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

Stuart drove slowly up the long road that led from the highway into the town buried in the hills of the southern part of the state. Usually he moved faster, taking the eager soldiers from the base up to the various brothels. This time he paced it to give Kacey time to get fully into her persona, as well as letting her get the lay of the land.


“I knew this place was off the beaten track but I didn’t realize how much,” she muttered


“It’s why it’s managed to remain, if not off the radar, at least as they say out of sight so out of mind. It’s just a cute little rural town in the hills with nothing to draw the tourist trade to all appearances, at least during the day.”


“Then a different kind of ‘tourist’ shows up at night.”


“Yep, enough of them to keep several brothels going full time plus the gambling and the drug dealing. A regular Sodom and Gomorrah split up between the syndicate, a gang out of Chicago, and a homeboy businessman looking to take over.”


Chapter 25