Harbored (ePub)

Karlie Nilsen, owner of Kaffebar coffee shop in Blue Harbor, South Carolina, isn't who everyone thinks she is. Almost three years ago, she did "the right thing," which resulted in her having to change her name, her location, and her profession to hide from some bad men seeking revenge. Understandably, she hasn't told a soul in town her story. She'd be in danger if she did, and, worse, so would her elderly dad, who has Alzheimers and now resides in a nursing home miles away.

Safely harbored, Karlie keeps her secrets until a sweet Muslim friend is accosted by a racist redneck outside her shop. Oblivious to consequences, Karlie rushes outside to stand up to him and winds up punching the guy. She helps her friend back inside the shop, unaware that most of the witnesses who watched but didn't help videoed the whole incident on their cellphones. Karlie is quite surprised to find the altercation on Facebook that night-the old David and Goliath scenario, only David is a single barista who can't afford to have her face plastered all over the net. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens. The video goes viral, popping up on other social media outlets until it finally hits a cable TV good news network.

There's no hiding anymore, so it's no real shock when an agent shows up to talk about her safety options now that her cover has been blown. What's shocking is that he isn't the agent she's always worked with. On top of that, the Department of Justice has apparently turned over its ensconced witnesses to a private company, Singular Safety Solutions. Aaron checks out okay, but the DOJ never contacting her about these changes is highly suspicious. Karlie can't help but wonder if he's for real.

To make matters even more confusing, Ty Delaney, the high school crush who broke Karlie's heart years ago, also shows up in Blue Harbor unexpectedly. He looks as good as he did way back when, and her heart certainly wants to believe his claims that he has changed. Ty says he has been looking for her for years and is there because he saw her on TV and wants to apologize for the way he treated her. His timing stinks, and neither man likes the other. Does she dare risk trusting either of them?