Page 32 of Broken Empire
The amused expression vanished from Leah’s face. “In case what?”
“It’s too long to explain. Can I come and see you? I’m about twenty minutes away from Bellingham right now.”
“Sure. Meet me outside the library at five.”
When I arrived, Leah led me through a labyrinth of mahogany bookshelves to her favorite spot in the library. “It’s really quiet up here,” she said, glancing back at me over her shoulder. “Everyone else prefers the study areas on the second floor.”
She directed me toward an open area with a large table and several chairs. I pulled out two chairs for us as Leah stooped to plug in her laptop at the closest outlet.
“Okay, we’re ready,” she said, sliding into the seat next to me. “So, you said you want help accessing the deep web right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s actually way easier than you might think,” she said. “What most people don’t realize is that you need a proper Tor browser for it. But all you have to do is download it, and then you’re good to go. See?”
As she spoke, she clicked on a purple icon on her desktop. It opened up a web page which said: ‘Explore Privately’. Other than that, it looked like a regular web browser.
I nodded. “That’s cool. You can just download it anywhere?”
“Yeah. Phones, tablets, computers. The hardest part is knowing how to use it,” Leah said. “Anyway, what exactly do you need me to find for you?”
“I’m looking for a website called the Meat Market.”
She wrinkled her nose. “The Meat Market? Is that some sort of porn shit?”
“No.”
“Do you have an address for it?”
“No.”
She raised a brow. “Well, the thing is—the deep web isn’t like the regular internet. You can’t just Google stuff to find different websites. You need to know theexactaddress of a site in order to access it.”
“Damn.” I rubbed my jaw and sighed. “I have no idea what the address is. I only know the name.”
“What is it, exactly? Because it seriously sounds like some porn shit.”
I lowered my voice and leaned closer, even though no one else was around. “It’s a website with real red rooms.”
Leah abruptly stood. “Oh, hell no!” she said, eyes flashing. “What the fuck is wrong with you, man?”
“Wait. Don’t go,” I said, lifting a palm. “It’s about Shay. I swear.”
Leah sank into her seat again, brows furrowed with suspicion. “What do you mean?”
“She’s in trouble. Like I said earlier, it’s a long story, but I think this is where she ended up.” I dipped my chin toward the laptop screen. “On that site.”
Understanding dawned on her face. “You think Shay is involved in some red room shit?”
“Not willingly. But yes.”
Leah’s eyes were like saucers now. “Holy shit. You’re actually serious, aren’t you?”
I nodded grimly. “Yup.”
“Why don’t you call the fucking cops?”
I raised my brows. “How long do you think it would take them to open an investigation and actually get anything done?” I said. “I don’t have any tangible evidence, and someone sent out a text on her behalf pretending she’s left the city, so it’s hard to prove she’s even missing.”
