Prologue

For the last three days, the breathtaking Tuscan coast had been cloaked in clouds of darkness. The hairs on my arm stood at attention at the ominous view of twilight looming in places it shouldn't. Perhaps I was overthinking things. Nevertheless, my somber surroundings should have better prepared me for the phone call I had received less than an hour ago. "So this is what rage feels like," I thought aloud, cringing with anger as my skin crawled.

Picking myself up from the floor, away from the toilet, I hoped all of the contents in my stomach had emptied as I desperately wished to take back the stupid arrangement I had made. Maybe then Jake wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed halfway across the world. Although this wasn't my fault, I still felt the pang of being responsible for the suffering of my dearest friend.

Chapter 1

Grabbing my duffle bag from the front closet, I mentally went through what I needed to take with me and what I could get on the way. As I reached for the clothes I had set on the bed, my phone rang. Removing it from my pants pocket, I answered.

"Violet, you can't go to D.C.!" my mother rushed to tell me before I could speak, her voice frantic.

"Hello to you, too, mom," I sarcastically greeted.

"Violet, I don't have time for your sarcasm right now. Just listen to me," she urged, her tone more calm, yet serious. "You can't go!"

"Mom, my going to D.C. isn't up for discussion," I quickly informed, tossing the duffle to the edge of my bed before sitting down.

My mother and I each let out an exasperated sigh, both of us very frustrated with the other. "Listen, Vi. I know you're angry, but Rowan isn't someone you want to get entangled with. You are no match for him, honey."

As I listened to my mother's voice, which was filled with such genuine concern, I took a deep breath, knowing that what I was about to say was only going to go against her wishes to keep me from harm. "Mommy, look. I know that you and Jake want me to stay away from him, but from the moment you told me that vile man was my father, this was inevitable. The two of you had your spy romance, and I know that you care about him. Unfortunately, that means nothing to me right now, and I can't promise that my venom towards him will change."

"There's no changing your mind is there?" she asked although she was fully aware of the answer.

"No, mom, there isn't, especially after all that he has done," I replied, shaking my head as the anger within me raged. My father, Rowan Pope, had driven me into a corner, made my loved ones afraid for me to ever act against him, and had hatefully tampered with the lives of those dearest to me. His desire to be in control and protect his image and relationship with his darling Olivia had turned him into a sinister man, a man even my mother couldn't recognize. "He's gone too far."

"Honey, Jake isn't dead. He's fine. Can't you let this go?"

"No, mom. I can't," I told her. "Not after everything he's done to me, to Jake - to you."

She was silent for a while before speaking once more. "Violet, please promise me one thing? Promise me that you will not kill him."

As I pondered on my mother's request, I realized that I was a lot like her. We were both passionate, our desire to protect the people we loved driving us to often commit absurd actions. We were also lethal when we had to be and Sarah Shaw, the woman I called mother knew when I was done sitting on the sidelines, and I was indeed done. When my mission went awry and I agreed to stay in hiding it was never meant to last this long. I was done waiting for others to act against my father and I was done watching the people I cared for being used as pawns in his twisted game. I never signed on for this and I was going to take my life back.

"I can't promise that mom, he's dangerous and if I have to remove him, I will. All I can say is I will try to avoid that." I begrudgingly promised, knowing how much it would hurt her if I did.

"Okay," she calmly replied but, I could hear her frustration. My mother knew how much she was asking of me and if she pushed too hard I would push back. I'd been on the sidelines long enough and every action against B613 so far hadn't hit its mark. It was time to do some damage to that sham of an agency. "I guess that is going to have to be enough for now. I will no longer object to your mission although I truly believe you're in over your head, and I will not send a field agent to ensure that you stay put."

"Mom, I've been slipping past guards since I was nine," I reminded her, letting her know that even if she went against her word, nothing would keep me from my mission. "The only person who ever came close to catching me was Jake, and he's the reason I have to do this. Jake needs me and I'm going to be there to protect him no matter what." Just thinking about him made my heart ache, but forcing myself to maintain my composure, I pushed the painful thoughts of him to the back of my mind.

"I know," she sweetly commented, her voice comforting. "I know. Now, go and do what you have to do."

"I'll keep you posted, mom. I love you," I told her, wanting her to know just how much before I embarked on my dangerous journey that could possibly end with me in a body bag.

"I love you, too Violet," she said, returning her love. "Be smart and let your mind guide your actions, not your emotions."

"I will," I promised.

With that, I said goodbye and ended our phone call. Grabbing my clothes from my bed, I hurriedly placed them in my duffle bag before taking it from the edge of the bed and swinging it over my shoulder. After making sure I had everything I needed, I headed to the front door of my quaint Tuscan home and carefully opened it, checking the still alley of the small village in which I resided before exiting. Once I was sure the coast was clear, I quietly slipped out of my humble abode and locked the door behind me.

Swiftly making my way through the alley to my moped, I removed my phone from my pants pocket and changed the settings on my highly technical home security system from high to maximum. I was not going to take any chances on my hideout being discovered in my absence.

Once I reached my means of transportation, located in the cut in the alley, I uncovered and unchained my moped and hoped on, securing my duffle to my body as I put the key in the ignition. Pulling out of the cut and into that alley, I glanced back at my home of two years and smiled to myself. First stop was to a former black ops agent Ben in Sicily. He could move teams and shipments better than anyone. Ben's wife was the target of an assassination attempt shortly after I'd gone into hiding. When I caught the chatter on classified networks I made the trip to Paris to prevent their deaths. I was in and out leaving Ben to dispose of the bodies. It was a tactical move and worth the risk. Ben was the kind of person you wanted to owe you a few favors. I needed help to get back to the states and I couldn't use the standard channels. I had spent the last two years of my life in hiding on the Tuscan coast. After my accident in Budapest, Jake was given his assignment to guard Olivia. I had agreed to go underground so that my presence would not interfere with Jake's mission once Jake swore to me that he would find a way to take down B613 and that he would be safe. I chose to take him at his word and stayed in Tuscany, even though it was against my better judgement. Even after all of the horrendous crimes my father committed against me and the people I cared for, I stayed put, but my last ounce of patience had finally vanished on this ominous night in Tuscany when I received a phone call from field agent, Charlie, that Jake had been compromised.

I turned my face from the place I had grown to love and knew there was no turning back. Rowan Pope had never been on my side and only served his own sick agenda. Knowing that, I had to teach my father a lesson the only way I knew how and that was by coming onto his turf and hitting him where it hurt most - paying a visit to his precious Olivia. It was time to shed some light on a few things and open her eyes to the man he really was. More than that it was time to take him down. I was going to show old Daddy Dearest that nobody fucks with Violet Shaw and gets away with it. My wait was over.