The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Scott had mulled over the idea of bringing Brody into the fold more than once, but the folks he had sent out to extend the olive branch had all met untimely ends, and a few had even vanished without a trace, their bones yet to be found.

Those in the know about Brody understood one thing clearly: He was not beholden to any organization. It all hinged on whether he was interested, and no one could force his hand to save or snuff a life.

Calista sucked in a sharp breath, the memory of Brody’s brutal methods during her treatment sending a shiver down her spine.

Scott exhaled slowly. “You should head back. Get the job done as soon as you can. Once you’re back with the Brooks family, don’t breathe a word of seeing me. You know what’s at stake.”

“Yes, I understand.” Calista quickly rose, snatching her purse and scurrying out the door.

The room lapsed into a moment of silence as Scott leaned back on the couch, a frown creasing his forehead.

He had overplayed his cards this time.

Vivienne had played him like a fiddle.

The lab had been a pet project of the boss, meticulously overseen to completion. Neither sensor probes nor thermal imagers could detect an exit.

Vivienne had been calm, deliberately cryptic.

And with his cover blown, he had mistakenly thought the lab’s location had been compromised.

To think he had actually led Vivienne and Percival straight to the lab.

What a blunder.

Scott chuckled wryly, a shade of melancholy crossing his face as he murmured, “As expected from your daughter, Karen.”

At Percival’s private clinic, Vivienne treated two children whose lives had been hung by a thread.

Thankfully, they were regaining vitality, and their hearts were beginning to regenerate.

With close observation over the next few days, they could be discharged.

children’s parents had been

to be spitting images of each other?” Leopold peered through the glass of the incubator

smacked his head. “Ever heard of

back of his head. “Vivienne, you must’ve

just plain dumb,” A man and a woman said in

taken aback, eyed the pair—Vivienne and the unwilling-to-admit-it Percival. “Alright, a duet you

She looked every bit the intelligent beauty in her white lab coat, her hair pinned up in a bun, loose

to behold. His wife was

then, Thomas approached. “Percival, the kids’

“Yasmine, Natalia.”

sobbing female voice echoed from

a woman in her mid-thirties, dressed simply

We need to be sure

Perez, the fourth son of the old man Jasper, who had recently bought the plagiarized painting

I’m Yuri, and we’re the children’s parents,” Yuri said as he supported Zelda, politeness in his eyes despite the evident

look, but they can’t leave just yet. They need more

to let Yuri and Zelda

not yet passed on. Revealing their suffering to

not bear to see a mother’s

fault.” Zelda’s tears streamed down the glass as

quick to react, caught her. “Zelda, it’s not your fault.

relieved that the children’s condition was stable and no

the hospital, Percival’s expression was serious. Vivienne

I’ve seen that Yuri somewhere before. He

paused. “I thought I

she felt as if

someone called out Vivienne’s name

shouting your name, Vivienne. You didn’t respond, so I…” Yuri said

next day to give him time to digest

her hesitation, gave a rueful smile. “They must’ve suffered.

Yuri said awkwardly, “Erm, I’m not disturbing your

you think?” Percival thought