Page 21 of Born a Queen

Chapter Eleven

Raina sat stiffly in the back of Giovanni's limo as they headed back to the mansion. She glared out the window ignoring the passing scenery.

"You seem agitated," Giovanni commented.

She turned her glare on him. "I get that way when people threaten to chop me up and send me back to my parents in pieces."

Giovanni chuckled and reached out to pat her hand. "Posturing, my dear. Your suitor back there would have respected me less had I simply given in to his demands. He was posturing as well. He knew damn well I wouldn’t give my son up to him."

Raina thought that there was rather a lot of wiggle room between handing her over to Mateo or mailing her home in pieces. She didn't particularly like either option, but she knew which one she would choose if she had to.

"Would you have me killed if you believed it necessary? If you believed you had the upper hand with my stepfather and Mateo?"

To his credit, and though it chilled her to the bone, Giovanni actually gave thought to her questions. Finally, he shook his head. "No, I don't believe I would. Perhaps it’s my age, perhaps it’s your age and the fact that you are a woman. But the idea of snuffing out your light is untenable to me. I feel invested in your future now, though you have brought this problem to me."

Raina blushed. Everything that had happened to her in the past few days had been a blur. She hadn't really stopped to think about the consequences of her actions. Giovanni was such a force of nature, head of the Italian mafia. How could she hurt him? But he was still human, still capable of emotion. It had to bother him knowing that his son's life was in danger.

"Did you decide to keep me with you tonight as insurance so that Mateo won't go after Antonio?"

"You are a smart one, aren't you?" Giovanni said with a laugh, patting her hand again. "Though I do enjoy your company, your presence will ensure Antonio’s safety for another day until I can get him out of the country and hidden from Mateo. Your young man has quite a bloody reputation, one that rivals even his boss. Gutierrez is an unparalleled hunter and he doesn't quit. Two skills that I would love to have on my payroll but has also put me in a quandary. To be completely honest, if I thought I could get away with it, I would have Gutierrez taken out while he is here in my city. But that would put me at war with your stepfather, not something I'm sure I could win."

Raina was shocked with how candid Giovanni was being with her. She supposed he no longer needed to keep anything from her. They both knew the score now.

"Did you ever intend for me to marry your son, or were you trying to frighten me?" she asked curiously. The idea was clearly off the table now, but she wanted to know how serious Giovanni had been about it.

He shrugged. "It would have been a good merger. But no, I don’t believe a marriage between you and my son is appropriate at this time. One or both of you would end up dead and I’ve become rather fond of you."

Raina let out a laugh. Giovanni had a gift for both overstatement and understatement that she was beginning to appreciate. She liked the Italian Godfather and thought she might miss him when she left. Perhaps he would allow her to come back to Italy for a visit sometime.

"So, for now, we get to enjoy each other's company for one more evening. You will indulge my desire for company, will you not?" he asked, attempting to look rather pathetic. An attempt that didn’t work on Raina given his expensive clothes, jewelry and overall attitude of arrogance.

"Of course," Raina said warmly. Now that she was comfortable in the knowledge that he wouldn't try to have her killed or hand her over to his son in marriage, she was willing to relax and enjoy his company for an evening.

"Tomorrow," he said, giving her a wink, "we will work on extricating you from Italy and continuing your adventure."

Raina grinned at Giovanni. She suspected that she had made a lifelong friend and ally in one of the most powerful men in the world.

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