Chapter 44

Sharp picked at the cheese and fruit Danika had cut for herself, feeling bad that he was taking her dinner. "You really don't have to fix me food. I can do it."

She shook her head. "No, I'm too excited to sit still. I can't believe you're home. We'll both snack on that, and I'll make myself an egg, too."

"Okay, but I'll cook dinner this weekend." He glanced around at the place, noticing the only thing left out was the box of crackers and a twig from the grapes she'd already plucked off. He didn't even need to dust. It bugged him that she was doing all the housework. She had been home, so he couldn't fault her for wanting to clean the place.

"I spent last Saturday with Thario learning how to search the dark places on the internet. We found two names that Ezra operates as."

"Oh." He trusted Thario, but the guy had a reputation. The idea of Thario hanging out with his woman made him bristle, but that was the old Thario, and he trusted Danika. Getting upset at her was wrong. He didn't want to be one of those ridiculous guys who was suspicious and controlling. "I guess he's getting good at that."

She nodded. "He is. He did tell me to never use my computer or phone, even if I have the special browser. Said they can find the…I don't remember what he called it."

"The IP address?"

"Maybe. But I feel better now that I have information." She turned, her cheeks flaming red, and he worried about her next words. "Of course, I still screamed when you came in. I thought Ezra had found me."

He moved to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, sniffing in her clean scent, holding her loosely so she could still work on the food.

"I missed you."

She flipped off the burner and turned in his arms. "I missed you so much. I didn't know I could miss someone that much. I'm glad you're home."

"I'm off work until Tuesday."

"I still have to work on Monday."

He kissed her cheek. "I'll use that time to workout and do some chores around here. I need to get my oil changed and do some minor car maintenance."

She leaned against him for a short moment before turning back to plate the eggs. He inhaled the eggs on a tortilla and then heated up leftover burgers while she sat on the couch, a movie on quietly in the background. It was something he'd seen her watch before.

He moved to the couch, his mind mulling over her problems. Danika had suffered so much with her family, and now Ezra, she needed a break. It angered him that she had to deal with this shit, and yet here she was, still dealing with crap.

She paused the movie. "What's that look on your face? "

He hadn't meant for her to see his anger. "Sorry. I don't like that you have to worry about that jerk. You should have peace, and yet you're still having to deal with some asshole."

She unpaused the movie before snuggling closer to him, wrapping one hand around his upper arm. "I feel safe with you. And more than just safety, I love you. I'm glad we reconnected because I get to spend my life with you."

He pulled her onto his lap, holding her as the movie played on. Before the movie ended, he carried her to their bed and made love to her like it was the first time. Every touch was careful, slow, drawn out to heighten her pleasure. She writhed under him, coming at least twice before he slid into her heat. They belonged together, and he would fight like hell to keep her with him. He'd not just fallen for her. Their souls had entwined so deeply that he couldn't imagine life without her.

The weekend was spent catching up on food, sleep, and sex, not necessarily in that order. By Monday morning, he was thinking about rings and what Danika expected. He knew what she deserved, but he wasn't a prince and didn't have access to Crown Jewels.

After dropping her off at work, he did a heavy workout to make up for the days spent in the field. He showered then dialed Thario.

"Sharp, glad you're home."

"Hey, can I stop by?"

"Sure, brother. I'd love to see you."

When he pulled up at Thario's house, he was shocked to see the man standing. Pain whipped through him but he pushed it away as he walked right up to Thario and pulled him into a hug. He was a little shorter than he'd been before, but only by an inch or so. The doctors had done a great job matching his height .

Sharp leaned back first, meeting Thario's gaze. "Damn, I'm shocked."

Thario's lips twitched up. "So your woman didn't tell you?"

He shook his head. "We were a little busy with other things this weekend."

Thario threw his head back, laughter spilling out. "You're too funny." Frog came close, careful not to bump into Thario, but he was pushing his nose against Sharp's leg. He reached down and petted the pup.

"It's good to see you standing."

"Can't do it for long. I get sore. I'm getting better, though. Maybe one day I'll be one of those guys who does a half marathon or something."

Sharp chuckled. "I believe you could. So this Ezra dude, what do you think?"

Thario shook his head. "He's bad. I think he's the type of guy who would take her just to destroy her. If he gets his hands on her, she might end up in a container being shipped to Asia or the Middle East. She would be sold to a brothel and forced to do things."

"Mother fucker."

"Yeah. I've got my eye on him, but he has at least three identities he can travel under. He is dangerous. You need to be careful. Does your apartment have an alarm?"

Sharp hadn't cared about the lack of alarm when he'd moved in on his own. Now with Danika living with him, he worried about her safety.

"No. But an alarm won't stop him, only alert us that something went wrong."

Thario stepped inside and moved to the closet beside the door. Frog followed them in and moved to his bed that was set up across from the couch. It would be nice to have a dog, but he didn't have a life that supported pets .

"I picked this up. You can install it easily. No screws needed, so it won't leave holes when you move out."

Sharp took the bag and looked inside. "You didn't have to. I can?—"

"Don't say you'll pay me back. I bought this for Danika. She's the first woman who has treated me human. She's what I imagine a sister would be like if I had one."

"So you think of her as a sister?"

Thario shook his head. "Dude, really. I know my history, and I totally understand the lack of trust a normal guy would have. You're my brother, so yeah, she's my sister. I know you saved my ass. I would have died if you'd left me there, and you had every reason to walk away—really run away. You didn't. You came closer to the danger and saved me." Thario's lips spread into a huge smile. "And based on the look in your eyes when you talk about her and the look she has, I'd say you two are on the path to the altar. Which, if you're my brother, that will really make her my sister."

"I'm your brother, man. And I'm sorry I wasn't around more in the beginning."

"It's okay. I was hopped up on pain pills and in therapy hospitals. By the time I got out, you were on your secret mission."

Sharp stiffened. Talking about his mission made him uncomfortable. But Thario knew everything. His computer skills could be seen as a liability, but they were also a huge gift.

"So this computer stuff you're doing. How far do you think you're going to take it?"

Thario shrugged. "I don't know. Right now, it's fairly casual. I keep my location hidden. The other people I work with don't know who I am or where I'm located. The government probably wants to know more, but there's no way I'm giving them any information about me. "

"Really? So you're protected?"

Thario held his gaze. "I've found out how to maneuver around and get into some background information citizens shouldn't have."

Sharp opened his mouth to say something, but Thario held up his hand and shook his head. Frog also sat up, his attention squarely on Sharp.

"I'm careful. And I'm not doing anything really bad. I mean, I might have released some damning information about a particular elected official that got them in trouble, but they deserved it."

"Just don't get caught. I need you around."

"I won't. I keep most of my searches aimed at people breaking the law, not trying to search for classified information that could get me in trouble."

"Good."

The timer Sharp set rang. "I've got to go pick up Danika."

"She's a good one. Don't let her get away."

"I won't." He wished Thario had someone, but maybe it was best he didn't. The man hadn't been good at relationships. Thinking back, he didn't think Thario had ever been in anything other than a situationship, certainly nothing real like what he and Danika had.

Thario waved as James headed to his vehicle. "Tell her I said hello. And don't be a stranger."

"I won't."

Maybe Thario was hiding his pain, but it seemed like his buddy had adjusted to his new reality. He was positive Frog helped, but it was more than just the dog. Thario was different.

Danika was ready to go when he arrived. Spending more time with her was marvelous. She made everything better in his life. Coming home to her had been a gift he hadn't realized he'd been missing. It was like all the pain and crap he suffered during the mission faded away, and none of it mattered after being wrapped in her arms.