A shudder rippled through her at that last thought. She imagined if Giovanni's men tried touching Mateo there would be a bloodbath. She turned her gaze up to Giovanni's waiting one and said, her voice slow and thoughtful, "As you know, Mateo is a very dangerous man. I have seen nothing to dispute this in the time that I've spent with him. However, it’s my impression that he’s also a thoughtful man. He doesn’t pull his gun unless he means it and he doesn't attack people without a reason. I believe you have nothing to fear." She paused, tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not entirely sure how these negotiations will go. I'm not sure what he'll do if you say something that he doesn't like."
Giovanni nodded. "You make some good points." He turned to his man. "Let the man in already, I've had enough waiting. They may keep their weapons, but make sure you and your men are close. Don't get jumpy, don't pull a weapon unless you have my go-ahead."
Raina felt a little sick at that. She didn't want anyone pulling any more weapons. She'd already been shot once. And that was the most violence she'd experienced in her short life so far. She was desperately hoping that they could have a nice sit-down brunch together and have a civilized chat about her future.
Mateo didn't wait for either his men or Giovanni's, he quickly strode toward their table. Ignoring Giovanni entirely, Mateo rounded the table to where Raina was sitting. He dropped to his knee next to her and took her hand in a hard grip.
"Tell me you’re okay." His voice was an agitated growl. And though his appearance was immaculate, there was a wild look in his eyes that she'd never seen before.
At first, Raina was so surprised she couldn't speak. What was he doing? How could he put himself in such a vulnerable position right next to a potential enemy? All of Giovanni's men were at his back, their hands twitching towards their holsters as they tried to figure out what Mateo was doing with her. Did he actually care this much? That he might put himself in danger over her?
"I'm fine," she said quietly for his ears alone. He continued to have that wild look. She placed her hand on top of his where he gripped her and squeezed. "Really, Mateo, I feel fine. Giovanni has been treating me like a queen."
Mateo’s shoulders stiffened at her use of Giovanni's name, but he didn't chastise her for it. "Your wound?" he persisted.
"Honestly, I’m fine," she said insistently, glancing around at the people surrounding them, embarrassment colouring her cheeks. She was just as tough as the rest of them, but Mateo was treating her as though she was a delicate doll.
"She is in near perfect health," Giovanni said, his voice jovial with an edge of curiosity. His dark eyes lingered on her lap where Mateo's hand clasped hers. "My personal physician saw to her and made sure that she will have no lasting ill effects from her wound."
Mateo stood slowly, his entire body tense. Raina held her breath. He stared down at her, his dark eyes piercing through flesh and bones and thoughts.
Whenever he did that, whenever he looked at her with such an intense gaze, she felt like she could divine his thoughts. Blood, sex and violence. She gave a slight shake of her head, silently telling him she truly was fine.
His shoulders seemed to relax a fraction. No one else around them would've seen the interaction, it had been so fast and intimate. No one would know that she had silently called off the bloodbath that he would've instigated on her behalf, had Giovanni hurt her in any way.
Mateo sat on Raina's other side, his body shifting in a way that very subtly blocked her from view of the club. A woman plopped herself down into the chair next to Mateo. At first, Raina thought the woman belonged to Giovanni. But body language and the way she was dressed told Raina otherwise. This one was Mateo's.
Raina studied her with the cool air of indifference on the outside and raging jealousy on the inside. The woman was beautiful, with dark serious eyes, hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders and a small compact body with more curves than Raina could ever hope to grow.
Raina knew that she was being unreasonable, that her jealousy was unwarranted. She had no real claim on Mateo, despite his obsession with her. She’d never given him any indication that she felt the same. The irrational side of Raina wanted to stamp her ownership all over the wild Venezuelan gangster.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me." Mateo’s eyes were on Giovanni as he spoke.
Considering the smoldering cauldron of violent intentions buried beneath a fancy suit and bland expression, Raina was impressed that Mateo was keeping such a polite front.
Before Giovanni could answer, Raina's curiosity got the better of her. She stuck her hand out toward the woman. "Raina Duncan. And you?"
The other woman looked momentarily startled but then seemed to gather herself. She looked at Raina as though seeing her for the first time, and for all Raina knew maybe this was the first time. The woman shook her hand, a firm quick jerk before she let it go.
"Angela Santiago.” She seemed to hesitate, then she added, "I work for Mateo and your father."
Raina pursed her lips and nodded thoughtfully. She was impressed. She hadn't realized that the Latino macho men who made up the Venezuelan underworld would allow a woman such a position. Perhaps Sotza, or Mateo, or both, were more forward-thinking than she’d given them credit for. While she certainly didn’t approve of the way they procured wives, she liked the idea that they worked with women.
"Pleased to meet you," Raina said politely, some of her jealousy melting away.
Angela nodded, her eyes drifting away from the table to scan the club. Raina wondered if Angela was a bodyguard. She was small but she dressed badass in denim, leather and heavy boots.
A slight tension rippled through the occupants of the table as they all fell silent for a few seconds. The seriousness of this meeting was starting to set in. Dangerous people sharing a table in a club owned by one of the most powerful men in the world.
Raina wondered who held more power, Giovanni or Sotza? Mateo, acting in Sotza's stead, was just as powerful as his boss. Raina recalled a conversation that she had with him when she was living in the mountain compound in Venezuela for that brief month. His words still struck a chord of apprehension within her. He'd said to her, "No man is my master."
A person only had to spend a matter of minutes with Mateo to see the coiled strength within, the leashed violence, the intelligence and the terrifying determination. Mateo knew exactly who he was and where he was going in life. This is why the idea of spending the rest of her life with a man like that, a man who was already married to the mob, felt too frightening for her to contemplate.
She would admit to being attracted to him. Who wouldn't? On the surface, he was everything a woman could want; good-looking, wealthy, self-confident. But underneath, he was dark. And while Raina had come to terms with the fact that she would inevitably be drawn into the mafia life by who she was, who she was born to, she wasn't yet ready to accept an arranged marriage.
She glanced over at Giovanni who wanted her to marry his son. No, she wasn't interested in marriage with any of the options she was currently faced with.
"Business," Mateo said in a cool voice letting the occupants of the table note that he was impatient to get the upcoming negotiations over with.