do you fear, Raz?"

Raz swallowed hard, feeling as though his heart was being crushed under the weight of his desperate love for Monique. What did he fear? His fear had just walked away from his casino with one of his guards trailing her without her knowing it. With a defeated sigh, he slumped back into his seat, his body sagging under the pressure of his emotions.

"Think about what you fear and let me know. In the meantime, I'll get you a new phone," Leo said as he turned and left the room.

The door slammed shut with a resounding thud, leaving Raz alone in his office.

Raz stared at the closed door. He was alone now. He could stop pretending he was okay. His eyes burned. He blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. Alone or not, he had to keep up the pretense. He was the don. Dons didn't cry.

A sigh escaped him as he thought over Leo's parting question. What did Raz fear?Life. That was his greatest fear. A life without Monique. A life devoid of her laughter echoing through the halls of his empty home.

A life without her soft voice whispering sweet nothings in his ear or the warmth of her body pressed against his every night. Life without enjoying breakfast with her every morning or complaining about their work every evening.

Life without making love to her until the sun rose or kissing her forehead when she felt sad. A life without Monique. That was what Orazio Cattaneo feared. And he was currently living out his worst fear.

Yet, he had no choice but to continue living. If he wasn't still concerned for her safety, if he wasn't still secretly watching over her, Orazio Cattaneo would have no reason to endure this life at all.

Monique Rose was the reason he had to live, but she was also the reason he wanted to die. Raz squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. Dons didn't cry. Dons didn't fall in love.

And if Orazio didn't get his shit together soon, his family would realize just how unqualified he was to be the Cattaneo don. Because right now, he was crying, and he was in love. And he had no idea how to make any of it stop.

Raz wiped his eyes, hating himself for allowing the tears to fall.Dons don't cry,he reminded himself. Forcing thoughts of Monique from his mind, he took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm himself and get his emotions in check.

An emotional don was a useless don.His father had drilled that into him at an early age. He and his father may not be on good terms at the moment, but he still remembered the lessons his dad had taught him.

It took a few more deep breaths for him to pull himself together. He groaned when his office phone rang. He couldn'teven have a few fucking moments to himself. Who the hell wanted him now? He snatched the phone up on the fourth ring.

"Orazio speaking," he snapped.

"You sound like you're having a great day," Rome's voice came across the line.

"What do you want?" Raz asked, closing his eyes, a dull ache forming on one side of his head.

"I tried calling your cell, but you didn't answer. I even called Leo, but he told me you'd died."

"After hearing I'd died, you don't sound too concerned."

"He tells me you've died every day. Didn't you know that?"

Everyone around him was idiots. Was this really his life now? Would he really have to live this way forever... without her? Another sigh escaped him.

"You're thinking abouther, aren't you?" Rome asked.

"I don't know who you're referring to. Why did you call me, Rome? Is something wrong?"

"No. I just wanted to make sure you remembered what today was."

Today?What was so special about today? It was no different from any other day. He woke up, worked out, and then went to work. After work, he showered and went to bed. Sprinkle in time for eating, pissing, and being annoyed by his family, and that was pretty much how his days went. There was nothing particularly special about any day of the week.

"You've already forgotten what today is, haven't you?" Rome asked.

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