Horribly abused by his mother, Van eventually goes in search of his father. When he finds him, his life is radically changed. His father works for the FBI, and has contacts to a covert group, run by the Old Man, that goes after the worst of the worst criminals. Van is recruited to join both -- and does. Van handles every job he's sent on with cold efficiency, letting nothing stand in his way of gaining the information he seeks and stopping his foes. Eventually, he's offered a team of his own within the Old Man's organization. He accepts, with one caveat -- none of them can be female. Because of his mother, the only woman he has ever trusted is his handler, Makie. His attitude takes a hit when he meets Ginna, a cop, while on a job for the Old Man. When it's over, much to the shock of everyone involved, he requests that she be added to his team if she's willing -- which she is, as long as the organization can promise to keep her young son safe while she's on assignments. Ginna fits in well with the team, and though she is appalled at some of the tactics Van uses to gain information, she finds herself attracted to him. Can she break through the walls he's erected around his emotions? If so, then what? Only time will tell.

A Shattered Life

“Just my luck,” Vance had growled when the man fell, impaling himself on the knife in the process.


So the man ended up in a make-shift grave and Vance had a vehicle and was heading to the spot where the man had told him he met with Romano’s people to pick up his consignments. Getting that information out of him had been painful…for the man. In the end, before his aborted escape attempt, he’d revealed all that he knew. It was very little, but enough to get Vance started on his end of the planned exercise.


As he drove he ran the ball of his thumb over his mustache, which was now smaller and trimmer than it had been twenty-hours before. He was also clean-shaven other than that, and wearing clothes that had belonged to man, including a billed cap turned backwards just as his victim had worn it, something which he knew was de rigueurin this part of the country.


Chapter 11