h4Chapter 378: More Worries IV/h4

    Athena sat frozen, her chest tightening as Margaret’s words echoed through the phone like the tolling of a bell. iMissing./i

    It did not make sense. She thought sharply. She had been careful, more careful than she had ever been with anything else in her life when she picked the ce with Lucas–not wanting any bacsh that might affect them after the court case at the elders’ council.

    The family of three had been sent to a location buried beneathyers of secrecy, hidden even from allies, tucked away in anonymity. No paper trail. No whispers. No chance of a breach. Only her old CIA contacts had the coordinates. Not even Aiden knew the full address–But only because he wasn’t interested in it.

    And yet—

    Her throat closed. Her mind stumbled over the thought. iHow had they been found? Who could have possibly pierced the veil?/i

    Her fingers clenched the phone so tightly that her knuckles burned white. Behind the sharp edge of panic, anger simmered. She felt it in her ribs, pulsing with every shallow breath.

    For a moment she could not speak... only think in rabid circles. What was the end result of this? Why would they touch Kendra?

    Margaret’s muffled sobs filled the silence. Athena pressed her palm to her temple, forcing herself to steady. She swallowed, then pushed her voice out through the storm in her chest.

    "Margaret," she finally said, low, taut. "Tell me. Start from the beginning. What happened?"

    On the other end, Margaret sniffled, trying topose herself. But she was a talker before the sickness—always had been—and once the dam cracked, the words spilled out.

    "I... I went to the market, Athena. Just for a little while. I didn’t think—God forgive me, I didn’t think! I only wanted to get foodstuffs. Rice, some meat, and a few things for dinner. You know I don’t like feeding them junk. Lucas was with Kendra, He hadn’t gone to work today. They were fine. They waved me off. I told them I’d be quick."

    Her voice broke, but she pushed on, rushing now, as though afraid Athena might cut her off.

    "The market was busy. Too busy. People shouting prices, haggling. I kept thinking of what Lucas wanted for stew, Kendra’s favorite fruits—oh God, her little hands, always tugging at me to buy more oranges. I—I didn’t notice anyone following me, or anything suspicious. I swear, Athena, I didn’t."

    Athena closed her eyes, ignoring Mageret’s rambling, understanding the woman’s panic. She pictured Margaret there, moving from stall to stall, chatter spilling from her lips as she joked with the vendors. Margaret’s nature had always been warm, overly open.

    Never toward her of course, in those past years. But to people around her, to her family, she had been that. She was the kind who never left silence alone. It was both her charm and her w.

    "Go on," Athena murmured, her tone clipped but not unkind.

    "When I came back..." Margaret’s voice trembled. "The door. It was open. Just hanging there. I stopped. I thought—maybe Lucas stepped out. But no. I knew. I knew something was wrong. A mother always know, you know... My legs turned cold. I wanted to run, Athena, but I couldn’t. I pushed the door, and the smell—oh, the smell of dust and metal. The ce was turned upside down. Chairs broken. The table—splintered. Curtains torn. I thought maybe they were hiding, maybe they ran. I shouted their names. Nothing. No Lucas. No Kendra. Only silence."

    Athena gripped the phone tighter. Her stomach knotted.

    Margaret sobbed, the sound jagged and raw. "I searched every room. Every corner. The kitchen—empty. The bedrooms—mess everywhere. Not a note, Athena. Not even a warning. Nothing. Just gone. As if they had been swallowed."

    For a few seconds, Athena could not breathe. Her heart twisted with Margaret’s grief. She forced herself to listen past the sobs, every word etching itself into her memory. Her mind raced, pulling pieces, trying to find the hole in her n.

    When she spoke again, her voice was steady, though her insides felt like they were splitting apart. Kendra. "Did you see anything strange before you left? Anyone hanging around? A car that didn’t belong? A neighbor watching too closely?"

    Silence. Margaret inhaled sharply, as if she were truly searching her memory. Seconds stretched.

    "No," she whispered finally. "No, Athena. Nothing. Just the usual faces at the market. Nothing else."

    Athena pressed her fingers into her eyes, forcing back the pressure swelling behind them. "Alright," she said softly, though her jaw was hard. "Listen to me carefully. I’ll take care of this. But you must do exactly as I say. Do not go back to that house. Don’t linger on the streets. Go to the Silver Elm Hotel—third floor, room 309. My friend Eric wille for you. He’s tall, dark hair, scar under his chin. He’ll call with the code: i’Do you still keep roses?’/i That’s how you’ll know it’s him. Don’t speak to anyone else. Don’t open the door for anyone else. Do you understand?"

    Margaret sniffled, but her reply came firm, desperate. "Yes, Athena. Yes. I’ll go now."

    "Good. Stay put until Eric arrives." Athena exhaled. "Hold yourself together, Margaret. For them."

    The line ended.

    Athena didn’t hesitate. She dialed Eric immediately. The man answered on the second ring, his voice alert.

    "Athena."

    "Where are you?" she demanded.

    "With Shawn. Why? Did something happen?"

    "Good. Listen carefully. Margaret’spromised. Lucas and Kendra are gone. She’s heading to Silver Elm Hotel currently. Room 309. The code is iDo you still keep roses?/i Don’t forget it. Take the jet. Tell the boss it’s an emergency. I want that tracker I nted on their phones activated. Now."

    Eric cursed under his breath. She heard Shawn in the background, his tone sharp, already pulling up equipment.

    "We’re on it," Eric said. "We’ll move. Adding this to the list though, of what you owe us..."

    The line cut, humor in thest use not catching on Athena.

    She strode toward the mansion’s interiors, away from the weakening sunlight. At the poolside door, a servant bowed. "Madam?"

    "Please clear the pool area." she spoke, not slowing down one bit.

    She entered the sitting room to see Old Mr. Thorneughing, sitting leisurely on the sofa with Susan, ying a game of football on therge television.

    Once they saw her though, once they noted her expression, they abandoned the fun and the game; Susan got to her feet.

    "Athena, what’s the problem?"

    "They’re gone," Athena said, voice t. "Lucas. Kendra. Missing."

    Susan gasped, hand flying to her mouth. Mr. Thorne’s jaw clenched, the game pad creaking under his grip.

    Before either could respond to this news, the door swung open. Aiden strode in, hair disheveled, tie askew, eyes sharp with urgency. He must have flown down the moment their earlier call ended. Or rather had been on flight during it.

    "Athena," he said. Then a pause, when he noted their expressions. "What happened?"

    She recounted swiftly, her tone clipped but clear. As she spoke, the air thickened. No one interrupted. They all knew what it meant.

    When she finished, silence pressed down. Then Aiden swore, low. "It’s them. The ones behind Grey Virus. No one else could have managed this breach."

    Susan finally found her voice, though it trembled. "But how and why? Why take Lucas and Kendra? What use are they?" Her gaze darted between Athena and Aiden, desperate for an answer neither had.

    Athena shook her head. "I don’t know."

    Mr. Thorne tapped his pad, slow, steady. His lips pressed thin, but his eyes—dark, piercing—held both fury and sorrow.

    Susan started pacing, biting at her lip. Unable to win over the restlessness, she pulled her phone and started making calls.

    Aiden stood rigid, fists flexing as he tried to calcte possibilities. And when he found none, other trying to disarm Athena, he started making calls, while wondering when all this would end. The adrenaline would surely kill him before his time!

    Athena sat down meanwhile, burning inside, her mind a relentless wheel of scenarios, searching for the one that fit. Would they ask for a ransom? Or for the research?

    Finally, she stood, tired of waiting for Eric. She called Ewan, her voice hard as stone, exining in brisk detail.

    "Please pick up the kids too. It’s their closing time already."

    "Okay, I will be there as soon as possible." A pause. "And don’t worry, we will get this sorted out." Ewan assured over the phone, calm and collected.

    When Athena dropped into the sofa again, calmer than before, her arms folded tightly across her chest, her gaze followed Susan who still paced like a caged animal, phone pressed to her ear, issuing orders to agents.

    Five minutes passed. Then Eric’s call came.

    She let out a shaky breath of relief as she answered the call, hoping for a positive response.

    "We found the tracker," he reported. "It’s not moving. Location locked. We’re sending men."

    Athena’s heart kicked. She rose halfway from the sofa. "Where?"

    "Abandoned building, outskirts of Montana. Off-grid town, small poption. Perfect ce to keep someone hidden. Hopefully we’ll find them alive."

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