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

When they finally moved apart, Vance took her hand again, tracing a finger over the palm as he told her. “I dolove you.”


Her lips quirked in a grin, remembering how he’d prefaced that declaration for the first time a few minutes previously. “Not the way you loved your father, I hope.”


“Good God no, what makes you say…Oh.” He laughed. “Yeah that probably didn’t sound too good, did it?”


“It was…a different way of phrasing it for sure, but I knew what you meant.” She started to lean in to kiss him again, only to be interrupted by a paw on her knee. She looked at King, eyebrow lifted in amusement. “I am so not kissing you.”


The dog shook his head as if he understood and found that funny. Then he stood and walked sedately to the front door, looking back at her.


“Less than twenty-four hours and he’s already changed allegiances,” Vance grumbled as he stood, pulling Ginna up beside him. “Maybe I’ll send him back where he came from.”


Chapter 115