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

The first thing he did when he got to the house was strip off his blood-stained clothes while placing a call to the safe-house where he’d sent the girls. He gave them the name of one of the local FBI agents, telling them to call her. She’d know what to do next.


Then he hit the shower, standing under the scalding hot water until he began to feel somewhere close to clean—physically at least. When he was dressed and packed, his weapons carefully stowed in the bag he’d be checking through, he sat down at the computer and sent off a summary report to Makie.


It was barely five minutes later when his cell vibrated on his hip. Answering it he listened to Makie’s first words and felt the bottom drop out of his world.


“When,” he asked his voice low and choked with emotion. She told him the details and he froze, his eyes turning to dark with rage. “You bitch,” he shouted before the phone slammed against the far wall, shattering into pieces.8


Chapter 43