Page 63 of Born a Queen

Chapter Thirty-Four

"You," Vee snapped, striding purposefully towards her prey, one of the mansion security personnel.

Vee was pleasantly surprised when Angela turned around to face her. A wide grin split Angela's face as she was quick to greet her former employer. "Señora Sotza, awesome to see you again!"

The two women hugged. "I suppose I should’ve realized that you would be here with Mateo."

Angela nodded. "He prefers to have his own team around him during the takeover.”

"I was sad to see you and Thomas leave, but you’re right. Mateo works best when he’s with his team. That is one thing I'll give him; he values those that are loyal to him. And you, my dear Angela, have always been loyal, whether he deserves it or not."

Angela shrugged. "Mateo is an easy person to give loyalty to. He’s loyal to a fault himself."

"Yes," Vee drawled. "Loyal to a fault. It’s difficult to earn that man's loyalty, but I see that those of you that have it will have it forever. It’s why I haven’t objected more stringently to this marriage between him and my daughter. I know that he’ll protect her with his life."

Angela reached out to touch Vee's arm. "He’s loyal to you as well," she said earnestly.

Vee smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "He’s loyal to my husband, which means his loyalty automatically extends to me. He’s never warmed up to me as a person."

Angela watched her with a shrewd expression. "I don't know why it bothers you, it's not like you've ever attempted to win him over."

Vee laughed. "You’ve never been one to sugarcoat things."

Angela shrugged. "What's the point in sugarcoating. The truth will come out anyway."

“Regardless, I don’t think Mateo and I will become besties any time soon. Friendly maybe, but not more.”

Vee had earned Mateo’s ire by helping her daughter leave Venezuela after he made his intentions clear. He believed that Vee’s actions constituted a betrayal to the Sotza cartel. Luckily, Sotza had seen it otherwise and hadn't punished his wife. Vee didn't think that she and Mateo would ever be close, but she respected him and for her daughter’s sake she would try to be civil.

"Were you looking for something?" Angela asked, prodding Vee on her reason for seeking out the mansion security.

"Yes, I'd like to look at some security footage if you have it handy." Vee’s voice was clipped and cool, back to business.

Angela hesitated and then nodded. "I don't think it should be a problem."

Vee understood Angela's dilemma. Angela and Vee had always gotten along well, two powerful women in a male-dominated cartel. Both had attitude in spades and could take care of themselves. Over the years of Vee’s marriage, the two women had developed a friendship. They were stronger and more powerful together than apart.

Vee followed Angela down the hallway, her 4-inch black Louis Vuitton heels tapping against the marble as she walked. Angela showed her to a back room that had been turned into a security office. She ushered Vee inside and waved her toward a chair then took the other chair behind the desk, sinking down and tapping the keyboard to wake up the monitor.

Vee looked at Angela shrewdly. "I think Miami suits you."

Angela’s eyes narrowed in thought. "I've always enjoyed America. There's a certain kind of… freedom… that I don't necessarily experience in Venezuela. More opportunity maybe." She finished with a shrug.

"I know what you mean," Vee assured her. "Misogyny runs aplenty in the world of organized crime. Here, you’re far more likely to rise up the ranks than you would in a place like Venezuela. Though Sotza appreciates hard work, whether that work is coming from a man or a woman, his organization isn’t that far out of the dark ages. Regardless, enjoy your time here. I'm sure you can make it permanent if that’s what you want."

Angela treated Vee to a half smile and then focused her attention on the computer in front of her. She turned the monitor so that they could both see it. "What are we looking for?"

"The interior designer. I want to know what she looks like."

Angela nodded sharply and said, her voice hard, "I never trusted her. Worst customer service I've ever seen. She was rude to everyone, including your daughter. It was a miracle Raina didn't fire her."

Vee chuckled. "Raina sees the best in everyone."

"Okay, so the moment Mateo realized Daniela wasn’t on the up and up, he had us pouring through this footage. I can tell you now, she's clever. Never once showed her face." Angela quickly found the file on the desktop, opened it and played the first video.

Vee watched as a tall slender dark-haired woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat walked past the front entrance camera at a fast clip. She brought her hand up to her face as though to brush hair out of her eyes. The move obscured her features.

"Clever indeed," Vee said darkly.

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