Queen’s Move: Book Two of The Queens

by Slater, Nikita

  And now, in Sotza’s home, she discovered that all that sacrifice was for nothing. Her child had never really been safe. If it wasn’t this, it would have been something else. The child was a pawn, something to exploit. The ultimate bargaining chip against a heartless woman who would sacrifice her own life in a deadly mafia war. But she would never sacrifice Raina.

  Vee touched her fingertips against the window, watching as Raina sat slumped on a bench in Sotza’s beautiful garden. From her view it looked like a hedge maze. Raina had obviously figured it out and went into it almost daily, spending time among the flowers and shrubbery. Vee watched from above, a relentless sentinel who could do nothing if something should happen to the girl.

  She wondered what Raina thought. Was she cognizant of the danger she was in just by existing? Had anyone told her who her mother is? Was she terrified for her life? Was she angry, like Vee? All these thoughts pounded relentlessly through Vee’s brain. And though she was terrified for her daughter, she still craved a glimpse. She wanted to see the woman she had given birth to, this person who looked so much like her it was uncanny.

  Vee’s throat and chest ached with tears at the way Raina hunched her posture, wrapping her arms around her sleight body and rocking gently on the stone bench, her long, wavy blond hair flowing over one shoulder, glasses sliding down her nose, her gaze fixed on the stone path in front of her. Vee tensed when she saw someone approach the girl. It was a man, younger than Sotza, probably a bit younger than Vee. But even from her vantage point she could tell that he was as tough as they came. He spoke to Raina and her head tipped up sharply, her posture going from sad to angry in a matter of seconds. Like she knew him and didn’t like him. Was this the man who’d done Sotza’s dirty work, kidnapped Vee’s daughter while Sotza was busy going after Vee?

  Raina stood and poked her finger in the guy’s face, snapping something at him before whirling away. He grabbed her before she could stomp away up the path and back to the house. Vee growled, wanting to storm down there, tear them apart and then tear whoever the man was to little pieces. Then she would go and rip Sotza to shreds for bringing her daughter here, for introducing her to the mafia world and putting her in danger.

  “She’s beautiful,” Sotza’s quiet voice came from behind her, startling Vee. She didn’t turn around or acknowledge his presence as she continued to watch the scene unfolding below her. She was proud to see her daughter holding her own with the tough guy. “Just like you.”

  Vee bit her lip, holding back the insults and accusations she so badly wanted to hurl at her tormentor. By bringing Raina to Venezuela he’d ruined everything she ever sacrificed to give the girl a good life. And he ruined any feelings Vee might have been developing for him. Her lips curled a little as she got a clear view of Raina’s face when she managed to wrench her arm out of the man’s grasp, give him the finger and stomp toward the house. She was definitely her mother’s daughter.

  She felt rather than heard Sotza step closer behind her. He leaned over her shoulder looking out the window at the scene below. She felt her hair stir as his chin brushed against her, raising goosebumps along Vee’s arm. She tried to subtlety shift away but he leaned with her.

  His mouth was against her ear when he spoke. “We need to talk, Vee.” When she refused to say anything, refused to turn around, he curved long fingers over her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Both of us this time. This won’t be a one-sided conversation.” His voice was low and quiet. Up close he was so much taller, and without her heels, her eyes landed on the middle of his chest. He was wearing a vest over his buttoned-up shirt, but he’d abandoned his tie and suit jacket taking on a more casual appearance.

  Vee couldn’t help the shiver that went through her at his touch. She hated that her body was so aware of his, so at war with her own mind. She pushed past him, not wanting him to see his effect on her. She was wearing a short-sleeved silk shirt and a knee length skirt with slits up both sides. Both items were blue, the shirt a softer shade than the skirt. She wore a large ornamental belt at her waist. She had to hand it to Sotza, either he or one of his people had impeccable taste.

  “Then talk,” she said coolly, speaking for the first time in two days. Perhaps it was time to negotiate with the crime lord. Speak to him on a reasonable level and see if she could get herself out of the bedroom and planning an escape.

  His amused gaze followed her as she paced to the bed and sat on the edge. She realized when he followed her that she’d made a mistake. She should have sat in the chair near the armoire. Sotza didn’t sit though, he stood over her, watching her, using his physical presence to intimidate. She’d seen the tactic many times before. Probably would have done it herself if she wasn’t closer to five feet than six.

  “It’s time to set a wedding date,” he said. “Next week, I think.”

  Vee nearly swallowed her tongue. Of course, she knew why she was there. He’d told her many times of his desire to marry her. But she couldn’t bring herself to think of it as more than a sick joke. People didn’t force other people into marriage. Not in this day and age. Yet, she shouldn’t be so surprised. The mafia made their own rules, and often followed a code of conduct that could be called old-fashioned. It was part of the reason she’d sent Raina away as a baby. She hadn’t wanted the girl raised in such a world, where she might one day become fodder in the war of men.

  “I don’t think so,” Vee replied.

  He bobbed his head a little, as though expecting her answer. “Regardless, you will prepare for a wedding.”

  Vee had absolutely no doubt Sotza would find a way to make the marriage happen. She’d had two days to decide how she would play this moment. Knowing it was coming. She gripped the edge of the bed and said, “It’ll go easier with my consent.”

  He raised an eyebrow but didn’t look otherwise shocked by her comment. Either he had an incredible poker face or he knew what was coming.

  “Send Raina back home and I’ll marry you,” she said, toughening her tone as she would for any other negotiation.

  “No.” His answer was instant, the hard edge of his voice telling her he wouldn’t negotiate for her daughter.

  Still, she had to keep trying. “You don’t need her once you have me.”

  “I already have you. That won’t change.”

  “You don’t have my cooperation,” she bit out. He didn’t say anything so she continued, an edge of desperation entering her voice, though she wished she could remain cool. If she had to beg, for Raina’s sake, then she would. “If you keep my daughter out of this I’ll do what you want. I’ll marry you, fuck you, become the ideal wife, whatever you want.” A crease showed between his brows. A sign that he was considering her words? She pushed on. “Having her here is going to be a problem, Sotza. If she’s anything like me she’ll cause trouble. She won’t settle into this life. Please, just send her away. I’ll give you anything you ask for.”

  “No,” he said, and before she could argue, he continued, “she’s vulnerable, Vee. I proved that she can be tracked, picked up. It’s good luck that this didn’t happen a year ago when you started flexing muscle in Miami. She could have been grabbed by the Mexican cartel if they’d thought to dig into your past.”

  He had a point. The mere idea of the cartel getting their hands on her daughter made Vee feel sick. She stood and stepped toward Sotza, imploring. “Then send her somewhere else, send her overseas, somewhere she’ll be safe. Just not here. You can help me hide her.”

  He looked down at her, a fire leaping into his eyes at her proximity. He didn’t touch her though. “She won’t be safe anywhere. Only here, only under my protection.”

  Vee slapped him. She couldn’t help it. All the rage she’d been bottling up spilled out, exploding. He didn’t move when her hand cracked across his cheek. A muscle jumped in his jaw, the only sign that he was affected by her hit. She lifted a finger and shoved it into his face.

  “You are the reason she’s in danger!” Vee vibrated with a
nger. “You are the son-of-a-bitch who destroyed my daughter’s life. The life that I sacrificed everything for. I will never forgive you and I will never settle into any kind of marriage with you.”

  He waited until she said her piece, until she’d spewed her rage at him. Then he grabbed her, moving before she had time to fling herself away. He gripped her upper arms tightly, lifting her onto her toes and bending until his face was inches from hers. Her heart pounded painfully against her chest. It finally sunk in that she’d struck this unforgiving man twice within a few days. She’d struck the man who held her and Raina’s lives in his care. She was an idiot to challenge him.

  He didn’t address the slap though. He just held her like that, staring down at her, his eyes bottomless, dark pits. She felt the tension in his body. She wanted to recall her words, the slap, everything, just so long as he released her. His touch made her feel again, fear, arousal, confusion.

  She was seconds away from breaking down completely and begging him to drop her when he said, “You will be my wife, it’s as good as done.”

  He threw her backwards so hard her feet flew out from underneath her. Vee squeaked in fear, as her legs hit the bed and she collapsed backwards, bouncing on the mattress. By the time she surfaced, eyes wide and mouth open in shock he was striding toward the door. He stopped and turned as he twisted the knob. “I’ll send your daughter up when she’s ready. I tried to get her to come see you yesterday, but she refused.”

  His words stabbed her in the heart. His assertion that Raina didn’t want to see her was nothing less than she expected, but it still hurt nonetheless. She nodded and remained silent. She was surprised by his kindness in allowing the two women to visit, though somewhat confused. Why did he care?

  He watched her face as she felt herself crumble, gave her a moment to absorb them and then said, “If you ever strike me again, I will strike you back.”

  Vee nodded. She’d used up her free passes. If she pissed him off again, The Butcher would come out to play.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

  Raina’s head snapped up as Mateo’s deep voice interrupted her thoughts. She’d been thinking about her parents, knowing that they would be frantic with worry over her disappearance. She shook off her melancholy and straightened her spine, treating him to the glare she’d perfected just for him. The guy was too fucking hot for his own good. He’d been dressing a little nicer since his boss got back. Today he was wearing a pair of black dress pants with a leather belt, a green collared shirt and boots. He’d left his jacket off, leaving his holster and gun visible. Raina wasn’t used to seeing weapons displayed so casually. He wore it like it was part of him. She dropped her eyes from the gun.

  “What could possibly happen to me out here?” she asked moodily. “Do you think I might get kidnapped or something? Oh yeah, that already happened. I think I’ll take the risk, thank you.”

  His jaw knotted at her tone of voice. She didn’t care. What was he going to do? He was back under Sotza’s jurisdiction. And though Mateo wasn’t exactly subservient to anyone, his boss included, he still seemed to respect Sotza’s rule of law. Raina felt fairly certain that Mateo wasn’t allowed to touch her without permission. Though, from their frequent meetings, she definitely got the impression he wanted to touch and maybe do more to her. She just wasn’t sure if he wanted to kill her or fuck her. She sort of wished she had a little more life experience so she could figure it out.

  “Your bratty mouth isn’t going to get you far around here,” he grunted.

  “And for some reason you think I care?”

  He stepped closer to where she was sitting, towering over her, his shadow blocking out the sun. Her heart beat fast and hard and her palms grew damp where she gripped the edge of her seat. Why was she baiting him? It was stupid and she knew it, yet she couldn’t seem to stop.

  “You should care, Raina,” he said softly. She was beginning to recognize that tone. She’d heard Sotza use it, and other men around the property. Usually when they were discussing something less than savory.

  “You need to fuck off, okay?” she snapped. “You did your job, you brought me here. I shouldn’t have to put up with you any more. Doesn’t Sotza have something else to keep you busy? I don’t need you following me around, acting like some kind of creepy babysitter. I’m done with you.”

  His lips flattened and his nostrils flared. “I’m not done with you, Raina. And I’m keeping track of your disrespect. One day you’ll pay up.”

  She jumped to her feet and waved a finger in his face. “You can’t touch me!”

  “You think not?” He seemed almost amused, despite his anger.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed. “Your boss won’t let you.”

  Now he did laugh, a short bark, a chilling sound. “No one leashes me, chica. Definitely not the Señor. I am his second because I earned it, because I’m the best at my job. I am loyal, but I am not some employee. If I asked for your life, he wouldn’t hesitate to give it to me. And one day soon, I will be asking.”

  Raina shivered at the viciousness of his words. He was supremely confident in everything he was saying. And she had no come back. Just a desperate wish to disappear before he decided to make good on his words. She spun away from him and stomped toward the house throwing him the bird over her shoulder. She was grateful when he didn’t follow her in.

  She sighed heavily as she walked into the dark, sinister interior of Sotza’s home. She’d been there for 14 days now. She hated everything about the place. From the overbearing furniture with its English influence, to the bedroom that she spent so much time in alone, to Sotza himself. The past few days he’d insisted that Raina join him for their evening meal. She had been unable to bring herself to refuse. She didn’t dare treat him the way she was treating Mateo. There was something about Sotza that was terrifying and completely unapproachable. She’d heard whispers among the staff about his nickname, the Gentleman Butcher. Raina didn’t need further explanation to understand that he was a man better left alone.

  Though she tried to be respectful with the man who’d had her kidnapped, she’d nearly crossed the line the evening before when they sat down to eat together. He’d explained to Raina that he would be wedding her mother the following week and that Raina would be attending the church ceremony. She’d understood that there could be no argument.

  Raina had been spending plenty of time trying to come to terms with her feelings regarding her birth mother. She knew she would have to meet her. And though she’d spent years searching for the woman, Raina didn’t feel ready for a face-to-face, thus she’d refused Sotza when he asked if she wanted a visit. No matter how she tried to look at things, she couldn’t stop the deep sense of abandonment every time she thought about Elvira Montana. There was always a streak of resentment when she thought of her mother, though she was mature enough to understand that the woman probably had her reasons. And those reasons were gradually coming to light the more time she spent in Venezuela. If Vee’s life in the US had been anything like this, then Raina was starting to understand why Vee had given her up.

  She was beginning to suspect that these dinners in Sotza’s presence were his way of dealing with Raina’s resentment toward her mother. He spoke in his quiet voice about Vee and Miami. Just light stuff, throwing out comments about Vee’s interests and how much she enjoyed walking on the beach. He would also ask Raina polite questions about her family and life in Pennsylvania. Though the conversations should have been awkward, they never were. The dinners were not something Raina looked forward to. Sotza spoke with such authority that Raina often felt like a child in his presence. She had no choice but to sit and listen, and then respond if he asked her a question.

  Until last evening when Raina finally pushed back. Asked some of the burning questions that she desperately wanted answers to.

  “How long are you going to keep me here?” she asked during a lull in the conversation.

  He l
ifted his gaze from the table to study her. When he placed his fork gently on his plate and lifted his napkin to his lips, Raina realized she’d asked a more complicated question than she thought. It made her heart ache. Because if there wasn’t a simple answer to when she could go home then that meant she probably wouldn’t get the answer she wanted.

  “Your presence here is permanent,” he said, his dark, cold gaze on her face.

  Raina’s jaw dropped. It took her a moment to find her voice. He waited patiently until she could speak. “Permanent… as in…”

  He didn’t speak though. She noticed that about Sotza. Once he said his piece, he didn’t repeat himself or clarify unless he felt it was necessary. Still, as clear as he’d been, she just couldn’t wrap her head around the idea that she would stay there forever.

  “But why?” An edge of panic sharpened her voice. “You have my mother, you said you’ll marry her. You said yourself she’ll cooperate. Once the wedding is over you don’t need me for leverage. My parents will be looking for me, they’re probably completely freaking out, wondering if I’m dead or something. You can just let me go back home. I promise I won’t say anything about you.”

  “I’m afraid that’s impossible,” he said smoothly.

  “But I’m nothing to you. You needed me to lure her out of hiding, right? Now you have her, what’s the point in keeping me?”

  He studied her carefully, his features completely blank. “You are misinformed, child. You were never brought here to be used as leverage against your mother.”

  Her jaw dropped again. She wasn’t? It had been her assumption from the beginning, as soon as she found out her kidnapping had to do with her mother. In a way, the knowledge that she could be used against Elvira created a tiny glow within her. Made her feel like maybe she was more than just a castoff to Elvira. She almost felt a little sorry that she’d been so easily captured. Though she resented Elvira, Raina didn’t think her birth mother deserved a lifetime of marriage to this man.