CHAPTER NINETEEN

"Do we know what you want us to look at? Where should we spend the majority of our time?" asked Mary.

"I wish we did know," said Nine. "Right now, all we know is that the circus, Gus, and the disappearing women are somehow connected. We want you to stay together. All the time. No exceptions, even for the bathroom. We don't want you as decoys. We want you as observers."

"This isn't a joke," said Gaspar. "We're talking about a lot of women who have gone missing and never been seen again. No bodies. No clues. Nothing. Just gone."

"We get it, honey," said Alexandra. "You forget that we've lived through everything you guys have. We've seen and heard all about the horrible cases, the missing women, children, animals, all of it."

"Animals," whispered Grace. "We could take one of the dogs with us."

The men all looked at her, smiling big broad smiles.

"That's a fucking great idea," said Whiskey. "I can't believe we didn't think of that."

"What if we brought Alvin?" grinned Ani. "I mean, he's a sweetheart and doesn't mind being on a leash. It would feel very ‘Louisiana' to bring an alligator to a circus."

"I don't think we can afford that liability," frowned Ian. "Good idea, sort of. But no."

"Fine. He was the one that wanted to go. He thought it would be fun to see the performers," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"You're talking to the alligator now, too?" growled Ian.

"I mean, not talking, talking, but yes. We communicate. All of us do. He loves the women."

"Damn thing just hisses at me," muttered Baptiste.

"I wonder why," grinned Rose. Baptiste just chuckled at his beautiful wife.

"Alright, take Monster, Beast, or Zeus. Rotate the dogs, and maybe they won't notice. You won't be able to do anything inside the tents, so you'll have to stick to outside events and exhibits with the dogs," said Nine.

"How would you like us to be paired?" asked Tori.

"We want groups of four. No less," said Trak. He looked directly at his wife, ensuring that she understood him.

"You do realize that we're twice the age of most of the women taken. They're not going to come for us," said Lauren.

"Twice the age, but don't look it," said Luc. "You need to be careful. We'll be close, but anything could happen."

"I think sticking together and having the dogs, we'll be fine. We know what we're doing, and we won't take any risks, we promise," said Erin.

"Okay," nodded Ghost. "Teams of four. Team one, Erin, Rose, Lissa, and Ani. Team two, Lauren, Mary, Kat, and Addie. Team three, Alexandra, Grace, Ella, and Piper. Team four, Faith, Lily, Tori, and Lucia."

"Alright, we'll head out to the kennels and get Beast," said Erin.

"No need. Sniff will meet you in front of the cafeteria with an SUV and the dog. Keep comms on at all times." The women all tapped the comms device at the base of their ear. The soft chirp told them it was working.

"Do not remove your tracking devices for anything. The bracelets and necklaces cannot be pulled off by anyone, so no fear of pickpockets."

"We got it, sweetie," said Erin to her husband.

"I know you have it, Erin. We know you all have it, but it doesn't prevent us from worrying about our wives. Our sisters, our friends. We love you all, and we wouldn't ask this if it weren't necessary. Allow us to worry a little." Erin hugged Nine, kissing him sweetly.

"We'll be alright. Don't think we didn't notice that you put a trained agent with each of us. We all have our weapons in the stealth netting and the small knives from Trak in our crossbody bags. No one will suspect at all."

"We'll be back soon," said Ani. "I know you'll be watching from the drones, but we'll be fine."

Carter looked at his wife, shaking his head. She was former CIA and one of the most badass women on the planet. But she was still his wife. His forever. His love.

"I love you, babe," he said, kissing her.

"I know. You love me because we have great sex," she giggled in his ear. He grinned at her, holding her tightly to his body.

"No. I love you because you're the other half of me, Ani. You're my soul. All of it." She smiled at his sweet words and kissed him again.

"We'll be alright. I promise you."

When the SUV and Monster were brought around, the others watched as the four women got in the vehicle, the massive dog huddled between Erin and Lissa in the backseat.

"What do you think?" asked Gaspar in a low voice to Nine.

"I think anyone who tries to get at those women is going to be very, very sorry."