Table of Contents Truth Be Told Other Books in the Blackbridge Security Series Copyright Dedication Synopsis Acknowledgements Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Social Media Links OTHER BOOKS FROM MARIE JAMES Truth Be Told A Blackbridge Security Novel Marie James Other Books in the Blackbridge Security Series Hostile Territory Shot in the Dark Contingency Plan Truth Be Told Calculated Risk Heroic Measures Sleight of Hand Copyright Truth Be Told: A Blackbridge Security Novel Copyright © 2020 Marie James Editing by Marie James Betas & Ms. K Edits EBooks are not transferrable. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale, or organizations is entirely coincidental. Cover Credit: Najla with Qamber Designs and Media Dedication To my own sweet, amazingly strong and mature son who showed such courage and kind words when we had to say goodbye to our sweet Benjamin. Synopsis Lies ruin lives. Ignacio Torres, the translator for Blackbridge Security, has told his fair share and then some. He lied more than once to Tinley Holland when they were teens. Told her he didn’t love her. Told her he could live without her. Told her what they shared didn’t mean a thing. He’s lived with those lies, lived with the loss of her for over a decade. What he didn’t expect was going home to help with a family matter only to discover Tinley has told the biggest lie of all. Acknowledgements It takes a village, right? I couldn’t do this without so many people around willing to help! My amazing BETAs, you gals are my everything! Brenda, Laura, MaRanda, Michelle, Shannon, and Sarah, I couldn’t do this without your help! Dani, you are AMAZING! You keep me on my toes when I know more often than not you want to throw something at my head! Thanks for sticking with me! To my ARC team, you ladies lift me up and give me the drive to keep writing! Thank you for your kind words and being the spot checkers for my final draft! If I missed anyone, blame it on the pandemic and my crazy writing schedule… my brain is fried! Until next time! Keep it safe, sane, and consensual! ~Marie James Prologue Ignacio 13 Years Ago “What?” I ask when Tinley looks up at me. Bliss isn’t a strong enough word to describe how I’m feeling right now. With sweat drying on our skin, the warm rush of her breath threatens to lead us right back to where the night started over an hour ago—her under me or straddling me, torn between begging me to go faster or slow down. It’s not supposed to be like this. At eighteen, you aren’t likely to find the person you can’t imagine spending a day of your life without. Somehow, Tinley and I lucked out. She moved to south Houston just over two years ago, right in the middle of our sophomore year of high school. She was the light in my dark world from day one, although it took weeks for her to notice me, weeks of putting myself right in front of her before she even knew my name. I did something that first day I told myself I’d never do for a girl. I changed. My time spent with my friends raising hell and getting into trouble tapered to nearly nothing. Missing school was no longer an option because lying in bed, hating my life, didn’t afford me the opportunity to see her gorgeous blonde hair shine in the Texas sun. Staying out late with my boys didn’t compare to the way she’d roll her pretty blue eyes when I’d wink at her when she walked into class. Tinley is my everything. “What?” I ask again when she begins to nibble on her lower lip. I curl a finger under her chin when she tries to look away. “Tell me.” My voice is soft in the humid air of my granddad’s truck, the windows fogged from the heavy breathing we’ve been doing since I smelled her perfume as she climbed inside. All it takes is a sideways glance from this woman, and she owns me. I’m insatiable around her, and despite her lack of experience when we first got together, I’ve conquered many of her firsts, taking those gifts and appreciating the preciousness of them. “I have several things to tell you,” she begins, her teeth working over her bottom lip. “M-my dad got a new job.” “That’s great, Tin.” Her family moved in with her grandmother two years ago after falling on hard times, and I know they’ve been struggling ever since. Everyone in our crappy little town is struggling. People come here and never leave. I have bigger plans for my life. We talk about our futures often. How we plan to get out and never return. There’s nothing but pain and poverty here. But we know deep down it’s only a pipe dream. Getting out is nearly impossible. Staying away is an unobtainable goal, no matter how many plans we make for that to happen. “It’s in Dallas.” My hand freezes on her face for a second before I pull it away. “Dallas?” She nods, her eyes dropping to her clasped hands now that I’m no longer holding her pretty face. “That’s great,” I repeat, although my heart is in a million pieces and my hands are shaking as I reach for my jeans. Wincing when I bang my elbow on the driver’s side window, I still can’t look her in the eyes. This is her chance, the opportunity to leave. “They have several community colleges—” she begins but
