Shepherd Security Operative, Doc, accepted he was going to die...now, he has to remember how to live. Shepherd Security has its mental health protocols in place for a reason. PTSD is real. Returning from a mission to Africa that should have ended him, Doc finds out firsthand how real it is. He has a past that only Dr. Lassiter, the team shrink, knows about, a past that they both thought Doc had dealt with. They both thought wrong. The events in Africa trigger dark thoughts and feelings that Doc can't get past. Over the years, his team has accused him of being grumpy or worse. He's a stickler for the rules and frowns upon anyone breaking protocol, something he can't forgive himself for doing too. He is the oldest of the Operators with the big 4-0 quickly approaching, another issue adding to his internal conflict. Doc knows he is cynical and jaded. And he knows that he is the last person any woman needs in her life. Elizabeth is a strong willed and stubborn twenty-four-year-old who has faced more adversity than most. The thing is, she doesn't seem to know it. And Doc knows she is way too young for him. She isn't the type of woman he'd ever pick for more reasons than just her age, but she needs his help and needs to have faith in someone or something. In her darkest moments, he is there, her hero. Could she be just what Doc needs to finally be free from the past that has haunted him for over fifteen years? Warning, this story is realistic, with adult language and content on the way to the HEA. This is book 4 in the Shepherd Security series. Even though the story does continue from book to book, each is a stand-alone story and can be read without reading the prior book(s), but they are best enjoyed in order.