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

“What about the watchers?” Vance asked, getting back on track. “Is she going to pull them now that you’re here?”


“She didn’t say, but they are here on orders of Con, which you probably figured, so I suspect she can’t recall them without his okay, even though they report to her, not him.”


Vance nodded. “Then we’ll have to plan around the fact that they’ll still be out there.”


Vance opened a cabinet above the washer, moved a detergent box and tapped a small button that had been hidden in the corner behind the box. The back wall of the cabinet slid to one side to reveal two shelves, one holding an array of small weapons. He took the folders from the second shelf and laid them on the washer. “Good question,” he finally said in reply. “According to what’s in here, no one’s got a clue who…who took her. Who the second pair was who also wanted the information.”


“Makes it a bit hard for you to find them, then.”


Chapter 125