The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Noah joined the ranks of RST at seventeen, but by nineteen, the organization had splintered into GTO and CK after Jasper’s devastating raid.

Assigned by F-Poison to infiltrate the Vanguard Agency as a mole at twenty, Noah figured he would bide his time, draw Vanguard’s attention with GTO activities, and then slip back into the shadows of his true allegiance. But what he thought would be a brief chapter turned into nearly six decades—a lifetime invested and now, seemingly, lost.

“Tell me, Noah, in all the years you’ve been undercover in Vanguard Agency, what’s GTO given you for your troubles? I’m genuinely curious. Heck, I haven’t even caught a glimpse of the big boss’s face. Have you?” Quincy asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Noah’s frown was subtle but present. “You talk too much. When’s my ride getting here?”

Quincy stepped back, a hint of apology in her voice. “Sorry, Noah, your ship isn’t coming.”

Noah turned, startled, only to be greeted by the dark mouth of a gun barrel.

“Master, there’s no escape now,” Vance said solemnly, gun in hand, a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

Instinctively, Noah stepped back, but another gun pressed against the back of his head.

“You know I don’t move so fast anymore, Master,” a familiar voice stated from behind him.

Noah exhaled heavily. “Let me guess, there’s one more?”

As if on cue, Karen stepped out from Noah’s side, her gun aimed at the man she once revered like a father.

“It’s been a long time, Master.”

Noah’s gaze met Karen’s. Her face, one he had not seen for years, suddenly before him, gave him a moment of stunned pause.

“All these years, and you haven’t changed a bit, my little apprentice,” he reminisced. “Back then, you and Daphne were the only girls among a sea of rowdy boys. Those were the days…”

A cold voice interrupted from behind. “My mother couldn’t make it. I’m here in her stead,” Anna said, her tone as icy as her words.

before settling his gaze back on Karen. “Anything else you want to ask, Karen? I’ll

gun

when you killed Daphne with your own hands, did you ever think of the bond we once

a brief pause, Noah chuckled

truly considered any of you my own. You were merely stepping stones on my path

traitor. Noah had carried him from the crossfire when he was wounded on the

Karen was thought dead, it was Micah who first sought out Noah,

was no wonder that his investigation had met a dead end for

had never suspected Noah.

aloof nature meant he would do almost anything to achieve his goals, even if it meant hurting those

he had his doubts about Noah. However, that was soon dismissed after investigations. In fact, he

the

the sea breeze that ruffled their

Yorick, found a kindred spirit in Ulysses, but

her foster family and waking up in a stranger’s bed, it was Noah who helped her out of that darkness, giving her the strength of

here he was, spewing such

fate, Noah sat

even if you’ve turned this young lady against me,

to hit the enemy

Noah listened as Vance added, “The photo I sent you carried a tracking virus. Once you opened it, your

expected of my apprentices. And Micah, what

detectors that you’ve been waiting on? They have trackers in them. Thomas is already leading raids on GTO’s hideouts across the

those Martinez detectors got approved so suddenly. So, it was a trap. Seems like we were too

you,” Karen said firmly, her gun steady. “The bomb on your