Third Person POV:
"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF YOU'VE TRIED EVERYTHING! FIND HER!"
Alexander grabbed his glass of whiskey from his desk and threw it against the wall. It shattered on impact, its pieces joining the four other glasses that were broken on the floor.
"È scomparsa da quasi sei ore ormai! Ho dozzine di uomini per strada che la cercano. Stanno facendo il loro lavoro, quindi dimmi perché il mio hacker non può fare il suo cazzo di lavoro correttamente? Richiamami quando la trovi, o non richiamare affatto, inutile pezzo di merda!"
(She has been missing for almost six hours now! I have dozens of men out on the streets searching for her. They are doing their job, so tell me why my hacker can't do his fucking job properly? Call me back when you find her, or don't call back at all you useless piece of shit!)
Alex hung up the phone and slammed it down on the table, letting out a string of curses. He moved to grab another glass and filled it up to the brim with more whiskey. As he downed its contents, he paced back and forth in his office, running his hands through his hair in stress. It had been six excruciating hours.
Six hours since he landed in America, six hours since his wife signed the biggest deal the Italian Mafia has ever been a part of and six hours since he received a frantic phone call from his wife stating that someone was attacking her with gunshots ringing in the background.
Ti amo Alexander
Her last words before their call disconnected rang loudly in his mind. Panic gripped his chest and he felt like he was suffocating. He was used to the power that came with being the Italian Don but he wasn't used to the feeling of helplessness. He hadn't felt this helpless since Dakoda's disappearance. His panic only increased when thinking about his little sister. He already failed her and now he was inevitably failing his wife.
Pouring another couple shots of whiskey into his glass, he grabbed his phone and left his office. He was in desperate need of some air. He headed downstairs to the main room of the mansion they had bought for their stay in America. As he entered the room, he was met with his three brothers barking orders into their phones. Once they caught sight of their disgruntled older brother their eyes filled with sympathy. They quickly finished up their conversations and made their way over to Alexander.
Max was the first to reach him. He gently pried the glass of whiskey from Alex's hand and set it down on the table.
"We are going to find her, Alex." Max assured him, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder.
Alex shook his head. "I shouldn't have sent her anywhere alone." He gruffly whispered. "This is my fucking fault. If Ana isn't okay, I don't know what I'm going to do."
Gavino, Max and Rocco watched as their brother shook with emotion. The pain in his eyes was evident. They just didn't know how to help him. All of their men were out on the streets searching. It was now just a waiting game. A brutal waiting game.
So that's what the brother's did. They sat down and waited, phones sitting silently in front of them. Each one of them subconsciously dreading to lose another member of their family. Anastasia was the love of Alexander's life, his Donna, and she was like a sister to Gavino, Max, and Rocco. The four brothers couldn't help but get flashbacks to the last time someone in their family went missing. The pain in their hearts was familiar, it was the pain of the unknown.
The silence seemed to stretch on for hours as the boys became more and more restless. Alexander was smoking his third cigarette, Gavino was on his fourth glass of whiskey, Max was wearing holes into the carpet as he paced back and forth and Rocco's palms were practically bleeding from clenching his fists so tight. Suddenly Gavino's phone rang. The loud ringer jolting the heart of each brother. Gavino recognized the number of the security tower in front of their mansion. He hastily picked up the phone.
"Che cos'è?"
(What is it?)
Alex watched as Gavino's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to question his brother but the front door opening stopped him from doing so.
Alex turned from the couch and watched as his wife walked through the door. Her eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears. Her hair was disheveled and she looked like hell. Her once clean pantsuit was now visibly dirty and dried blood was smeared on her hands but she was okay. She was alive. Alex could hear the simultaneous gasps of relief coming from his brothers. He practically sprinted to the doorway, instantly engulfing Ana in a tight embrace.
"Ana." He breathed out, cupping her face.
"Alex." She cried, bursting into a fresh new wave of tears.
Alex pulled her back into a hug and held her close as she sobbed into his chest. The panic in chest had finally subsided, and he felt like he could breathe again. After a few minutes she pulled away, wiping at her eyes.
"Alex I need to-"
"You don't need to do anything." Alex sternly responded, pulling her towards the couches. "You need to rest."
Ana moved to sit on the couch but not before giving Gavino, Max and Rocco hugs of their own. She sunk into the couch and put her head into her hands. She wasn't tired but her mind was in overdrive. She didn't know how to say what she wanted to say. She herself was in a state of shock, how do you explain to your husband and your brother-in-laws that you saw their missing sister? She took her head out of her hands and looked at her family standing in front of her, silently watching. She took a deep breath and spoke.
"I have to tell you guys something."
"Ana, if it's about the deal, we don't care about that right now." Gavino responded.
"No, it's not about-"
"Are you hurt?" Alex slowly moved towards her and grabbed her hands looking at the dried blood. He then gripped her face looking for any injuries.
Ana pushed his hands away."I'm fine, I need-"
"Who attacked you?" Max butted in with questions of his own.
"How exactly did you get back here?" Rocco asked.
"How did you escape them?"
"Did you see any of their faces?"
"Does anything hurt?"
"Who's blood is that?"
The questions piled on and on. She knew that they meant well but the more the brothers questioned her the more irritated she got. This was the longest day of her life. Just a few hours ago she thought that it would be her last day on earth. Right now she needed them to stop talking, she needed them to understand. After what seemed like the hundredth question she finally snapped.
"SHUT UP AND LISTEN." She screamed.
"Ana I think you should-"
"Dakoda." Ana blurted out.
Instantly all talking came to a cease. Ana watched as each brother stiffened and narrowed their eyes. Her panic was growing, she was finally realizing the weight of the situation before her. She was seconds away from another breakdown but she knew she had to keep her emotions in check. This was a monumental piece of information she was about to present to her family.
"What did you just say?" Gavino sharply asked. He looked lethal but his heart was constricting in his chest at the mention of his sister.
Ana took a deep breath collecting herself. "Dakoda saved me." She replied looking at the four brothers with tears in her eyes.
Silence.
"Is this some kind of sick joke Ana?" Rocco gritted out. "Because if it is, it's not funny."
"Watch your tone." Alex coldly reprimanded. He glared at Rocco but it was half hearted, he himself was put off at the mention of his sister.
"Sit down and let me explain," Ana responded, hands trembling.
As the brothers hesitantly sat down, Ana started pacing around the room. She fiddled with her fingers as she began explaining the events that occurred a few hours prior. She started with explaining the deal and how nerve-wracking it was to meet Jonathon and Stephen. After confirming the deal went smoothly she then moved onto the kidnapping.
The brothers raised their eyebrows in shock after hearing that two courageous kids from the American Mafia took down approximately forty men on their own and almost succeeded in saving Ana. Then she described being saved by Dakoda. Ana explained the whole event in extreme detail. From the dead bodies, to Dakoda's fighting skills, to how the American Mafia waited on the teenage girl's every command. The brothers could not keep the disbelief off their faces, they were staring at Ana like she had three heads.
"-so then I grabbed her hand and asked for her name. She said her name was Reese." Ana choked out. "Dakoda is Reese Vanderbilt, and she is obviously somehow connected with Jonathon because the American Mafia was obeying her every command. I wanted to question her, I wanted to say something to her but I was not in the right mindset. So she left and her men brought me here." Ana slumped onto the couch and once again put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry I let her go but I couldn't do anything." She sniffled.
No one said anything for five minutes. It was five long minutes of complete silence.
Finally to Ana's relief, Max spoke up. "You're saying Reese Vanderbilt, the Reese Vanderbilt, as in CEO of the biggest company in the world is Dakoda. Our missing sister Dakoda." Max slowly questioned.
"Yes." Ana replied.
"And that Dakoda... or Reese is in the American Mafia and she easily took down the armed men in your cell plus dozens of others, saved you, but didn't acknowledge your last name." Gavino continued.
Ana just nodded her head.
The brothers looked at her incredulously.
"How do you even know that it was Dakoda? You've never met her, and all the pictures you've seen go back almost twelve years. Dakoda would be a teenager now, looking completely different." Rocco scoffed. He was not convinced of Ana's revelation.
"I know because she looks like the female version of you, Rocco." Ana softly whispered.
Rocco's face fell as his heartbeat picked up. Images of baby Dakoda holding his hand, running her little hands through his hair, and hugging him flooded his mind. They used to be each other's favourite sibling, they were more than just blood, they were best friends. A small smile graced his face at the thought.
"Roo-o! Roo-o!"
Rocco laughed as he watched his little sister stumble into his room. She made her way to the side of his bed and held her arms up, indicating that she wanted to be brought onto the bed with him. Rocco gripped her under her arms and easily lifted her onto his lap. She turned so she was facing him and hugged his chest.
"You know my name is Rocco right Koda?" He amusedly asked. While hugging her close.
Four-year-old Dakoda looked up at him with her large vibrant eyes. She looked confused.
"I said that!" She retorted with a huff.
"Rocc-o." He pronounced slowly.
"Roo-o." She tried to copy him, struggling to pronounce the 'k' sound in his name.
"Ah, forget it." Rocco laughed.
Dakoda scrunched her brows and started squishing Rocco's cheeks.
"Mommy said I oopied you." She innocently informed him.
Rocco tilted his head in confusion.
"She said I stole your face, but it's right here." She continued to squish his cheeks.
"Ohhh, copied. She said you copied my face huh?" He chuckled.
Dakoda nodded her head.
"That just means that we look alike. Look, we have the same hair..." He ruffled her soft locks. "...we have the same nose..." He poked at her nose earning giggles from Koda. "...we even have the same smile." He broke out into a huge grin and Koda did too, mimicking her older brother.
"I'm just like you?" She questioned excitedly.
"You're just like me." He softly replied.
"Rocco."
Rocco broke out of his memory at the sound of Alex's voice. Everyone was looking at him worriedly. He tried to push aside the heartache in his chest but it was near impossible to ignore. He looked at Ana once again.
"Rocco, I'm telling you it was Dakoda. She's grown up but she still looks the same. Those eyes..." Ana paused. "...I have only seen those eyes on two people, Arabella and Dakoda. This girl was definitely Dakoda. With those eyes, she's the spitting image of her mother, and she looks just like you guys." She exclaimed cautiously.
Each brother was now trying to picture a teenage Dakoda in their minds. Their bodies flooded with hurt. It hurt because they couldn't do it, they had no idea how their little sister looked and no one was to blame but them.
"I believe you." Alex replied. His usual stoic face looked pale. "We cannot honestly think her name being Reese is a coincidence. Dakoda Reese Di Genova." He stated.
"I think Ana has found our sister."
Ana looked over at Gavino, Max and Rocco. All three looked conflicted. They desperately wanted to believe that what Ana was saying was true, but they were scared. The pain of losing their sister was an excruciating one. They would rather die than go through it again, and if this turned out to be false, they didn't know if they could survive the heartbreak a second time. Hope was a very dangerous emotion and it was currently blooming in their chests.
"I want to see her." Gavino broke the silence. "I'm not coming to any conclusions before I have actually seen her face."
"And how do you think we're going to do that?" Max interjected. "If what Ana is saying is true, do you realize who we're actually dealing with? She was with the American Mafia. Jonathan Vanderbilt and Reese Vanderbilt. He probably adopted her." He spit out, eyes darkening. "If that isn't enough of a problem, this is Reese Vanderbilt we are talking about. Reese fucking Vanderbilt. The American Mafia is already untouchable, but if Dakoda is Reese then she is on a whole different planet compared to us. We have no chance of even contacting her, let alone being in the same room as her."
"Not necessarily." Gavino responded with his arms crossed. "We are now in alliance with the Americans."
"Not for fucking long." Alex seethed.
Ana looked at Alex wearily. "Let's just say Dakoda is Reese. Then we are assuming that Jonathon Vanderbilt and Reese Vanderbilt are father and daughter. That means Jonathon Vanderbilt had our sister the entire time." He spit. "We have been looking for Dakoda for ten years, ten fucking years!" He slammed his fist down on the table. "And you're telling me that she was adopted by the Don of the American Mafia? There's no way in hell he didn't know who she was or what family she came from."
"Alex, we know nothing." Ana tried to explain. "You are not going to break the alliance we just signed with the American's over something we aren't even sure of. I'm sorry, I really am but you have to remember that Dakoda wasn't kidnapped. She wasn't taken, she wasn't kicked out, she left." Ana watched as Alex processed her words. "When I was saved by Reese she didn't look sad, or angry or forced to be where she was." She moved towards Alex and cupped his face. "Alex, we just don't know what happened in the ten years she was gone. The only way to find out is to talk to Dakoda herself."
Alex sighed in frustration and massaged his temples.
"I know." He muttered. He slumped into the couch. "Fuck, I know."
Gavino pursed his lips. "Should we call Jonathon?" He was looking at his phone in contemplation. "We have his business number."
"Yeah? What are you going to say? Hey Jonathon, do you perchance have an adopted daughter named Reese? If you do, could we please meet her? She might be our missing sister that ran away from home at eight-years-old because we treated her like absolute shit." Rocco sarcastically bit out.
"Shut the fuck up Rocco." Max hissed.
"No! You guys are completely ignoring the facts right in front of you! What makes you think that she even wants to see us? She left for a reason, she probably hates us. If she is Reese Vanderbilt we know that she has every resource at her disposal! She could have come back ages ago. She even called Ana 'Donna Di Genova'! You know what that means? That means she knows who Ana is, she knows we are here, and she has absolutely no intention of meeting with us. She probably thinks we are the same assholes we were ten years ago!" Rocco was frustrated and he was projecting his anger onto his family just like he had been doing for years now. His concerns were valid, he just didn't know how to calmly bring them up.
"Rocco." Gavino made his way over to his youngest brother. "If there is even half a chance that this is actually Dakoda, we are going to do everything in our power to get her back. Even if we have to go through Jonathon, even if she hates us, and even if we have to get on our damn knees and beg. This is our baby sister we are talking about." He determinedly stated.
Rocco stared at the floor sadly. "Yeah." He rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, you're right I'm sorry." He quietly apologized.
"It's late, and we all need to get some sleep." Gavino exclaimed while putting a hand on Rocco's shoulder. "We can talk about this in the morning, it's been a long day."
Everyone absentmindedly nodded their heads at Gavino's statement. After bidding each other goodnight, all five Di Genova's made their way into their respective rooms. Exhaustion clouded over each one of them, but sleep would not be gracing them tonight. They all laid on their beds wide awake with hope running through their veins and the same thought running through their minds.
We are going to get our sister back.
No matter what the cost.
_
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!
Until next Wednesday,
-Eliza