Page 16 of Born a Queen

Chapter Nine

Agood night's sleep put Mateo in a better mood. At least a less-likely-to-murder-on-sight mood. His first thought was Raina; the deep and abiding gnawing feeling of concern that wouldn’t go away until he set eyes on her, had her back in his care.

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, placing his feet on the floor. He ran a hand over his hair and face and then stretched his back and neck, cracking his shoulders.

He glanced at the cheap clock. He'd slept for nearly eight hours. Mateo was usually a strict six hours per night guy.

He snatched up his phone which was plugged into the charger next to the clock. A message blinked at him. It was from Angela.

Meeting with Savino. Banditos. 11 AM.

It was now 10:15 AM. The message had come in late the night before. Angela had done good, arranging a meeting so quickly.

He pushed himself off the bed and opened the blinds, allowing weak sunlight to filter through the dirty window. He took a quick shower, washing his hair and running soap over his body. He dried off and looked through his bag for some clothes.

He hadn't brought much with him in the way of nicer clothes. He rarely wore a suit, preferring outfits that allowed for easier movement. But a meeting with a man of Savino’s standing called for one. He hadn't anticipated needing a suit here, believing that he would grab Raina and get out of Italy. He should’ve known his future bride would throw a wrench into his plans.

Mateo growled his frustration and tossed aside the pair of jeans he’d been holding. If he had taken a room in a more upscale hotel, he could have called the concierge to get someone to shop for him. But with barely half an hour left before the meeting, he was on his own and running out of time. He was about to jerk the towel off his hips and dress in his worn jeans and a T-shirt when a knock sounded at the door.

He picked his gun up off the nightstand, checked to make sure that it was loaded and walked carefully toward the door. Standing to the side he said loudly, "Who is it?"

A female voice filtered through. He couldn't tell what she said, but she sounded like Angela. In one swift move he unlocked the door and jerked it open reaching out for her.

"Hey!" she yelled in annoyance as he dragged her inside. She tripped over her combat boots and let go of the garment bag she was holding, reaching out to grip the doorknob so she wouldn't fall over.

Mateo didn't give her time to right herself, he shoved her to the side, looked both ways down the hall and then slammed the door shut. He locked it and gave her a narrow look. "What are you doing here?"

She huffed out a breath and strode further into the room. "I figured since your ass was getting some beauty sleep this morning, I better get you some appropriate attire for your meeting with Savino. He surrounds himself with smartly dressed people, which tells me he isn't one to enjoy the presence of a roughneck."

Mateo grunted and walked away from her, leaving her to pick up the garment bag and toss it on the bed. He was being ungrateful, but he didn't care. He never cared. This was him. He didn’t observe social niceties. They were a waste of time and likely to get a person killed.

"You spoke to him." Not a question. He wouldn't have a meeting with the man if Angela hadn't met with him first.

She nodded. "A strange man, but I don’t think he’ll have us all killed or anything. As long as you don't say the wrong thing."

They looked at each other, both knowing what the other was thinking. Of course Mateo was going to say the wrong thing. He was an enforcer, a second-in-command. He was rough, he was brutal, he was in no way diplomatic. The boss made the negotiations. Mateo’s job was to keep the boss safe and make sure everyone abided by Sotza’s rules.

Miami was going to be a test of Mateo’s ability to change. If and when he finally got his hands on the city.

Neither of them said anything as Mateo unzipped the garment bag and examined the suit inside. He raised an eyebrow at it. "How much did you spend on this?"

It was easily one of the most expensive suits he would ever wear. Sotza, his employer, was always impeccably dressed in these things, but Mateo had never seen the point. He could work and fight much more easily wearing his own clothes.

"You don't want to know."

No, he didn't. Though Mateo was paid very well, with more money than he could possibly spend in a lifetime, he put most of it away. He sent half of it to his family in Caracas. The rest he squirreled away. For what, he didn't know. But he was the type of guy that figured eventually a path would open up to him and he would know what to do.

He dropped his towel, uncaring of Angela's presence, and began dressing. She rolled her eyes, made a clucking sound and turned to face the wall. He smirked at her back. For such a bad ass, she sure got all uppity about seeing a naked man. There was nothing between them or he wouldn't have dropped the towel in front of her. Angela was like a sister. They had each other's backs. She was his employee. Sometimes they acted like friends. But no more than that.

As he dressed in the fancy suit, he said, "Tell me about Savino."

"He's extremely wealthy. He has enough influence in Italy to sway elections. To choose candidates that’ll enable his business empire and then ensure their victories. Those that cross him have a tendency to disappear and the judicial system here doesn’t seem to get involved. Obviously, he's bought the police, which I suspect is how the son was able to track Raina."

Mateo had been afraid of that when she'd run from him at the clinic. Afraid that in her panic she would rush to leave the country and end up in the hands of a man who wanted her dead. Though her presence in the home of the father did not bode well, at least she'd had the sense to pull weight on her stepfather's name. That alone would keep her safe. For now.

"Turn around," Mateo growled. Angela obeyed and when she was facing him, he handed her the tie.

She stepped up to him and dragged it around his neck using her fingertips to press it up under the collar. With quick efficient motions she tied it for him, keeping her face from betraying what he knew she was thinking. A badass murderous motherfucker like Mateo needed help with his tie. He'd never been able to tie the fuckers, not even as a boy. Probably had something to do with his father passing away before he was five and then being raised by his mother and two sisters.

Mateo debated packing his things and preparing to check out of the hotel but decided to leave it for now. He didn't trust Raina not to throw another wrench into his plans. He wanted to leave Italy immediately, which likely meant that his contrary fiancé would want to stay for a while. Perhaps vacation in the home of one of the most dangerous men on the face of the planet. It would almost be amusing if it wasn't so terrifying.

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