The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

In the dead of night, with the lights off and still in the bedroom!

“Damn it, Percival! What have you done to my daughter? She’s still a minor!”

Percival looked into Dorian’s fuming eyes with a hint of resignation, “We were just talking.”

“Talking? Why in the dark? Were you two kissing like Isolde said, right here in the room?” Thaddeus giggled behind his hand.

Isolde had spilled everything to Thaddeus, including when she overheard Vivienne and Percival kissing in the bedroom!

Dorian’s eyes seemed to bulge even more.

Cordelia’s cheeks flushed as she pulled Thaddeus away. “Thaddeus, stop making things up. Vivienne and Percival were just… doing homework. Yeah, that’s it. Now you better finish yours.”

Thaddeus snickered and scampered off to his room with his backpack.

Percival deliberately avoided Dorian’s gaze and cleared his throat, “Mom, Dad, I should head out.”

With that, Percival made a beeline for the door.

The more he thought about Thaddeus’s words, the guiltier he felt!

Where the heck was Leopold when he was supposed to be on the lookout?

Leopold and Anna were indeed on duty, standing guard with due diligence.

When Percival emerged from the house, Leopold dropped his guard and approached. “All sorted out, Percival?”

Percival responded with a swift kick to Leopold’s rear. “Didn’t you see someone go upstairs?”

Anna and Leopold looked baffled, nodding in unison.

“We saw, we even texted you.”

Especially Leopold, rubbing his backside with a woebegone expression. He had sent Percival the message the moment he saw Dorian’s family within thirty feet!

Percival glanced at his phone, and sure enough, there was a message, which he had missed while with Vivienne.

at Anna and said, “Continue

Leopold. “You’re driving me

got it. You’re in trouble with your father-in-law because you

five hundred push-ups and six hundred sit-ups outside Griffin’s house. Don’t even think about rejoining

of shock. Push-ups and sit-ups were one thing, but why outside Griffin’s

about to split up,

to the Vanguard

sighting in Weststart City.

from their faces. Anna wanted to speak, but Percival cut her off.

crisply,

and Leopold set out

deeply, his

White Tiger in Weststart City, a place known for its abandoned coal mines, far

sudden mission details to Vivienne, “It was all

nodded in

appearance of White Tiger in Weststart City,

a mission, including the command structure, snipers,

a heads-up to plan within half an hour

were life and death; they could not afford to act rashly for

Vanguard Agency had been tracking CK and White

capture such a high-profile target

her brow, “Anna, let’s

coat, checked her sidearm,

combat attire and boarded the transport to Weststart City. Only en route did the team receive a brief terrain map, lacking detailed danger

hasn’t come through yet. Familiarize yourself with the basic layout,” Percival

be commanding this operation through satellite. Micah would be in the field,

squad covered the perimeter, and Soren joined Percival to head

fit in the car, and it was not because they were

honcho. You shouldn’t be on

squad leader, the one supposed to stay back and oversee the safety of all the

and to top it off, the deputy director, waltz into

linked to the command vehicle

if he heard it all; the whole situation was out of order, a clear sign that someone had

had managed