Page 11 of Deadly Storms (Sunrise Lake #3)

That left her with nothing to say. Shabina sighed and looked around her café.

The early morning sunlight streaked in through the windows.

The murmur of the various conversations peppered with laughter instantly lightened her mood.

She understood why Eve and Felicity found peace in the Sierra.

She certainly had. For the most part. Unless she allowed her past to creep in.

Determined not to allow that to happen, she went about her rounds, going from booths to tables, talking to her customers, helping to clear dishes and bringing food out to new customers.

Her café was very popular, and although they officially closed at two, if customers had waited in line to get in, they weren’t turned away.

Vaughn, her manager, and Tyrone and Patsy stayed late with her to serve the customers and break down the tables after.

She had two other waitresses, newly hired that season, Nellie and Chelsey.

Both were cheerful and hard workers. She felt very lucky to have them.

They mostly waited on the outdoor tables.

The nice thing about having so many customers was it forced her mind to concentrate on the busywork.

She didn’t have time to dwell on Bale and why he chose to target her or Zahra.

Or if Scorpion was really stalking her again after all the years that had gone by.

Or that Sean might be teaching young, impressionable minds to be disrespectful, racist and sexist. Instead, she worked hard and laughed with customers, getting to know them as she made her customary rounds, answering questions and asking a few of her own.

It helped that she spoke several languages and could put people at ease. She attributed that trait to her time spent with the women of Salman Ahmad’s tribe. They had a warmth about them and a way of making anyone, even those kidnapped for ransom, feel safe and among friends.

By the time they managed to close the café, it was after three and nearly four thirty when they finished thoroughly cleaning tables and the kitchen.

“I wish I could give you time off,” Shabina told the three that always stuck with her.

“I can’t since we’re in the middle of our biggest season, but I can give you extra bonuses.

You deserve them too. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you.

I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.

If you have suggestions for making things easier, please feel free to share your ideas.

And any days you absolutely need, let me know in advance if possible so I can make arrangements to cover your shifts.

” She really hoped none of them needed time off.

They were fast and knew how to handle every emergency that cropped up.

“I love this job,” Patsy said. “Greg was able to get a job right away with Carl Montgomery, the local contractor. Greg’s a really good carpenter. With both of us having good jobs we were able to rent a nice house.”

“You’re staying for sure, then?” Tyrone asked.

Patsy gave them a huge smile. “For certain. It’s always been our dream to live in the Sierra. We both love to climb. We’re passionate about hiking. We just had to find a way to make it happen.”

“My parents were born here,” Tyrone said.

“Both of them were. I grew up on a ranch, hunting and fishing. My brother and I climbed from the time we were about two. Then Dad had a stroke and my mother a heart attack. Both died within two months of each other. Tristan and I were sent to an aunt, our only relative. She lived in a city in Ohio. Didn’t want kids and gave us up to foster care.

We were lucky in that they kept us together and we landed with some really good people.

Still, we were used to being wild and free, not in the city. We couldn’t wait to get back here.”

“It’s a miracle you managed it,” Vaughn said.

Tyrone flashed a grin at the others. “Money is always a problem when you want to move. We decided to live out of a van and join the dirt baggers who come to climb the boulders and use the hot springs. We both hoped to score good jobs, save money and find a place we could eventually buy.”

“What is your brother doing?” Shabina asked.

Tristan had no interest in food other than to eat it.

He’d come in several times, and Shabina always fed him.

The man could put away food. She didn’t mind.

When he came in, he did so at the end of the day and asked what she had the most left over.

He always offered to pay. She didn’t let her employees pay, and she wasn’t about to allow Tristan to pay when she knew the brothers were working toward owning their own home.

Most of the leftover dishes were carefully packed and taken to the homeless shelter, where volunteers distributed them along with other donations.

“He has a job making cabinets. Loves it and he’s good at it,” Tyrone said with pride.

“Good for him,” Vaughn said.

“If Chelsey or Nellie ever bring a complaint to any of you, that any of the customers, including Bale and his crew, say anything out of place to them, harass them in any way or touch them inappropriately, let me know right away. That’s for certain when we’ll ban them from the café,” Shabina said. “That same goes for the three of you.”

“Bale’s homophobic as hell, but so far he’s not bothered me much,” Tyrone said.

“You’ll ban him for harassing us, but not for yourself,” Vaughn added. “That’s not right, Shabina.”

“I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that, but it may. Bale and Edward have lived here all their lives. Sean as well. They have extended family here. If I can somehow resolve the situation peacefully, I would prefer to do that.”

“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. ”

“I’ll bet you didn’t after your little show this morning.”

His eyes shifted to the Dobermans, and he cursed aloud. “Do you think you can scare me with your mangy pack of dogs? A bullet can stop them before they get within eight feet of me.”

She lifted an eyebrow but refrained from responding. She’d shoot him the moment he pulled out a gun. Were they within hearing of her cameras? They were definitely in recording range for video, and the cameras above the gates were aimed straight at them. She wasn’t certain of audio range.

Bale’s face twisted again into that same mask of malevolent hatred he’d shown for a brief moment in her café that morning. “Why don’t you pack up and leave? This is my town. I was born here. Raised here. We don’t want your kind here.”

“What exactly is my kind?”

“You know what you are. You stink of foreigners.”

“How strange, since I was born right here in the United States. My father was born and raised in Houston. His parents were born and raised there. His family goes back generations. Not that it should matter. Have you looked into your ancestry? Where you came from? Bale, your prejudice makes no sense.” She knew she wasn’t getting through to him.

She could see the anger spreading by the redness creeping under his skin.

“No woman should be talking to me like you do, let alone someone like you. When I say anything to you, you shut the hell up and just listen. You do what I say. If you don’t, you may find your little café burnt to the ground with you and your wimp dogs inside it.”

“I’m reporting the threats you’ve just made to the sheriff.”

“Go ahead. I’ve got family in local law enforcement. Who do you think they’re going to believe? Me? Or you? You’d better get in line or you’re going to find yourself in a world of hurt.”

“It won’t matter. It will be on record, and if you burn down the café, they’ll know who did it, won’t they?”

“You’ll still be dead.”

Shabina shrugged. “We all have to die sometime, Bale.”

“You are really in for trouble. I’m going to make your life miserable,” he promised.

She didn’t reply, just watched him storm away. When she heard the roar of a vehicle start up, she stared down at the package on the bench. Had he put it there to lure her out of the car? Did she dare bring it into her house? What if it was some type of explosive?

She leaned down to sniff it and instantly recoiled.

Oud perfume. The scent of Saudi Arabia. The powerful, sensual scent was produced from the aquilaria or agar tree.

She stepped back, her hand shaking. There was no forgetting that scent.

It could be found everywhere in the marketplaces.

Luxury perfumes were made from it, as well as small packets for tourists.

She opted to leave it right where it was, but she knew it was going to haunt her all night.

The package was more upsetting than Bale, and he was bad enough.