Most of the drive was lost in a haze, but he'd made it to the garage that he kept as a safe house. With some luck, he'd shut the garage door before passing out.
He sat up more slowly this time and looked over the back seat, seeing Frog. It took a second of watching to see the dog’s chest rise and fall as he breathed. Tears stung his eyes as relief filled him. Then the best miracle of all happened, and Frog opened his eyes. His best friend was still hanging in there.
“Hey,” Thario whispered, and Frog’s tail twitched. That had to be a good sign. His dog was regaining consciousness. “That was bad, buddy. I’m sorry. I didn’t know the guy was a total prick. I’m really sorry.”
Frog whimpered and then tried to lift his head. Seeing his amazing dog struggle was getting to Thario. He needed Frog to be okay.
“Take it easy, Frog. I’m okay. I think the email was sent. I need to check. Just give me a sec.”
Would Asher even know what to do with the email? Would she understand what the coordinates meant? Hopefully, she would remember the code he’d sent and what it meant. If not, he would find a way to drag himself and Frog out of here.
His head ached, and his stomach wasn’t steady. How had he been so wrong about Brent? He could delve into that later. For now, he had to figure out if he was safe, and then how to get Frog the medical care he needed.
The garage had a small apartment above the back area, but he wasn’t sure he could climb the stairs, and there was no way he would be able to drag Frog up there.
The only way he'd been able to get Frog outside was by dragging him on a blanket. Before he'd lost parts of his body, he could have carried Frog easily. It sucked that he'd been injured, but the injury had given him a different perspective on life, maybe even a better perspective. In a way, he was happier. It didn't make much sense, but it was the truth.
He drew in a deep breath, trying to get his head to stop spinning. Breathing deep wasn't doing much for him, so he just breathed normally, hoping someone would come to rescue him soon.
A noise sounded outside the garage, and he flashed open his eyes. Frog growled and then whimpered. Poor pup, even growling hurt.
He was about to pop open the door of the car when Frog started panting and let out a small yip. Thario whipped his head around, which was a mistake. The world kept spinning though he was still. He had to close his eyes so he wouldn’t pass out or throw up.
How the hell had he driven here? It was absolutely a miracle that he’d arrived without crashing the car.
He prayed that the people after him wouldn't know about his other email. One thing he was sure of was that someone was out to get him. He couldn't communicate with his buddies with his normal methods. He'd been compromised, and he didn't want his friends in danger.
A noise filtered inside. Someone was talking. It was low, but clearly there. Or maybe it was just his ears buzzing, but he didn’t think so. Frog’s mouth hung open like he was smiling. Was it someone he knew? Were they outside the safe house?
“Who is it, Frog?”
Frog let out a louder yip. That meant his dog knew the person who belonged to the voice. Asher received his email and hadn’t just sent it to trash. She’d sent someone here to rescue him.
Tears gathered in his eyes. It had to be the pain affecting him. Normally, he wasn’t emotional like this, but he couldn’t hold back. His buddies had come to help him.
Frog barked, and Thario pushed the button to open the garage door. The noise wrenched through his skull, making him regret letting them in that way. He couldn’t stand on his own, not without risking falling.
He saw movement and glanced in the mirror. Four large men appeared behind him, all of them armed and ready for action.
“Thario?” It was Griz.
“Yeah.” Frog answered, too, with a loud bark that made Thario’s head pound. But his dog was feeling good enough to bark, so that was a positive.
“Fuck.” Griz moved fast, pulling open the driver’s door.
“How the fuck did you drive this vehicle?”
“It was tricky. Luckily, I had my legs on when I was attacked.”
Sharp muscled his way between Griz and the vehicle and squatted next to him, his gaze searching Thario's face and body. Sharp's eyes were glassy with emotions. Thario felt those emotions, too.
“Fuck. I thought—” A sob escaped Sharp’s lips, and he pulled Thario into a hug.
He gasped, and Sharp let go. “Fuck. Sorry. What hurts?”
“The guy got me in the back of the head. I don’t know exactly how I escaped. Sheer will, maybe.”
“Text everyone,” Sharp threw over his shoulder.
