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.

throat, Percival pointed at Anna and said, “Continue

turned to Leopold.

You’re in trouble with your

look. “After you drop me off, do five hundred push-ups and six hundred sit-ups outside Griffin’s house. Don’t even think about rejoining the squad until

and sit-ups were one

they were about to split up, their

mission from HQ to the Vanguard Agency’s special

sighting in Weststart City. Wolf leads the team.

their faces. Anna wanted to speak, but Percival cut her off. “You stick

crisply, “Yes,

and Leopold set

deeply, his expression

known for its abandoned coal mines, far from urban

sudden mission details to Vivienne, “It was all very abrupt; I don’t know the specifics. But Ms.

nodded in agreement. “I

White Tiger in Weststart

the details before a mission, including the command structure, snipers,

heads-up to

death; they could not afford to act

CK and White Tiger

such a high-profile target

her brow, “Anna,

donned her coat,

Agency HQ, Percival and his team geared up in combat attire and boarded the transport to Weststart City. Only en route did the team receive a brief terrain map, lacking

yourself with the basic

in the field, in charge of

squad was on point, scouting the terrain. Thomas’s second squad covered the perimeter, and Soren joined Percival

was already throwing a fit in the car, and it was not because they were heading

the commander, the head honcho. You shouldn’t be on the

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

squad leader, and to top it off, the deputy director, waltz into the lion’s den was

headsets were linked to the command vehicle on-site,

did not care if he heard it all; the whole situation was out of order, a clear

Percival had managed