The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The eldest of the Perez Family, Luke, was known as the most down-to-earth. The siblings had a running joke that any trouble found its way onto his broad shoulders by default.

In Luke's absence, the scapegoat duties fell onto Maddox, though it was not quite fair to say he was just a fall guy. More often than not, he was the ringleader of their shenanigans.

Yuri leaned back in his chair, eyeing his sister Sasha. “Our brothers, Luke and Fredrick have chere in Rivenwood with their families. Dad wants to throw a big reunion bash to officially announce your return. What do you say?” Karen pressed her lips together, a beer in hand. “The timing isn’t right.” She had parted ways with the Vanguard Agency years ago but had not made her existence public since.

Revealing herself now could stir up a hornet’s nest.

Maddox, usually the joker, adopted a serious demeanor. “I share the sconcern. Percival mentioned he’s onto something, still investigating. Best to keep a low profile for now.” Karen raised an eyebrow, not having heard anything from Percival or Vivienne. “Frost, who's on your radar?” Vivienne hesitated before answering. “We're looking into it. I'll fill you in once we have something solid.” Karen knew her daughter well. The fact that Vivienne held back meant the suspect was likely someone crucial to Karen herself. Otherwise, Vivienne would never choose silence.

Clutching her beer, a strange flicker crossed Karen's eyes.

Suddenly, Vivienne’s phone rang. “Vivienne, is your mother there?” Percival’s voice was anxious.

“Yes, what's up?” Vivienne switched to speakerphone. “Spill it!” “Master, we found a signal source in the remnants at F-Poison’s last haunt. It’s locked tight.” Percival sounded grave, giving the matter utmost importance. [x] Karen grabbed Vivienne's wrist, booting up her micro-computer. “Patch into Frost's system.” “Right.” Percival stayed on the line, linking the signal source to Vivienne’s computer.

Minutes later, Karen pinpointed a red dot on the satellite map. “It’s at Vance’s place, that apartment he bought last month!” Percival flinched. “You sure it's Vance?” “Without a doubt.” Karen had already dug into the property's transaction history. Vance had used multiple aliases, but she had traced them all.

Percival took a deep breath. “Understood.” About to end the call, Vivienne could not resist a dig. “Mr. Wolf, why run to your mentor for this small fry stuff instead of me?” Percival swallowed hard, then softly replied, “Vivienne, | don’t want you to overwork yourself.” Truth be told, both he and Vivienne were formidable hackers trained by Karen herself, and their skills were about equal.

If Percival hit a wall, Vivienne might not fare any better.

Thus, with urgency pressing, Percival turned directly to Karen.

Vivienne, somewhat appeased, hung up before Karen could scold her.

Karen draped an arm over Vivienne’'s shoulder, her voice dripping with mock resentment. “Men get wives and forget their moms. And you? Are you ready to ditch your mother now?” Vivienne met her gaze, firm and earnest. “No, it's Mr. Wolf who's ditching his mentor.” They shared a knowing smile.

After hanging up, Percival promptly headed to the signal source's location.

He didn’t alert anyone within the Vanguard Agency, not out of distrust, but because he was about to confront the Agency's director, so he could not possibly let the agency agents do it.

Arriving near the apartment, Percival sealed off all exits and pressed the doorbell.

A shadow moved inside, and with a click, the lock turned, but the door remained closed.

Percival’s lips curved in a smirk. With a swift kick, the door flew open.

Vance stood there, gun in hand, aimed straight at Percival’s forehead. Yet, his own neck was firmly in Percival’s grasp.

The surprise in Vance’s eyes was unmistakable. “You?” Percival’s curiosity was piqued. “Why shouldn't it be me?” Vance holstered his weapon, taking in the seamless lockdown of his surroundings. He stepped aside, letting Percival in.

“What brings you here?” Vance queried.

“Looking for someone.” Percival’s frown deepened as he scanned the room, confirming Vance was alone.

Vance fetched a bottle of water from the fridge. “You could've just called. Why all the fuss to chere?” Percival unscrewed the cap, the bottle too full, spilling water as he opened it. “Vance, you know exactly why I'm here.” Vance’s facade of calm crumbled. He looked up at Percival, his bottle half empty.

“Did you find something at today’s kidnapping site?” Percival’s gaze was as deep and treacherous as the ocean, ready to swallow anything on its surface. His laugh was mocking. “What do you think | found, Vance?” Vance trembled slightly, setting the bottle down, struggling for composure. “Nothing.” “This apartment—is this the one you bought for Noah?” Percival leaned back, watching Vance casually.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

Vance’s hands clenched together. “Can we keep this between us? I'll explain everything. About the explosion...” Percival’s eyes blazed with intensity as he locked his gaze on Vance. “You're well aware of the blast, Vance. Do you have any idea how many of our guys are still laid up in the hospital? How many will never stand again because of this op? How many are still lying in comas?” If it were not for the fact that Percival needed evidence from Vance right now, he would have thrown a punch at him without a second thought.

Nothing grated on Percival more than the idea of sacrificing one’s own people for one’s personal gain.

And Vance had managed to hit that nerve twice in a row! As the head of the agency, Vance was no stranger to these harsh realities, but he still couldn’t bring himself to accept the grim facts staring him in the face.

Without further words, Percival sat in silence across from Vance, waiting for him to break.

Vance clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, his lower lip quivered, and a small trickle of blood, tasting like rusty iron, seeped through his teeth and down his throat.

After what seemed like an eternity, Vance finally deflated. He exhaled slowly and leaned back.

“Yeah, | bought this apartment for Noah,” Vance admitted, his voice heavy with resignation. “I rigged a pinhole camera above the door.” He handed a USB drive to Percival. “Everything you're looking for is on this. Take a look for yourself.”