Page 3 of Protection for Asher (Safeguarded By The SEAL #4)
Squat stepped into Thario’s place, anger and fear overriding the calm he usually felt. He couldn’t believe his uncle had wanted money for the information. Actually, he could believe it. His family wasn’t great and his uncle was the worst of them.
Frog greeted them, then moved back to Thario, who had turned to stare at him. “I found some stuff. You’re not going to like it.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck. Asher is most likely no longer in the USA.
I know this might sound farfetched, but you know the score.
There have been fourteen women who have disappeared from that area in the last ten months.
They've all gone missing after one of those parties.
The sheriff's office called them runaways even though they were adults. A few of them have kids and families, but most were single without children, just like Asher.”
Squat shook his head as he thought about her situation. “Is anyone looking into it? FBI or state police?”
“No. The women were seen as at risk and drug-influenced, so their disappearances weren't seen as important. Even women without history of drug abuse were labeled as drug users.”
Squat squeezed his temples as anger flared. “I can’t believe this happened where I grew up. I mean, I know it wasn’t the best place, but hell. This is bad.”
Thario turned back to his computer. “No government agencies are currently investigating the string of disappearances.” He clicked a few keys before he turned back to meet Squat’s gaze.
“I'm sending the information about the women to a contact I made with the FBI. It won't save Asher, but it might stop the activity, maybe. They are overworked, and there’s so much going on, so it may not result in any changes.”
Squat ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands as frustration built. “Fuck. So she’s just lost?”
Thario shook his head. “I'm seeing if I can find anything. If I can find whoever took her and make a connection to one of the terrorist groups, then maybe there is hope. First off, we have to find her. If we can find her and make the connection, then maybe they'll send someone in.”
“If. I fucking hate this.”
“Yeah. I do, too. I can help some people, but I can't help everyone, and it's the same with you. I know you know this woman, but?—”
Squat shook his head. “It just sucks. Fuck! Sorry. You’re right.” He blew out a breath as he fought for calm. “I know I can’t be everywhere all the time. I just can’t stand the thought of her going through this.”
Thario let go a heavy sigh, and Frog sat up, putting his chin on Thario's knee. Squat watched as his buddy scratched his dog's head as he stared at the computer screen in front of him.
There were no good answers or solutions. He was desperate to find her, but he had no authority to go track her down. Plus, he had his job and he couldn’t just walk away from the Navy. It wasn’t that kind of job.
After a moment, he closed his eyes and let go of a heavy sigh. “Tell me how I can help you.”
“We need to do the dirty work of looking on the dark web for her. We may not find her, but we might get some evidence.”
“Okay, I'm in. Tell me what to do, and I'll do it.”
They searched for hours, not coming up with much.
There might be a location that he could learn if he wired someone money.
He wasn’t going to wire money because it could be a scam.
If he could get boots on the ground, maybe he could find her.
But the question was, which ground? They had no clue where she was or where she was headed.
They were lost, and he had no hope of finding her.
They needed a location, and to get that, they needed more information. If the FBI took down the group in his hometown, maybe they could get something out of the local guys and find a lead on where to look. It was a stretch, but it was the best he had.