Page 21 of Protection for Asher (Safeguarded By The SEAL #4)

Asher cried when Squat left. At least she held the tears until he was gone. She hadn't wanted to make him feel bad about leaving to do his job, especially since his job had saved her. Still, she was sad he was gone.

An hour after Squat left, a knock sounded at her door. She checked the peephole, seeing Nichole. When she pulled the door open, Nichole looked like she was about to say something, instead her friend pulled her into a tight hug.

“We’re here for you.”

She relaxed into Nichole’s hug, and held onto her words. They were here for her. Asher wanted to be able to do this on her own, but she knew it was ridiculous to think she could. “Thank you for coming over. It hit me harder than I expected.”

Nichole stepped in and closed the door. “The first time Jay left, I cried so much. I never told anyone about that.”

Asher stepped into the kitchen and started warming water for tea. “I’m glad I have you all by my side. It makes this easier.”

“Of course. I mean, not everyone is into being buddy-buddy, but I've found some really good friends since moving here.”

“I hope we will become good friends.”

Nichole nodded. “I think we will. You seem to fit into our group well. I mean, you don’t have to be our friend, but it’s nice to have someone to talk to when the guys want to hang out.”

Asher nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. You three are nice.”

Nichole laughed. “I’m sure some people don’t think so, but we try. Also, we understand. Sometimes life is harsh, and it’s hard to make friends. We’re lucky that we’re all chill and not into competing against each other. We celebrate each other’s victories and help each other when we’re down.”

Asher really felt Nichole's words. She'd had a hard time making and keeping friends after graduating high school. Grace had been her best friend. She had people at work she considered work friends, but they weren’t the kind of friend who would drop plans and come help her.

When Grace disappeared, it had hurt deep.

Asher had gone searching for her because she hadn't wanted to lose such a good friend.

Now she felt shame because she'd almost forgotten about Grace after being abducted and going through the hell she’d suffered.

Grace was going through worse. A shiver slid through her.

Nichole’s eyebrows rose. “Everything okay?”

She shrugged. “I was just thinking about my friend, Grace. That’s the reason I was at that party where the guys took me. I was looking for Grace.”

“Oh, what happened to her?”

“No clue, but I think it was something similar to what I suffered. I should send a text to Thario and find out if he can get any information on her. It’s sad to say I kind of forgot to ask him to search for her.”

“Hey, you’ve been through a lot. It’s hard to remember everything important to you when you’re fighting for your life.”

Asher shrugged. “I know. I just feel bad.”

“How about we call him?”

“Right now?”

Nichole nodded. “Yes.”

“Oh, okay.” Asher didn’t usually call people unless she knew they wanted to hear from her.

Nichole pulled out her phone and called Thario, putting him on speaker. He answered on the second ring.

“Nichole, how are you?”

“Good. I’m with Asher, and she was wondering what happened to her friend, Grace.”

“Let me look.” Keyboard clicking mixed with the sound of Frog grumbling about something.

Asher wanted to ask what was up with Frog but held silent while he looked. She didn’t like being a bother, but Thario said he wanted to help. It took almost a minute before he spoke.

“From what I can gather, the men who took Asher also took her. They aren’t saying much. They’re in jail, awaiting trial, but they won’t give answers.”

“Dammit. I know she’s out there somewhere.”

Thario let out a heavy sigh. “Situations like yours, Asher, are a rarity. Sure, you are safe, but it could have gone much worse for you. Usually, people aren’t found. Instead, they are just gone.”

She shook her head. “It’s so hard to think about.”

“Hey, you’re safe and we’re going to keep you safe. Squat and his team may be out on a mission, but there are multiple SEALs and retirees who are keeping an eye on you. They may not know exactly what happened, but they know you were in danger, and you need to be kept safe.”

Asher closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Nichole’s hand on her shoulder grounded her. Her friends were looking out for her. She could do this.

“I'm going to let you both go and see if I can find out more. And Asher, if you want, we can have one of the guys do a drive-by.”

Heat rose as thoughts of her being way too needy increased. “I’m fine. Thank you for looking into Grace. I hope she can be found.”

“We'll do what we can. But just understand that most people trafficked like you were don't come home.”

She hated the odds. It was depressing to think that Grace was lost forever.

After the call ended, they sat on the couch, neither of them saying much.

The silence was comfortable. It was like Nichole really was her friend.

She hadn’t known these women for long, but she’d really connected with Nichole, Rowan, and Danika.

“We should do something,” Nichole said.

“Like what?”

“I don't know. I used to write in-depth articles, then I wrote a book, and I have another one coming out, but I feel like people don't really know what's going on. There are groups and some movies, but no one really pays attention after the initial hubbub.”

Asher took a sip of her drink, thinking about what Nichole had said. “I wouldn’t even know what to do.”

Nichole’s lips screwed up to the side. “Some of the best ideas start with having no idea how to conquer the problem.”

Doing something would be good, but she could barely get through the day without almost falling apart. “I fear that if I try to do something big, I will fail.”

“I get that.” Nichole tapped her chin. “I’m just thinking. Nothing may come of it, but maybe there’s something that can be done.”

Asher’s phone buzzed. “Oh, Danika is calling.” She answered and put the phone on speaker. “Hey, Nichole is here with me.”

“Good. I wondered if you'd all like to come over on Friday evening. We can order pizza and watch a movie, then you can all sleep over.”

Asher met Nichole's gaze, and both of them smiled. “That would be great,” Nichole said.

“Yes, I’d love it.” It had been ages since she’d spent the night with girlfriends. She imagined this would be great and without all the angst she’d witnessed in her teenage sleepovers.

“I can make cookies,” Asher offered.

“Sure. And we'll have cake, too.”

Danika chuckled. “I’ll have some vegetables.”

Nichole threw back her head, laughing. “Too funny. We’ll eat some vegetables, but we’re also going to pig out on chips and sweets.”

They all were laughing. “Sure,” Danika said after a moment. “Rowan said the same thing.”

“We’ll have a blast. I’ll see you all on Friday evening. Oh, Asher, you’re spending the night here tomorrow, right?”

“Yes. I’ll be there at six. If that’s okay.”

“It sure is. I can’t wait to see you. You two have a good night tonight.”

The call ended, and Asher felt a pang of guilt. “I hope you don't mind staying here tonight.”

“Not at all. It's nice hanging out. So tomorrow is Danika, then Rowan on Thursday, and then we'll all be together on Friday.”

“You all are going to save me.”

Nichole squeezed her hand. “I’m happy about that. You deserve good things.”

Asher scoffed. She wasn’t so sure about that, but she knew she didn’t deserve to be destroyed by some idiot man who wanted to make her pay because he was pissed she’d been asking questions about someone else he’d abducted.

She never would have ended up at that party if Grace hadn’t been taken, but if she’d been able to save her friend, she would do it again. Thoughts about Nichole’s proposal to help other women seeped into her thoughts. If doing something helped keep women safe, she would do it in a heartbeat.

There were no instructions on what they should do or how they could really help, but she could do something. Bite-size pieces spread out over time would make some difference, wouldn't it?