Chapter 2 Gone from Sight

~Alessandro's POV~

"What do you mean that she's not on the estate?"I bellowed at the guards that were meant to be following her every move and watching her so nothing like what happened actually happened.

"Where is Cecile?"

Neither of them could give me an answer. They all had their heads bowed as they shook in fear. It had been so long since I felt such raging anger that made me want to tear a man from limb to limb. Deep down underneath all the anger was fear that was so palpable I almost choked on it.

"Where are the IT guys? Where the fuck is my daughter?"One of the men took a step further and fell to his knees.

"I'm sorry, Don. I do not deserve to live. Please, take my life"

As I stared at that excuse of a man, all I could feel was irritation. First off, in the Russo cartel, we did not feel fear no matter what and yet, the bastard was before me asking for his life to be taken away in exchange for his cowardice? Once my daughter was found, I was going to have to whip my men back into shape because it seemed like I was being too lax with them.

"Where the fuck is your princess?"

Another man stepped forward but instead of falling to his knees like his cowardly comrade, he stood his ground with his head bowed.

"She must have left the estate with her best friend, Ava because they are both nowhere to be found"

I balled my hands into fists as I walked up to the one that was speaking. He was brave enough to not take a step back even when the tips of my shoes grazed the tips of his.

"You dare tell me to my face that my daughter left the estate where all of you were on guard?"

My voice was low and chilling as I shook with so much anger and fear that it only took my willpower that I had cultivated so graciously over the years to remain standing. He swallowed but kept his head bowed.

"I should take your heads off your necks for this"

I was really going to end up clawing someone's heart out if I didn't hear something encouraging in a few minutes. I walked away from the man and I heard him breath a sigh of relief. My back to them, I rested my hands flat on the surface of my desk.

"Have you checked the cameras?"

There was silence as no one dared reply to me. I slammed my fist on the table because they were being too cowardly for my liking. Sensibly, one of them again spoke up.

"We found the hole that was made in the wire fence by the east side of the estate and we assume that's where the girls passed through when they snuck out"

My fingers itched to wrap them around the necks of each and every one of the men gathered in my office but I held myself back. If I went on a killing spree, I was not going to be able to stop myself.

"The cameras?"

I let out through gritted teeth.

"That area of the fence is a black spot so we were unable to get any tangible information from the cameras"

There was one thing my father always told me. He said that there came a time in a man's life where his life as a leader and as a father were like parallel lines that didn't meet. The time I was in was one of those times. As a leader, I wanted to tear their hearts out of their chests and watch the life leave their eyes gradually but as a father, I knew that finding my daughter was more important than any punishment I planned on letting out to them.

"Have men been dispatched into town to look for her?"

I knew that would already have been done but I still was going to ask because I needed to be sure that my daughter was going to return to me safe and sound with not a strand of her hair out of place.

"Yes, Don, we have more than 2 counts of men searching for her as we speak"

I was sure they were confused that I wasn't acting in the way they expected because typically, at least 3 of them would have been lying face up with a bullet sized hole in their forehead while the smell of coppery blood remained pungent in the air.

"And her friend?"

To say that the surprise Cecile was giving me on her 19th birthday was an unexpected one was too much of an understatement. My daughter who never for one day, stepped out of line, spoke up against me or even blinked when she was told not to snuck out of my estate. No one could have seen that coming, not even myself because it was the last thing I would have expected from her.

"Still unaccounted for, Don"

If there were no answers to any of my questions, then what were they still doing there? Throwing all caution to the wind, I moved my leather jacket and took out my Smith and Wesson .38 and before anyone could blink, the man that spoke was laying on the floor while my gun smoked and my ears rang with the loud sound of the gunshot.

"Anyone else ready to die?"

Not even one soldier moved a muscle. The one that was standing beside the man from earlier stood with blood splattered all over his face and clothes but yet still didn't shake.

"Now, where is my daughter and where is her best friend?"

I twirled my gun around my fingers, the smell of blood already hitting my nostrils.

"Take him out"

Two of them moved rapidly and did as I said, bending down at the hips and carrying their fallen brother out. As the door opened, I saw a flash of blonde hair.

"Bring her in"

Before long, Ava, my daughters beat friend was kneeling in front of me.

"Where is Cecile?"

She did not dare meet my eyes. Instead, she was focused on the gun that was by my side. I grabbed her chin with my fingers and made her look up at me.

"I do not repeat myself"

Her eyes were blotched red and her face sticky with tears. It looked like she had been crying for hours.

"I told her not to but she didn't listen"

My ears perked up at what she was saying.

"Where is my daughter, Ava?"

She let out a sob that had my heart beating faster as she shook her head wildly.

"Where the fuck is Cecile?"

Ava was getting more and more hysterical with every question that I asked. She was crying so hard that she was even having trouble breathing. I didn't want to think too far ahead but I doubted Cecile was in her room waiting for me with the way Ava was reacting to my questions.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry"

Her words were like darts to my soul and I raised my eyes up to the ceiling as I realized that my daughter didn't return with Ava like I hoped.