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 ...