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    I spent the rest of the day alone in my room, trying a few more abstract methods to identify Sophia's kidnappers, but the truth was, it was mostly a waiting game at this point. All the information we had was already out there. We were just waiting for someone to get back to us with something positive. It was incredibly frustrating. We had all the power in the world at our fingertips, and we were still coming up empty.
    At about five in the evening, there was a knock at my door.
    "You got a minute?" asked Marcus, poking his head inside. It had ruffled a few feathers that we had promoted him to the council so quickly, but despite being relatively young, he was a really promising member; the perfect combination of smart and level-headed.
    "Sure, what's up?" I said.
    He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Well, I just got something back from the lab, and I thought you should be the first to know."
    I felt a tingle of excitement. Maybe we'd finally caught our break. "Tell me you've got a name for me," I said.
    He licked his lips nervously. "Not exactly. Our guys are still trying to run down who exactly owns that house you raided. Whoever it is laid one hell of a paper trail. What we did get was a match on some blood we found in one of the rooms there." He hesitated ever so slightly. "It belonged to Simon."
    I sank back slowly into my chair. Thomas had been right, the two situations were linked. I wasn't surprised — the coincidence was difficult to ignore — but knowing for sure only made our predicament more confusing. Why would anyone go to pains to kill two of my brothers, but then take Sophia instead of me? All I could think of was that they wanted leverage over me somehow, but I couldn't imagine what for. It was baffling.
    "I appreciate you telling me first," I said.
    "No problem. The others called a pre-dinner meeting, but I kind of figured you might not show."
    I nodded. "Yeah, I might sit this one out. You've given me a lot to think about." As much as I wanted to be there to see Ewan's face when the connection was confirmed, I didn't particularly feel like wading back into that minefield just yet.
    "No worries. I'll keep you posted."
    "Thanks."
    I sat for a while after he left, pondering the new discovery. As frightening as the situation was, in some ways that connection was a good thing. Whatever our enemies were planning, Sophia was obviously a part of it, and so rescuing her had likely thrown a spanner in the works. And since we now had just a single target, I could feel comfortable directing the full brunt of Alpha's resources at the problem.
    It was little progress, but I knew Sophia would want to hear about it anyway. I found her in her room, curled up on the bed, nursing a cup of tea and staring at the wall.
    "Hey," she said, as I entered.
    "Hi." Our conversations were uncomfortable now, like the lies and secrets had piled up to form an invisible barrier in the air between us. It was what I wanted, it was what we needed, but it still hurt like hell.
    "How are you holding up?"
    She shrugged. "As well as can be expected, I guess. There's not much to do around here." She held up her mug and gave it a little shake. "Although this tea addiction I'm developing looks promising. This is my fifth cup today."
    "That stuff will kill you," I said, managing a small smile.
    She returned it, and something loosened in my chest. "So they tell me. Anyway, how's the big investigation? Assassinate any presidents today?"
    "Not that I know of, although that's not my department," I replied. I was glad she was still able to find humour in the situation. Maybe she wasn't quite as damaged by it all as I'd feared. "I did get one small piece of info, though."
    She gazed at me expectantly. "Yeah?"
    "They found a few bloodstains in that house you were being held in. Our lab just matched it with Simon, one of my brothers who was killed."
    Her expression grew tense once more. "I see. I guess the connection makes sense. Does