Chapter 9
After Danika went to bed, Sharp came downstairs. The look on his face seemed serious.
“Everything okay?” Thario asked.
Sharp shook his head. “No, not really. You were almost killed. You’re the last one left from our team, and I don’t want to lose you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Sharp chuckled. "We all talk a big game, but you know things happen, and we could end up dead just like that." Sharp snapped his fingers to emphasize the point.
“We need to locate Brent. I need to know what the hell he was doing.”
"The guys are coming over in the morning, and we'll start. Hopefully, we'll find him fast and can get some answers."
Thario tried to suppress a yawn, and Frog huffed. They were both tired and needed sleep, but it was hard to settle down.
“Get some sleep. We have a lot of work to do in the morning.”
Thario shook Sharp's hand before heading upstairs to get ready for bed. He needed a new wheelchair and other items. At least his legs had been on, and he hadn't lost his prosthetics.
The computers were a total loss, just like so much other stuff he had in his house. The data was backed up in the cloud, but he'd lost so many tools.
Getting to sleep didn't take long, and he woke with a start. The sun was up, and he heard Sharp making noise in the other bedroom. Maybe that was why he woke, and not the weird dream that made him feel totally off.
Somehow, he'd escaped the fire. He didn't remember exactly what had happened with Brent, but he'd fought back. How badly had he hurt Brent?
He hadn’t killed the guy, that much he knew.
But had he disabled Brent enough that the man wasn’t able to function?
Thario didn’t think so. Brent had raced out quickly, or he thought he had.
Maybe his entire memory of the events was off.
Thario headed downstairs. He’d just stepped into the kitchen when he heard the boards on the stairs squeak.
“Hey,” Sharp said as he came downstairs.
“What time are the guys showing up?”
Sharp checked his phone. “About twenty minutes. I’ll get something going in the oven so we have food.”
“Sounds great.”
Thario started the coffee maker and let Frog outside to do his business. He needed to get his dog out for some exercise, but for now, the backyard would have to do.
Danika said she would help. Frog was a good boy and would be good for her.
He hated the idea of Frog growing old, but he was much calmer now than he’d been years ago.
Frog would still protect him, as long as he wasn’t drugged.
But Frog wouldn’t be able to scale an eight-foot fence or run as far as he could before.
The aging meant he could trust Frog even more than before.
If Danika took Frog out for a walk, he wouldn’t give her any trouble.
The coffee finished about the time Danika came downstairs. She grabbed a large insulated thermos and poured coffee into it.
“I figure we’ll need a second pot for the guys.”
“That’s a good idea,” Thario said.
She handed him a mug. “Pour yourself some and I’ll get the second pot going.”
“Thank you.”
He liked how easy Danika and Sharp were together. A twist of jealousy hit. The idea of finding someone had disappeared a long time ago. He'd been an idiot when he was younger, and now he guessed he was feeling the effects of karma.
It was fine. He didn't need a woman to feel fulfilled. Being alone wasn't so bad. He had his buddies and his work. Frog kept him company, and that was enough.
The doorbell rang, and he turned to answer, but the guys walked in. At some point, Sharp must have unlocked the door.
Griz, Elowen, Asher, Squat, and Apple were there. He hugged them all, glad he had such good friends.
“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.”
“Staying here and out of trouble will help,” Squat said.
Asher rolled her eyes. “We can handle ourselves.”
Sharp pointed at the dog. “Someone has to keep Frog company.”
Frog whined, and they all laughed. “See, Frog will need your company,” Squat said.
Thario scratched Frog behind the ears. “Frog would love to spend a few hours with you all.”
Asher moved to Frog and patted his head. “He’s such a good dog.” Frog licked her cheek, and she laughed.
It was settled. They would head over to the location where they believed Brent was located and watch for movement. Once they figured out where he was, they would go in and get answers.
Hopefully, by this evening, he would have an idea why Brent had tried to kill him. Then they could figure out what to do with the guy. Honestly, turning him over to the police was more than he deserved after drugging Frog, but it would be the right thing to do.