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

“Too damned many coincidences here to be coincidences,” he muttered under his breath.


Once he’d finished with what he’d been doing, he logged on to one of three sites that he had made it a point to visit nightly as part of his undercover persona. Each time he visited them his stomach would turn but it was a necessary evil. He had to be a presence on the child porn sites to give himself credibility once he got closer to the man who was running the trafficking ring.


As he got ready for bed his mind ran over what he’d put together so far. None of it was conclusive but it all pointed toward Polly being involved with the child trafficking ring Vance was going to shut down come hell or high water. Whether she was actively involved or just being used by her brother was something he had to find out. The question was how.


The question would become moot three days later, and in a way that he had not expected.


Chapter 39