Free Broken Trust by Leigh Bale

when Grunt
showed up, I figured you must be around, eavesdropping. Eric told me he caught
you listening in on your parent’s conversations on more than one occasion.”
    She stiffened. “I didn’t mean to
eavesdrop.”
    “You’re forgiven.” He flashed her a
smile, but his stiff posture told her that Hooper’s visit still bothered him.
It bothered her, too.
    After she picked up the beach
towels sitting on the table, she stepped away, speaking in a rigid tone. “Let’s
get going.”
    He looked at her. “You don’t want
to ask any questions about what you just overheard?”
    She stared, a myriad of questions
racing through her mind. She’d planned to ask a few things, but hadn’t planned
on being so blunt. “Yes, but I figured you’d tell me when you were good and
ready.”
    “You were never this patient when
we were going together.”
    Oh, that hurt. “Look, let’s not
pretend. You broke our engagement, not me. And I’m not about to…to….”
    About to what? Fall back in love
with him again? As if she’d ever stopped loving him in the first place. But
that didn’t keep feelings of embarrassment, anger and hurt from washing over
her now.
    “I remember and regret it every day
of my life,” he confessed.
    His contrite response staggered
her. He’d been through a lot, but she couldn’t lay her heart out on the
chopping block again. No doubt his words stemmed from his near fatal encounter
in Afghanistan, not because he was ready to settle down and be a husband to
her. “Mac, let me make this perfectly clear. The only reason I came to see you
is because Eric asked me to. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here now.”
    He took a shuddering breath and
nodded his head. “I understand.”
    No, he didn’t. Not really. But she
didn’t trust herself to explain any more. She might end up begging him to
reconsider. Begging him to love her. Instead, she tried to focus on her reason
for coming here. “Do you know Agent Hooper very well?”
    “Yeah, he’s all right most of the
time. We’ve been on a few missions together and were friendly acquaintances.”
    “But not anymore?”
    He shrugged. “I invited him up here
last summer for a few days, along with a group of several other men in my unit.
Derek always wants things done his way, but he’s good at his job. Sometimes the
CIA steps over the boundaries, but Eric and I tried to play well with the other
children.”
    Okay, she could accept that. Eric
had briefly referred to his work with the CIA, though he was always careful not
to mention any names or details. “You think Hooper can be trusted?”
    Mac’s brow furrowed. “Right now, I
don’t trust anyone but you and my parents.”
    For some reason, Mac’s vote of
confidence pleased Toni enormously. She just prayed she could trust him in
return. Relying on the wrong man could get her killed.
     
    Chapter Eight
     
    “Why didn’t you tell Hooper about
Eric’s letter?” Toni asked Mac as they headed toward the lake.
    He took an unsteady step, his
crutch scraping against the redwood deck. “I think that’s obvious. Until we
find Eric’s file and know what we’re dealing with, I’m not about to mention it
to anyone.”
    That sounded smart and she agreed.
    “Especially not the CIA,” Mac
continued. “They’re called ‘spooks’ with good reason. They usually keep to
themselves and come and go without anyone knowing it. And frankly, I don’t
trust Hooper.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me your last
mission was an ambush?” she asked.
    He tightened his jaw and wouldn’t
meet her eyes. “You know I can’t talk about it, Toni. It’s top secret. I don’t
want to end up in the brig. NCIS is in the middle of an investigation right
now.”
    “NCIS?”
    “Naval Criminal Investigative
Service. They investigate criminal, terrorist and foreign intelligence
threats.”
    “Why would NCIS be investigating
the ambush?”
    He looked away. “To find out who
set us up. After they’ve got all the facts and done