In Search of Truth

by Sharon Wray

  “No one is all evil,” Vivienne said.

  Zack stared at the ceiling. “Oh good Lord.”

  Emilie hit him in the stomach just as the doorbell rang.

  Zack rubbed his stomach and asked Vivienne one more question. “Did you tell Detective Garza this?”

  “I did. Now.” Vivienne took Emilie’s arm, then Allison’s, and led them into the foyer. “Let’s enjoy the party and think only of happy things.”

  Allison glanced back at Zack and smiled. Vivienne was right. Now was not the time to stress. Tonight was about being grateful. Tonight was about new beginnings. Tonight was going to be the first night of their new life together. Tonight was the night of happy things.

  * * *

  An hour later, Zack put his empty champagne glass on the passing waiter’s tray and found Allison talking to Emilie and Maddie in the sitting room, near the string ensemble. His buddies milled around eating appetizers and drinking from real glasses instead of plastic cups. Even Alex stood in a corner with Garza, pretending not to watch Maddie.

  So far everyone, except for Kells, had shown up. The few married men brought their wives, and Zack was glad for that. The more of his friends Allison met, the closer he could draw her to him.

  He wasn’t worried about her feelings anymore, just restless. Now that they’d agreed to Alex’s plan, Zack wanted to be married now, not later.

  Nate clapped Zack on the shoulder. “It’s time. Where do you want to do this?”

  “Dining room.”

  “I have to admit, I had no idea your godmother was so…”

  “Wealthy?” Zack caught Emilie’s gaze. She was smiling, and he gave her a brotherly wink. “It’s not my money.”

  Nate touched Luke’s arm. “Gather everyone in the dining room.”

  Luke nodded because his mouth was full and both hands held plates of salmon canapés and onion toasts.

  A few minutes later, all the men, including Garza, stood in the dining room. Nate whistled until they stopped talking and focused on him. Alex was near the fireplace, a part of the group yet separate.

  “Zack has a few things to say.” Nate nodded at Zack.

  Zack cleared his throat. “I’m leaving Savannah.”

  The room went silent until Cain said too loudly, “What?”

  Zack swallowed and started again. “Kells fired me.” Jeez, I’m one with the words today.

  “Kells didn’t mean it,” Luke said. “He was in a mood. He fired Cain last week.”

  “I ignored it,” Cain said from the back of the group.

  The men laughed, and Zack said, “I just… Hell.”

  Nate stepped up like the good XO they all counted on. “This is the deal. Zack is going to stay in Charleston until Allison finishes teaching at the College of Charleston. Because Fenwick is still on the loose, Kells and I agreed it would be a good idea to have someone in Charleston.”

  “We need Zack at the gym,” Ty said. “There’s too much work to do.”

  Nate held up a hand. “Zack has agreed to commute to Savannah. To spend at least three, hopefully four, days a week with us until he and Allison can move to Savannah permanently.”

  “I don’t like it,” Vane said. “Zack is supposed to start teaching Krav Maga classes. How the hell am I supposed to train him and schedule his classes if he’s not there?”

  Male voices started up again until Nate whistled. “Zack isn’t leaving us. This situation is not permanent. Once things are settled here, he and Alex will return.”

  Luke raised his hand. “Will Alex live in Charleston too?”

  The dining room door opened and Kells entered.

  Kells had come?

  The men faced Zack again. “Alex is staying in Charleston temporarily to help me watch things here. Vivienne has offered Alex a room. In a few months, depending on how things go, we’ll reevaluate the situation.”

  The men shuffled, a few whispered, but there was no outright rebellion. Zack knew this wouldn’t be a popular decision, and not just because of the work that needed to be done. Zack was leaving. Even if it was temporary, their unit would never be the same.

  Maybe that would be a good thing. Because right now, with their near-wins over Remiel, they were a mess on every level: personal, financial, operational.

  “I know things have been hard lately.” Kells came forward and addressed the men. “I’ve been…difficult. Secretive. I thought withholding information would allow you to settle into this new life none of us wanted. But I was wrong. I’ve been making decisions for you instead of including you. And that has left some of you feeling isolated and put others in danger. While I can’t promise to change completely—”

  The men laughed.

  “—I promise to start working with you instead of above you.”

  The men smiled. A few clapped.

  “There’s one more thing. We’ve won three battles over Remiel, but barely. We still don’t know what his end game is, nor do we have evidence to free our men from prison. The only thing we do know is that Remiel has been planning this for far longer than any of us expected.”

  A few men looked at Zack, and he just took it.

  “In the last few months,” Kells continued, “Nate has improved our operational security and has been working on our finances. While money is an issue, we have to up our intel game.”

  “How?” Rafe asked from behind the group.

  “I don’t know yet, but I’m open to ideas. If you have them, come see me or Nate. Now.” Kells went to the tray of champagne flutes on the sideboard and, with Nate’s help, handed out glasses. “I’d like to propose a toast to Zack and his future bride.” Kells raised his glass and said, “‘Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love.’”

  Epilogue

  Hours later, Zack and Nicholas Trott found Allison in her bedroom near the window overlooking the garden. The garden lights were on, and she’d lit the room with candles.

  He came up behind her and took her in his arms. She’d changed into a white silk nightgown. “You sure you’re okay giving up that position at UVA?”

  “It was an easy escape, but I realized that the things worth having are the things worth fighting for. I’m not sure what I’ll do when we eventually move to Savannah, but we’ll figure it out.” She rested against his chest. “Although we don’t know what happened to Fenwick, I’ve no doubt you’ll defeat anyone who comes against you. In fact, I feel sorry for them.”

  He chuckled. Her faith in him made him feel like he could load a Howitzer with one hand while fighting zombies with the other. “Why the mulling?”

  Nicholas Trott yawned and stretched in his bed near the fireplace.

  “I’ve been thinking. About us.”

  “Okay...”

  She turned so he could see her shimmering green eyes. Had she been crying? “I want to ask you a question.” Her finger traced his lips. “I’d like you to say yes first.”

  He gently bit the tip of her finger. “Anything.”

  “Tonight, Rafe told me the church on the Isle of Grace was being rebuilt and should be done in a month. So I was thinking, once that church is complete, I want to get married there.”

  Zack’s heart lodged in his throat. “You don’t want to get married at Saint Philip’s?”

  She shook her head. “I want to marry you in the church where I realized how much I love you. The church where you saved me. The church where I found my treasure.”

  He took a ring Vivienne had helped him choose out of his pocket and knelt.

  She touched his head. “What are you doing?”

  He slipped the diamond solitaire on her left-hand ring finger. “I will marry you anytime, anywhere you want. As long as you’ll promise to be mine forever.”

  She drew him up, threw her ar
ms around his neck, and pressed her soft body against his hard length. Somehow her nightgown ended up on the floor. “Forever and ever and ever.”

  * * *

  Hours later, Allison laid her head on Zack’s bare chest. They were curled up, naked, in her bed. Her hair covered the tattoo on his arm, one of her hands rested on his lower stomach. He’d made love to her in such a way that if she died in that moment, with only the moon as a witness, she’d have no regrets.

  Non ruta non dolor.

  So much had happened since that night it was difficult to relive it all in her mind. Yet all that mattered was this moment with Zack. There was no point in dwelling on the woman she’d once been. No point in fussing about the choices she’d made and the years they’d lost. The only thing that mattered was that she and Zack had found each other. They’d fought for each other. Now, they’d live for each other.

  That made her the luckiest woman in the world.

  “Are you worrying?”

  She kissed his chest. “Just being grateful. So very grateful.”

  He rolled until his body was on top of hers, his leg between her thighs. “I still can’t believe I’m here, with you, and this is real.”

  She untied his hair so it fell forward, trapping them in this private, intimate space. She kissed his eyelids, his cheeks, and his lips. She felt his strength and his length and smiled. Again? Really?

  “We only have a few hours, and I want to spend all of it like this with you.”

  She kissed his nose. “A few hours until what?”

  He nuzzled her neck. “Didn’t I tell you? Some of my men stayed in Charleston overnight at Vivienne’s. I invited them to breakfast. They’re coming in a few hours.”

  “The men are coming?” She laughed, not sure if he was serious. “In a few hours?” No, he hadn’t told her.

  “Uh-huh.” His lips moved lower. “You’re not mad?”

  No. But that just added an urgency to her caresses.

  “Your men are your family, which makes them my family.” She smoothed back his hair and met the brown gaze of her wild man. “I want a family. With you. Because I’ve finally realized that while certainty is an impossible truth, it can be fought for, won, protected, and treasured.”

  Zack’s breath hitched and his eyes darkened in the candlelight. “Meaning?”

  She smiled and pulled him down for a kiss. “Zack Tremaine, I’m certain that I love you.”

  Acknowledgments

  I can’t believe I’m writing the acknowledgment for my third book, and I want to thank my extraordinary editor Deb Werksman for this amazing opportunity. I so appreciate your guidance and patience while I wrote this book. This story took everything out of me and you made sure I didn’t lose sight of my characters or this story. I am so blessed to have you as my editor!

  I’m also sending hugs to my agents Deidre Knight and Kristy Hunter for their support and love. No matter what I need, or when I need it, you’re both there to help me. Thank you!

  I also want to thank the rest of the Sourcebooks staff, including Susie Benton, Stefani Sloma, Gretchen Stelter, Jessica Smith, and everyone else for the hours of hard work you’ve all put into this book and series. I couldn’t have done this without you.

  A huge thank you to the Sourcebooks art department. I love this cover and all of the covers in this series. They are amazing!

  To Kieran Kramer, Kim MacCarron, and Nadine Monaco, thank you all for reading an early version of this story and helping me smooth out the rough parts. It was a long draft and I am eternally grateful!

  To my critique partner and dearest friend, Mary Lenaburg, thank you for not letting me give up.

  To my girlfriends Jean Anspaugh and Jackie Iodice, thank you for always answering the phone when I call.

  To my brother-in-law and Charleston lawyer, Bill Hanahan, thank you for sharing your family surnames and stories, especially those that took place in 17th and 18th centuries.

  I’ve done a huge amount of research for this book and series and want to thank the Charleston Public Library, Historic Charleston Foundation, Charleston Library Society, and the Historic Savannah Foundation for your extensive research collections.

  To Dr. Michael S. Overholt, PhD in Classics at the College of Charleston, thank you for checking my Latin grammar!

  To Sandals South Coast Resort in Jamaica, I was under deadline and spent most of my vacation typing while sitting on the beach. Your staff couldn’t have been more wonderful as they brought me meals and non-alcoholic drinks. Thank you so much!

  To my one-eyed rescue dog who sleeps all day by my side, thank you for not sharing with the world those times when I’m either crying or bingeing on Oreos. It will always be our secret!

  To my twins who remind me of everything that’s truly important in this world. I’m so grateful to be your mother.

  To my husband, who’s always believed in me, thank you for being my best friend, my biggest fan, my maker of maps, and my teacher of military weapons and explosive compounds. I will always love you.

  Finally, to my readers. Thank you for loving the world of Kells Torridan and his men as much as I do. These books wouldn’t be the success they are today without you. I hope I will never let you, or my characters, down.

  About the Author

  Sharon Wray is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes about ex–Green Berets and their smart, sexy heroines who teach these alpha males that grace always defeats reckoning. She lives in Virginia with her husband, twins, and one-eyed dog.

  She also loves to interact with readers. While you can find her on all social media sites, she especially loves spending time on Instagram as @sbwray and on her website at sharonwray.com.

  Thank you for reading this Sourcebooks eBook!

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