Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 126823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Shabina Foster does her best to lead a normal life. She takes comfort in her friends and her dogs and finds passion in running her own small-town café in the eastern Sierra. But she can’t help always looking over her shoulder, not after what happened in her past. Since then, Shabina has worked very hard to build herself up and live life to the fullest.
Still, there’s no denying the scars she carries. Truly opening up her guarded world seems like an impossible dream—especially when it comes to the one man who makes her feel safe. Shabina already feels like she’s ruined his life and is determined to keep her distance, even as the ghosts of her past emerge from the shadows.
Security expert Rainier Ashcroft knows firsthand that a storm is brewing and that Shabina is in real trouble. Threats are approaching on all sides—and there’s no telling when the next hit will strike. But convincing the woman he loves to truly let him in will be just as difficult as keeping her alive
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Chapter One
Shabina Foster sighed as she shut down the Zoom meeting with her therapist and closed the lid of her laptop. For one brief moment she rested her head on the top of the lid. It was always more of the same. She knew exactly what Talia Warren, her therapist, was going to say to her, the same thing she said all the time. She had PTSD. She should expect to have setbacks. To have bad days. To have nightmares. Work through them. Use the tools she’d been given over the years to cope.
Shabina turned her head to look at the three Doberman pinschers crowding around her. Malik, Sharif and Morza were her constant companions and always knew when she was distressed. “Great advice. Like I haven’t tried all those so-called tools. Am I paranoid? Most likely the answer is yes. Sometimes I think I really am going crazy.”
Malik pushed up tight against her leg. Automatically she scratched the fur between his ears. She didn’t know what she’d do without the dogs for comfort—or protection. They were trained guard dogs. She worked with them every day to keep them sharp. She needed to know she could stop them if they attacked, or if there were a threat, she could send them to attack.
She glanced out the window at the gathering darkness. A shiver went down her spine in spite of her determination to be positive. The ominous feeling she had was nothing but lack of sleep and paranoia. It wasn’t real. No one was out there watching her. If someone were in her gardens, the dogs would have alerted.
Squaring her shoulders, she forced a cheery voice. “Tonight’s our night for entertaining, boys. If we’re going to have everything ready for our guests, I’d better stop feeling sorry for myself and get moving. I suppose you boys want your dinner. Who knew you liked to eat?” She was in the habit of talking aloud to them and was convinced they understood everything she said. Affectionately she patted each of them.
Shabina was an avid bird-watcher. Not only that, but she documented and recorded their migrations. She noted rare birds and located nesting sites. She was acknowledged as one of the leading experts in the state. The data she sent in was documented and kept for the records. She had special permission to take her dogs on the trails with her when dogs weren’t allowed to go just anywhere in Yosemite. She hiked alone in the early morning hours on little-known trails to find the birds, and the dogs were her protection unit. They knew better than to chase anything off the trail.
The dogs were tuned to her every mood and realized she was still distressed as she got up to get them their food. Two of the large Dobermans followed her closely. Morza padded over to the bank of windows in the great room and peered out and then began to pace around the room, stopping every few feet to look outside. She stood watching him, hand to her throat as he patrolled.
It was impossible to see into the house, yet they had an excellent view of the surrounding gardens. Cameras were placed in strategic places throughout the area. She should have felt safe. There was a high wall surrounding the house and immediate gardens, but for the last few days, she’d had this terrible darkness invading her mind. She found herself looking over her shoulder everywhere she went. She looked at everyone with suspicion, not a good thing when she owned a café. Sometimes she could barely breathe. She tried to convince herself it was paranoia, that there was no one out there, but she didn’t believe it.
“I’m actually quite happy it’s our turn to have girls’ night here.” She forced herself to sound cheerful. Sometimes she thought she might be going insane. She’d been afraid to go to sleep for the last couple of nights. Her therapist told her she had to sleep, and she had lied and said that wasn’t a problem yet. It was a good thing her friends were coming over. She could check in with them. Find out if they thought she was being totally paranoid.
Once every six weeks, Shabina’s five best friends did their best to get together. As a rule, she loved spending time with them and always looked forward to the one night they worked at setting their busy schedules aside so they could come together.
Shabina had a very large four-bedroom home that she’d done her best to make warm and welcoming for her friends. She had an indoor pool that was very popular with them, and her kitchen was spectacular. She loved her kitchen. She’d already done all the baking and set food in warmers. She’d made dog treats because her friends were always welcome to bring their dogs with them and she believed in giving them good healthy treats as well. The house often smelled of the various baked goods she whipped up. She liked to try new recipes at home before she used them in her café.