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

Then Vance broached the subject of the new assignment by saying, “I hate going after an unknown enemy. It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack.”


“At least to some degree the haystack is confined to the convention center, not a whole city or country,” Roger pointed out. “And to take out the most people in the shortest possible time without being caught they’ll have to do more than stand on a balcony and take potshots at them.”


“I still don’t get why we’re needed,” Vance said. “This is a containment exercise and the Feds are much better equipped to set up security and search for a bomb or whatever the assassin plans on using.”


Rico gave that some serious thought and nodded. “Why do I have the feeling there’s more to this than what Con and Bain told us?”


“What’s the possibility one of them is the real target of the hit?” Roger asked after a moment.


Chapter 50