Trusting the SEAL (Saving the SEALs Series Book 3) by Leslie North

stated he died because of negligence.”
    Anger, white-hot and fierce, spread through Spencer like wildfire. Hands clenched as tight as his jaw, he leaned forward and snarled, “Nick was killed right in front of me. Took a sniper’s bullet to the back of his brain. That is not negligence.”
    “Oh.” Her eyes widened slightly before she looked away, her rigid posture drooping slightly. “I’m sorry. That must’ve been horrific.”
    “Well, it wasn’t a day at the park.”
    She nodded, her gaze lowered, a frown drawing her dark brows together. “So, that’s why you took this job then? As my bodyguard? Because you’re working on some secret mission for your team?”
    “Yes.” With his initial indignation fizzling, Spence’s tense shoulders relaxed a tad. “I need to find your father.”
    Toni snorted. “You and half the planet.”
    “I’m serious. We’ve uncovered information that might help us find Nick’s killer. We think he’s involved in a covert operation called SHEEPSKIN. The NSA brief described it as a data network that’s being used to organize terror cells around the world and coordinate attacks. My team has reason to believe your father knows intimate details about this network and that somehow this SHEEPSKIN network is the reason Nick was killed. That’s why we need to find your father and question him. Do you know where Coran is?”
    “No.” She glanced over at him then stood and sat on one of the nearby chairs. “I haven’t seen him since right before the explosion at his publishing house in DC.” Her frown darkened. “Wait. You guys didn’t have anything to do with the bombing, did you?”
    “We’re the good guys remember, sweetheart?”
    “Even good guys do bad things sometimes. At least that’s what you—and my father—always say.” She shook her head and looked away. “And don’t call me your sweetheart.”
    Seeing as his current approach didn’t seem to be going so well, perhaps if he got her onboard with their cause, got her to trust him, she’d be more forthcoming with information. Besides, much as it surprised him, he enjoyed spending time with her. She couldn’t fire him. He didn’t want her to. He needed her not to.
    “What were you looking for on my devices?” she asked.
    “Intel. About your father’s whereabouts. Evidence that you’ve been in contact with him recently.”
    Her posture stiffened once more. “I told you I don’t communicate with him. I have no idea where he is. Are you calling me a liar?”
    “No. I’ve just learned the hard way to cover all my bases.” He stood and grabbed a dining room chair, turning it around backward to straddle it, facing her, his forearms resting along the back. “Listen, I wasn’t supposed to say anything to you about my mission, but you’ve trusted me so far to protect you, so I’m going to trust you now with what I’m about to tell you.”
    She sat back and met his gaze, her expression unreadable. “Go on.”
    “My team and I came to Jubail looking for your father. We think he can help us clear our name. We just want to talk to him, I swear.”
    “The rest of your team’s here too? Where?”
    “That’s not important. What is important is the fact we’ve also uncovered evidence to suggest there’s tracking software embedded in the files downloaded to the e-readers your foundation is distributing. Files that could be used by this SHEEPSKIN network to organize their attacks.”
    “On my e-readers? And you think my family had something to do with that?” Anger flashed across her face, sharpening her features as she pushed to her feet and paced the room. “Do you have any idea how many times my father’s been accused of wrongdoing over the years? More than I can count.” Toni laughed, the sound mirthless and brittle. “And every time he made the headlines, I took the brunt. Kids calling me names, thinking I was some kind of tainted goods because of my father’s supposed shady dealings.” She