Chapter 24
Thario enjoyed seeing Calla. Spending time with her had been fun. As he walked through the cabin he was thinking of buying, he could see her in this space.
The place was larger than he’d first thought. The main bedroom was downstairs, but there was a loft above that wasn’t too open. Also, attached to the side of the cabin was a newer addition where he could set up his workspace.
And the yard was huge. Frog would love this space. He could run around and have the freedom he didn't get in the old place in San Diego.
This cabin would be perfect, but only if Calla stuck around. He didn't want to lose contact with her and hoped she didn't want to return to San Diego soon. He needed to make sure she planned on staying in the area.
The realtor stepped into the kitchen, his smile wide. “So, what do you think?”
“I like it.”
“That’s good.”
“I think I want to make an offer.”
“That’s great. I’ll get in contact with the seller and make things happen.”
They discussed the offer and how he wanted to move as soon as possible before they both took off. Thario thought about heading to Griz’s place, but he didn’t want to push too much with Calla. She needed time to think.
When he got back to the place he was staying, Frog was happy to see him. They went outside so Frog could get some much-needed exercise.
After he tossed a ball for Frog for a while, he sat in the shade, giving his eyes a break from the sun.
His phone buzzed, and he checked the caller ID, but didn’t recognize the number calling.
“Hello.”
"Is this Mr. Nolan?"
“Yes.”
“This is Jason with Rightway Insurance. I wanted to make sure we had your correct information before we sent the settlement.”
“Oh. So you’re already done?”
“Not quite, but it’s being processed.”
“Okay. I’ll log on and make sure my information is updated.”
“Can I confirm on the phone?”
“I’ll tell you if you’re right, but I’m not giving information to you over the phone.”
The man rattled off the address of his house and the mailing address for Sharp’s place. He confirmed, but didn’t like that someone had called him for information.
The call ended, and he wondered if he was being too paranoid. Calla’s brother knew about this house, but he’d kept his friends separate from his work with the group. If Brent had found out about Sharp’s place, he would be a little surprised.
He sent a text to Sharp, telling him about the call. His phone rang, and he saw it was Sharp.
“Hey, Sharp.”
“Hey, Thario. Jason is the person I was speaking to. I get why you were nervous about it. I talked to the detective, and he thinks Brent got spooked and left the area because he hasn’t been spotted again.”
“I hate that he’s still out there.”
“I get that. We’ll keep our eyes out. He shouldn’t know about us or where we are.”
"What if he was watching me for a while, and that's how he found my home? He could have followed me to your place."
“You’re fairly aware of what’s going on.”
“Yeah, but he found my house.”
"I know that's got you upset. I get it. I don't know how he found you, and we can work on that, eventually. Right now, he has no clue about Griz and Elowen. There is no way he will find her out there. He may not even be looking for her."
Thario rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d feel better if they caught him.”
"I know. I'd feel better, too. We're going to do what we can, but you don't need to worry about us. We're used to taking precautions, and we'll be ready."
“I thought I took enough precautions.”
“I know. But you let him in when he showed up because you knew him. You trusted him. You didn’t have a reason to think he would attack you.”
“I’d never given him my address. I should have known. But you’re right, I thought I could trust him.”
“We all know we can’t trust him. We’re locking up and keeping the alarms on. We know he’s dangerous.”
Thario ran his hands through his hair. “Man, I hate how I fucked up.”
“You need to cut yourself a break. How is Frog liking the new digs?”
Thario blew out a breath and chuckled as Frog ran over. “He freaking loves it out here. He’s running around like a youngster, not the old dog he is.”
“Good. Did you go see the cabin?”
"I did." Thario went into the details about the cabin and how it would be a great place to live. After twenty or so minutes talking to Sharp, they ended the call.
He was about to go in when a car pulled in, and he saw it was Elowen. Calla waved from the front seat, making his heart speed up.
He stood and moved toward Elowen's car. Frog followed closely.
“Hey, we’re picking up pizzas for dinner and were wondering if you wanted to join us tonight,” Elowen said.
“Sure. What time?”
“How about you show up at five or so? We’ll have pizza, maybe a movie. A storm is supposed to be rolling in later, and we thought it would be nice to have a night in.”
Thario glanced up at the sky, not seeing any evidence of a possible storm. “Sure. I’d love to spend some time with you all. I know Frog would love to see Knuckles.”
“She would be happy to spend time with Frog.”
He liked that Elowen included Frog and Knuckles in their friendship. His dog was a huge part of his life. Without Frog, he wouldn’t be here. He was smart enough to acknowledge how dark his mind had gotten before Frog. His dog had become more than a pet. He was family.
“I’ll be over in about twenty minutes? I want to pick up a bottle of wine.”
“Sure. I have a few reds, maybe something else.”
Thario chuckled. “I’ll get something good.”
He waved as they drove off, glad they’d dropped by. His head was better, and his wheelchair would be delivered in a week. His computer equipment was due to show up at Elowen’s place in the next day or two.
Life would get back to normal. Or as normal as it could be.
He hoped Calla could relax and find some kind of normal, and he really wanted to be a part of that.
But it was up to her. If he pushed it, she would turn away from him.
That was the last thing he wanted, that and Brent coming back.
He needed to figure out where Brent was and stop the bastard.
Calla deserved that much, actually she deserved more. He hoped he could give it to her.