The Ones We Trust. Kimberly Belle

      

      A moving and evocative exploration of grief and guilt in the wake of one family’s devastating loss

      When former DC journalist Abigail Wolff attempts to rehabilitate her career, she finds herself at the heart of a US army cover-up involving the death of a soldier in Afghanistan—with unspeakable emotional consequences for one family. As the story of what happened comes to light, Abigail will do anything to write it.

      The more evidence she stumbles upon in the case, the fewer people it seems she can trust, including her own father, a retired army general. And she certainly never expected to fall in love with the slain soldier’s brother, Gabe, a bitter man struggling to hold his family together. The investigation eventually leads her to an impossible choice, one of unrelenting sacrifice to protect those she loves.

      Beyond the buried truths and betrayals, questions of family loyalty and redemption, Abigail’s search is, most of all, a desperate grasp at carrying on and coping—and seeking hope in the impossible.

Praise for Kimberly Belle and The Last Breath

      “Painstakingly emotional…will surprise readers to the very end...it’s so worth it!”

      —RT Book Reviews

      “Belle’s engaging debut brings the reader into [an] emotionally tangled world.”

      —Booklist

      “Belle’s a smooth writer whose characters are vibrant and truly reflect the area where the novel is set.”

      —Kirkus Reviews

      “The Last Breath will leave you breathless. This edgy and emotional thriller will keep you guessing until the very end.”

      —New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf

      “Powerful and complex with an intensity drawn out through each page, The Last Breath is a story of forgiveness and betrayal and one I couldn’t put down!”

      —New York Times bestselling author Steena Holmes

Also by Kimberly Belle

      The Last Breath

      The Ones

      We

      Trust

      Kimberly Belle

      To the women and men who risk their lives every day for our country,

      and for the people who love them.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

Praise

Also by Kimberly Belle

       Title Page

       Dedication

Part One: Murky Truths

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Part Two: Wicked Lies

       10

       11

       12

       13

       14

       15

       16

       17

       18

       19

       20

       21

       Part Three: The Space Between

       22

       23

       24

       25

       26

       27

       28

       29

       30

       31

       Acknowledgments

       Reader’s Guide

       Questions for Discussion

       A Conversation with the Author

       Copyright

Part One: Murky Truths

1

      There’s a thin, fragile line that separates us all from misfortune. A place where life teeters on a razor’s edge, and everything boils down to one single, solitary second. Where either you will whiz past the Mack truck blissfully unaware, or you will slam into it head-on. Where there’s a before, and then, without warning or apology, there’s an after.

      For the past three years, I’ve rewound to those last before moments, moments I was still blissfully unaware I was about to be blindsided. I’ve tried to pinpoint the very spot when tragedy struck. It wasn’t when Chelsea took her last breath, though that was certainly a tragedy. No, the tipping point was somewhere in the days leading up to her death, when her story was barreling like a deadly virus across the internet, snowballing and mutating and infecting everyone it touched. Infecting her with words I wrote and sent out into the