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 pretty much ignored their by-play as he thought about Roger’s question. “Unless things have changed since the last time I was here, there’s a small all-night diner right across the street from the motel.”


“Too far,” Rico immediately replied. “We’ll get the room next to yours.”


“Too obvious if we all check in at the same time.”


Roger tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Then a shop they were passing caught his eye. Veering into a vacant spot at the curb, he turned to Rico. “Get the sleaziest ‘I’m a whore’ shirt you can find in there.”


“Why me?” Rico protested even as he jumped out of the car.


“Because you were born to play the part,” Roger replied with a laugh, even though Rico was out of earshot by then.


Five minutes later, Rico was back in the car and changing shirts. Roger grinned, reaching across to muss his hair. “Perfect, just don’t button it, you nut.”


“Yes, sir, anything you say, sir, that’ll be fifty bucks…sir.”


Chapter 136