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Regina POV

It was late past midnight when Padre and I got home. On the way here, I was already planning the whole island trip.

Yes, I was very much serious about that.

I already told Padre about my plan, minus the pillow thing, and he agreed with me after a few moments of hesitation. Sure, he had a point; caging Rayver in there won't be the best idea, but for his safety, Padre finally conceded.

We planned to tell him at breakfast tomorrow morning since it was too late in the night now. As we entered the garage, I noticed a car strangely parked. Like it was recently used.

I shrugged it off, Rayver probably used it.

As Padre and I walked in the doors, I froze, backtracking my thoughts.

Rayver probably used it.

Holy shit, Rayver probably used it! Eyes wide, I rushed up to his room, ignoring my father's calls for me. Bursting open his door, I felt myself sag in relief as I saw the outline of his body underneath the blankets. Well, at least he's safe.

I hesitated at closing the door because of a bad feeling in my chest, but concluded that it was probably because of the new impending danger on Rayver's head.

~~

The clinking of our utensils was the only sound in the dining room, as both of us were drowned in our thoughts. Finally, I looked up, only now noticing something.

"Padre?" He hummed. "Where's Rayver?"

He looked up as well, a confused look on his face. "He hasn't come down yet?" I shook my head. "Maybe he's still sleeping in his room. Not everyone is an early riser like you, you know."

Again, I shook my head. Ever since we started our training, he had been accustomed to waking up earlier than a normal teenager. This is a strange occurrence.

"I'll go get him," I said, getting up and exiting the room.

As I jogged up to his room, I got that weird feeling in my chest again. It was kind of heavy, like a warning that something was wrong. This time, I hurried my steps. My gut feeling shouldn't be wrong. I already ignored it last night, but it came back now, and I'm sure this isn't anything to be taken lightly.

Like last night, I burst into his room, and the fact that he didn't stir made the worry in me triple. Rayver wasn't too much of a deep sleeper to ignore a loud racket as this.

With large steps, I reached his bed and pulled away the blankets, only to stumble backwards in shock at the pile of pillows. And only a pile of pillows.

As I turned around to run back downstairs to Padre to alert him, a white sheet of paper that was placed on the desk caught my attention. With trembling hands, I picked it up and opened it, my worry high up on the roof.

Fuck. What the fuck is he talking about? 'Nuisance'? What the hell?

I ran downstairs, clutching the already crumpled paper in my hand. Banging open the doors to the dining room where my father was, I could see that I startled him. He opened his mouth —probably to reprimand me— but stopped short when he saw my frantic expression.

On any other occasion, I would find this quite funny. The expressionless, unfeeling, and cold-hearted Mafia Heir of the Italians is showing emotions. Hell, this should be in the headlines!

Without any words said, I shoved the disfigured paper to his chest as he fully stood to his six foot three height. I watched as he read and reread the words written, and when he finished, he looked up to me, the same questions I had flittering around the air, untold and unanswered.

"Since when had he been gone? What does he mean by this... This bullshit?! Do you know where he would be now? Why would he--"

"I don't know. I don't know. I don't fucking know!" I screamed, my legs buckling before they straightened and strengthened. "I have to find him. I have to find him. I have to know how he got this wretched idea!"

"Regina, calm down!" I then felt his hands on my shoulders, making me instantly react to them by shrugging them off. I hate physical interaction.

"Calm down? How the fuck can I 'calm down', when my brother is out there, in who knows where, with who knows what dangers! Padre, this is New York. Anything could happen, and--" I was cut off in the middle of my sentence when a phone's ring tone rang.

Padre took out his phone and glanced at me before reading it. I waited for him to finish, and when he did, he heaved a sigh and looked at me, making me raise my brows in demand.

"Look, Regina, there's a problem at the company, and I have to--"

"Rayver. Is. Missing! Don't you even give a single flying fuck about that?!"

"Of course I do!" He roared at me, taking me slightly aback. Padre was the coolest and most collected person I've ever known. Never doing anything rash unlike what I do sometimes. "I do, but this is also important. We can look for him eight after this, I promise that it won't take too long--"

I scoff, "I can't even believe what I'm hearing right now. Your son, my brother, is out there. Yes, he ran away, but he might be fucking lost right now! He doesn't even know the city that well! Now, why don't you go to your priorities right now while I go search for him, so if you have something else to say, I'm sorry, but I have to go."

I ignore Padre's calls of my name, running up to the front doors and bursting into the garage. Quickly as I could, I get up on Hades, my motor, and zoom off into the streets of New York.

Fuck, where could he be?

To make matters worse, it was raining. Heavily.

Shit, is he safe? Did he find shelter from the rain somewhere? Does he even have any money to spend?!

I remember him telling me that he loved the rain. The fall of the water from the skies, the sound of thunder, and the flashes of lightning. I remember him telling me that whenever it rained or stormed, those... Voices... That would talk to him were drowned out by the sound.

I remember grunting in acknowledgement that I heard him, but not admitting that I, too, loved the rain. It was one of the things that made me feel normal. I guess we were both pluviophiles.

But now, I resent the rain. Rayver might not have found someplace to stay and is out there in the open, drenched and shivering! Fuck, what if he gets hypothermia?!

With those thoughts clouding my head, I revved up the engine even more. Fuck, what do I do, what do I do?!

Where are you, Rayver?

~~

The door opened to a very annoyed blonde. It was most likely due to my constant banging, but I don't give much of a fuck. She opened her mouth with a scowl, but was immediately stopped by my glare. 

"Y-you're--" 

"Yes, yes, it's me. Where is my brother?" I said, cutting her off from her stuttering. 

She made a confused face. "Your brother..? Oh, you mean Rayver!" 

"Well, who the fuck else would I have meant?!" I snapped. "Now, that's out of the way, have you or have you not seen my brother?" 

"Uh, no?"

I growled, making her flinch. "Didn't he even tell you anything about where the hell he is?!" 

She looked like she was thinking about it, which took a bit too long for my taste, and suddenly brightened up, like she remembered something. "Oh, we were supposed to be meeting with him at the mall later!" 

"Great." Saying that, I rushed back to my bike, and drove as fast as I possibly could to the mall. I'd encircle that whole building if it should ever come to that.

~~

As I was just entering the mall, a large screen outside showed breaking news of a car accident. I would have ignored it if only I had heard a familiar name briefly pass. 

Halting to a stop, I swivelled to the screen and watched through a blurry phone camera video as a familiar silver Maserati tumbled over and over the streets. I watched in anticipation as the person in the passenger seat exited the car, making me relieved. However, that relief was cut short when I saw a black SUV, and out came several figures dressed in all-black outfits. They took the now unconscious man without a single hitch, threw him in the SUV, and drove away right after, leaving nothing but a battered driver and a shattered car. 

On cue, I felt my phone buzz in my jacket's pocket. Taking it out, I was met with a blocked number that sent me a video. Alarm bells surrounded my mind, as the number was already suspicious as it was. I pressed it with a wary heart, and at first, it was just a black screen, but slowly, the camera lifted to see… 

My heart skipped a beat. 

Ricardo Luciano was tied up in a chair, with chains, and was bloody, bruised, and full of gashes and burns. The impact of the crash and new bruises made him look almost disfigured, but I could recognize him anywhere. 

How could I not? That's my dad! 

He was glaring at the camera– no, wait. He was glaring at the person behind the camera. Then, like a mute button had been unmuted, sounds started rushing in. 

"–e'll never do anything you tell her to. She isn't stupid, nor isn't she irrational that she would give up the Mafia just for me." I hear my father say. 

I frown, but inside, I know that he's right. He had trained me to never give up the Mafia for anything. Even his own life. 

The person behind the camera chuckled, "We will see about that, Luciano. We shall see." He —the person— then turned the camera to himself, and I was met with the face of Xavier Flare. "Well, 'Queen Bloodlust', why don't you prove just how wrong your father was? Choose. Him, or the Mafia. You have twenty-four hours starting… Now." The video ended. 

I growled to myself. "I'll show him why I'm called 'Queen Bloodlust'."

I guess it's official. The British Mafia has my father.

There's no moment to lose. I can always search for Rayver any day, but for now, my father's life is at stake! If Rayver is meeting with his friends, he would be safe with them. Yeah. Yeah, he would. Right? 

I went back to my motorcycle and went in the direction of our headquarters. As my father said, I wouldn't give up the Mafia even for him, but I also can't just storm in our rival's place and demand for my father back. I need to sneak in. We need to sneak in.

~~

"Have you heard of the news?" Soren asks me the moment I step in the doors. I nod in answer as we continue to walk into the main meeting room for the in-groups where mine should be waiting. 

We enter, and just as I predicted, they were all there. Silence emerged as I walked to the head of the table, followed by my second hand. Finally reaching there, I slammed my palms onto the table. It stung, but I relished the pain. 

"We need to get our king back," I growled lowly, the others nodding along with me. "Here's what we're going to do. First, I need their whole perimeters to be hacked, Krista. Then, find a blueprint of the whole place so that we could find an entrance with the least guards. Since there would still probably be some guards in that area, Wynter, you use your charms to them, then plunge a dagger in. After that, we go in, spill as much blood as possible, get our leader out of there, and blow the whole place up."

I have to admit, that wasn't the best I could have come up with, it was the only thing I could as of the moment. 

They nodded at my plan, and off we went in different directions. As we all went out, I put my hand in Soren's, making him glance at me. Clenching it for a brief second, I hold his stare and take my hand out. I then left him there, staring at the small piece of paper I slipped into his hand. 

~~

As we were all in the garage, preparing our bombs and guns, I couldn't help but be distracted for a while. Rayver, where is he? Is he safe with his friends right now? He should be… He must be! 

Looking at the date on my phone, I realize that Christmas Eve would be in three days. Damn, time surely flies fast. 

I sigh out loud, not caring what I looked like to others. This is going to sound extremely unlike the usual Regina Luciano, but I can't help but think… Would we get to spend Christmas together as a… Family? 

What about New Year's? Would we count down with each other? And of course, our birthday, the twenty-fifth of January. 

I shook my head. Stop, Regina. Of course you guys are going to be together for all those holidays that normal people have with each other for once. Stop worrying, for fuck's sake.

Rayver is safe. 

Right?

~~

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