Chapter 35

Thario wasn't at all like what Danika had expected. The man seemed very positive and upbeat. She was sure she would fail at being happy if she'd lost even one of her legs, and Thario had lost both below the knees. His dog, Frog, was not only beautiful but also sweet. He was very attentive to Thario's needs, and they seemed to get along well. Plus, the dog could grab him drinks and medicine.

"Would you like more?" Danika asked as she stood to take her plate to the sink.

Thario shook his head. "No, thank you. I have to watch my girlish figure. I'm getting new legs, and the more weight I put on, the harder it will be on me."

"New legs?" Danika asked.

"Yeah. I've been fitted for prosthetics. They think my legs have healed enough I can use them. I have to increase my strength to walk so I'm only working with them at physical therapy."

"That's great," James said.

Thario shrugged. "It will at least get me out of this chair for a bit of each day. "

"Must be exhausting," Danika said.

"What?" Thario asked.

"Sitting."

"Ugh. It can be. I have to get up and move around. I have the elbow pads to crawl around. Otherwise, I end up with sores on my ass. That's the part that sucks the most is I have to manage what will be hurt because if I crawl around, dragging my body behind me, my arms hurt."

"It's good that you're getting legs then," Danika said.

"Yeah. It's just not the crap I thought I would be dealing with at this point in my life."

She placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I'm sure it's not. Is there anything we can do? I don't have a car, so I can't take you places, but maybe there's something else."

"You know what I need?"

"What?" James sat forward, expectation shining on his face.

Thario's lips thinned, and he shook his head. "Maybe I shouldn't say anything."

Danika leaned in, hoping they could help him. "What is it? We want to help."

"You know I've been doing some stuff on computers."

Confusion filled Danika. "What kind of stuff?"

"Looking for people. But sometimes, it just gets intense. It would be nice to have someone to talk to who isn't doing this gig at least once a week."

Danika pulled out the phone she'd picked up and opened the contacts. "Give me your number. We'll make sure to chat once a week."

Thario turned to James. "You don't mind?"

"Dude, I know you're not doing this to steal my woman."

Thario rolled his eyes, and Danika was about to say something about how she could talk to Thario without it turning into something sexual.

But Thario's laugh cut her off. "Man, I may be a flirt, but I know no woman wants me now."

"Now, wait a minute," Danika said. "Neither of you needs to be the final say in this. I know you're going to get your feathers ruffled, but I'm my own person, and James, I love you and wouldn't cheat on you, but I'm still my own person, and you should be talking to me about this because you respect me."

James moved to stand in front of her. "I'm sorry. You're right. You deserve respect. I know you wouldn't cheat on me. And I trust Thario. That was me being an ass. I'm sorry, both of you."

Thario tsked his tongue. "I know I was an ass before. I hit on women, even when I knew they were in relationships. I sucked back then. It's okay to say I was an ass. It's the truth. I was a total jerk and fucked around with anyone who would have me. I've had a lot of time to think, and I don't want to be like that."

James nodded. "That's good. You know, respecting yourself more and stuff."

"Sucks that it took me this long. I could have had someone, you know, a wife before this shit happened, but she probably would have left."

Danika gasped. "Surely a wife wouldn't do that."

Both James and Thario laughed. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

"What I said wasn't that funny."

James put his arm around her shoulder. "No, it's not funny at all, but we've seen it done time and time again."

Thario tapped the table, and even his dog sat up and looked at him. "Yeah, when I was in BUDs, one of the guys had a bad mission and came back without an arm and a leg. His wife was pregnant. She left and moved across the country. It took the guy years before he even was allowed to see his kid. There are some Navy guys who have great wives, but not everyone who marries a military man has the best intentions. Some of the women are in it for status and nothing more."

Danika shook her head. "That's awful."

James nodded. "Yeah, some people are just terrible."

Danika rolled her eyes. "And I thought my ex was terrible."

James squeezed her shoulder. "He is, babe. He's a total piece of shit."

Thario sat up. "Wait, what happened?"

James met her gaze. "Can I tell him?"

She shrugged. "Might as well."

"He did some illegal things."

"How illegal?" Thario asked.

"When I was first with him, he had me talking to people, then telling him everything that was said. I didn't get it at first, but he was using that information to steal from them. Then he kept getting worse. Eventually, he was into the drug trade and human trafficking. I was held in a room for a while as punishment because I wouldn't talk women into going with him. The room was small. Like five by six. He chained me to the floor, and that's how I got the scars on my wrist." She held up her arm and moved the watch she wore to cover the marks. "This."

Thario's lips thinned. "And he's still out there?"

She nodded. "Because he held me captive, I didn't file the paperwork or leave the country, so I was in England illegally. I didn't think I could go to the police. At least he had me convinced I couldn't."

"I want information on him," Thario said.

Worry filled Danika. "What will you do? "

He shrugged. "I don't know, but I'll think of something."

"Just be careful." She didn't want Thario to suffer because of Ezra. The man was evil, and Thario was one of the good guys.

"Danika, I'm very careful when I do actions on the internet. I don't want anyone figuring out who or where I am."

"We'll get you the information," James said. "Honestly, this makes me feel better. I've been worried about how to handle him if he comes for her."

"I may not know what to do, but we'll at least know if he decides to come for you, Danika. Hopefully, he won't get any stupid ideas. I'll see what I can do to disable him before he figures out where you are."

"Thank you."

Danika felt much better about everything now. She had a new friend, and it seemed like he could actually help her. She didn't like the threat of Ezra hanging over her head. Being with James made her feel safe, but having Thario help with the issue made her feel even better. Maybe Ezra would leave her alone, and she would never have to put up with him again, but if she had to deal with him, having Thario on her side would help.