Free Legacy of Olympus (In the Gods' Secret Service) by Teri Gilbert Page A

spiraling through her. Please, Alec, don’t come after me. Even as the silent prayer formed in her mind, she knew it was hopeless.
    Dorian Mallaki was a man who always got he wanted. Now she would have to do everything in her power to see that he failed.

Chapter 9
     
    Rage flowed red-hot through Alec’s veins as he jogged toward his Mustang. Rage toward his attackers, rage toward Stephanos, and most of all, rage toward himself.
    He’d been foolish to stand in the parking lot waiting for Eleni to reappear and tell him it was all an elaborate hoax of some kind, an illusion of the caliber only David Copperfield could pull off. But, of course, she’d never showed. He had to face the facts. Eleni was gone.
    His mind shot into overdrive as he jumped into his Mustang and headed down Elmwood toward Brooks Avenue and the address Eleni had provided. Until now, he’d managed to stay focused on the task at hand and block out the nagging questions. Now they bombarded him, making his temples throb and the back of his head pound. Special abilities?
    Stephanos was alive.
    Possibly.
    Eleni’s skin showed evidence of a major injury that was no longer there. If he’d had any proof, he’d swear he’d been drugged and this was all some sort of crazy hallucination.
    But it wasn’t. He made several sharp turns, then squealed to a stop in front of a rundown warehouse. Feeling more pumped up than ever, he tugged out a crumpled sheet of paper. Yep. This was the address Eleni had given him. He parked across from the dilapidated structure. Not the best part of town by a long shot.
    In fact, the warehouse looked as if it hadn’t been used in years. There was no sign of life, no parked cars, no streetlights. A spear of panic sliced through him. What if it was all a ploy? What if this place were truly abandoned? What if Stephanos was dead? All along he hadn’t believed Stephanos was truly alive. But now he had to be wrong, didn’t he? Otherwise, with no one to help him, how could he find Eleni? Who would believe the strange things he’d seen?
    Alec strode across the cracked and worn pavement to a side door next to the loading dock. He hesitated a moment, then entered. Cold sweat prickled his skin as his eyes adjusted to the dim interior. In the center of the spacious room sat a grouping of odd shapes. He drew closer, and could make out three chairs, one desk, and a table with a computer on top, its electrical cord disappearing into the darkness. The furniture looked like it had been purchased at a schoolyard salvage sale.
    His heart gave a start as he spotted a man standing a few yards away, arms crossed. He’d have to get a closer look, but he certainly appeared to be the man he’d seen at Amalgamated—the one without a pulse. And unless he had a twin out there somewhere, he was very much alive.
    Blood pounded in Alec’s ears as he strode toward the man he believed to be Stephanos. If it was, then he sure as hell had better have some answers.
    “Mr. Androulakis.”
    Alec felt a chill. The man had the identical heavy Greek accent as the one who’d narrated Eleni’s video. If he really was alive, then...
    Stephanos extended a hand. “I have much to thank you for.”
    Alec ignored the outstretched arm and studied the man some women might find attractive. His jet-black hair was shorter than the current trend, his aristocratic nose a bit oversized, and the scowl that crossed his face gave him a stern appearance.
    Stephanos stared beyond him, dark brows slanted upward. “Eleni?”
    Alec’s muscles tensed at hearing Eleni’s name fall so easily from Stephanos’s lips, as if he truly cared about her. If he did, she wouldn’t be in danger. She’d be living a normal life, just like everyone else in the world. “She’s gone. Taken.”
    “What happened?”
    Alec recounted Eleni’s abduction, struggling against the impulse to tear into Stephanos. He hated like hell that he needed his help to find her.
    “Were they wearing hats?”