Page 81 of Born a Queen

"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.

Danny nodded stiffly. “Of course. It won’t happen again.”

Just like that Danny swore his allegiance to the new Miami boss. He left the office without another word.

Mateo turned his focus to Thomas. "I need you to go back to the store where the attack happened. Find out who in the area has security cameras and if there are any CCTV cameras in the vicinity. Get as much footage as you can. Take it to Sotza, he and Vee can look it over. It’s time to put this bitch in the ground."

Thomas seemed to hesitate as if he wanted to say something. Mateo waited, but Thomas shook his head and left the office. Mateo frowned. Thomas had been acting strange lately, inconsistent and indecisive; two things that could easily get a man in security killed. Mateo would have to talk to him. Perhaps America didn’t suit the native Venezuelan. He might need to be transferred back to Sotza.

Mateo called his former employer. Sotza picked up on the first ring. "Mateo, what can I do for you?"

Mateo launched straight into an explanation of the day's event, bringing Sotza up to date on everything that Mateo knew so far. "Thomas will come straight to you once he has the video footage."

"Good. We'll look it over, let you know if we find anything. For now, stay home, take care of the girls."

He hung up and minutes later the doctor arrived. Mateo escorted him upstairs to see Raina first. She sat up with a frown when they entered the room.

"Have you seen Angela yet? How is she?" Raina asked hurriedly.

"The doctor will see you first, then Angela." Mateo used a stern voice so she understood there would be no argument. He turned to the doctor, Shane Wilson. "You've been filled in on her condition?"

Dr. Wilson nodded as he approached the bed. "I was told that Ms. Duncan had kidney failure as a child and was given a transplant. That she now has one functioning kidney. May I?" He asked Raina, indicating her head. "I was informed that you sustained a bump to the head. Can you tell me where it is?"

As he looked her over, Raina said, "I've been doing great since the transplant. I don’t have any problems as long as I take my medications on time."

"You're on the antirejection meds? Are you on any other medications?"

She shook her head and he continued the examination. "I understand you were shot recently." His words were said with professionalism, as though there was nothing unusual about treating a gunshot victim. She wondered if he worked for the mob.

"Yes, I was shot." She twisted on the bed and lifted the bottom of her shirt, showing him the puckered red wound on her lower back.

Dr. Wilson continued to look her over until he was satisfied. He spoke mostly to Raina, though he occasionally directed his words toward Mateo. "You had a nasty shock today. You’ll want to rest and take it easy. Have some Tylenol if your head hurts, otherwise you're in perfect health."

Raina smiled at him. "Thank you. Are you going to go check on Angela now?"

The doctor smiled indulgently and nodded. "She's next on my list."

"Take good care of her."

Mateo walked the doctor out. Once the door to the bedroom closed, he spoke. "When is the soonest you can run tests on her."

"Tests?" The doctor asked.

"For her kidney," Mateo said, a hard edge to his voice. "Make sure she’s as healthy as she can be. I want to make sure that her body is strong and that it remains that way. I am in need of a full-time on-call physician. I want Raina checked regularly. I want to know the second anything is wrong."

The doctor looked at him thoughtfully and nodded. "I run a private clinic with two other doctors. It’s definitely within my capabilities of doing this service for you. There will be a retainer fee and it won't be cheap."

"Send me the bill."

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