Chapter 47

Thario stared at the screen while he rubbed his left stump. That's the leg that ached more than the other. The need to increase his muscle control pulled at him. If he didn't work out, he wouldn't be able to use the prosthetics as often.

He was about to turn away from the computer when he decided to check in one more place. Deep in the pit of his stomach, he felt like there was something he'd missed. What, he wasn't sure. Maybe he was making things up, but he felt the need to keep Danika safe.

Explaining how he felt about Danika was hard. He'd never had a sister before, but he knew without question Danika was his sister. She'd been more than just nice when she'd come over the first time to meet him. She'd treated him like he was a person, kind of like guys used to treat him. She hadn't flirted or made eyes at him. It had been refreshing.

Before the bomb that ripped his life and body apart, he wouldn't have wanted to get to know her so he could determine if she was open for some fun. Not that he would have slept with one of his buddy's girlfriends, but he certainly would have found out if she was open to the possibility. Now, he thought about life differently. Besides, Sharp loved Danika, and they were perfect together. It was easy to see that Danika and Sharp were a perfect match.

Frog stood and moved to the back door. His dog hadn't had enough outside time and probably needed to run around. Frog had played a huge role in saving him. Not only was the dog his close companion, but he also knew when Thario needed something.

He turned away from the computer and headed outside in the yard with Frog. The dog was gentle around him, but Frog seemed more excited when he wore his prosthetics. After doing his business, Frog brought a ball over and asked to play.

"Sure, Frog." What would it hurt to toss the ball around for a bit? Frog loved playing fetch, and today wasn't an exception. He ran and jumped, bringing the ball back to Thario for almost thirty minutes of playtime.

Time outside with Frog was the perfect time to think. He worked through everything he knew about Ezra and the two fake identities they'd found for the man. But there was something else. Something he'd been about to look up when Frog asked to go outside. Did Ezra have another ID he used? Could he possibly travel under a third passport?

Of course, he could. Ezra didn't care about following the law like good people did. He could have so many more identities. It was impossible to know what Ezra had concocted in his life to make it easier for him to commit crimes.

"Hey, Frog, last throw." He swore his dog looked disappointed, but Thario needed to get back inside and do some work.

After washing his hands, he moved to his computer and typed in the code to unlock the screen. The information was just a few clicks away, glaring at him from the page. Ezra had a third fake identity.

Thario's phone rang, and he checked it, surprised that Justin "Griz" Williamson was calling him. "Hello, Griz. What's up?"

"Hey, so I was with Sharp, and he wanted me to call you."

"Oh shit," Thario said.

"Yeah. Oh shit."

His heart clenched. "Is she safe right now?"

"Um, we think so. He just felt off, so I told him to listen to his gut and go see her."

"That's good. I just figured out that ass has another passport he can travel under. I'm pulling up the information to see if it was used recently. It will take me a moment to…" Thario trailed off as the information popped up. "Oh crap."

"What?" Griz demanded.

"He left London yesterday and flew into Los Angeles. He rented a car."

"Shit."

"Yeah. Shit."

"Thanks, man. We're headed over to the place where she works. If we need anything else, we'll call."

The line went dead, and pain slid through him. He hated being useless, hated being so incapacitated that he couldn't jump into action. Frog came over and laid his head in Thario's lap, looking up at him with his big puppy dog eyes. Frog didn't know why he was upset, but his dog knew he was on edge, ready to blow.

He smoothed his hand over Frog's head and down his neck, trying to stay focused and not spiral out of control. He had to stay present and not get lost in a rage in his mind. His friends could need him, and he didn't want to let Danika down.