Once Raina was over her shock of his quick capitulation, she protested, "Why do I need a team? I'm just going shopping."
Mateo continued to eat, only speaking once he swallowed. "You will have a team of men with you every time you leave the house,” he said calmly. “This subject is not up for debate."
Raina badly wanted to debate the subject, but she wanted to leave the house more. She figured now was not the time to push Mateo on the ridiculous amount of security he insisted she have. She’d take that up with him next week, after she went shopping.
She gave him a tight smile. "Thank you. I’ll speak to Danny and let him know when I'd like to leave and where I'd like to go."
They continued their meal in silence. It was a comfortable silence though. They ate delicious food together, sipped wine, and watched the dying sunlight filtering through the window as it gradually gave way to dusk. The evening meal was becoming something that Raina looked forward to. A time for her to see Mateo with her own eyes, to assure herself that he still existed. She didn't know why she needed to do that. She suspected it had something to do with the feelings that she was developing for him, the feelings that she was still firmly in denial about.
As she finished her meal, she touched her napkin to her lips and placed it on the table. "I think I'll go back to my room now," she told him pushing herself away from the table.
Before she could stand, he reached out and took hold of her wrist. His dark eyes held the intensity that she was becoming used to whenever he said something important to her. She tensed under his grip.
"Your security team belongs to me, Raina. Which means they report to me." His eyes took on a hardness as she waited for his next words. "They report everything to me. Where you go, who you see, and what you do. Do not disappoint me."
She made a face and tugged her wrist away from his hand. He let her go. She preferred the Mateo that would joke around with her, whose banter, while dark, always held that edge of humour. This Mateo was far too serious. This Mateo was the boss and she didn't like it.
She debated on what she would say to him, epic retorts filtering through her mind. Finally, she settled on, "The only person who can disappoint you is you. If my actions disappoint you, then you've set me on too high of a pedestal."
He leaned back in his chair, sitting his elbow on the table as he contemplated her. "Perhaps I do set you on a pedestal. And perhaps you are correct, my expectations are too high." She felt a moment of elation that he was agreeing with her, then he added, "But it’s not my expectations that require adjusting. You will stay on top of any pedestal I set you on. I will make sure of it."
Chapter Twenty-Six
Raina told herself it was going to be okay, that she hadn’t specified exactly what kind of shopping she wanted to do, and Mateo had agreed to let her go. She was in the process of wandering the isles of Office Depot with a frowning Danny. Angela was covering the main entrance while Thomas waited in the vehicle. Mateo had put all of his best people on her. Raina was starting to realize he meant it when he said she wouldn’t be going anywhere without a security detail.
“What exactly are we shopping for?” Danny asked, skepticism clear in his voice.
It was possible that Danny was under the impression she would be shopping for things like clothes, shoes, and handbags. It wasn't her fault he was making assumptions, but she supposed she should come up with some kind of explanation to give him.
"Scrapbooking supplies," she said cheerfully, tossing another cartridge of ink into her shopping cart.
"You need a $2000 high-resolution printer, a precision knife and paintbrushes for scrapbooking?" He pointed at the items piled in her shopping cart.
She turned to him with a disappointed expression, trying her hardest to look innocent. "Of course, I do. How else will I immortalize my memories?"
He snorted. "Seems to me you're collecting all of the necessary supplies for a printing press."
She attempted to look suitably shocked. "And what exactly would I need a printing press for?"
Danny crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes as he continued to trail after her. "You do know that your mother was keeping a close eye on you while you were in Pennsylvania? She was well aware of everything you got up to, including your little forgery business."
"Really?" She didn't know how to feel about that. She'd known that Vee had kept tabs on her to some extent, but Raina had done a good job of hiding her forging business. Not even Joe and Diane had known.
"Really," Danny confirmed. A brief smile lifted the edge of his lips. "Your mother is quite proud. She says you have a good head for business."
Raina beamed her pleasure. She couldn't help it. She was a good forger and it felt awesome to know that her mother, a badass mafia queen, thought Raina was a good businessperson.
"Are you going to tell Mateo?" she asked Danny.
He sighed heavily and rubbed at a spot between his brows. She wondered if she was giving him an irritation headache. Sometimes she did that the people.
"What exactly do you intend to do with this set up you’re putting together?"
Raina excitedly told him her plan. "I still have a few commissions that I wasn't able to get to before I was shot in Venice. I want to finish those and then ship the proofs to their owners. I had some really good clients; I can ask them for references. Then I'll put feelers out through the underworld, letting people know that I'm in town and my services are available."
"I don't want to dash your dreams here, missy. But the wife of Mateo Gutierrez, the newest boss in town, absolutely cannot be setting up her own side hustle. Especially one that her husband doesn't know about."
Raina frowned irritably. "We’re not married."
She was pretty much over having people tell her what she could and couldn't do as Mateo’s wife. As far she was concerned, they didn't even have a wedding date. She told Danny as much.
Danny took his phone out and started texting.
"Who are you texting?" she asked angrily, already knowing the answer.
"Mateo," he grunted, confirming her suspicions. But before she could start yelling at him for betraying her, he looked up with a smug expression. "Your wedding date is July 14th."
Raina's mouth fell open. July 14th was only a couple months away. "Did you just tell Mateo that I wanted a wedding date?"
"Yes." Danny calmly took hold of her cart and continued pushing it.
Well shit. That hadn't gone how she planned. Now she had a wedding date. She didn't want a wedding date. She had a fucking wedding to plan too! She had a business to set up and a wedding to plan. She decided then and there to never engage in a conversation like this with Danny again. That guy was too clever by half.
Raina continued shopping, spending the rest of the day doing exactly what Mateo had expected her to. She bought enough clothing, jewelry, shoes and handbags to fill her entire walk-in closet. She didn't particularly enjoy shopping, but there was something about using Mateo's credit card that gave her a vicious spark of glee every time she handed it to a salesclerk.
It was early evening when Raina decided she was finished. They headed back to the mansion, her sitting in the backseat with Angela. Danny and Thomas sat in the front seat. There were three more security men in the car behind them.
Less than an hour later, Raina made her way to the dining room where Mateo was waiting for her. Her heart gave a flutter when she looked at him. He looked good. He always looked good, but tonight, he was wearing a suit and tie. There was something about a man in a suit, his tattoos peeking out through the collar of his shirt and the ends of his sleeves, that made her feel all warm and tingly inside.
She sank down onto her chair and reached for her napkin. He intercepted her, placing his hand on her arm.
"Did you have a good day?" he asked, taking her napkin and smoothing it across her lap.
"Do you care?"
He frowned at her. "Don’t play verbal games with me, Raina," he warned. "I will
only tolerate so much of your lip. If I didn't care I wouldn't ask."
"I just mean that you already know what I've spent the day doing. Your men update you every single time I cough. I can't even go to the bathroom without one of them talking to you about my bowel health." She was being purposefully provocative to get her point across. It was one thing for him to send the security team with her and quite another to spy on her constantly.
Mateo didn’t take the bait. "Having my men report on your movements is not the same thing as you telling me how you are. If I ask about your day, then you’ll answer promptly and truthfully. I want to know your feelings, your desires, your frustrations, everything."
Raina stared at him completely tongue-tied. She didn't know what to say to that. He was so domineering, yet also sweet. What had she done to earn such devotion from him? She’d been nothing but contrary with him, yet he still spoke to her this way. He was endlessly patient while she pushed him at every opportunity. She didn't mean to punish him, not really. She saw a lot wrong in the world, especially the one she was being forced to inhabit, and she was taking it out on him.
She swallowed the snarky reply she’d originally planned on and told him the truth. "I had a good day. It was really nice to get away from the mansion for a bit and out into the city. Miami is beautiful."
"Yes, it is," he said, leaning back in his seat, his voice becoming more conversational. "Have you been here before?"
Raina shook her head. "We didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up and didn’t have the opportunity to travel much. It was pretty exciting when we could go camping in a neighbouring county." Raina smiled fondly as she thought of camping with her parents. "A far cry from the places I visited in the past few years."
"Yet I sense that you wouldn't trade any of those camping trips for a trip to Paris. Am I right?" He asked, his eyes roving over her features, memorizing her expressions as she made them.
Raina nodded her head in agreement. "My parents are really amazing people. We didn’t have much when I was growing up, but we had each other. No matter what was going on, I always knew that I was loved beyond measure."
The food arrived and their conversation fell off for a few minutes as Lydia placed the various platters on the table. She was serving Mediterranean themed dishes, including souvlaki chicken with tzatziki, Caesar salad and rice. There was a small plate of baklava for after their meal. Raina thanked Lydia for the food.
As they started to eat, the conversation continued. "I grew up quite poor as well," Mateo told her.
Raina looked up in surprise. Mateo rarely talked about his childhood, even when she had pushed him in Venezuela. "I lived with my mother, two siblings and my grandfather. Mi Madre was single and unable to support us, so me and my sisters had to get jobs."
"Is that how you met Sotza?" Raina asked curiously.
"Sort of. At first all of my jobs were legitimate. I did food deliveries on my bike, I delivered messages, but as I grew, I realized the more lucrative jobs were not legal. I gradually became mixed up in the local street gangs. That was where Sotza found me. I was supposed to rip him off, intercept an arms shipment along with a couple of other boys."
Raina sucked in a breath. "From everything I've heard of Sotza, that was a very dangerous thing to do. You could've been killed."
Mateo nodded and looked at her seriously. "That was why my boss at the time had his underlings do the dirty work. Rather than get his hands dirty he sacrificed us instead. Luckily for us, Sotza saw us as the young ignorant pups we were. He let us go and paid a visit to the boss. That was the last time I saw the guy. Shortly after, Sotza came to me with a job. Something low-level. But over the years I proved my loyalty and he promoted me up the ranks."
Raina was discovering a new admiration for Mateo. He'd not had an easy life, but he jumped on the opportunities that presented themselves, worked hard and earned everything he achieved. Though he worked on the wrong side of the law, he still held all the qualities she admired. He was honest, hard-working, loyal and protective.
"What about your family now?"
"I send them as much money as I can," he told her. "I’m in the advantageous position of making enough that I can make their lives far more comfortable. They don't know exactly what I do to earn my living, but they’re grateful and supportive."
Raina could hear the fondness in his voice as he spoke of his family. "Do you visit them?"
He lifted his shoulders in a half shrug. "As often as I can, maybe once every few years. But I don't want to drag them into this business. If they’re seen in my presence, they could become targets."
Targets.
That was what Raina had become. It was a vulnerable position to be in, especially considering she’d recently been shot by Italy’s version of Mateo and his gangster thugs. Despite this disturbing thought, Raina vowed silently to find a way to reconnect Mateo with his family. It didn't seem fair that they all cared about each other, that Mateo sent them money, but they were unable to visit.
They finished their meal in companionable silence. After, Mateo took Raina's arm and walked her back to her room. This was a first, but not unwelcome. Throughout their evening meals she was beginning to feel closer to this quiet, thoughtful man. She wanted to know more about him, wanted to spend more time with him. Especially with their upcoming nuptials.
When they reached Raina's door, Mateo put a hand on her arm and turned her to face him. He wrapped his hand around her arm, holding her in place, but not tightly. If she stepped back, she could remove herself from his embrace. She didn't step away though. They stood silently looking at each other.
"I want to kiss you." His words were husky, his dark eyes smouldering with what Raina suspected was lust. An answering arrow of heat shot through her.
"I want to kiss you too," Raina said breathlessly.
It was such a strange moment. Them standing together in a mansion where they were attempting to make a home. He’d forced her there, as he'd forced many parts of her life. She should hate him, yet he was impossible to hate. The moment felt almost like they were normal couple, falling in love, getting to know each other. She didn't want it to end. She didn't want to go back to the endless strife that seemed to be the mafia.
"May I?" he asked, a husky timber to his voice.
"Yes," she whispered, surprised he was bothering to ask. Mateo never asked for anything. Yet, this moment felt different. Separate from reality. They were just a man and a woman, experiencing an insane amount of chemistry.
He didn't waste any more time. He lowered his head to hers, curving his arm around her neck to hold her in place. Raina tilted her head back against his arm and waited for his lips touched hers. The kiss was beautiful, it was electric. It sent heat spiraling through her body, from her nipples to her pussy. Everything flooded with desire. And that from only the barest touch of his lips to hers. She wanted more.
She lifted her arms to wrap them around him, to pull him closer, to deepen the kiss, but he pushed her back, held her arms, his expression regretful. "Not yet," he said, almost to himself.
"When?" Raina demanded, then could've smacked herself. Seriously? When? She may as well get it over with and beg him for sex.
He chuckled. "Soon, mi amor. Trust me, I will not be able to wait much longer."
Raina didn't know why he was waiting at all, but she wasn't about to say anything that would make her sound even more desperate. She stepped away from him, murmured good night and reached for her door handle.
Before she could open it, his voice stopped her.
"Make sure that your scrapbooking project doesn’t get you into trouble," he growled, well aware of what she was up to.
Raina threw a grin over her shoulder, winked at him and slipped into her room, closing the door behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
It took two days for Raina to properly set up her forging equipment. She chose an office on the ground floor facing the sprawling back yard. It had double French doo
rs and softer, more feminine decor. She suspected it was meant to be a woman's office, but she didn't think it had ever been used.
She set up all of her equipment, her perfectionism at the forefront as she made sure everything was flawless. As per her usual, she printed a couple of fake passports and driver’s licenses for herself, making sure that everything looked absolutely perfect. She beamed at the miniature picture of herself, pushed her glasses up her nose and set about finishing some of the contracts she had to leave behind in Italy.
Forging spoke to her. It was her art. It required precision, skill and a great deal of knowledge on world identifications. Passports were different from country to country. Many countries, including the US, used biographical microchips. They implanted the passports with chips that contained information on the holder. She also had to be sure that the picture used inside the passport contained the necessary biometrics; meaning they had to pass face recognition software.
She set out the tools she would need: glue, metallic stickers, ink pads and stamps. She picked up the first passport and carefully peeled away the binding thread. She used the intaglio printing process to create fine individual lines for the decorative border. As she worked, a sort of meditative state captured her. She lost track of time as she concentrated.
This passport would go to a Saudi princess intent on leaving her husband and her country. She had contacted Raina after learning that Raina was one of the top forgers in the world. The job was important to Raina, not only because the Princess was paying an exorbitant amount of money, but because Raina had learned bits and pieces of the princess’s current existence and it wasn't pretty. Raina was determined to do her best to help get the princess out of her situation by creating a document that would be undetectable as a forgery.
She leaned back in her seat, completely satisfied with her work. She closed the passport and pushed it inside an envelope, sealing the envelope. On the front was an address the princess had provided. The document would go to one of her loyal followers, a servant inside her Dubai penthouse.
Born a Queen (The Queens Book 3) Page 14