Page 82 of Allison

Allison quakes in terror. She’d feared the masked man and what he might do to her for trying to help the lost children, but as she turns to gaze at Bruno, a feeling of overwhelming dread consumes her. Bruno is the mastermind behind it all and he’s the sickest, craziest bastard of them all.

51

WORM

Worm’s phone vibrates in his pocket. He pulls it out to see a familiar name on the caller ID. While he hasn’t ever met the man in person, Worm has a lot of admiration and respect for John “Tex” Keegan, a former Navy SEAL, who’d lost a leg during his time in service. The man had been medically discharged, but he’d never let his loss hold him back. Tex is a beast when it comes to anything tech. He uses his intelligence and exceptional skills to help those in need, especially those who are or have also served.

Worm is glad he isn’t driving so he can focus on whatever Tex has to tell him. His mind has jumped from one bad scenario to the next since finding Allison’s room empty. Worm and several of his teammates, along with Emma and Charlotte have loaded up and headed to the airport in an attempt to intercept Allison before she gets on her flight.

“Chapman,” Worm answers, a bit surprised Tex is contacting him directly, although he had asked Tex to look into the issues with Allison, but that was a month ago. Tex and Hawk have been friends since Wolf, another Navy SEAL, who’d been there when Hawk had rescued Charlotte in the Columbian jungle had introduced them to one another. Tex has been instrumental in helping many of Worm’s team mates save their women when shit had gone sideways which is why Worm had reached out to him.

“Hey, Worm, I have some information for you,” Tex begins. “I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get this information, but your woman is onto something big…like really fucking serious shit.” That’s what Worm has been worried about, it’s why she’d been taken.

“Hang on, I’m putting you on speaker.” Worm places his phone on the center console switching it to speaker. “I’m in a vehicle with Hawk and Wallace and their wives.”

“Hey, guys. You did put the trackers on Allison, correct?” Tex’s question causes the hair to rise on the back of his neck.

“Tracker?” Emma asks. “You had Tex get you trackers for Allison?” Worm can feel his face heating. It isn’t often he feels embarrassment after everything he’s seen and done during his years of service, but having Emma know he’d gotten trackers for Allison when he’d only known her a week was enough to cause him to blush.

“Um, yeah,” Worm confesses. “I gave them to her when we met in Denver.” Emma nods obviously remembering the necklace and earrings she’d been wearing the night she’d left his apartment.

“I should have known,” Emma chuckles. Worm knows Wallace has given Emma similar items to make sure he can always find her if anything should happen to her. They’d been instrumental in finding her when Emma had been abducted by a rapist a couple years ago. “She never takes them off,” Emma offers, with a sad smile.

“I had wondered where she’d got them, but she never said. She is constantly touching the necklace, especially when she’s upset.” Knowing this gives Worm comfort knowing she’d have them with her and that they seemed to mean something to her.

“So, she has them on?” Tex asks again.

“Yes, I believe so, but she’s left Wallace’s and isn’t speaking to me,” Worm informs him. He can hear steady clacking of a keyboard in the background. “What did you find out?”

“Allison has stumbled onto an exclusive sex trafficking ring with some major players,” Tex replies. Emma and Charlotte gasp, while the men mutter curses. “These people don’t like that she’s been poking around, even after they abducted and warned her off the story.” Tex’s tone is very serious.

“What? She’s still been researching the story?” Worm had thought she’d dropped the story after everything that had happened.

“Yes. She created some fake accounts to do her research, but anyone with a little skill could easily trace it back to her,” Tex tells him. “Worm, she’s in some serious trouble. These people are ruthless and have a lot to lose should she expose them. I’ve picked up chatter that they are on their way to Jacksonville, if not there already.”

“Fuck!” Worm growls. He looks to Hawk who is riding shotgun to Wallace. “We need to find her! Call everyone you know to help us look for her at the airport.”

Hawk nods. He’d already taken his phone out placing a call before Worm even spoke. “Tex is on the phone,” Hawk says to whomever answered. “He says the people who took Allison before are gunning for her again. I need you all at the airport ASAP.”

Emma has her cell phone out placing another call. Worm can only assume she’s trying to contact Allison again. Allison had texted him, Charlotte, and Emma a few minutes ago saying she was at the airport and that she’d be in touch later when she reached her destination, but she hasn’t answered any of their texts since. So, Hack had gotten her flight information and they’d headed out to see if they could catch her before she left.

“Can you track her?” Worm asks, Tex.

“Yeah, I’ve already contacted Luke for access to it. She made it to the airport, but never boarded a flight. It appears she’s leaving the airport again.” Hope builds in Worm, briefly, thinking she’s changed her mind. She’s coming back to him. Another phone rings on Tex’s side of the line. “Hang on a sec,” Tex says. Worm can hear him murmuring to someone on another line.

Tex continues. “Luke, Ace’s brother-in-law, has called to report the tracking is showing her going out of the city and not back toward yours or Wallace’s residence.” Worm’s stomach drops out. No, not again!

He doesn’t believe Allison would leave the airport of her own free will. Not after buying a ticket back to San Diego…or would she? Doubt creeps in as he mulls everything over in his mind.Is she trying to lead him in the wrong direction?If it wasn’t for the necklace and earrings she's wearing, he would have believed she’d have gotten on the plane out of town.

“Dammit! Worm?” Tex’s frantic voice draws him out of his head. “I pulled CCTV footage. She didn’t leave voluntarily. Two men, one of which was the man who took her a month ago in San Diego, dragged her out of the airport. They’ve forced her into a limo. I’m working to get more details.”

“They’ve taken her again?” Worm rages, fear running rampant through him. He has to find her before they hurt her again. The last time her face and body had been bruised. He won’t allow them to hurt her again. Worm is thrown back in his seat when Wallace punches the gas, weaving in and out of traffic as they near the busy airport.

“She’s not answering,” Emma cries, drawing Worm’s attention. Tears are streaming down her face. Charlotte has unbuckled her seatbelt to scoot closer and wrap her arms around the crying woman.

“Situation has changed,” Hawk barks into his phone. “I’ll be sending vehicle details as soon as Tex can get them to me.” He pauses when Tex speaks up.

“She’s in a black stretch limo,” Tex informs them. “License plate: HZ 7982”

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