Page 5 of Born a Queen

Chapter Three

“This is a bad idea,” Raina muttered to herself. “This is such a bad idea and I’m definitely going to get myself shot… again.”

She didn't have a choice though; she was going to have to dig deep, find her guts and find a way into this nightclub.

The nightclub, Banditos, was an exclusive invitation-only social establishment. And Raina did not have an invitation. However, she did need to speak to the man who owned the club along with half the city. The father of the man who tried to have her killed.

Raina forced her shoulders back and stood straighter. Pain shot through her back and abdomen and she nearly bent over in agony. She reached out blindly, using the wall of the alley next to the nightclub to steady herself. She took long deep breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth, until the waves of dizziness passed. She had no choice, she had to go inside. She straightened her jacket and ran her fingers through her hair, combing it first and then fluffing it, trying to give herself a sexier appearance.

Though she felt like a corpse warmed up, she figured she could still pull off sexy. She was young, she was confident, and she was determined.

She approached the doorman. "I need to meet with Signore Savino please."

The bouncer eyed her up with interest, but his cold dark gaze was shuttered. His massive body blocked the doorway, making it impossible for her to dart around him.

"Better get out of here," the bouncer said with a wave of his hand. "The boss likes blondes and you’re too delicate for what he'd have in mind."

Raina was insulted that the bouncer assumed she couldn't take care of herself. She might look delicate but in reality, she was hell on wheels. Just ask her parents. Any of them.

"Tell him Raina…" she hesitated. She'd never invoked this name before. She loved her adopted parents and she was more than happy to have the last name Duncan. But Duncan wasn't going to get her into an establishment like this. "Tell him Raina Sotza is here."

"You don't hear real well, do you – " The bouncer started to speak and then stopped himself, thinking for a few seconds. "The Butcher? That Sotza?"

"My stepfather," she said truthfully. The fact was it didn't matter if Sotza was her birth father or her stepfather, any relation of Sotza’s had automatic protection.

The bouncer's eyes bulged as he took her in, connecting enough dots to realize exactly who she was. Sotza’s relationship with Vee Montana had rocked the underworld. Two titans, first colliding, then falling in love and rising up to rule the Venezuelan cartel had caused waves the world over.

"Please follow me," the bouncer said formally.

He led her through the entrance and down a hall, his big body blocking her view. They reached a door on the other end, which was blocked by another very large man. Her bouncer said a few words to the other one, jerking his thumb back towards the entrance door, indicating the man should go take over. Then he led her through the nightclub itself. A beautiful and gaudy piece of art that must’ve cost a fortune to build and decorate. Although, if the crowd was anything to go by, the nightclub likely brought in plenty of revenue. Maybe it doubled as a front for Savino’s other operations.

As Raina was looking around with curiosity, her eyes caught on someone she feared she would see there. Antonio Savino. The moment her eyes landed on him, he looked up and caught sight of her. His face reflected shock for a few seconds, then anger. Raina took a step closer to the uncertain protection of the bouncer as Antonio hurtled toward them.

“You!” he snarled, trying to shove past the bouncer to get at her.

“Surprised to see me?” she asked tauntingly.

She tried not to look as pale as she felt. If he didn’t know she’d been injured in the attack, she didn’t want him to find out.

“I’m going to fucking – ” he started to threaten her, but the bouncer stepped between them.

“I’m taking her to meet with your father.”

The look on Antonio’s face was almost worth the gunshot wound in her back. Part terror and part impotent rage.

Antonio turned to the bouncer and growled in a low voice, “Give her to me. She’s an ex-girlfriend. I’ll take care of her and make sure she doesn’t come back to cause more trouble.”

The bouncer wasn’t fazed at all. Maybe he was used to dealing with Antonio. “I’m taking her to see your father. If you want her, you can negotiate with him.” He took Raina’s arm and walked away, dismissing Antonio. Raina decided that this moment was one of the most satisfying in her life.

As they approached the chained off VIP area, her personal bouncer said, "Stay here," and pointed at a spot on the floor, then strode away. Raina glanced at the spot, amused. Did he actually expect her to stand exactly where he put her? Raina trailed after him, though she gave him a wide berth. After all he was a very large man and she had plenty to lose.

Raina stopped when the bouncer stopped. She stood waiting about fifteen feet away as he bent over to speak into a man's ear. The man appeared to be in his 50’s and was decently good-looking. Cassie, Raina’s best friend, would call him a silver fox. He wore a tailored suit, dark grey with a blood red tie and handkerchief in his pocket. His dark grey hair was slicked back and he wore rings on several of his fingers. He had that look about him; the one she was beginning to recognize from all the mobsters she had dealt with. A hard, cold, dead look. It sent a chill straight through her.

She lifted her chin. It didn't matter. She’d lived a lifetime in only twenty-one years. She was a fighter. She wasn't about to let one scary ass man stop her from forging ahead and taking care of herself, the way she'd always done.

The Italian’s head jerked up once the bouncer was finished speaking. He stared at her, at first in shock, and then with something closer to speculation. He was sizing her up, trying to figure out why she was there, in his town, alone. Without them saying a word to each other he would know that she was vulnerable. She was voluntarily walking into his lair knowing that he could easily have her killed. She was banking on her stepfather's name to keep Signore Savino from doing that.

Raina walked forward, adding some swagger to her step, trying to project an air of both confidence and femininity. She sensed he would respect both, and in this moment, she needed the man on her side.

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