Chapter One

The Colby Agency,

9:00 a.m.

Victoria Colby stood at the window in her office that looked out over the street. This was one of her favorite places in the world and certainly she had traveled broadly. But here, in the Colby Agency offices, this window was her happy place. Watching the snow fall so close to Christmas was just icing on the cake. The winter storm had started two days ago, and the snow hadn’t let up since. But, as Lucas reminded her, the storm wouldn’t get in the way of their plans this year, so why not celebrate the deepening blanket of white?

It was the season after all.

Her heart felt heavy at the idea of not spending the holidays with her family. It was tradition. But that was impossible this year. Of course, she was literally surrounded by her agency family. Victoria and Lucas couldn’t deny having an amazing extended family here at the agency.

And as wonderful as that was, it wasn’t really the same.

The whole truth was that celebrating would be a lot more enjoyable if, for one, she didn’t feel like her family were scattered so far and wide this holiday. And, secondly, she was worried sick about Tasha, her son Jim’s wife. Jim and Tasha were in Sweden and not for a vacation either. Tasha had been diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. Fortunately, Victoria had been able to get her into a cutting-edge research study that was showing very promising results with its participants. Victoria desperately needed this treatment to work. The idea of her son losing his wife—her precious grandchildren losing their mother—was simply unthinkable.

More unnerving at present: the children hadn’t been told about the diagnosis. Tasha and Jim wanted to wait and see how things would go before telling their daughter and son. No point ruining their holidays as well, Jim had insisted. Victoria sighed, her heart heavier still. It wasn’t like her grandbabies were actually children. Jamie was twenty-five now. Victoria still couldn’t believe her granddaughter was so grown-up. She smiled and traced a melting flake of snow down the glass. Jamie had done everything early. Graduated high school and university years before her peers. Every three-letter government agency on the planet had sought her out well before she had that degree in her hand.

But Jamie had done what Jamie always did—exactly whatshewanted to do. She had accepted an invitation to be one of only twelve Americans with the brand new International Operations Agency—or the IOA. Practically no one had a handle on exactly what this new multi-country agency was really, but the promise of great things was certainly being bragged about in all the highest places. This agency would extend far and wide, interweaving many allies together in a way never done before.

Victoria was extremely proud of Jamie for choosing a route with global implications, though she had to admit she would have preferred to have Jamie coming on board with the family business. The Colby Agency represented Victoria’s life’s work. She worried that after Jim there would be no one in the family to carry on the important work they did here.

Her grandson Luke, on the other hand, was just preparing to enter the last semester of his final year at university in Nashville, Tennessee. He was far less in a hurry to get on with his life. Another smile tugged at Victoria’s lips. As a child, he had been so like his father. Extremely curious but not quite ready to jump in with both feet. He’d changed his major twice in his freshman year, before finally deciding to go into medicine and transferring to premed at Vanderbilt.

Victoria couldn’t wait to see him spread his wings and come into his own.

With all that was going on in their lives, the kids wouldn’t be coming home for Christmas either. Everyone—the world it seemed—was too busy. This made her far sadder than perhaps it should have, but this would be the first year that no one in the family had stayed in or come to Chicago to celebrate.

Lucas appeared behind her, and Victoria turned to him. “I fear it’s going to be a lonely Christmas.”

He touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “It’s never lonely as long as we are together,” he reminded her. “We’re alive and well. We’ll have plenty to celebrate.”

Of course, he was right. She leaned into his strength, and they watched the snowflakes swirl and fall. Whether the family was here or not, it was going to be a beautiful few days. All of Chicago lay under a blanket of perfect, white snow giving the busy and at times troubled city such a peaceful appearance. How could anyone who loved this city not feel the magic of the season? At their ages it was important to enjoy each day all the more.

Victoria should be grateful, and she was. Who could blame her for missing her family?

“Slade mentioned,” Lucas said, “that he and Maggie planned to drop by after dinner at her mother’s house. It will be nice to see them and to spend some time with Cody.”

Another grandchild who was growing up so very fast.

“That would be lovely.” Maggie’s mother had no one else and Victoria certainly wouldn’t selfishly resent the woman for having at least some family for the holiday even if it meant that Victoria and Lucas were alone. She and Lucas were so very lucky to still have each other.

The reminder that they would indeed have some family dropping by for the holidays brightened her spirits. Although they had not known about Slade until he was a grown man, he was as much a member of this family as anyone else. He had been raised by an evil woman who had done all in her power to turn him against Lucas, his biological father. But time and circumstances had changed that painful connection into a good, solid and loving relationship. One for which Victoria was immensely thankful. Lucas had sacrificed a great deal for his country. He deserved all the happiness that came his way.

“We should send everyone home after lunch,” Victoria suggested. It was Friday after all, and the agency would be closed next week. All open cases had been closed by mid-December.

It was something they strove for each year beginning on the first of November. Having the last of the year’s cases basically buttoned up by the holidays wasn’t always possible, but they worked diligently toward that goal. There were some cases that simply couldn’t be wrapped up so neatly in a certain time frame, but all efforts were made. This was good for her investigative team and for the clients they served.

Victoria had to admit that as careers went, she and Lucas had certainly enjoyed unusual ones. She, Lucas and James Colby, her first husband, had begun their young lives together along with their careers working in the government. James and Lucas had been CIA—eventually leading a special black ops group like no other. In time, when Victoria and James had started a family, they had left the more dangerous work serving their government and started a private investigations agency.

But the past had not been ready to let them go and had drawn them deep into a whole other level of danger.

Victoria pushed the painful memories away. They had survived the nightmares and the tragedies and, thankfully, she and Lucas had found their way to each other in time. Although they had tried retirement and moving to a warmer climate, staying away from Chicago and the agency they had built was impossible.

“That is a very good idea, my dear.” He kissed her cheek and then nuzzled it with his own. “Do you have something in mind for this evening?”

Victoria smiled. “I suppose we could be like the typical family and spend the weekend watching Christmas movies and baking cookies.”

Lucas chuckled. “I don’t think anyone would accuse us of being typical.”