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

Vance and Frankie checked in daily with Gambini at the caporegime’s insistence. During the meetings, Gambini would berate them for not moving faster, even as he gave them faint praise for having already set up two people to channel his dirty money through their legitimate businesses into various bank accounts. From there the money would be funneled into other accounts in banks around the city and elsewhere, via bank-to-bank or wire transfers. After which, the money would again be moved, this time into accounts of businesses in which Gambini was investing for a cut of the profits. By then the money was, to all intents and purposes, effectively laundered.


When they weren’t dealing with Gambini, they visited Troy and Ginna at their places of business under the guise of making certain all was going as it should be, and that they weren’t holding back any of the money sent to them by Gambini’s people.


Chapter 91