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Shine didn't like the feel of his empty house or the inability to contact Rowan, but she was where she needed to be, getting the help she needed. Thario looked into the facility, and Shine was satisfied that Rowan would be well taken care of. The place had good security, and he wasn't worried about her.

He was headed to Thario’s so they could search for Charles. The police still hadn’t found him, and Shine was worried about the guy showing up again. Maybe he’d done something stupid and died, but Shine had a feeling he was still out there.

When he pulled up outside, Frog ran out to greet him. He petted the dog, feeling better about everything after a moment with the dog. “Your dog is amazing,” Shine said when he joined Thario on the porch.

“He is.” Thario was in his wheelchair instead of walking.

“You doing okay?”

Thario shrugged. “Yeah. I overdid it on walking last weekend. The doctor wants me to take it easy for a few days.”

“I understand.”

"I don't. I used to be a badass who could run circles around men half my age. Now I'm stuck in this chair half the time." Frog let out a loud woof, and Thario rolled his eyes. "The dog is telling me my attitude is slipping. I know, Frog, I'm being an ass right now. I need some time."

“It sounds like it’s more than just being sore.”

Thario shrugged. "I was out at a bar eating dinner. I should have stuck to our usual haunts, but I went to this new place. A woman started chatting me up. Then she learned I'd lost my legs. That was it. She called me names. Usually, it doesn't bother me, but this one did."

“Dude, that was uncalled for. I’m sorry.”

Thario grunted. "I guess karma is getting me back. I was a total shit for years, but this felt personal. I mean, I never called women names before. I just left them. That was probably rude, and I guess I deserved it."

“We both were shits when we were younger. We should have been better, but no one deserves that kind of treatment.”

Thario shrugged. "I was one of the worst guys on base, and you know that."

“Not the worst. You didn’t assault women like that ass who is in Leavenworth.”

“He is bad.”

Frog had his head on Thario’s lap, staring up at him like he was in love. Shine was glad the man had the dog. It would be difficult to get his head on straight if he’d endured what Thario had gone through.

Thario sat up straighter. “Anyway, we need to search for that asshole, Charles. I’ve been looking but haven’t found anything. ”

He would let the subject drop but make sure to check in on Thario later in the week. "I have no idea where he is. I've been looking, too, but how do you find a man who isn't leaving a trace? We don't have access to his email. He's not posting anything that I can see."

“Ah, I do have access to his email.”

"Oh, crap. It won't get you in trouble, will it?" Shine asked.

Thario shook his head. “No. I’m being careful. He’s not emailing anyone, or if he is, he is deleting the messages before I have a chance to look.”

“I don’t like that we can’t find any information about him.”

"It's concerning." Thario laced his hands behind his head. "I don't think he's staying in a hotel or anything that would send a confirmation. He hasn't gone home. Maybe he headed to his parents' house. Or he could be with a friend."

“Maybe. I stopped by Rowen’s place to check in, and it didn’t look disturbed. Maybe I need to install a camera on the door. See if I can pick up any activity.”

“That’s a good idea. Get a doorbell camera and give me access to the alerts. I’ll watch it during the day.”

“You don’t?—”

"Are you kidding me? You guys have given me life. If I didn't have you around, I'd be dead. I know you bunch have your own lives, and now that I'm useless, you still treat me like I'm someone."

Shine shook his head. “Thario, you aren’t useless. You’re a great friend.”

Frog had moved so he was half on Thario’s lap. Shine could tell the dog was getting stressed out by the emotions flowing through Thario. He didn’t want to make things worse, but Thario had admitted that he’d been hit hard by something that happened at a bar. It wasn’t fair, but life never was.

"Listen, buddy, you're important. And not because you do stuff for us. I like hanging out with you. And I want you to remember that we're not bringing you around because you help us out. We truly like you. I know the guys on Wild's team think of you as a friend."

Thario wiped his hand over his face. "I hate not being out there. The other night, I woke up thinking I was on a mission."

"I get that. What happened isn't cool, and I'm sure your mind still takes you back to before the accident."

“It’s a bitch. I probably should talk to my therapist about it.”

"Absolutely. You should absolutely speak to your therapist. I want you to actually do that this week. You aren't a robot, even if you have terminator-worthy legs."

The laughter from Thario sounded good. He needed to make sure Thario never felt like he was being used. He was a good friend, and it had nothing to do with what Thario did for them.

He needed to see if any of the guys wanted to do pizza and movie night with Thario. Maybe they could plan it for this weekend.