LEGACY OF TRUTH

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I'LL ALWAYS BE PROUD OF YOU

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While other Halo citizens continued their celebration and rebuilding, Thomas and Jenny climbed on the motorcycle and rode. 

A short time later, Thomas stood inside Tallie's house, staring at the shimmering hologram of Bernie, absorbing the love and pride in Bernie's eyes he had been afraid to accept as a kid. 

Finally, Thomas spoke. "I'm sorry I pushed you away all those years. I know now you were trying to make up for choking my mother. She tricked you, you know. Tricked us both." 

Thomas shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. "I wish I could go back and do things differently. Since I can't, I'll follow your example and try to make things right from this point forward. I want to make you proud of me. 

"I might not always be here. Guess there are bad guys in other parts of the world too." Thomas grinned, then sobered. "But I know where home is, and I'll always come back." 

With one last look at the hologram, Thomas turned to walk away. 

"I'll always be proud of you." 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

GOOD GUYS OR NOT?

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"Whoa," Thomas said as he turned the armored vehicle into the circular driveway in front of Waring House. "Cops on the porch." 

"The question is, good guys or not," Collin stated. 

"I'll sneak through the basement window and up the secret passages," Grady said. "See if there are any others inside the house." 

"Have we had any communication with Natalie recently?" 

"Come to think of it, no," Jenny answered. 

"Then my guess is these guys are not on our side," Collin said. "Johnny, you go with Grady. Get Charlie and the kid into the basement. We're going to ram the porch and throw a net over these guys. I want them alive. If they are good guys, we'll apologize. 

"Jer and Doc Shiloh, this sardine can could become a death trap. I'd suggest you slip out the back and hide where you can provide backup. Jenny, you go with them." 

"Thomas and I ride together. I can provide cover from in here if they start shooting." 

"You're sure? Because we're out of time. They're moving in this direction." 

"I'm sure." 

"Alright. Let's roll in. Nice steady pace until it's too late for them to know we're going to knock that porch out from under them." 

As Thomas started the armored vehicle toward the house, the cops stopped at the edge of the porch. They watched carefully, making an occasional comment to each other. Their wariness turned to consternation as the vehicle gained speed. When Charlie and the boy dropped from sight through the trap door, Thomas stomped the gas and rammed into the porch. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

THOMAS WATCHED HIS MOTHER DIE AGAIN...

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Thomas stared at the woman who said she was JessieBelle Jacobson, her face deeply lined with a lifetime of lies and lousy choices. Her body seemed painfully thin, probably from too much booze and drugs and not enough nourishment. 

Pity and anger churned in Thomas' belly. He hated her for what she had done, but this kind of death seemed painfully sadistic. And Thomas figured she had been a victim of her own weaknesses as much as he and Johnny had been. 

JessieBelle clutched at his leather jacket, and he forced himself not to pull away. "I'm glad you didn't die. Where's Johnny?" 

"Safe." 

Her face crinkled into a painful smile. "Still taking care of your little brother, aren't you?" 

She blinked her eyes and tried to focus. "Not...much time. The senator--Armstrong...can tell...the story. He was there...that night." 

JessieBelle's breath rattled in her throat, shallow and raspy. "Sorry...just not...motherly type." 

A wistful smile settled on her face as her eyes closed for the last time. 

Thomas tumbled back in time to the four-year-old boy hiding in a closet watching Bernie O'Shea choke his mother. But she hadn't died that night. She had been part of a cruel hoax to blackmail Bernie, with no one thinking of the consequences to a kid who might have experienced the nightmare. 

Now Thomas watched his mother die again, and all the emotions and fear of that little boy flashed through him. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

GOTTA GO!

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Using the van for cover, Thomas and three others slipped around the house toward the back bedroom where Ettie had been taken. Thomas quickly jimmied the window open and slipped inside, with Jeremiah close behind him. 

While Thomas blocked the inner door, Jeremiah approached the bed where Ettie lay curled in a fetal position. 

"Miss Ettie, it's Jeremiah O'Shea," he whispered. 

She lowered her arms fractionally and Jer briefly shone a light on his face so she could identify him. 

"We're going to get you out of here, but first I need to know where you're hurt so we don't injure you any more." 

"Everything hurts," Ettie whispered. 

"Okay, let me do a quick check to make sure we can move you safely." Jer did a rapid trauma check. "We need to get you out of here as quickly as possible. I'm going to strap you onto a backboard and then we'll go." 

Ettie nodded and closed her eyes as Jer lifted her from the bed. He and Thomas carried her to the window and gently handed her out to Jebediah and one of Kingston's people. Then he and Thomas slipped out into the darkness and quietly closed the window behind them, leaving pillows under the blankets on the bed where Ettie had been. 

As they slipped into the back of the repair van, Thomas radioed Kingston's man inside the house with Fred they were ready to go. In a couple minutes, Fred and the other man came out of the house. 

"Hey, you didn't put the washing machine back together!" The man who had let Fred inside appeared on the porch. 

"Gotta go!" Fred waved as he walked rapidly toward the van. 

As they opened the door to slide inside, a bullet pi-zinged off the roof of the van. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

WE'LL RIDE TOGETHER

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"Where are you going?" Jenny asked when Thomas whirled and stalked rapidly toward the door. 

"Out." 

"To think or to run away?" 

Thomas spun around with a scowl on his face and a sharp retort on his tongue. But Jenny merely looked at him. Damn, the woman was far too perceptive and didn't give him any slack. 

"Does it matter?" 

"It does to me." 

The tremble of vulnerability in Jenny's lower lip sucker-punched Thomas. He had brought her here. Dragged her into the mess that threatened to destroy his family--and her, if he didn't pull himself together. 

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to California? Things could get really ugly." 

"In for a penny, in for a pound, as the saying goes. I plan to stick it out. How about you?" 

She wasn't just talking about this situation, Thomas knew. With that realization, the weight of the past fell away. His future was intertwined with this woman. "When this is behind us, we'll ride together, okay?" 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

THE END OF A DREAM

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A short time before they left that evening, the television news ran a story on Halo being deserted. The camera panned down the street, showing a car leaving town, then the closed sign on Beth's café. 

"The end of a dream," the reporter said, showing a clip of a sadly stoic Mayor Audrey watching the old Victorian house being boarded up. They ended the story with a camera shot of Charlie sitting alone on his porch with a shotgun across his lap, refusing to leave--as he had refused to leave the old town site when Halo exploded around him. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

ONE FALSE MOVE MEANT CERTAIN DEATH

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Thomas drove the van away from the sanctuary for several miles, unloaded his motorcycle, then rolled the van to the edge of a ravine and watched it tumble end over end. The explosives Grady had rigged blew up before the vehicle reached the bottom, blasting pieces into the canyon in a fiery finale. 

Assured few people would even find the van, let alone put together enough pieces to connect it with the Graingers, Thomas mounted his motorcycle and headed back toward Halo. 

The late night darkness with few other vehicles on the road besides trucks made for a smooth ride most of the way back. Then, a few miles before the Halo turnoff, Thomas noticed headlights in his rearview mirror, approaching faster than normal freeway speeds. 

Thomas passed an eighteen-wheeler and pulled back into the right-hand lane. Instead of driving on past him, the vehicle cut in behind. As Thomas sped up, the other vehicle matched his speed, then drew closer. 

With another truck between him and the Halo exit, Thomas decided he had one chance to avoid being run over--play chicken with the truck. 

He passed the eighteen-wheeler and cut back into the far right lane, killing his headlight and pulling onto the paved shoulder, dropping back along side the truck and matching its speed. Any sudden gust of wind would have swept him under the truck's wheels. Any unexpected move by the trucker could have crushed him. It was that or face certain death at the hands of the guy who was determined to run him off the road. 

Praying his luck would hold, Thomas stayed beside the truck--figuring the driver couldn't see him either--until the Halo exit. Then he cut off sharply and rode cross-country. He knew this area. He could more easily evade a tail. And hopefully the guy wouldn't see him until too late to catch up. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

COVER ME!

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A few days later, a van with California license plates pulled up in front of Waring House. A man slipped out the driver's side and hurried to the front door, knocking loudly, all the while looking around furtively. 

Inside the house, Solstice looked out the window and growled deep in her throat. 

"Anyone know this guy?" Thomas stared at the monitor showing the front porch, one of several strategically placed around Waring House. 

"I'll run the license plates." Jenny tapped some information into her computer. 

"You aren't supposed to be able to do that," Grady came to stand behind Jenny and watch the monitor. 

Jenny grinned. "Registered to Frederick and Verna Grainger." 

"Those names sound familiar to anyone?" Grady asked. No one answered yes. "I'll go out the side door. Thomas, cover me?" 

With a nod in affirmation, Thomas went out another door. When the man went back to the van, Grady slipped up behind him and settled his pistol against the man's neck. "Put your hands on the roof of the car and spread your legs wide." 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

WHAT SECRETS DID BERNIE CARRY TO HIS GRAVE?

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Tallie touched Bernie's signature with her finger as tears filled her eyes. Even with his confession in front of her, she couldn't believe he would kill someone. He didn't shoot anyone in all his years as a police officer. In fact, others in the departments where Bernie had served expressed amazement at the predicaments Bernie could talk his way out of without firing his gun. 

And there was the age difference between Thomas and Johnny that Jenny had mentioned. She was right. If the two boys were full brothers, their mother couldn't have died when Bernie thought she did. 

So, indeed, what other secrets did Bernie carry to his grave? 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

LIVING HIS OWN FUNERAL

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With several days' growth of beard and his usually shaggy hair trimmed to a "respectable" length, Thomas stood outside Halo's little chapel listening to his own funeral over a public address system. His oldest brother, Collin, seemed to take great pleasure in declaring the service itself was for family only. However, a crowd had gathered outside Halo's little chapel. Citizens and media and the curious--including Thomas. 

With Johnny out of the hospital and tucked away under guard at Patrick's sanctuary, the O'Sheas were staging this double funeral for Thomas and Johnny as part of the plan to flush out members of the crime ring who had been targeting their family and Halo. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

A GRAND ADVENTURE

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Excitement whirled in Jenny's belly. Kingston SanRegis insisted everyone who would be staying go through basic training with weapons, self-defense, and a communications system so they could all stay in contact. However, their limited time to prepare meant they would have to pick up most of their skills as the plan played out. 

Jenny was also amazed at the change in Thomas. Skills with weapons he had acquired growing up with a policeman father were sharpened, and his renegade personality of questioning any bureaucracy allowed him to come up with ingenuous solutions to problems. 

The thought she could have been an undercover spy brought a silent chuckle. The idea of hiding out in boarded up buildings and bringing the bad guys to their knees appealed to her desire to see justice done and sounded like a grand adventure. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

A RACE SPINS OUT OF CONTROL

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Thomas shook his head as Johnny revved the engine of the big bike, suddenly feeling many times older than the brother he had protected since he was a baby. Though not as maneuverable as the smaller dirt bike Thomas rode, the power of the big bike more than made up for that. However, true to his boast, Thomas never fell far behind Johnny, showing his expertise from many hours spent riding a motorcycle. 

As they neared the dredge--the only open area on their route--Thomas made a move to pull ahead of Johnny. Laughing, Johnny gave the bigger bike more gas and kept the lead in a loop around the old gold-mining dredge. 

As Johnny leaned into the corner, he jerked suddenly and spun out of control. The bike skidded on its side, dragging Johnny with it, and time stretched out into slow motion. Thomas ditched the smaller bike and ran toward his brother, fighting the time warp that sucked at his feet and legs. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

A GOOD WOW!

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Thomas stared at Jenny standing in the great room in a little slip of a dress. No jeans to hide her long, sexy legs. No cane to steady her balance. 

Love and desire plowed into his belly. "Wow." 

She smiled at him uncertainly. "Is that a good wow or a bad wow?" 

"Definitely a good wow." Thomas stepped forward and took her hand. "Do you want your cane?" 

With a shake of her head, Jenny said, "I'm walking unaided tonight." 

Thomas raised an eyebrow, and her spirited side burst out. "You don't think I can do it?" 

He grinned. "I think you can do anything you set your mind to." 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

A SECRET THAT WOULD CONDEMN BERNIE

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"Have you read this story?" Jenny tapped her finger on the front page of the newspaper. 

Oh, yeah, he had read it. However, Thomas read the story again, more slowly this time. It was printed under the byline of his brother Grady's girlfriend, claiming to have a letter in which Bernie confessed he killed a woman. He waited for the satisfaction of knowing he was right about Bernie. Oh, there was a flash of justification at first, then the realization of how difficult this would be for Tallie and his siblings. 

After a call from his brother, Thomas faced a different dilemma. Johnny wanted him to come home and clear Bernie's name, but he couldn't. If he revealed what he saw that night, it would only condemn Bernie further. 

So Thomas hid like a coward in Jenny's office, and refused to answer any more calls from his family. He knew that wouldn't stop Johnny from finding him, but perhaps it would give Thomas a few days to come up with a convincing lie. 

However, the snick of the lock being picked and footsteps echoing in the empty building gave Thomas scant notice his brother had discovered him. 

"Hello? Is anyone here?" 

Soon enough Johnny appeared at the back of the building. He stepped between the carpeted partitions that surrounded Jenny's desk and the armchair in which Thomas sat. 

"So you found me." Thomas rose slowly from the armchair, glad to see his brother but still not sure what story he would tell. 

Johnny scowled and punched him, the force of the blow knocking Thomas back down into the chair. "That's for wasting my time looking for you." 

Rubbing his jaw, Thomas said, "I'm glad to see you too." 

"We've got a helluva mess and you can help straighten it out. Why are you hiding out like a yellow-bellied sapsucker?" 

A question Thomas had asked himself many times. With a deep breath, he stood. "I can't help." 

"You can tell people how much Bernie helped you. You can say how you don't believe Bernie would kill a woman." 

Thomas shook his head and turned away. "No, I can't." 

Johnny grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around. "You can't or you won't?" 

"I'm a lousy liar, and that won't help Bernie's reputation." 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

I'LL WALK IF YOU SMILE

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Their meal passed without much conversation, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. Jenny insisted on cleaning up afterwards since Thomas "cooked." In return, she received another hint of a smile, which made her wonder what would make him grin or laugh out loud. "Do you ever smile?" 

The question seemed to startle him, and he thought for a moment. "I think so." 

"When was the last time you laughed out loud?" Jenny challenged. 

"Nineteen-ninety-three. How about you?" 

"You just made that up." Jenny poked a finger against his chest. "You don't remember, do you?" 

If anything, Thomas seemed to grow more somber. "No. I don't remember." 

They sat in silence for several minutes, and Jenny thought they were a sad pair indeed. Didn't normal people laugh? And walk? 

…Jenny saw an echo of her own sadness in Thomas' eyes. "I'll learn to walk if you learn to smile." 

"Do you think it's that easy?" 

"Well, I don't know, but maybe we could try something every day and see if it works." 

Slowly, Thomas nodded. "Maybe we could." 

"Deal?" Jenny extended her hand. 

After a moment's hesitation, Thomas took her hand in his. "Deal." 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

WHERE ARE YOU?

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Jenny sat in her new office--another empty building her realtor friend had listed for lease. This brick building in Old Town had more character that the previous one. The spirit of long-ago miners, bankers, and dance hall girls mingled with the tourists and citizens walking the sidewalks, painting fanciful images in Jenny's head when she wheeled outside for her daily jaunts. She missed Thomas and occasionally thought perhaps she should have left a message where he could find her. 

Then she shook her head. He had gone home where he belonged. Like she had urged him to do. He was a handsome man in spite of his nearly perpetual frown. But there were times when a smile almost broke through and made her heart speed up. 

Then she jerked herself back to reality. Why would a man as physical as Thomas O'Shea even look twice at someone whose world was confined to where she could go in a wheelchair? 

…Yet Jenny couldn't stop a spurt of pleasure when she checked her e-mail and found a message from Thomas saying, "Where are you?" 

Blunt and less than tactful, like the man himself. 

Should she reply? On some level, Jenny knew everything would change if she did. She would be inviting him into her life. Disrupting her carefully designed martyrdom and opening her heart to hurt. 

Against her better judgment, Jenny sent a terse reply. "In my office." 

"Haha. Give me a clue where." The message from Thomas zinged almost instantly back across cyberspace. 

The long suppressed imp in Jenny did just that. Provided a sketchy clue where her new office was located. 

After several more brief messages back and forth, Jenny heard the locked front door snick open. She slowly turned in her wheelchair to confront Thomas. Clad in full leathers with a scowl on his face, Jenny thought a man had never looked so good. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED THAT NIGHT?

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After Thomas left, Jenny stared out the window, absorbing what he had said about his siblings and the night he saw his mother being choked. The truth or just another story? Jenny had learned not to take anything at face value, and she had her own sources for finding out the truth. 

…Tapping into her computer sources, Jenny quickly discovered Bernie wasn't the usual adoptive father who followed his wife's need to help abused or neglected kids. He was adopting boys before he married--though not through an adoption agency. Two oddities. How did he find out these kids needed homes? Street kids he discovered through his job as a cop? Though most were too young to be living on the streets when Bernie took them in, according to what Thomas told her. 

A tingle of excitement danced up her spine. Something about this case intrigued her as nothing had for years. Could a cop who adopted multiple kids be considered a serial adopter? Jenny shook her head at her off-kilter sense of humor. What motivated him? And, as Thomas wondered, why these particular kids? 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

For more excerpts and more information, visit www.GenieGabriel.com

NO WALK-INS...

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While the blonde continued into an office, he paused at the receptionist's desk to sweet-talk his way into an appointment with The Wizard. However, there was no receptionist. In fact, as he looked around, the entire floor looked deserted. Just a few desks and file cabinets. But no phones ringing or people in the cubicles. 

Only a prickly blonde in a wheelchair with a closed office door. 

She didn't seem surprised when Thomas opened the door and stepped into her office. "I'm quite fine. I don't need your help." 

As she turned her attention to her computer, Thomas lifted the files off a chair next to her desk and sat down. "But it seems I need your help--if you are indeed The Wizard." 

She paused and actually looked at him for a moment. "I don't take walk-ins. Send me an e-mail." 

In spite of her attitude, Thomas found himself liking this woman. He unzipped his laptop case, turned on the computer, and sent her an e-mail with the message, "I want help finding the bio parents of my siblings." 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

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THE WIZARD WAS THE KEY

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The Wizard earned her reputation for leaving no Web link unturned when looking for biological family members of clients who had been adopted as children. Her success rate attested to that fact. 

However, being so emotionally connected to the success of her client's searches also took their toll on Jenny, mentally and physically. On this sunny April morning, she needed the fresh air of the park. Her computer had been claiming too much of her time lately, and she ached with the confinement. 

She pushed her wheelchair along the curving cement sidewalk under a canopy of trees to a place where she could look out over the water. 

The hurried sound of approaching footsteps warned Jenny she wasn't alone. She turned her head and saw two men approaching. The one in the lead wore a red jogging suit. A man in black leather strode a short distance behind. 

Her heart rate accelerated. Silly, of course, since a taser was strapped to her armrest and the extended foot rests on her wheelchair made a fine battering ram. 

Besides, they might just be out for exercise. At least one of them. 

Mr. I-look-good-in-leather seemed to be looking for something or someone. And it probably involved trouble. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

THE BAD BOY IN A FAMILY OF OVERACHIEVERS

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Thomas O'Shea revved the motorcycle's engine and sped down the black ribbon of highway unfurling in front of him. Familiar but always changing, the ocean crashed against the beach as if reaching for him. Coaxing him to quit running and see what he was missing. 

He slowed, took an exit, and rode past the signs warning "private beach." Once on the hard-packed sand, he cut the engine and stared at the moon shimmering on the endless horizon. 

...Happiness had eluded Thomas his entire thirty-five years. Each dream he pursued crumbled into dust. Until he quit trying. He simply let life blow him wherever it would and took what temporary pleasures came his way. 

Yet lately, his restless yearning had grown more intense. The compulsion to find answers had become more urgent. 

...Why would a cop take in seven boys and shape them into a family? Thomas wondered. And why these particular boys?

None of his other siblings questioned why. Thomas might not have either--except for what he saw the night his mother died. 

It was time to find answers. He hoped The Wizard was the key to doing this. 

(Excerpt from Legacy of Truth copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel)

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NOVEMBER FEATURE: LEGACY OF TRUTH

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Thomas O'Shea is the bad boy in a family of overachievers, haunted by what he saw as a child. When he turns to a woman known as The Wizard to help him solve the mystery of his adoptive father's death, the killers start closing in. His childhood memories hold the key to saving his family--if they can uncover the truth buried beneath years of fear and deceit.

Find out more about LEGACY OF TRUTH at www.GenieGabriel.com