Page 47 of SEAL Mates

Paula

Ever since Alec got the call from the station, we’d all been walking on eggshells. What kind of world were we living in that someone would do that to a little girl.

They took her from her family, a quiet peaceful town like this, no one imagined it. It wasn’t squeaky clean, like no one walked around and left their doors open, but it was quiet enough for no one to think of such a crime happening here. Especially me, and I’d only been here for a couple of weeks.

That is why they say that you should never judge a book by its cover, it gives the completely wrong impression and that has been the case with the kidnapping here.

I had all sorts of nightmares going through my mind.

Had she been kidnapped and sold to some gang?

Or had she just run away from an abusive home?

The writer in me wanted to help them, but I knew I was out of my league. I was no Ruth Randell nor Agatha Christie, so I didn’t know how to solve a mystery let alone a crime.

“What’s up luv?” Blake asked as he passed me in the kitchen. He didn’t go to the garage today; he was out looking for Stacey Rose like the rest of the town.

“I just feel so frustrated. I was out looking, but then I had no clue what I was looking for. You know?”

He smiled, then he approached me and kissed me on the forehead.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Yeah, but you’ve done trekking, especially being with theNavy. I don’t know if I’m looking for a bloody item or some kind of clothing that she was wearing, which her mom was vague about. I don’t know and I want to help so badly. I really do.”

I started to sob as I bit back at Blake, as he wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me in for a hug. I shouldn’t have said all those things, but I’d been walking through what I should look out for, but I felt completely lost and didn’t have a clue.

Maybe I should just admit as much as the women offered for me to help them make sandwiches for those out looking, that I should have just helped. At the time it felt sexiest but they were being realistic, if you can’t look then do something helpful.

“I’ll go to the diner and help them make sandwiches. I can help in other ways.”

He kissed me on the cheek and nodded in agreement. Then he turned to leave the kitchen.

“You can help in other ways. Even just being in the kitchen is useful. Even if it didn’t feel that way.”

I didn’t say anything, thinking of myself as being selfish, because I was worrying about my feelings when there was a girl out there missing. I would call my kids, and make sure they were well and then after I would head out to make sandwiches or anything else they needed. I wouldn’t stop until we found her. She was the priority right now.

Not me.

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