"Darn it!" I punched the car door in frustration.

We've been searching for Vivian like crazy without rest yet there was no sign of her. It was as if she had vanished like droplets of water in heat.

Words couldn't describe how I felt.

There wasn't a single thing that I could do. I had lost direction and my mind was in chaos. 

A clue. That was all I needed.

"How the fuck are we supposed to find her when we don't even know her last location?" Raul kicked a piece of stone on the ground, clenching his fist.

Our expressions were mirror images with worry and frustration written all over. 

"That's what I'm wondering." I let out a sigh.

It was all my fault. If I had persuaded her a little more she would have stayed at the Marino mansion for the night or she would have allowed me to accompany her home. But regretting won't do anything, would it? It wouldn't reverse time. It wouldn't help me find her. It wouldn't bring her back.

Every attempt went in vain. 

No clue.

No news. 

No trace. 

Nothing left behind.

It was as if her existence was wiped completely.

***

Another hour went by as we aimlessly and hopelessly drove from one location to another. Not halting for a single minute, we kept searching. My muscles and back were as stiff as cardboard. No words were exchanged throughout the entire journey. The air was gloomy. The ambience was tense as if we were on a battlefield, fighting in a life and death situation. 

It was a life and death situation in real life too. Vivian was fighting somewhere. That was the only shred of hope that kept me determined and focused.

"What if she's dead?" Raul said. 

His voice was devoid of emotions. He had looked frazzled in the morning, but it seemed as if he had finally gotten his emotions under control. 

"What if she's dead?" He asked again with a face as cold as ice.

"Stop being a pessimist. If you can't say anything nice, then shut the fuck up. Keep your thoughts to yourself." My grip on the steering wheel tightened.

I didn't want to even think of the possibility of her death. But deep inside, I knew that it was among the infinite possibilities. 

Anything could happen.

I didn't know what would happen. But I was determined about one thing. If worse came to worse, and I found her dead then, I would die, right there and then, beside her.

"I'm just following a logical train of thought. You know it as much as me. It's just you aren't willing to admit it on your own."

"Shut up, Raul!"

"Right. Shut up." He laughed. "Forgive me, I'm not as talented as you at donning a mask on my face." His words were like sharp knives. "Past is repeating itself. It's all the same. You know, when I found out that my parents went missing, I clung onto that so-called thing called hope. Guess what? They never came back. Only their corpses did. That day, I realized that it was better to begin with logic. Why not already think of the worst, and get ready in advance. It's much better than falling apart completely once that hope gets crushed."

Then, there was dead silence.

I didn't know what to say. He had left me speechless. Entirely speechless.

I squeezed his shoulder lightly, and said nothing. 

"Do you think that I want to see her die?" Raul gazed at me.

I didn't know how to respond. He was Vivian's brother. He had practically raised her, and she was the only living member of his family.

Who could understand his feelings better than me? I had watched my mother's dead body when we ran from the mansion. I had attended my father’s funeral mere months back. My brother had betrayed me, and he was most likely dead to me. 

Comforting words would do nothing to him. 

So, I averted my gaze, and focused on driving.

After that, he didn't say another word, and everything was back to the way it was. Silent, gloomy, and tense.

My phone rang, and I picked it up. The moment I put it on my ear, a loud voice entered my ears.

"Boss, the hacking team managed to locate Vivian Rossi's last phone location," the person on the other end said hurriedly.

A piece of information. Finally.

"Where was it? When was it last turned off? Stop wasting time. Hurry up!" I blurted out a series of questions.

"Sir, it's last location was near an abandoned warehouse owned by the D'Angelo mafia. I've messaged you the address."

Hearing that my blood boiled, I cut off the phone abruptly. 

Vivian's kidnap and its relation to the D'Angelo mafia didn't make any sense.

There was only one explanation. Only one person had a relationship with the D'Angelo's. Only one person could go to such lengths to hurt me.

It was Rafe’s doing. I was certain. 

Why the fuck did I let him go alive? I wanted him to die slowly, but there wasn't time for it. This time he would die, for certain, even if it's a clean kill. A simple bullet pierced through his heart.

I would do it without hesitation. 

Collecting my thoughts together, I checked the location on my phone. After going through it, I turned the car in the opposite direction. 

"Why are you turning the car? Did you find something about Viv?" Raul looked at me.

I could see the worry on his face, and a trace of hope in his eyes. Even if he said and talked about logical thinking, I knew that he was just trying to hold himself together.

"The hacking team found out the last location of her phone. It was near an abandoned warehouse owned by the D'Angelo's," I told him

"Let's barge right in there. I'll arrange for the reinforcement." 

I nodded and drove the car at full-speed to D'Angelo base.

Vivian, I'm coming for you.