Road Wheels & Road Wheel Recommendations?

i) 24h 2x rear, better bracing angles
ii) 28h 2x rear, more spokes

Assuming all else the same, which will resist twisting forces better, or is it inconsequential?

(maybe this should be in the wheelbuilding thread, but I think that should just be merged into this thread anyway; meh)

None. I think one needs a very good pressing reason to build spoked wheels with less than 32 spokes. Even with 32 spoked wheels I tend to suggest getting a slightly more robust rim than I would advice for a 36-hole build. This is especially true with road wheels due to the dish. Its not that one can't build a useable set of wheels with 28 spokes and a heavy enough rim but the stresses from some peak loads and the failure modes makes them anything but "reliable". On the track wheels sometime, as in Indian films, cross and, on the road, braking using rim calipers, rough roads, cobblestones, pot-holes, curbs and all kinds of other "hazards" can provide loads that lead to catastrophic failure (e.g. lateral wheel collapse).

These is also the question of fatigue. An article worth reading is:
Bicycle Wheel Spoke Patterns and Spoke Fatigue