She was still angry with Mateo, very angry, but she was seeing things more clearly now. Not much had changed besides her status as a virgin. She would still become wife to the mob boss of Miami. She was still the daughter of one of the most powerful families in the world.
But despite all that, she stayed true to herself. She still loved all the things that she had loved before, she still desired a relationship with Mateo and she still wanted to work. Forging was her art, an outlet, not one that she would willingly give up.
In fact, she purchased a few supplies while they were out. Angela had given her a long look but hadn't said anything. They were on their way back to the SUV when Angela slowed down, barring Raina with her arm. Raina's heart sped up. Angela was not a jumpy person; if she thought she had cause for concern, Raina believed her.
"Stay behind me at all times, don't leave, don't try to help me if we’re attacked." Angela spoke quickly, turning completely professional on a dime. "I don't see the bodyguards."
Angela was right. Raina looked right and then left, searching the sidewalk for the two men who’d been trailing them all day. Neither of the men had gotten more than ten feet away from Raina at any point during the shopping excursion. Where had they gone?
"What do we do?" Raina asked, her heart thundering so loud she could barely hear. Did they stay on the crowded sidewalk and hope that whatever happened to the bodyguards didn't happen to them? Or did they try to run and hide?
"There's a door right behind you, go into the shop and head for the rear exit. Don't look back, I'll be right behind you."
Together they rushed into the shop, Raina hurtling towards the back door. She could hear Angela behind her. She continued running toward the change rooms.
"Where's your exit?" Angela shouted at the shop person.
Raina was already in the back hallway so she didn't hear the answer, but Angela came sprinting after her, only a few feet behind. Raina was so concentrated on getting to the rear exit as fast as she could that she didn't hear Angela's words in time.
"Let me go first!" Angela shouted just as Raina hit the bar across the back door, shoving it open and slamming into the alley.
Everything happened so quickly that Raina didn't have a chance to defend herself or Angela who was right behind her. Something slammed into Raina so hard that she hit the door then rebounded and hit the wall. She crumpled to the ground, dropping her bags as she fell. She landed on her side and remained that way, stunned and hurt.
Seconds later, she heard a pop pop sound. It was like the sounds from her apartment when she’d been shot. She flinched, then curled into herself expecting to feel the hot tearing sensation of bullets ripping through her.
When nothing happened, she looked up hoping to find Angela. But the person crouching next to her wasn’t Angela, it was Daniela Velasquez. Not Daniela Velasquez; the person who killed her.
"Get up." Her voice was cold and emotionless.
When Raina didn't immediately move, Daniela reached out and gripped her by the hair, yanking her to her feet. Raina let out a pained yelp and tried to defend herself, sending an elbow flying towards Daniela's face. Daniela ducked and punched Raina in the side. Raina screamed as she slammed back into the side of the building, pain radiating through her side and back.
Again, Raina tried to defend herself. She whipped around, sending a fist flying towards Daniela's face, but Daniela grabbed her arm and punched Raina in the chest. Raina crumpled to the ground once more, the world spinning around her, the breath knocked from her chest and a burning sensation climbing up her throat. She rolled over onto her hands and knees and threw up.
The woman grabbed her by the hair again and dragged her off the cement. Raina caught a glimpse of Angela. She was lying motionless on her stomach, her head turned to the side and her eyes closed. She was so pale Raina feared she was dead. That explained the popping sounds. Daniela had shot her.
Raina was so dizzy and nauseous that when she tried to lift her arms to defend herself Daniela was able to easily knock them to the side. Daniela gripped her by the throat, lifted her off the ground and slammed her into the wall, smacking the back of Raina's head.
Daniela pulled her gun and pushed it underneath Raina's chin. Raina's eyes filled with tears as she saw her own demise rushing towards her. She was about to die, and she didn't even know what she’d done to deserve it.
"Why?" she whispered.
The cold eyes narrowed on her as Daniela debated whether or not to speak to Raina. It was clear that she intended to do the job she came to do, which was kill Raina.
Finally, Daniela answered, her words clipped. "It's not personal. Your fiancé killed Nico, and now I must kill him before he can kill me."
Raina didn't think that cleared anything up. "How will killing me also kill Mateo?"
"You’re his distraction, my tool to getting to him. I need you dead so that he will become reckless with grief, so that he will begin hunting me once more."
Raina didn't think the logic added up, but she wasn't going to argue with the woman who had a gun. "I don't think you want to kill me," Raina tried to reason with her.
Daniela laughed bitterly. "Your death means nothing to me. Another day, another job. Now close your eyes, sweetheart, and you will sleep. I’ll make it quick."
Hysteria began to rise up in Raina as Daniela moved the gun to her temple. There was nothing left to do. Raina closed her eyes and waited for death.
Chapter Forty-Two
When the shot came it wasn't Raina who was hit. Her eyes flew open. Daniela screamed in pain, released her grip on Raina's neck, jumped back and slammed a hand over her hip which was now pouring blood.
Raina looked around in confusion and saw Angela who had rolled to her side, pulled her gun and shot Daniela. Angela was about to shoot again when Daniela took off down the alley. Rather than shooting at her though, Angela dropped her gun and collapsed onto the pavement.
Raina peeled herself off the side of the building and lunged for the gun. It took her two tries to pick it up because her hands were shaking so bad and her head was still spinning. She covered Angela with her own body and turned to watch as Daniela disappeared around the corner of the building.
Thank god she didn't have to make the decision of whether or not to shoot the other woman. Raina had never killed anyone before and she didn't want to start now. Not that Raina would've actually been able to hit her at that distance, having never used a gun before.
As soon as Raina thought they were relatively safe, she turned back to Angela and assessed her. Angela was out cold. Somehow she’d managed to wake up long enough to stop Daniela from killing Raina. Now it was Raina's turn to protect Angela.
Hands still shaking, she picked up her purse, dumped it on the ground and rummaged until she found her phone. She called Mateo as she was running her hands over Angela's body searching for gunshot wounds. There was a hole in Angela's T-shirt over her heart, but there was no blood. Raina lifted her shirt and felt around. Angela was wearing a heavy vest, most likely bulletproof. Hopefully her vigilance would save her life.
"Raina."
Raina's heart soared as soon as she heard Mateo's voice. Hearing his deep voice reassured her like nothing else could.
"Angela's been shot," she said, her voice high-pitched and panicked. "What do I do?"
"Are you safe?" he demanded.
"Yes, I'm safe enough for now. Angela saved my life. But please, Mateo, help me. What do I do?"
"Where was she shot?"
"In the chest, over her heart, but I think she's wearing something bulletproof underneath."
"Yes, good, it’s part of her uniform." His voice was calm and cool, but she could hear the growing rage. Heads would roll over this incident. “Has she been shot anywhere else?"
Raina searched again and found another hole, this one on the left side of Angela's torso. This one had hit the bulletproof vest as well. "Yes, but in the vest again. I don't think she was shot anywhere else; I don't s
ee any blood. Why is she knocked out?"
Raina's heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest. Her movements seemed slow and sluggish. She felt like an idiot, like she couldn't help Angela and she desperately wanted to.
Mateo's voice was calm and soothing. "Even though the bullets didn't penetrate her skin, there’s still trauma in getting shot through a bulletproof vest. The one that struck her over her heart likely put a vast amount of pressure on her chest. Danny is on his way. He'll help. Trust him and do everything he says.”
Tears trickled down Raina's face and she nodded even though he couldn't see it. "Okay, I'll wait for him." A sob escaped her throat. “Mateo… I don’t know where the other bodyguards are… what if…”
"Raina, mi amor, you cannot worry about that now.” His voice was gruff with concern, his accent thicker.
She swiped at an escaping tear and nodded. “Okay. I’ll take care of Angela; you can trust me.”
“Good girl. I’ll meet you at the house.” Raina garbled something in return and was about to hang up, but then she caught his last words. "I love you, Raina."
He hung up before she could return the words. She didn't know if she could yet anyway. With the events of the last few days, she felt burnt out, emotionally and physically. She wanted to lay down and turn the world off; no longer be responsible for anything, let alone her own feelings.
By the time Danny arrived she was a sobbing mess on the ground, one hand clutching her phone while the other tightly gripped Angela's hand. Angela still hadn't woken up and Raina was terribly worried. One of the shop employees had found her in the alley a couple minutes earlier and was sitting with her while they waited for Danny to arrive.
The shopkeeper had wanted to call an ambulance, but Raina had assured her that once her friend arrived, they would go straight to the hospital. She didn't know if it was true, but she figured it was the best thing she could say in the moment.
Two other men were with Danny. They covered the entrances to the alley while Danny checked Angela over, carefully picked her up off the ground, thanked the shopkeeper and strode to the SUV. After tucking Angela into the vehicle, Danny turned around and gave Raina a quick hug. “I’ve got you now, sweetheart. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Raina cried into his shoulder for a few seconds before pushing away. She insisted on climbing in the back seat with Angela and gripping her hand again.
Chapter Forty-Three
Mateo paced impatiently near the front doors of the mansion as he waited for Danny's black SUV to traverse the driveway. Minutes later he caught a glimpse of the vehicle hurtling toward him. Before it could come to a complete stop, Raina was launching herself out one of the back doors and towards Mateo.
He caught her, absorbing the impact against his solid body, as she flung herself into his arms. It felt good having her sleight weight smashing into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him, pressing her face into his chest.
"I'm so sorry, I had no idea this would happen. I should've stayed home. I tried my hardest to fight Daniela off, but she was stronger and more skilled. What if something happens to Angela?" Raina's words came out in a garbled mess. Mateo was only able to decipher every other word, but he got the gist.
He ran his hand over her head and frowned as she winced when his fingers touched a spot on the back. "You did nothing wrong. This is not on you. If anyone should bear responsibility, it’s me. I didn't treat Daniela as enough of a serious threat."
He shuffled Raina to the side as Danny emerged from the vehicle with Angela in his arms. He paused in front of Mateo. “Thomas found our missing men. Both dead. One shot to the head each while they were still in the car.”
Raina collapsed against Mateo’s side, using him for support as she learned the fate of her bodyguards. She was indirectly responsible for their deaths, for Angela being shot.
Mateo nodded toward Angela and said in a clipped tone, "Take her to her bedroom. The doctor is on his way."
"Doesn't she need a hospital?" Raina asked tearfully, tilting her head up to look at him.
Mateo shook his head. "We only use hospitals as a last resort. And the doctor isn’t for Angela, he's for you. He'll check Angela over, but since there are no discernible injuries, she should be fine once she wakes up."
"But Angela is the one who got hurt!" Raina burst out, jerking back in his arms and frowning. "Daniela barely had time to touch me before Angela shot her."
Mateo hadn't known that Angela had shot Daniela. There was much he needed to find out. He spoke rapidly to his men, giving them instructions on how to organize security and instructing them to let the doctor through. They were about to go into full lockdown, no one in and no one out.
"Come." Mateo wrapped his arm around Raina's waist and walked with her into the mansion. She balked and tried to trail after Danny, but Mateo forced her up the stairs and into their bedroom.
"I'm fine!" she burst out once they were in the bedroom. "Nothing happened to me. I'm worried about Angela, and you should be too." There was accusation in her voice as she told him that he should be more concerned for his subordinate.
"Angela is part of my security team, which means there are certain risks that come with the job. You are our number one priority, and you will continue to be priority until I’m assured that you’re not hurt." When it looked as though she intended to argue with him, he held a hand up. "I care about Angela too. I've known her since she was a teenager. But it's a fact, she would want you to be secure before anyone concerns themselves with her well-being."
Raina's jaw tightened and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine, I'm secure. But I want an update on Angela's health as soon as possible."
Mateo rolled his shoulders back, cracking his neck and easing some of the tension. He really hadn't intended to argue with Raina. He wanted some of their easy friendship back and he seemed to be pushing that farther and farther away.
"As soon as the doctor is able to look you over, both of you, then I’ll allow you to see Angela. For now, I need you to sit down and rest." Her face softened and she allowed him to take her arm and help her into a sitting position on the bed. He sat next to her and ran a hand down her spine then massaged the base of her back. "You may not have been physically hurt, though I suspect at least a bump to the head. Regardless, the terror and adrenaline spike alone can cause complications. I need to be sure that you’re okay. Will you do this, will you allow a doctor to look you over? For me?"
They stared at each other, her deep blue eyes big and uncertain. It tore at his heart knowing that he was forcing her into a lifestyle where things like this were possible. He made enemies, he was a target, which made her a target too. He loved her too much to be okay with this, yet his love wasn't unselfish enough that he was willing to let her go.
"Okay, I'll talk to the doctor." She reached out and took his hand, as though she knew he needed reassuring. "Really though, I'm okay. The back of my head hit a wall and she punched my chest, but that's all she had time to do."
"She shouldn't have even been able to do that much." Mateo growled, fury rushing through him, igniting his desire for revenge. He stood, releasing her hand. "I need to go downstairs to confer with security and check on Angela. I'll be up in a few minutes with the doctor and an update."
Raina nodded, but as he was walking away, she stopped him. "The woman, Daniela, or whoever she is… she said you killed someone she knew.” She looked at him expectantly.
“Don’t worry about it for now. We’ll talk later.”
As Mateo left the room, Raina was crawling up the bed to lay down in her favourite position, on her side with her hands in the prayer position under her face. He wondered if she would take a nap or wait for the doctor. All he wanted to do was curl up next to her, hold her against his body and reassure himself that she was both real and alive.
Mateo strode down the hallway and took the stairs two at a time as he descended to the lower level. He snapped his fingers at Thomas and
jerked his head towards his office. "Get Danny and meet me in here."
Mateo shoved the door open and strode inside. A half smile lifted his lips as he looked around. The place was in complete chaos, protective plastic sheets over his desk and chair, construction equipment everywhere and sawdust hanging in the air. The sight of such renewal gave him hope. Raina was renovating his office to erase the memories of its past occupant. A sentiment he wholeheartedly agreed with.
Danny and Thomas shuffled into his office, closing the door behind them.
Danny nodded his head toward Mateo and started speaking. "Boss. Angela is awake, she doesn't remember much of the incident, but she seems to be okay. Says when she was shot, she was flung backward into a doorframe and hit her head. I think that's why she was unconscious for so long. Might have a concussion."
Mateo was relieved. He was worried something more had happened to her than they hadn’t been able to see. He cared about Angela. He considered her a sister and had watched over her from the moment she became part of Sotza's organization. She had trained under Mateo and worked for several years as his protégé.
"Make sure the doctor is aware of all her injuries," Mateo said to Danny. "I'm putting you on house security while she's recovering. Consider us in full lockdown until the Velasquez situation is ended. I want a full-time guard on my wife. The only time he doesn’t need to have eyes on her is when she’s in my bedroom or in the bathroom. Otherwise, he is to be two feet away from her at all times."
"Consider it done." Danny turned to leave the office but glanced back at Mateo. “Have you talked to Sotza?”
Mateo gave Danny a hard stare. “Si, I have, but I should have heard about it from you first. You’re my man now, not theirs. Do not mix your allegiances again.”
There was a moment of tense waiting as the two men stared at each other while Thomas pretended he wasn’t part of the conversation.
Born a Queen (The Queens Book 3) Page 23