C L A R I S S 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.

I know who you are, Red.

This isn't a game. Return our files.

I have all of your secrets.

If you want your identity to stay hidden,

you have thirty seconds. 

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, Santiago  "Saint" Rossi. 

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.

Bluffing.

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.

1105 Harpin Rd.

"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, Clarissa . Think," I whispered to myself. "Think, think, think." 

I then decided to shoot my hacker a message. 

I won't hand the files over to the police,

but you must leave me be.

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."

S A I N T

The first gunshot rang through my ears. It was followed by one after another. I feel most myself when I apply pressure to a trigger. A smile always taunted my lips at the realization that my hands, like magic, ended someone's life. I'm in control just how I love to be. 

As I hold my gun, my heart thumps a bit faster. It almost matches the pace of the bullet piercing the air impeccably.

I lowered my gun after another shot. The lifeless look on the idiot's face pulled me in a motherly hug. The kiss on my cheek was the dripping of blood that originated from his heart.

It was exciting to watch blood drip from a body like it was finally free and escaping its prison. It was exciting to watch the lies strip from a person's face before death forces it to take the form of truth. It was exciting to see all of the darkness disappear when he died, and I'm the heroic figure that brought in the light.

"Sorry to interru-"

"But you did. What the fuck do you want?" I asked impatiently. When I raised a brow and still didn't get a response, I moved my gun away from the corpse and over to the boy, Beto. "What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Want?"

"Red is h-here," he stuttered out.

"Where?" I questioned. He looked down at the floor, and it only managed to get a rise out of my annoyance. Taking the gun off of safety, I smiled at him sarcastically. "If I have to repeat myself, you will be telling that guy over there 'hello' in hell."

"In the next room," Beto whimpered out. 

I noticed the way his eyes settled on the dead body. There was some sickening pity that hid within the depth of his eyes. It was disgusting. "Take care of him, and let Adriano know he was a dead-end. He didn't know shit about Viktor."

Viktor was the cause of every bit of hatred in my heart. He was the reason why vengeance was buried so deeply in my every sense. Every disastrous gunshot that was ever caused by my fingertips left behind a dream-a nightmare, whatever the fuck people call it-that it was him behind the trigger.

Beto nodded his head as I shut the door. I guided my hand up to the knot of my tie. My fingers grasped the silk fabric before I began to tug it down.

It was time to go see the prodigy. 

Once I entered the neighboring door, a shift in my mood managed to bring a taunt to my lips. There she was, Red. There was a gag in her mouth. Her hands were bound behind her back, and there was a fear in her eye that was quite exciting to see.

Giovanni, one of my caporegimes, gazed over at me from the corner of the room. He held a raised brow, probably questioning how things with the deceased idiot went. That business would have to wait. Now, we had to deal with someone, Little Red.

As I stood right in front of her, I touched her ponytail just to feel how soft her hair was. I found myself curling her black strands on my finger. My head tilted as I looked at the girl. She looked weak. 

I allowed myself to wander from her hair to her quivering chin. Gripping her tightly, I pulled her gaze up into mine. As much as she tried to pull away from me, I wouldn't allow her to.

Giovanni walked up behind her and began to remove the gag from her mouth. Her plump lips spread around the ball that was meant to keep them sealed wasn't a bad look. 

When it was fully removed, I expected her to shout or even spit, but she clamped her mouth shut like an obedient puppy.

"What's your name?" I asked. 

She tried to pull away from me again, but it wouldn't work. It was frustrating me how she couldn't answer a simple question. I wanted her obedience. I wanted her to abide by me and do as I say. She was to answer every question I ask with nothing but honesty. Her delinquency forced my grip on her chin to tighten. 

Her lip curled in a grimace, but I didn't care. 

"What's your name?"

"Red," she whispered.

I let go of her. My eyes followed her movements as she turned away from me. A mock of a smile took over my features when I squatted down to look her square in the eye.

"No. What's your real name?"

"R-Red," she whimpered. My smile melted from my features. When she noticed the blank expression on my face, I could see the dread hiding behind her eyes. "It's Clarissa . M-My name is Clarissa ."

"Clarissa ," I tested with a smirk on my face.

I looked over at Giovanni to receive the answer to my unasked question... it was all he needed to finally attain every piece of information we needed from her.

Before Red, I thought Giovanni was the smartest tech person that I knew. He could find me anything on anyone. It was the only reason why I personally chose him to be my caporegime. To my surprise, he was outwitted and outsmarted. 

Clarissa  had been strenuous about her whereabouts. Giovanni had been working for the past few months to find out who this diligent hacker was. Now, we have her exactly where we want her.

"Most people who did what you did would be dead by now," I told her. She glanced over at Giovanni. Hope was disseminating her face like a wildfire. When her eyes returned to mine, the hope diminished.

"Are you gonna kill m-me?"

I stood up from my squatted position. My gun perched in my hand had risen to her temple. She bit down on her pink lip with her eyes closing. I'm sure she had no intention on being seductive, but it was. I was a sick man, that I knew. With the only thing I love in my hand and a woman who tried not to let fear graze her emotions, I was turned on. I let my gun scrape her cheek before tantalizingly running down her smooth neck.

"Not now, but I can."

She looked quite odd. Thick-framed glasses blocked her eyes from viewing. A t-shirt that was long enough to fit me irked my soul. Not to mention, her pants were two sizes too big. Everything I admired in a woman was hidden from prying eyes on this particular Red. 

Even though I typically preferred blondes with nice accented curves, I couldn't stop my thoughts from wondering what she looked like with no clothes on, no glasses, no t-shirt, no pants... just her.

"I have a question for you, Angel," I whispered into her ear.

"W-What?"

"I was shocked. Out of no where, I am told that Red has hacked into my system. You stole files, which you still haven't given back. Not to mention, you threatened me. Now, I'm here wondering what a sweet, little, stuttering Angel like you would want to know about a dangerous life like mine? Was it for fun, or are you truly trying to find something?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "P-Please don't kill me."

"Answer me, and I won't."

"My mom. I'm looking for my mom," she answered. I glanced over at Giovanini to see he was wearing the same shocked expression that I held. It wasn't the type of response I was looking for. 

When I first heard about this hacker, Red. I expected Red to be male. Blame it on misogyny bullshit, but it was fitting. No woman would hack into organizations such as mine and the other crime families. No woman simply had the balls to do so, or so I thought. I was wrong, and that isn't a statement I will ever admit. Red was a woman-a strange woman. She was frightened and acted on that fear. I was wrong.

"And you think we have her?" Giovanni asked, finally making his voice heard.

"I-I thought. That's why I checked. I-I checked every crime organization, but no one has her," she answered as I placed my gun into the waistband of my pants. The panic quickly flew away from her eyes while she stalked my movements. 

"Which crime organizations?" Giovanni questioned. She tore her eyes away from my glaring ones when she shyly looked over at the man in the corner.

"T-The Morelli's, Rubino's, Santoro's, and, uh," Clarissa  glanced over at me. "The Rossi's."

"You have files for the three other Italian families?" Giovanni asked. He was wearing a brightened expression on his face. It was nerd porn to his ears.

"I-I'm sorry. I'll give it all back. P-Please don't kill me," she stuttered out. Her brown eyes beamed into my own. Honesty was pouring out of her like water. Cooperativeness and transparency were dangerous things in my world. She was so innocent-so pure. I hated innocence because it was only another danger. In fact, it was the worse one. Innocence was something anyone could take advantage of. Innocence was so open and ready for a villain disguised as a victim to tear apart. I wanted to be that villain that taints her, stains her, and most of all, ruins her.

"Put the gag back in her mouth," I ordered. 

Without another word, I exited the room.

It didn't take long for Giovanni to join me outside. His brows were scrunched together. "She can get us what we need, Saint. I've been trying for years to get just one of those files, but she got all three! In less than a month, she will be able to tell us where Viktor is. Don't you care about what he's done to my family? Don't you care about what he's done to your family? We can't just let her slip aw-"

Vexation heavily wore itself on my face as I pushed him into the wall by the collar of his shirt. My fist collided with the wall right beside his face. The only color I could see was red, and the only emotion I could feel was hatred.

"Don't you ever question whether or not I care! You will speak to me with respect, or I will have no problem guiding you on where to find it," I seethed out.

"You're right. I apologize," Giovanni stated.

Letting go of his shirt, I backed away from him. "Take her to my house and give her the guest bedroom, where you will lock all the doors and windows. Before that, you will tell Adriano I need to speak with him."

"So, that means you're gonna get her to help us?" Giovanni asked, buoyantly. 

I thought about the girl. She wasn't anything special. She was quite ordinary. However, I couldn't remember the last time I had seen Giovanni with someone. He always kept to himself and hid away behind a computer screen. "I should've known you would have a little nerd kink."

"Kink? No, sir. I'll like any woman that brings me that much closer to finding Viktor," he stated. I gazed at him questionably. His intentions seemed pure, but in a world full of false promises, no one can ever be too sure.

"Have fun."