The warehouse door was open, and dark inside.
“Ares!” Orion called out, his voice echoing across the empty lot. “ARES!”
Nothing.
We moved closer. Leo pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight, sweeping the beam across the warehouse entrance. I could see scattered tools, and signs of a struggle.
“There was a fight here,” Leo said quietly.
“Ares!” I called out, my voice breaking. “Please answer!”
Still nothing.
Orion stepped into the warehouse, and Leo and I followed. The flashlight beam caught broken glass, scattered papers, and then?—
“His phone,” Orion said, bending to pick up the shattered device. “They destroyed it.”
“So, he can’t call for help,” Leo finished.
My chest felt too tight. “Then where is he?”
“ARES!” Orion roared, his composure finally cracking. “Where are you?”
A sound—distant, from outside. Not a voice, but movement. Footsteps on gravel.
We ran back outside, scanning the darkening desert. The sun was almost gone now, just a sliver of orange on the horizon.
“There,” I said, pointing down the dusty access road that led away from the warehouse. “Someone’s walking.”
A figure, moving slowly in the shadows. Limping.
“ARES!” Orion shouted.
The figure stopped. Turned.
Even from a distance, even in the failing light, I knew that silhouette. Knew the way he held himself despite obvious pain.
Orion broke into a run. Leo and I followed, our feet kicking up dust as we closed the distance.
Ares stood in the middle of the road, swaying slightly. As we got closer, I could see the damage—blood crusted on his temple, his suit torn and filthy, his face battered and swollen. He looked like he’d been through a war.
“Jesus Christ,” Orion breathed, reaching him first. “What happened?”
“Marcus,” Ares said, his voice rough. “And his partner. They—” He stumbled, and Orion caught him.
“We’ve got you,” Leo said, taking his other arm. “We’ve got you.”
“I’m sorry,” Ares managed. “I tried to stop them. Heard them planning—the gala—they’re going to?—”
“Later,” I interrupted, touching his face gently. “Tell us later. Right now, we need to get you to a hospital.”
“No hospital.” He straightened slightly, wincing. “No time. The gala—they’re planning bombs. Charges in the building. During the announcement. We have to?—”
“Ares, you’re hurt?—”
“I’ll live.” He pulled away from Orion and Leo, standing on his own despite the visible effort it cost him. “But if we don’t stop Marcus, everyone at that gala dies. Including us.”
The words hit like ice water.
