REYNA

"Leo, can you stop staring at us like our own personal stalker? It's getting weird." Savannah cringed. I glanced over at Leo who only rolled his eyes before crossing his arms over his chest, showing off the bulging muscles of his biceps through his suit jacket.

Despite Savannah's request, he didn't bother removing his gaze. At first, I was creeped out by him, but I quickly came to realize that he was only doing his job.

Savannah huffed in annoyance as she threw herself down on Saint's office chair.

I had only met both Savannah and Leo today. I remembered seeing Leo stand as a guard for Saint's home while he was away, but Savannah was someone I had never seen before. She had raven black hair that barely reached her chin. It really defined her sharp features and high cheekbones and fox eyes.

"You need to get out of that chair," Leo stated, watching as the fiery woman spun around in Saint's seat like a bored toddler.

"No," she told him dismissively.

As I watched Savannah, I could just feel her confidence shedding off of her like sunrays. It was hugging my heart and inspiring the weakest part of my brain that that always made me so anxious to take a stand for myself.

"Reyna," the woman called, grasping my attention as I raised a brow.

She stood up from her seat, showcasing her sleeves of tattoos and black cropped tank-top. Her shorts did nothing to conceal her long legs that were trying their best to peak through her fish-net stockings.

She threw herself down on the couch beside me. There was a smile full of mischief on her face as she glanced at what I was doing on the computer before turning her attention back to me.

"If you keep staring at me like that, I just might eat you," she whispered with a wink. My eyes widened as she chomped down on air just to prove her point.

"Leave her alone, Savannah. You know what Saint told you," Leo stated. She turned toward him, raising her hand and flipping him off.

"Don't pay any attention to him. He's just a bit upset because Saint told him he couldn't speak to you but I can," she informed me after placing her hand back at her side.

"You are so mature," Leo said sarcastically.

"What? Why?" I asked.

Leo sighed as Savannah broke out in a fit of laughter. She clutched her hand over her chest and hunched over.

"Oops, was I not supposed to say that? I'm sorry, Leo, I thought I said it in my head," Savannah said, but she didn't sound unapologetic at all. Sarcasm skipped along with her every word.

"Yeah, right." Leo rolled his eyes. "I'm getting tired of babysitting."

Her laughter quickly died down as she settled for a glare. "Maybe if you had done your job of guarding the house, you wouldn't be in this position, now would you?" she questioned.

"I would like to see you try guarding. Oh, that's right! You can't because your only job is to sleep with everyone to get information." Leo narrowed his eyes at her.

She quickly shot up from the couch and stormed over to him. Before I could realize what was happening her fist collided with his head.

Leo doubled over just as she lifted her knee and smashed it into his face. He groaned out from the collision as he fell to the floor in defeat.

"I'm a spy, dumbass. And if you forget again, I have no problem reminding you," she said just before turning on the heel of her combat boots and walking back toward me.

"Misogyny runs deep in this family, Reyna. I can beat more ass than any man that walks through that door, but it doesn't matter to these assholes. You just can't be weak or they'll just prey on you," Savannah advised as she threw herself down beside me.

You can't be weak.

I looked away from Savannah and focused on my computer as if thoughts weren't running through my crowded mind. Every single time I let Saint run all over me, do as he pleased, and touched me when he wanted... weakness pinned me to a wall, leaving me vulnerable. I was his prey.

"Do I..." I sighed. "Do I seem weak?"

She didn't hesitate to nod her head. "You do. I honestly feel bad for you."

I forced myself to look down at my computer, pretending that I let her words go through one ear and out the other. However, it scarred the inside of my ears as they sliced their way in, penetrating my mind, and clogging my brain from allowing any other thought in.

She bumped my shoulder as if we were old friends discussing old memories. "You live here with Saint, right?" she asked, her tone coming off as if she already knew the answer. "Does he frighten you?"

Saint was the reason I always felt an urge to leave a light on while I slept. He made my palms sweaty and my heart race. My body quivered every single time I could feel his breath on my neck. Every word that he spoke reminded me of the taunting tone I witnessed he used on his victims. From the moment I met him, I had counted on my fingers just how much time I would have left to live. Even though he held me by my throat and would threaten my life, a thrill would lose itself in my loins. A thirst would bite at my tongue and a need would test my intelligence. The throbbing ache in my panties would match the pace of my racing heart. Did I fear Santino Venturi? Yes, I did. I feared him just as much as I craved him. And that itself was enough to make me frightened of me.

Instead of answering her question, I shrugged my shoulders. Savannah knew the answer to her own question. She most likely knew Saint a lot better than I did. I recognized that she only wished to hear me say it.

"Here's some advice... don't be frightened. All of these men are the same. They see seeking help as a weakness and envying someone as shameful. They see smiles as vulnerable and tears as ignorance. When they don't show these emotions, an outpour is raging within them. Take it from someone whose occupation is literally to read men and find out what makes them crack, Saint envies you. He needs you. It's why he is trying so hard to protect you. It's why he put two of his best people here to guard you. If he wanted to kill you or hurt you, neither you nor I would be here. Therefore, don't be scared of him..." A smirk maneuvered its way onto her face. "Take control."

I could recall Rosalinda saying something similar. Saint needed me.

Just as I was about to dive deeper into my thoughts, my computer dinged. I immediately rushed over to it and watched as the file appeared. My eyes widened as I clicked on it and took in the sight of surveillance footage that showcased the street that was about a block away from Saint's house.

It could have been anyone seeing as cars were covering every part of the street, but a big, black truck with the heaviest tint speeding down the road really stood out. I knew that with a bit of editing I would be able to get the license plate and possibly identify the driver. We would finally have a lead.

"What is it? Did you find Giovanni?" Leo asked, walking toward me. Just as he neared me, I turned off the computer, making sure it was locked. Based on Saint's advice, I was mindful that no one could be trusted.

"One second," I said, pushing past him and walking out of the room. I didn't stop walking until I made it to my room. Once I got there, I closed my door and leaned against it. Immediately, I pulled out the phone Saint left for me and clicked the only contact saved in the phone.

After a few rings, he picked up.

"Saint?" I asked, making sure it was him. Nerves were picking at my feet as I shifted my weight back forth on them.

He would be relieved to know that we were finally getting somewhere in finding Viktor and now Giovanni as well.

"Angel," he responded. I had to ignore the whirlwind settling at the pit of my stomach at the way he called out to me. Get yourself together, Reyna.

"I have been working very hard to prove Adriano's innocence because my intuition is rarely wrong," I began, thinking about how much time I spent digging into Adriano in the past couple of hours, hoping that I wouldn't find anything that could get him killed. "Turns out, there is a surveillance camera just down the street from your home. I hacked into the software and guess what I found?"

He smacked his teeth. "Can you just hurry the fuck up?"

Even though I couldn't see him, I knew exactly what expression was on his face. His brows were probably furrowed and his lips were tight. Irritation was almost as clear as day, and the old me would have backed down and given him what he wanted. However, Savannah's advice kept ringing in my ears, reminding me that I couldn't be weak. He was speaking to a different me now. A newer me. A me that wouldn't allow him to treat me like scum.

"Fine, I guess it's not important then. Goodbye," I said, ready to pull the phone away from my ear and hang up.

His next words stopped me. "Angel... tell me," he said almost desperately but not quite. There was still aggression twirling around in his tone.

"Beg me," I dared.

"Just because we are a couple of miles away doesn't mean I won't spank the disobedience out of you. Tell me what you saw, Reyna," he threatened.

I pulled my shoulders back and held my head up high. "No, I've had enough of your touching and ordering me around. We made a deal... we're equal. Therefore, if you want to know what I saw, you're just gonna have to be nicer to me."

"You're playing a dangerous game. Are you sure you want to proceed?" He asked.

I stared at the particles dancing around the empty space in front of me for a few seconds. My heart was still racing, and my palms were still sweating, but I wasn't going to allow my fear to hold me back anymore. I had a mother to find, and a life to live. If I wanted to survive Santino Venturi and all of the trauma he was prepared to put me through, I would have to win this game.

"Checkmate."

-

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As a thank you for 700k reads, here is an update! I love you guys!

I know this update took a while. School started back up and I've been trying to find room to breathe. I think I'm in a safe space to start updating again. I'm mainly going to be focusing on this story only because I want to finish it and begin the publishing process. Also, yes, my updates are now going to be longer again.

Question: what do you like about this book?