Chapter 44 THE SEARCH FOR VANESSA
The news of Vanessa's possible disappearance from the Devereaux mansion had reached Rafael through Marco and at once, he had to put the war with the Pedro family on hold, returning back to where he had been coming from— The Devereaux Estate.
His driver pressed hard on the accelerator, ignoring the street lights that required them to be on hold. At that point, even the law of Sicily city had to bow to the pressure of the urgency Rafael commanded without breathing a word.
After all, their family basically owned the whole of Sicily city and the word of any Devereaux blood was law.
It took a lot less time than they had left for Rafael to arrive back at the mansion, and he was quickly approached by Marco as soon as he stepped into the house, his eyes cold and calculating as he expected to be debriefed about how Vanessa Hudgens had slipped out of their fingers.
“I'm afraid, boss… your woman is no longer in the mansion perhaps, the whole estate too.” Marco has said to Rafael, lowering his head dejectedly as he was afraid of his own incompetency in securing his boss’ woman.
Furious at such information, Rafael turned at the wall, slamming his fist into it like it was a person. Perhaps, he needed someone to unleash the anger brewing within him at.
“Find her!” He growled, his eyes bloodshot red and filled with anger. “Find my woman— Vanessa at all cost, even if it kills you!”
After a while of checking through the surveillance cameras recordings that read Vanessa's movements before her disappearance for clues, Marco returned with another pressing news.
“We found one of our men on the move, boss.” Marco said and he could sense a shift in Rafael’s stance. “He might be the lead we need to find Vanessa.” He added, his other hand still pressed against his injured arm which seems to have been infected since there had not been any appropriate treatment done to dress his wound since he came back from the Pedro family casino.
“Where is he?” Rafael growled, making advances to head out of the security room at once.
“In the old wine cellar.”
All of the men took off at once, heading towards the basement of the house without delay.
Rafael was the most impatient, the steps of his stoic shoes could be mistaken for sprinting as he approached the old wine cellar which apparently had been turned into a holding cell.
Two men were standing guard at the door when they arrived and they bowed to Rafael as soon as they noticed his presence before they opened the door up for him to go through.
“One of our secret informants in the valley noticed him snooping around the corner end of the water waste tunnel which leads to a secret compartment in the kitchen of this mansion.” Marco started to say as he followed after Rafael into the old wine cellar which was both a holding cell and a torture room.
“We believe Lady Vanessa made it out of there with his help of course because she wouldn't have known anything about the mansion's floor plan.”
Rafael had suddenly turned cool and collected as he listened to Marco while also approaching the man who was behind Vanessa's escape.
His emotions were no longer all over the place, his anger already dissipated with the wind that one could barely tell if he was furious or if he had ever been.
He began to remove the cufflinks on his sleeves, allowing them to fall to the ground and they made noises as they dropped to the ground, rattling about until they settled at a corner.
Rafael proceeded to unbutton the buttons on the sleeves of his shirt which he folded when he had removed them from their holes.
“He hasn't said a word since we brought him here.” Marco continued, signalling to the men following close by to pick up the cufflinks Rafael had sent rolling around into the dark corners of the old wine cellar.
Rafael had a mischievous grin sealed to his lips as he heard Marco say these words to him, like he knew exactly what the rat that had been caught within his army needed.
The one who must have served as an aid to Vanessa to secure her escape from him, the one who had separated him from the woman he loved so dearly after it took years to get her back into his life.
He probably could forgive any sin if need be, but on matters that had to do with Vanessa and her safety, he could not overlook, even if it kills him.
To Rafael, Vanessa was not just a woman, not any random woman he had crashed her wedding, but a woman he loved so dearly he could give up everything for and he would readily give his soul to her if she asked for it.
“I will make him talk,” Rafael said, his tone convincing enough that he would get the job done. “Go get the pliers, I have some nails to pull out.”
“Boss,” Marco called for a confirmation.
“Yeah, I need to feel what blood smells like again.” Rafael said, laughing hard like a masochist with his arms wildly spread like he was a sigma.
His eyes suddenly turned blank again, devoid of any emotion that could give room for mercy as he continued into the old wine celler— a makeshift hub for tortures which had to be done within the mansion.
“Boss, I think I should make you know something first,” Marco proceeded to say, a little bit hesitant to deliver the news of the man's identity— the one Rafael was about to see.
Finally, they arrived at the end of the old wine cellar where the man was being held. His hands were bound in thick, rusty chains that stretched to the ceiling.
His face was barely visible in the dim light as he was standing in the shadow, his legs wobbly and weak as he struggled to stand upright despite being bounded.
His arms had grown weak and his mouth drooled out blood due to previous bodily torture that had been conferred on him during Marco's interrogation.
Finally, the dim light was casted on his face, revealing who the man truly was.
“It's Luke, boss.” Marco spilled.