Fire on the Mountain
The shrill ring of his phone cut through the air. Ares’ hand trembled as he snatched it off the table, his chest pounding before he even heard the words.
“They’re gone, sir,” came the strained voice of one of his men. “The kids. We searched everywhere. They’re not in the house.”
For a second, the ground fell away beneath him. He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Just a roaring in his ears. His children. Gone.
Ares shot to his feet, the chair crashing back. He didn’t wait for explanations. He didn’t give orders. He simply ran out of the house, down the stairs, into the night like a man set on fire.
***
Across town, Marcus was already pacing. He stood in Lady Bianca’s luxurious parlor, his tall self casting a dark shadow across the candlelit room. She was sipping
