“How awful, Shabina. I had no idea.”
“My father and his company didn’t let the news get out. They felt if they gave the kidnappers publicity, it would only make the situation worse.” Shabina’s left hand stroked her throat with trembling fingers.
All three dogs lifted their heads. The largest, Morza, padded over to her and pressed against her legs, clearly in tune with her. Stella knew dogs were sensitive to their owners, and Shabina’s recall of those memories couldn’t be pleasant.
“Were they looking for money?”
“They demanded a ransom, of course. My father paid. They didn’t return me. They had all kinds of demands after that. It was clear to everyone, me included, that I was never going to get away from them unless I was rescued. The odds of that happening were very slim. They moved me all the time.” Her fingers continued to stroke her throat as if it hurt. “I managed to escape once on my own, but they found me. I was out in the middle of nowhere. No shoes. My ankles were messed up. I could barely walk. They were seriously pissed at me when they found me. I thought they would kill me. I wished they had.”
That didn’t sound good. Stella frowned, nearly mesmerized by those fingers stroking her throat. “How long did they have you, Shabina?”
“I was fifteen when they took me and sixteen and a half before I was rescued. Nearly a year and a half.” Now all three dogs surrounded her. Shabina suddenly seemed aware of them. She looked down at them and smiled. “I’m all right, boys. Just taking a trip down memory lane. Sorry, Stella. I don’t usually go there. In fact, I try to keep that particular door closed and locked as best I can.”
“And I thought I had a lousy childhood. I’m really sorry, Shabina.”
“It was hard on my parents. They didn’t want me out of their sight once they got me back. I didn’t want to be away from them. I slept in their bedroom until I was nineteen. My father had a contingency of bodyguards around my mother and me at all times after I was back home. I still didn’t feel safe.”
She looked down at the dogs and smiled. “But then I saw a woman training several personal protection dogs when I went with my father to the security company where he hired the bodyguards. She was down in this long field the offices overlooked. I was so fascinated. It was the first time I felt like I could breathe. I didn’t want to leave and I was very fortunate that the owner of the company allowed me to go down to meet her.”
Stella knew what she meant. She’d felt that way when her foster mother had allowed her to have a dog for the very first time.
“Meeting Lisa Fenton and learning about personal protection dogs changed my life. Lisa worked with me and gave me an understanding of how the dogs worked and how I needed to interact with them while they were working and when they weren’t. I could tell her dogs were totally bonded to her, and yet when she was training them, they were like precision machines. She liked the Dobies for me because they were so sensitive and she felt I needed that.”
“I had no idea. They’re so sweet,” Stella said. “They hike with you, go to the boulders with us, and camp. I’ve never seen them act aggressive at all. They’ve alerted, but then all the dogs do on occasion.”
“Personal protection dogs aren’t supposed to act aggressive until they have to, Stella,” Shabina said. She signaled to the dogs and they left her side. “I do my best to be as independent as possible. My parents visit often and we talk together online, but I needed to establish my own space and feel like I could make it on my own.” She smiled at Stella. “I came to the Sierras backpacking. I wanted to hike the JMT alone to see if I could do it without panicking. Then I met you, Stella. You were such an inspiration, just like Lisa.”
Stella had no idea.
“I thought if you could be so brave as to take on a job like managing a failing business, then I should at least try my dream of opening a café. I had the money. There was nothing stopping me but fear. I had the necessary skills and the business background. My father made certain of that, even when I couldn’t attend classes. He made me take them at home. I couldn’t walk out the front door for a very long time, and when I did try, I often failed.”
“But you kept trying,” Stella pointed out.
Shabina nodded. “I did. My parents encouraged me, although, like I said, my father surrounded me for a very long time with a wall of security. I needed it at first. Once I came here, I felt at peace. There’s something real here. I feel connected to nature. My mind is still and calm. I love to hear the birds sing and the wind move through the leaves on the trees. Meeting you and then Zahra, Vienna, Harlow and Raine settled it for me. I knew I belonged here.”