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)
“I don’t understand why they insist on continuing to come back to the café so much. They’re here all the time,” Patsy said.
“No one serves better food,” Tyrone said. “That’s the truth.”
“I wish they were coming for the food,” Shabina replied. “I think Bale needs to humiliate others to make himself feel like a big man. Edward and Sean seem to need the same thing. I haven’t made my mind up about Jason. He never seemed to fit in with them. More and more he’s pulled away from them, especially since he’s been around Bruce.”
“I looked at him when Bale was yelling at you,” Vaughn said. “He was really unhappy. So was Bruce.”
“So were a lot of the customers,” Patsy pointed out. “That’s the trouble with having those men in here acting that way. We’re taking the chance that they drive our good customers away.”
“Or worse,” Tyrone said. “Some of the men wanted to stand up for you. They didn’t like the way he was talking to you. That could lead to fights.”
“Bale would like that,” Vaughn added. “Breaking up your furniture and dishes. Blaming you if he got punched in your café. He’d probably sue you for every penny you have.”
“That would be his style,” Patsy agreed.
“You all paint a grim picture of my future,” Shabina said. “Unfortunately, you may be right about him. I’m going to give it a lot more thought. All of you, go home and rest. I’ll lock up. My pack has been patient. They want their workout. I’m behind schedule.”
Vaughn lingered to ensure she was safe as she locked the doors to the café. He walked her to her car before jogging to his.
Her first stop was the agility course that she’d set up for her dogs. They loved working the course, going up ladders, banking off high walls, crawling through tunnels—even the steep swaying bridges didn’t slow them down. From there they went into a training area for obedience, where she put all three dogs through various commands from close range and distant, using both verbal and hand signals.
She chose the gun range next. It was important to her to practice every day with a variety of weapons. She was an expert marksman from just about any distance. She wanted to be smoother bringing her pistol up and aiming straight at the target without thinking. Her goal was for the movement to be automatic, a muscle memory. She knew if she ever faced Scorpion or any member of his cabinet again, there was every chance she might freeze. She didn’t want to worry that she couldn’t pull the trigger. She’d rather be dead than ever allow any of them to get their hands on her again.
Shabina spent a good two hours practicing and then took the dogs running along the canal. It was one of their favorite times of the day. She kept her body in good condition. The running helped keep the dogs in condition as well. It was later than usual, and the sun had already set over the canal, but she still had plenty of light to see, and she knew the path well.
Eerie shadows, cast from the trees lining one side of the water, fell across the narrow trail in macabre ribbons that swayed when the wind blew in short gusts. A sense of unease crept down her spine. Just as her radar system gave her a warning, the dogs swerved into her, circling to shepherd her back in the direction they’d come.
Shabina ran smoothly, not missing a step. The dogs had caught the scent of something they didn’t like, but it very well could have been an animal. They hadn’t alerted in the way they would have if a threat was immediate. She didn’t question the decision of the highly trained dogs. That was why she’d paid the amount of money she had for their training. She was willing to follow their appraisal of a given situation.
She drove straight back to her house. The iron gates opened for her, but she slid out of the car to retrieve a small package that sat on a bench just outside the gates.
Malik bared his teeth and gave her a low warning growl. Shabina instantly reacted, halting, heart pounding, hand sliding down the zipper of her jacket to retrieve her favorite pistol. Keeping the gun concealed against her body, she gave the signal to the three Doberman pinschers to be on guard. They instantly settled into guarding positions.
“Bale,” she greeted, grateful for the small things. She’d much rather face him than Scorpion or his accomplices. She noted Bale had come alone. She was certain that was a bad sign. He normally had one or more of his friends with him. If he came alone, he didn’t want a witness to whatever he planned on doing or saying. “I didn’t expect to see you here this time of night.”