Fifteen-year-old Natalia Artison knows something she shouldn’t. A secret that has caused the brutal murder of her mother. With the promise from her father that it will be the only thing to truly protect, Natalia watches her father drive away, abandoning her on the side of the road in Chinatown. Now Natalia is a ward of her parent’s employer, a shadowy organization known as the Special Operations Initiative. Natalia becomes the ward of reluctant ex-special agent Steven Delarno, who would rather be exploring the bottom of a bottle than babysitting a snarky teenager.
	But there is no time for a war of words between guardian and ward. The same man who butchered Natalia’s mother has placed her in his crosshairs, and will massacre every person standing between him and the girl. After a violent bloodbath ends with Natalia being stolen into the night, it is up to Steven to put aside his reluctance to work for the SOI and bring Natalia home.
	But Natalia is not content to play the victim, and with determination and sarcasm as her only defense, she must summon the courage to face her mother’s killer and find a way to escape the violence that has engulfed her life.
	From New York to Detroit to Alcatraz, Natalia and Steven will navigate a violent tangle of lies and betrayal in a desperate attempt to reunite, find redemption, and protect the Code.