Shielding Aubree

New Mexico State Police officer Aubree Cueva spent her career putting herself between civilians and danger. After a car accident that nearly killed her, she is the one who needs protecting. She comes from a family devoted to serving New Mexico and Los Alamos, and she wants her job back.

Returning to Active Status with the NMSP means passing mental and physical fitness standards. Aubree has no memory of the crash itself, and she fears closed spaces. Anti-anxiety medication is not an option for someone who must drive. As a last resort, she turns to The Refuge, hoping its staff can ease her anxiety while she rebuilds her strength.

Ruben "Leon" Chaucer is already there. He left the Army after a blast set off by another soldier threw him into a wall and damaged his spine. Surgery stabilized the spine and protected the nerves, and he has recovered a good deal. He is still unsure he is ready for the world outside, so The Refuge gives him a safe place to regroup while helping others.

As Aubree weighs whether to go back to the NMSP, someone from her past returns to silence her before she can name them. Ruben must choose between The Refuge, which gave him his life back, and the woman who makes him want to live fully. This is the first book in The Shield Series, and each book stands alone with no cliffhanger.