Trust in Truth

TRUST IN TRUTH ONE OF OUR OWN, BOOK THREE T.S. ANKNEY STAY UP-TO-DATE Sign up for my monthly newsletter and download a FREE copy of my subscriber exclusive book, THE DADDY DEAL! Sometimes second chances are the biggest risk of all… When Navy SEAL Trace Michaels reappears in single dad Mark Riley’s life, not only is it unexpected. It’s inconvenient, and not only because Trace is his adopted daughter’s biological uncle. As a recent widower, Mark’s attraction to the strong, silent SEAL is way too dangerous to his broken heart. But Trace has his own problems. His recent mission ended in tragedy, with his commanding officer murdered. The Navy brass suspect foul play—and Trace is the prime suspect. Mark’s the only PI he knows who can help him clear his name before the clock runs out and he’s put on trial… When Mark agrees to help Trace on the case, their chemistry ignites into passion, but can they discover the truth in time to save Trace’s career and their possible future together? CONTENTS Back Cover Copy Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Epilogue About the Author Also by T.S. Ankney Sneak Peek of Hunt For Justice BACK COVER COPY Love is the deadliest weapon… For SEAL sharpshooter Nico Walker, falling for Tristan Mendez is a bad idea. But some men are impossible to resist. To Tristan, Nico seems perfect in so many ways—from his sexy body to his razor-sharp wit. But the past speaks to Nico’s violent side, honed by his years in the military, and it frightens Tristan that he could fall for someone trained to take lives instead of saving them. But when danger and duty clash, will Tristan’s heart be a casualty of Nico’s war for vengeance? 1 Is Negligence Responsible for SEALs Death? Nico Walker adjusted his tie and stared at the headline of Cesar Mendez’s trashy tabloid website on his phone screen. Hell no, they hadn’t been negligent. They’d run that entire mission by the book. But the story was another reminder they needed to stay on their toes because someone was trying to set them up to take the fall for a murder they didn’t commit. He thought of the mission ahead and the reason he and his fellow SEAL teammates were working day and night. The dead SEAL mentioned was their friend and fallen teammate, Ryker Mills. Nico and the guys were searching for their friend’s true killer. Not only to get justice for Ryker, but also to clear their names so they could return to duty, since they were currently under investigation by the Navy and on leave until it was over. With a sigh, Nico shoved the phone back into his pocket. It had been a week since the story had been released across all of Mendez Publishing’s many outlets, and each day Nico’s anger notched higher. All these lies and manipulations were one more reason he wanted to find Cesar Mendez and set him straight about a few things. Twice already, there’d been attempts to mess with the team, to stop them from discovering the truth. The first was the explosion at the building housing Mendez’s publishing company in downtown DC. It had almost cost the life of Nico’s teammate Gideon and his partner John Dexter. Then just last week, before the bogus story broke, Nico’s other teammate Sawyer and his partner, a federal agent by the name of Hayden Parker, had been ambushed by his crooked boss and nearly killed. Whoever was behind Ryker’s death had also almost taken out Liam McCallister, Ryker’s widower, and now Liam had been taken off by the US Marshalls Service and put into Witness Protection. Which sucked because they needed to question him. Finding classified NOC lists in the book’s Liam had released through Mendez Publishing was what had sent them all down this road in the first place. Jeez. All the secrets and lies were enough to make a guy paranoid. Nico scowled down at a tiny spot on his tie. He licked a finger and scrubbed at it, cursing the spot for messing with his otherwise immaculate appearance. The other guys teased him about his obsession with neatness, but there was nothing wrong with looking good, no matter the assignment. His grandparents had raised Nico to always be his very best. He considered his attire just one more area that demanded perfection. And sure, maybe he’d rather not have been assigned to be bodyguard for Mendez’s son, Tristan, but it wasn’t his part to choose. He followed the orders of his team leader, Kai Mills. The fact Kai was also Ryker’s older brother added weight to the assignment. Kai deserved answers. They all did. His objective while watching Tristan was to get a confirmed location on Cesar Mendez, then apprehend and interrogate the man about his ties to a top-secret organization known only as DOJO. They’d recently discovered the anacronym in one of the coded files Hayden had hacked into, and Kai felt it would help to tie all the disparate pieces of their case together. But first, they needed to find Mendez. Which was why Nico was ready to play babysitter to some spoiled rich kid with dreams of charity. After a final check of his reflection in a black tinted window, Nico squared his shoulders and headed into the elegant lobby of a modern-looking glass and steel skyscraper then took an elevator to the eighteenth floor. The suit made him look older than his twenty-five years, which was good. People tended to treat him like a kid because of his boyish face and red hair. Hell, the first time the team went to Binky’s Pub, the bartender had carded him. His teammates, of course, never let him live that one down. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Nico strode out into the hall and took a left at the corner, following