Page 52 of Alpha Queen
Apollo inspected where Cherry pointed. "Multiple sets," he confirmed.
Silas nodded grimly. "They came prepared. Titan had this planned down to the last detail."
Rising to his feet, Apollo crouched through the gap in the fence, his senses on high alert as he moved into the dense underbrush beyond. The tracks led away from the estate, winding through the trees with purpose.
After a hundred yards, the forest opened up onto a narrow dirt road that cut along the edge of the property. Apollo's heart raced as he spotted tire tracks imprinted in the soft earth.
"Photograph these tracks. We need to identify what kind of vehicle they used," Apollo called.
As Silas documented the evidence, Apollo stood.
"Regan," Apollo called. "Has anyone watched the security tapes?"
"The tapes were wiped. Cloud too."
Apollo looked at him and smiled. "But not the server in my room."
Apollo rushed upstairs, his heart pounding. He took the stairs two at a time as he strode towards his private quarters. The door swung open at his touch, revealing his bedroom.
For a moment, the lingering aroma of River's perfume threatened to overwhelm him. Apollo shut his eyes, forcing himself to focus. He crossed to an intricately carved mahogany panel on the far wall. His fingers danced across the woodwork, finding the hidden latch with practiced ease.
The panel slid open, revealing a state-of-the-art server rack humming with quiet efficiency. Apollo pulled a laptop from inside and sat at his desk. His fingers flew across the keyboard, bypassing layers of security protocols. The screen before him flickered to life, displaying an array of data and security footage.
"Any other secrets we should know about?" Cherry asked. "Like maybe hidden cameras in the bedrooms?"
Apollo snorted. "Trust me, I have no interest in what people do in the privacy of their bedrooms."
"Good to know."
"Come on, come on," Apollo muttered, scanning the feeds. He navigated through weeks of archived footage, searching for anything out of the ordinary with Cherry hovering over his shoulder and the others not far away. He realized in that moment he'd never had anyone in his room before besides River.
His wolf didn't like it. Mine. My room.
Yeah. Let's make an exception just this once.
Just as Apollo was about to lose hope of finding anything, a flicker of movement caught his eye.
There, on the screen, a figure emerged from the tree line. The timestamp corresponded with the second day he and River had been in the woods.
He recognized Vanessa, her lithe form moving with predatory grace across the grounds. She marched straight for the camera, her gaze fixed on the lens.
Apollo's hands clenched as Vanessa climbed up to the camera. For a moment, her face filled the screen. A smile played across her lips, and then the feed died.
"Damn it!" Apollo slammed his palm against the desk. How long had Vanessa been working against them? How much information had she fed to Titan and his rogues?
He rewound the footage, studying every detail of Vanessa's approach. The confidence in her stride spoke volumes about someone intimately familiar with the estate's layout and security measures.
As Apollo pored over the footage, a chill ran down his spine. He realized that the camera had been disabled weeks before the attack.
This was more than a breach of security; it was a long-term infiltration. Titan and his rogues had been watching them, studying their routines, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
How many other weaknesses had Vanessa exposed? How much of their defenses had been compromised? He'd have to redo everything. Start from scratch with the security to ensure their safety. Thank the goddess he had the secure system locked away in his room, otherwise they may never have known who was responsible for betraying them.
Apollo's mind raced, wondering how long Vanessa had been working with Titan.
"I know her," said Bianca. "She's Ares' secretary. River told him to get rid of her."
Apollo nodded. "She must have come back to grab her things when River and I were away."
