Page 9 of Alpha Queen
Ares nodded. "That's why there was no trace of her. But why do that if they were getting in cars to take off anyway? Eventually her scent would have faded."
"Maybe," Apollo mused. "Or maybe it's because she isn't as far away as we think."
"You mean they didn't leave town."
Apollo shrugged. "It would explain why he gave her a blocker. And how he kept tabs on us in the woods."
"But why stay close? Why not take her halfway around the world where we would never find them?"
"That is the question, isn't it? It could be that this is about more than just River. If he can prove to the Alphas that he's stronger than us. That he can attack us in our own home. And that he has an army of rogues at his disposal…"
Ares' eyes went black. "He wants the crown."
Apollo hated to admit it, but it was very well possible.
Ares growled and, without warning, turned and punched a hole in the wall. Several sets of rushed footsteps made their way up the stairs and down the hallway. The door flew open, and the men looked at each other.
Apollo waited as a shift rippled through Ares, and he turned to Apollo, fangs lengthened, talons thick and dark.
"I don't give a shit about the crown. If he wants it, he can have it. Or you can have it. All I want is her. Nothing else matters."
Apollo's chest squeezed, and he nodded. "Then we agree. We will do whatever it takes to get her back."
"Including burning the whole damn nation to the ground."
"How many did we lose to the rogues?"
Ares shook his head. "Too many. Ten Alphas and six Lunas."
Sixteen people. Sixteen people under their protection had died at the hands of Titan and his rogues.
Ares and Apollo stared at each other for a long moment, and for the first time in his life, Apollo knew what it meant to be a twin. For the first time, they had a common goal. They were united. The idea burned inside Apollo. Titan was truly in trouble.
"We will make sure they are avenged," said Apollo. "But first, we need to talk to Cherry."
Ares' brow wrinkled. "Why?"
"We need to find out where she got those blockers for River. If we can find out where Titan gets the blockers, we can follow the trail."
Ares nodded. "Thank you."
Apollo blinked twice. "What?"
"Thank you."
Apollo had never heard the words from his brother before, and he was tempted to ask Ares to say them a third time just to make sure he heard right.
"For the first time in a week, I feel like I'm not completely helpless." Ares' eyes held genuine gratitude.
Damn. If Ares didn't stop being so nice to him, he might begin to like his twin.
What the hell would that be like?
CHAPTER FOUR
TITAN
Titan took the stairs out of the basement two at a time and headed to the first floor behind Vanessa. Inside the kitchen, he locked the door behind himself before heading down the hall. Half a dozen rogues sat at the expansive kitchen table, eating. Another dozen ate in the dining room. He nodded to them as he passed, and they bowed their heads. In the living room, other rogues assembled guns and categorized their most recent shipment of weapons, preparing them for distribution. He didn't like the people he had to deal with to procure the weapons. Scum, all of them, but he couldn't deny that the money he received for the merchandise was more than enough to keep his plans rolling forward. In a couple more years, he'd have as much money as the twins, maybe more.
