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WORM

W orm paces the length of the gym where he has come to blow off some steam. Thankfully, not many are here at this late hour. His emotions are out of control. He desperately needs to get rid of all this nervous energy in a constructive way instead of flying out to San Diego and kicking someone’s ass. He doesn’t know what is going on with Allison, but he can’t rid himself of the feeling she’s in trouble and needs him.

Emma had called a few minutes ago to inform him, Allison had called her to apologize for ghosting all of them for the last few days, but something seemed off with the conversation. Emma is certain that Allison is lying about where she’s been for the last three days. Emma had said Allison had been tearful, but remained adamant she’d just been busy with a story. Worm agrees with Emma. Allison isn’t acting like herself, not that he knows her that well, still her actions don’t align with what he does know about her.

His phone rings. He hurries over to his gym bag to retrieve his phone. He sees Allison’s name on the caller ID. “Sugar? Are you all right?” Worm does his best to keep his voice calm and even. Emma had said when she’d pushed Allison to tell her where she’d been, Allison had ended the conversation. Worm doesn’t want that to happen on this call.

“Um, hey, Russell.” Allison sounds nervous. He wants to climb through his phone and take her fear away, hold her close. “I-I…I just wanted to apologize for the things I’d said in the texts the other day. I didn’t mean them. I…I, just, got caught up in my work. I get impatient when I’m on a hot lead. I’m sorry I was so rude.”

“Sugar.” Worm does his best to keep the irritation out of his voice. He knows she’s lying. She didn’t send those texts, but he’s so relieved to hear from her, he doesn’t want to piss her off. Still, he needs her to know that he knows. “We both know you didn’t send those texts, but if you want to keep up this charade, then you’re going to have to grovel to make it up to me.” He forces a chuckle to keep the mood light.

A hitched breath comes over the line before a combination laugh-crying sound. “Baby, talk to me. Let me help you. Are you safe? I can have someone come to you until I can get out there.”

A long silence follows. Worm doesn’t push her to talk, knowing how stubborn she can be, she’d likely hang up on him. “Russell, I just called to say, I’m sorry.” Worm waits patiently to see if she’s going to say anything more. “I have to go. Please don’t be angry with me.”

“Allison! Wait! Don’t hang up yet,” Worm demands. “I’m here, sugar, anytime of day or night. All you have to do is call.”

“Th-thanks, Russell.”

The call ends, leaving him feeling worse than he had before she’d called. He resumes pacing while mulling everything over in his head. Allison is obviously in some kind of trouble, but she’s unwilling to share what that is with him or Emma.

He needs to do something, but he can’t just get on a plane and go to San Diego. He’d be going AWOL which is career ending and would honestly destroy him. He’s worked so hard to get where he is. Can he give it all up for a woman he’s known for a handful of days? But can he leave her to fend for herself?

Pulling up contacts on his phone, Worm types out a text to the one man he is certain will have the answers he needs to help Allison and not end his military career at the same time. He isn’t expecting a reply as it’s so late at night, but hopefully the man will reply by morning.

Worm picks up his gym bag. He needs to head home and get some sleep. He has PT in the morning. He’ll be lucky to get three hours of sleep, if he can even fall asleep after that call from Allison. Worm is just sliding into the driver’s seat of his pickup when his phone chirps.

Tex: What do you need?

Worm: I need you to look into Emma’s cousin, Allison Simpson. She’s the one that we had you looking for on Sunday.

Tex: Wallace said she made contact

Worm: She did, but something isn’t right

Tex: Care to elaborate?

Worm: She doesn’t have a plausible explanation for her disappearance

Worm: S he seemed frightened and was tearful when she called me

Tex: This more than helping out a teammate?

Worm: Yes

Tex: Understood. I’ll get back with you soon.

Worm: Thanks

Worm places his phone on the console between the seats, starting the engine. He pulls out of the gym parking lot headed for home. All the while praying, Tex will find out what happened to Allison so he can help her out of the trouble she’s gotten herself into. He doesn’t understand this driving need to ensure her safety, but he can’t ignore it, either.

A few hours later when Worm is arriving at PT, his phone pings again with an incoming text requesting that he call Tex. Tex doesn’t even say hello.

“Worm, I have some information for you. Your woman was dropped off at her apartment complex last night shortly before she called Emma and then you,” Tex begins without pleasantries. “I couldn’t get a license plate number. They had that well-hidden. The man who’d gotten out of the vehicle with her, was wearing a mask, so no facial recognition. From what I can tell, she’s still at her apartment and no one else who has entered or exited seemed suspicious. Everyone on facial rec, lives in the complex.”

“Thanks,” Worm replies with a heavy sigh, not sure what to make of this information or how it can help Allison.

“I’m not finished,” Tex continues. “I followed the car as it left on street cams as far as I could. It was headed into a very wealthy community. The vehicle pulled up to a large property and the masked-man got out of the back seat before the car drove away. I’m working on tracing the property owner to see if this will shed some light on who we are dealing with.”

“All right, so any suggestions on how to keep her safe in the meantime?” Worm inquires as he is nearing his fellow teammates. Hawk is standing with Wallace, Straw, and Tank. The men are in deep conversation. They turn to look at him as he arrives. “I’m on the phone with Tex.” The men nod and Wallace turns to face him.

“Why are you talking to Tex?” Wallace asks, for once in the last week not sounding pissed at Worm.

“I got a call from Allison last night after I spoke with Emma.” All of his friends perk up at this bit of information. “She sounded upset, but wouldn’t tell me anything more than she told Emma so I asked Tex to see what he could find out.”

“Did he find anything?” Wallace asks. Worm pulls the phone down from his ear and presses the speak option.

“Tex, I’m putting you on speaker. Hawk, Wallace, Straw, and Tank are with me.”

“Hey guys. I was telling Worm I got footage of where Allison was dropped off at her apartment by two in a dark vehicle. I didn’t get eyes on the driver, and the man who’d been in the back with her was masked. I traced the car to a property in a very wealthy part of San Diego, but haven’t found who the property belongs to yet. I’m still working on that.”

“Is she still in danger?” Wallace asks, looking at Worm as if he should know the answer.

“I don’t know,” Tex replies, “but I wouldn’t assume the danger has passed. I’ve been looking into Allison’s internet traffic, engine searches, and social media. It seems she has indeed been looking into missing persons cases, mostly underage youth. She has submitted several stories to outlets that have frequently published her articles in the past, but they’ve all been rejected in recent months—at least the ones related to the missing kids.”

“You think that’s important?” Worm asks, knowing it must be or Tex wouldn’t have brought it up.

“Yes. I’m still digging, but why would only the stories related to the missing kids be the ones that are rejected for publication when others she’s written are not? I’ve read some of the articles she submitted. The quality of her work, her sources, and the way it’s written are equal among both types of articles. So it’s obviously the topic she’s writing about, not her ability to write a good article,” Tex concludes.

“What can I do to keep her safe?” Worm blurts out the most pressing question on his mind, forgetting who is in front of. The men all raise an eyebrow at the near panic in his voice.

“Well for starters, she needs better security in the building she’s living in,” Tex begins. “There aren’t many security cameras inside the building. Allison doesn’t have any of her own, nor does she have an alarm system should someone breach her door or windows.”

“So I need to get her a security system installed,” Worm concludes. Again, his friends are staring at him wide-eyed.

“My brother-in-law can probably help you with that,” Ace declares as he walks up to where they have gathered. “I’ll call him later and ask if he can send one of his guys out there and set it up for her.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Tex confirms. “Luke’s company is excellent. He provides monitoring as well as the cameras and system. I can ask him to link the feed to me so I can watch for anomalies.”

“What about getting a tracker for her?” Hawk joins the discussion. “She’s already been taken once. We all know it could happen again, like it did with my woman, Deadeye’s woman, even Luke’s woman was taken more than once. These crazy fuckers don’t just kidnap a woman and let her go, then forget about her.

“There’s a reason they freed her. If that reason becomes obsolete, then Allison becomes a liability.” Hawk’s words cause a bigger knot to form in Worm’s stomach. He’s nearly lost his mind in the last three days. He can’t go through that again.

“Tex, will you get me a necklace and earrings to match,” Worm asks. “I’d like her to have several options. If one of them is removed, maybe the others will be left on her.”

“Yes, I can get you what you need, though it’ll take a few days.”

“I understand. Send me the bill for everything you’ve done for her,” Worm says. Wallace narrows his eyes at Worm. No doubt, he’s going to give Worm shit for this, but Worm feels it’s his responsibility.

“There is no bill. I’ll let you know if I find out anything more.” Tex ends the call before Worm can reply.

He places his phone in his pocket and waits for the ass chewing to commence. He squares his shoulders and faces Wallace. He isn’t going to apologize for looking out for Allison. He might not be able to claim her as his woman, but he will look after her.

“I don’t know what to say,” Wallace admits after a long silence. Their other teammates look back and forth between them. “I want to be pissed at you for messing with Emma’s cousin, but I can see, this isn’t just you scratching an itch. You care for her.”

“I do, but I have to be honest, man. She and I aren’t riding off into the sunset like you and Emma or the rest of you”—he gestures to his friends, gathered around—“I just need to know that she’s safe. I’ll do whatever I can to make sure that is the case.”

Wallace steps closer. Worm braces for the punch he is certain is coming his way, but never lands. Wallace sticks his hand out. Worm takes it and gives it a shake. Then he’s pulled into a bro-hug with back slapping. “Thanks for looking out for her. Emma has been so worried. I hate seeing her like this. It will be a relief to know Allison will have the trackers, if she’ll wear them.”

“You think she won’t?” Worm asks his friend as they step apart.

“Honestly, I doubt she will if she knows what they are,” Wallace admits. “She’s a stubborn one, very independent. She would see it as a way to control and monitor her, not as a means to keep her safe should the worst happen again, but then again, we don’t know what she’s been through so she might be glad to wear them.”

Worm runs this over in his head. Wallace is correct. Allison is stubborn and independent. He just won’t tell her about the trackers in the jewelry. He’ll just have to come up with some excuse for giving her an expensive gift when they aren’t a couple.” Fuck! This isn’t going to be easy.