Page 61 of Born a Queen

Chapter Thirty-Three

The next morning, Raina ran into Mateo as she was coming down the stairs and he was coming in the front door. They both stopped to look at each other. Once again, Raina felt self-conscious. The look Mateo was giving her told her she shouldn't.

Their night together had been just as he described; he hadn't touched her other than to pull the blanket up to her neck, kiss her cheek and tell her good night. Then he rolled over to his side of the bed and fell asleep so fast Raina realized he must be completely exhausted.

When she woke up in the morning, she was alone, sprawled out in the warm bed beneath the soft sheets. She stretched an arm out to Mateo's side of the bed, but it was cool. He'd left a while ago. She'd made her way back to her room for a shower and a change.

Even though she felt awkward about seeing him again, she was also happy. She tucked her hair behind her ear and gave him a shy smile.

"You slept well?" He eyed her outfit of skinny jeans with a short purple T-shirt that bared part of her stomach.

"Very well, thank you," she answered politely.

They stood a few feet apart. She watched him warily as he continued to look at her. Had he come back to see her? She wasn't used to seeing him at any other time of day except for mealtimes. She thought that he was probably out negotiating his takeover. He usually returned to the mansion tired, but generally pleased about his success. He rarely spoke about the specifics of the takeover, except for the night he took her out into the yard to spar, but she sensed that things were going well for him. Which meant, she supposed, that things were going well for her too.

"I have news about your interior decorator. Come, let's go outside to talk." He jerked his head toward the back door and turned to walk away, expecting her to follow.

This was probably the reason he came back to the house, to update her on her hunch about Daniela Velazquez. Raina was dying to know what he'd found out, so she rushed after him as he strode toward the back of the house.

He called out to Lydia as they passed the kitchen, "Grab us a couple of lemonades and bring them out to the pool patio, will you?"

“Please and thank you," Raina was quick to add.

That was one of the differences between Raina and Mateo. Though he’d spent his childhood in poor conditions, he’d spent most of his adult years surrounded by servants. And though he was still an employee on Sotza's estate, he was high-ranking enough that he'd gotten used to the presence of paid staff. Raina, on the other hand, had grown up on a farm. She learned how to fend for herself; how to pour her own lemonade and use her manners if she had to ask for something. If she hadn't, her mother would've smacked her on the butt with a wooden spoon.

"Have a seat." Mateo waved his hand toward the patio table.

She sank into the seat and looked at him expectantly.

Mateo didn’t leave her in suspense. "We found the body of Daniela Velasquez."

“What?” Raina's mouth fell open in shock. Had she somehow managed to kill the interior decorator through her suspicions? Had Mateo murdered her, rather than looking into her background?

Before Raina could start demanding answers, Mateo continued, "The woman that you've been meeting with is not Daniela Velasquez. She's an imposter. From what Angela has managed to discover, Velasquez was killed weeks ago, after we moved in and started putting out feelers for an interior decorator. Whoever this mysterious woman is, she moved quickly. She knew exactly who we were. She found out what we needed and set herself up to be in a position to provide it."

Raina was stunned. She honestly didn't even know where to begin with this information. "But she was a really good interior decorator," Raina said, bewildered. "How does a person learn to become an interior decorator so quickly?"

She could tell by the look on Mateo's face that she'd amused him with her comment. She supposed it wasn't very badass of her to dwell on how good the imposter was at decorating. So she asked the next most important question. "If the woman I've been meeting with isn't the real Daniela Velasquez, then who is she?"

"And that's the million-dollar question." Mateo shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants, a serious look wrinkling his brow. "It’s not an easy process, getting into my inner circle. Whoever she is, she did her research, she worked quickly, and she disappeared just as quickly."

"Disappeared?" Raina asked.

Mateo nodded. "She must've realized that you were suspicious yesterday after you found her in my room. We haven't been able to track her down. I have a couple of men out trying to follow her movements, but if she's a professional, I doubt she'll be back. Not until she’s ready to show her hand."

A shiver ran through Raina. Ready for what? The possibilities were chilling. "What do you think she wants?"

Mateo accepted a frosted glass of lemonade from Lydia who walked out to them with a tray. Raina murmured her thanks, accepting a glass. She smiled her amusement when Lydia placed a bowl of grapes next to the drink. Lydia was forever trying to feed her healthy snacks, probably on Mateo’s orders.

When Lydia left, Mateo continued, "I don't want to speculate on the imposter’s intentions. First, we need to establish her identity before we find a motive behind her deception." Mateo walked over to Raina and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing and then running his hand through the loose hair at her ear. "The important thing is that you recognized her for what she was. She won't be bothering you again."

Mateo's words made her feel safer. She was comforted by his solid presence and his promise to protect her. She reached up, took hold of his hand and kissed the knuckles before letting go. She blushed at her own actions, though they were heartfelt.

"Thank you,” she said, smiling at him. "Thank you for taking me seriously on this and for acting so quickly. It means a lot to me."

His shrewd eyes stayed on her for a moment. "You know I would do anything for you."

"Even the things I don't want you to do." She quietly echoed the words he'd spoken to her weeks ago.

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