Page 20 of Protection for Asher (Safeguarded By The SEAL #4)

Asher wasn’t happy Squat was leaving, but it was his job. She understood exactly why he was needed in other countries. If he and his team hadn’t traveled to take down the terrorists who were holding her, she would still be captive.

She wouldn't complain at all that he would be gone and leave her alone.

Being alone was scary. During the day while he was at work, she held it together, but having to spend a week or two alone would push her to the edge.

Maybe Nichole, Danika, and Rowan would allow her to bounce between sleeping at their houses.

If she had someone else to rely on, she could probably keep it together. Maybe they hated being alone, too.

Squat's house was safe. No one ever came to the door other than their friends.

None of the people in her past knew where she was.

No one would come looking for her here. Plus, Squat was taking her to Thario's place to meet him.

Thario was keeping track of everything going on with the people who'd abducted her in the first place. He would know if they had been arrested and he was trying to make sure they wouldn’t find her.

She had to trust that the people in Squat's life would keep her safe even if Squat was gone.

On Tuesday, after Squat got home from work, they headed to Thario's place.

Squat told her she didn't need to be nervous, but that didn't calm her.

Meeting new people was awkward, and now, after being abducted, she had the added pressure of the terrible things that happened to her.

She stepped from the car, and a huge dog bounded over, his tail wagging.

“Oh, who are you?” Asher asked as the dog sniffed her.

“That’s Frog,” the guy on the porch called out.

“Frog, what a handsome boy you are.” The dog took off running back to the porch. She could hear the man chatting with his dog, telling him he was a good boy.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Thario.”

She shook his hand when she made it to the porch. “Hi. I’m Asher. Your dog is sweet.”

“He’s good. He keeps me even.”

She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the guy. “What do you mean?”

“When I have bad days, flashbacks, and other stuff, he gets me out of my funk.”

She nodded, wondering if a dog would help her. Frog came over and nuzzled her hand, so she ran her fingers through his thick fur. The dog looked up at her, and she swore he had a smile on his face.

She dropped low so her face was even with his. “Hey, Frog.”

The dog took the opportunity to lick her face and laughter spilled out as the ever present heaviness lifted from her. She could see how having a dog like Frog would help.

She couldn’t stop herself from giving Frog a hug. He gave a small bark and danced around as she stood. “I like him.”

“He likes you, too. Come in, and we can sit and chat. I ordered pizza, and it should be here soon.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Squat said.

“I'm hungry, and I figured you'd be hungry, too.”

“Thank you,” Asher said. “I forgot to eat lunch today.”

Squat shook his head. She knew he would be disappointed, but she was trying to be better about eating. Sometimes she just forgot to consume calories.

Frog ran out into the yard to do his business before following them inside. She glanced around and saw a two-person couch and a recliner. She sat on the couch, and Thario sat in the recliner. Squat dropped down beside her, and Frog came over and sat at her feet.

She ran her hand over his fur, liking how it calmed her. Thario and Squat talked about someone she hadn't met, so she wasn't paying that much attention when Thario asked her a question. Her head whipped up, and her gaze swung from Thario to Squat.

“Sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

“It’s okay,” Thario said. “I was just wondering what your plans were for when Squat is gone.”

“I talked to Danika and the other women. I’m going to rotate between staying at their house and sleeping at Squat’s house. I should only be alone once or twice a week. It won’t be that bad.”

“That’s good. You can call me if you need anything. I know PTSD can really screw you up.”

Asher shrugged. “It's hard for me to think about having PTSD. I always thought only military types got that.”

Thario chuckled. “Common misconception. Trauma causes stress.

For some people, it isn't a huge deal. For other people, it sucks.

There are some really good treatments that have lasting results.

Please don't hesitate to ask for help. Before I got Frog, I'd let it get so bad it was difficult to come back from.”

She nodded, remembering how she’d reacted with Squat.

Reacting wasn’t good. She didn’t want to have long-term issues.

Squat had told her a little of what Thario had gone through, and she thought he had it much worse than what she’d been through.

It sucked that people were so awful to each other.

Life would be so much better if people were decent.

“I’ll keep that in mind. I thought I was doing really good, then something hit, and it made me wonder.”

Thario nodded. “When things are going great, I know something is around the corner.

It's not me being pessimistic. It's just acknowledging that when life is sailing along perfectly, and something happens, it can hit harder than it would if I was already having issues.

And shit is going to happen. That's just life.”

She nodded. “Yeah, something is always happening.”

Squat chuckled. “Ain’t that the truth.”

The doorbell rang, and Squat stood. “Is that the pizza?”

Thario nodded. “It should be.”

Hanging out with Thario was good for her. Thario and Squat talked about things that were clearly SEAL-related, but she didn't feel left out of the conversation. It was nice, just enjoying the evening with nothing expected from her.

When they left Thario’s place, she wasn't worried about Squat being gone for a while.

She had friends, and she could trust them to keep her safe.

Already, they'd gone above and beyond what they needed to do for her, and she knew they would show up and not leave her alone.

Because being alone felt very scary now.