R E Y N A

The game had begun.

I could only stare at the anger in each wave as it slammed against the rocks. The smooth smell of sea quickly flourished into my nostrils. It made me question how something so angry could ease me into feeling melancholy. Maybe it was the memories that resurfaced every time I walked out here. Maybe it was the way the wind would whisk through my hair with a motherly caress. Maybe it was my feet that sunk into the sand like it was sinking me deeper into the world.

It was going to rain any second now. The sky was darker than normal, and the birds had practically disappeared.

Rain was my favorite thing in the world. It proved something to me. It proved that life was nothing but a cycle. Just like water, we evaporate, condense, and then we precipitate. Evaporation is our beginning, where we dream and hope. Condensation is the realization that age and cruelty exist to even those who least deserve it. Precipitation—my favorite—is about letting it all go to start again.

I feel the first splat of water on my arm before another follows it. My gaze lifted into the gray of the clouds as beads of water fell from the sky. They make their appearance all over my body, but I don't mind. I welcome it.

This was the world that truly existed—rain, sand, and angry waves. Not fear, not hatred, and no worries. Just beautiful nature that embraced me wholeheartedly with each splat of rain.

I turned on my heel. My feet crunched against the sand as I traveled back into my home... My mother's home. Frustration was poking at me. It had been years since I last seen my mother. Every statement that questioned if my mother was still alive was now slammed into the back of my mind. It was locked away until there was proof of death. She had to be alive; I could feel it.

My door creaked loudly as I pushed it open. Something was unsettling about my home. When my gaze wandered over to my tipped over plant, I knew I didn't imagine it.

I searched my house until a constant beeping could be heard. Cautiously, I stepped into my home before closing the door behind me. Fear took over my actions as I found myself locking every lock my door had to offer.

I could feel my heart racing the closer I got to my bedroom. With each step toward my room, the beeping grew louder. It was screaming at me hauntingly.

There was a squeal from the flooring as my feet made contact with it. I was fearful of what lies behind my bedroom door. Leisurely, I pushed it open. The beeping was coming from my computer. When I neared my device, I could see the words appear on my locked screen.

Ransomware. It had to be one of the most complicated hacks. Ransomware was a form of malware that locks a person out of their system and robs them of whatever that hacker is looking for. I've done it on a few occasions, but not as much as someone may think. Ransomeware could get messy just as fast as it gets good.

It didn't take long for the countdown to appear on my screen. I hurriedly sat down on the chair and began to work my magic with a hack of my own. They have my files, so I know that they are aware of exactly who I am. They know who I am looking for.

I should've used more protection before lodging myself into the system of a wicked man, Santino "Saint" Venturi.

The worst part of it all, his files put me back at square one. He wasn't an innocent man, but he was innocent of the crimes I was searching for. What I did find of Saint, it left a shiver to run down my spine. He was fearless, and being fearless meant he was dangerous.

I glanced over at the countdown to see I still had about twenty seconds left. I quickly shot my hacker a message.

My fingers were moving so sharply to get through this person's firewall. There were too many encryption codes that would take days to decode. The widening of my eyes was evident when I glanced over at the countdown screen to see a message underneath.

"No," I whispered. It was my address.

They knew where I lived. No matter what happens, there was no way I could make it out alive. Saint was known for no mercy. He especially wouldn't hand it over to someone who hacked into his database and found out things no one should know.

I couldn't seem to understand how this person got through my firewall. It took years to get it where I needed it to be.

Ten seconds left.

My hands were moving at an impeccable pace. I needed to get out of this. I needed to find my mother.

Miraculously, I broke through their firewall, leaving the countdown to stop. A huge smile broke out on my face as my computer finally unlocked itself. I did it. However, my job was not done. They knew where I live. "I could threaten to expose them, but that wouldn't work, would it?"

"Come on, Reyna. Think," I whispered to myself. "Think, think, think."

I then decided to shoot my hacker a message.

It was either really smart or really dumb—there was no in-between. I threatened a mafia. Threatening someone so organized and merciless was never going to do me any justice. I signed away my life the moment I sent that message to my hacker. I have to go. I have to leave this place now.

My computer screeched loudly. The noise annoyed my eardrums, leaving me to grimace. When all the lights in my house shut off, I knew I was in trouble. Big trouble.

I quickly wandered over to a window to see a huge black car parked outside. Something began squeezing at my heart. So many ideas were running through my brain, but none could make it to the finish line. None were smart enough to outrun the Mafia.

"Where did I go wrong?" I whispered to myself. Everything I used to protect me was impossible to get through. Not even Gary McKinnon could figure out a way to decode my firewall. Unless... Unless they accessed it from my computer.

They must've broke into my home.

The sound of my front door caving in pounded into my ears and wandered to my heart. I kept trying to contemplate how to handle this situation because I knew running was not an option. They were nearing, and I could feel it. My instinct reaction was to hide.

The first place that wasn't the most obvious to hide was under my bed. There was a wood framing underneath my mattress that would allow me to slip into there. Whoever was in my home would obviously check under the bed, but they won't check the hidden area under my mattress.

It didn't take long for my bedroom door to creek open. My eyes shut as I found myself praying to whoever would listen. The last thing I wanted was to die. I couldn't die. There was too much work that I needed to do.

"She's not here," A voice rang out. He spoke in Italian, which only managed to confirm my suspicions. This was the mafia--the Italian mafia. Saint was all over this, and the thought made the hair stand up on the nape of my neck.

"She has to be. Look harder," A different voice demanded.

There was so much terror coursing through me. It made it difficult to put an end to my heavy breathing.

My gaze shifted over to the polished shoes that made their appearance by my bed. I immediately placed my hand over my mouth. The shoes were joined by hands before a head poked under the bed. Luck was definitely on my side when he pulled away and stood up. "She's in this room. I saw her through the window."

"Boss will be upset if we don't bring her in," The other voice stated. A pressure began to push down on me as the sound of the bed dipping alerted my eardrums.

"Feel this," the man stated. I wish I could understand what he was saying but failed miserably.

Another pressure could be felt. The pain almost left me to cry out. They were pushing the bed down onto my back. When the pressure was released, I let out a small breath, but it was short-lived.

"Found her."