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

“Good, because I might be prying into things you don’t like talking about. Remember when I asked if you’d dealt with abused kids, and you told me about the woman and her son? Did you know what was going on with him because it had happened to you?”


“Yes,” he replied after a long silence, his voice tight with emotion. “And if you tell a damned soul I’ll kill you. Only a few people know about it. Why the hell I’m letting you in on it is beyond me.”


He laughed harshly. “I told you, I don’t trust women.”


“Ouch. That hurts because it means you don’t look at me as a woman, just another team member.”


“They don’t know, either. Or…” he frowned, “I don’t think they do. It shouldn’t be in any files they can access.”


Ginna chuckled softly. “You’re talking about experienced agents who care about you, so if I were you, I would take that idea with a grain of salt.”


Chapter 87