Page 47 of Born a Queen

Chapter Twenty-Six

Raina told herself it was going to be okay, that she hadn’t specified exactly what kind of shopping she wanted to do, and Mateo had agreed to let her go. She was in the process of wandering the isles of Office Depot with a frowning Danny. Angela was covering the main entrance while Thomas waited in the vehicle. Mateo had put all of his best people on her. Raina was starting to realize he meant it when he said she wouldn’t be going anywhere without a security detail.

“What exactly are we shopping for?” Danny asked, skepticism clear in his voice.

It was possible that Danny was under the impression she would be shopping for things like clothes, shoes, and handbags. It wasn't her fault he was making assumptions, but she supposed she should come up with some kind of explanation to give him.

"Scrapbooking supplies," she said cheerfully, tossing another cartridge of ink into her shopping cart.

"You need a $2000 high-resolution printer, a precision knife and paintbrushes for scrapbooking?" He pointed at the items piled in her shopping cart.

She turned to him with a disappointed expression, trying her hardest to look innocent. "Of course, I do. How else will I immortalize my memories?"

He snorted. "Seems to me you're collecting all of the necessary supplies for a printing press."

She attempted to look suitably shocked. "And what exactly would I need a printing press for?"

Danny crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes as he continued to trail after her. "You do know that your mother was keeping a close eye on you while you were in Pennsylvania? She was well aware of everything you got up to, including your little forgery business."

"Really?" She didn't know how to feel about that. She'd known that Vee had kept tabs on her to some extent, but Raina had done a good job of hiding her forging business. Not even Joe and Diane had known.

"Really," Danny confirmed. A brief smile lifted the edge of his lips. "Your mother is quite proud. She says you have a good head for business."

Raina beamed her pleasure. She couldn't help it. She was a good forger and it felt awesome to know that her mother, a badass mafia queen, thought Raina was a good businessperson.

"Are you going to tell Mateo?" she asked Danny.

He sighed heavily and rubbed at a spot between his brows. She wondered if she was giving him an irritation headache. Sometimes she did that the people.

"What exactly do you intend to do with this set up you’re putting together?"

Raina excitedly told him her plan. "I still have a few commissions that I wasn't able to get to before I was shot in Venice. I want to finish those and then ship the proofs to their owners. I had some really good clients; I can ask them for references. Then I'll put feelers out through the underworld, letting people know that I'm in town and my services are available."

"I don't want to dash your dreams here, missy. But the wife of Mateo Gutierrez, the newest boss in town, absolutely cannot be setting up her own side hustle. Especially one that her husband doesn't know about."

Raina frowned irritably. "We’re not married."

She was pretty much over having people tell her what she could and couldn't do as Mateo’s wife. As far she was concerned, they didn't even have a wedding date. She told Danny as much.

Danny took his phone out and started texting.

"Who are you texting?" she asked angrily, already knowing the answer.

"Mateo," he grunted, confirming her suspicions. But before she could start yelling at him for betraying her, he looked up with a smug expression. "Your wedding date is July 14th."

Raina's mouth fell open. July 14th was only a couple months away. "Did you just tell Mateo that I wanted a wedding date?"

"Yes." Danny calmly took hold of her cart and continued pushing it.

Well shit. That hadn't gone how she planned. Now she had a wedding date. She didn't want a wedding date. She had a fucking wedding to plan too! She had a business to set up and a wedding to plan. She decided then and there to never engage in a conversation like this with Danny again. That guy was too clever by half.

Raina continued shopping, spending the rest of the day doing exactly what Mateo had expected her to. She bought enough clothing, jewelry, shoes and handbags to fill her entire walk-in closet. She didn't particularly enjoy shopping, but there was something about using Mateo's credit card that gave her a vicious spark of glee every time she handed it to a salesclerk.

It was early evening when Raina decided she was finished. They headed back to the mansion, her sitting in the backseat with Angela. Danny and Thomas sat in the front seat. There were three more security men in the car behind them.

Less than an hour later, Raina made her way to the dining room where Mateo was waiting for her. Her heart gave a flutter when she looked at him. He looked good. He always looked good, but tonight, he was wearing a suit and tie. There was something about a man in a suit, his tattoos peeking out through the collar of his shirt and the ends of his sleeves, that made her feel all warm and tingly inside.

She sank down onto her chair and reached for her napkin. He intercepted her, placing his hand on her arm.

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