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

As they started for the door, Stuart joined them, remarking that his plane would leave at the same time as theirs, while the other men had a while to wait. When he looked back at his teammates he saw a look flash over Troy’s face that made him resolve to have a long talk with him in the near future, if he could corral him and make him listen.


“We may have a problem,” Stuart said as they pulled out of the motel parking lot.


Vance glanced at him in the rearview mirror before focusing on merging with on-coming traffic. “A new job no one happened to mention to me?”


“Ahh, no. I think you’re always the first to know about them, when you aren’t laid out flat on your back. What I meant was Troy.”


“Troy?” Vance looked puzzled. “What’s wrong with him? Is he thinking of quitting? Has he said something to you to make you think he is?”


Stuart shot a look at Ginna, and she nodded in understanding. “He can be a bit dense sometimes,” she said with a small smile.


Chapter 103