“Where’s Amelia?” Danika asked.
“Lainey had some school thing this morning. If we’re still at it after three, she’ll stop by.”
Sharp passed out mugs and pointed to the thermos. “Danika has already filled the thermos with coffee.”
“Thank you,” Griz said.
“I’ll help with getting the food on the table,” Elowen said.
Thario grabbed Sharp’s laptop. “We need to get everyone set up with a good VPN.”
“Good plan. We’ll make sure we’re all protected before we start looking.”
It took Thario thirty minutes and another mug of coffee to get everything set up right so they could start searching. First, he needed to figure out Brent's last name. With eight of them searching, they would move fast.
In an hour, they were certain they had Brent’s correct last name. Ternan. Brent Ternan. They had a possible location. They needed more information before they moved out. They could contact the police, but going to the authorities might spook Brent, and they would never find him.
Thario enjoyed working with the guys. It had been one of the things he'd been looking for when he invited Brent into his circle. He should have known better than to trust an outsider.
His Navy buddies were busy with work and life. They didn't have time to come sit with him for hours and do searches. Having Brent interested in the same things he'd been working on had been welcome.
But allowing a new person in had been his biggest mistake. He didn’t want to cut everyone off, but how could he trust again?
They worked until almost two, nailing down information. By the middle of the afternoon, he felt they had enough.
“We should do some sort of surveillance before we all go in,” Griz said.
Sharp nodded. “I agree. I have a generic uniform for repair I can wear.”
“Same,” Squat said.
Thario nodded. “We’ll spend the next few hours ensuring we have the right location.”
“You need to stay here,” Sharp said.
Thario snorted. “Heck no. I’m not staying here. I deserve to go with you all.”
Squat nodded. "You do, but if he sees you, we're screwed."
“I’ll stay hidden.”
“Frog will give you away,” Sharp said.
Thario didn’t want to be left behind. If Brent was going down, he needed to be there to question him. “Frog can stay here.”
Danika nodded. “I would love to spend time with Frog.”
Frog turned his head to Danika and opened his mouth like he was smiling. It made him happy that Frog was secure enough to stay with other people.
A pang of sadness hit. Frog wouldn't live forever. Hopefully, his next dog would be just as good. He didn't know how that would be possible, though. Frog was amazing.
Sharp nodded. "Okay, we'll do surveillance, then make a decision. I'll head out first and keep you all informed."
Sharp nodded. “I’ll get the cable company uniform I have and head that way.”
“I’ll take Thario with me,” Griz said.
Asher sighed. “I wish we could help.”
