Alek Royston is finally completely out of the spy business—not that anyone else appears to have accepted that. Brendan can’t understand why anyone would want out, Stephen is determined to pull him back in, and even Alek’s (now ex) girlfriend Sophia has become a spy. And, in spite of himself, Alek can’t just want away from his friends either.

When he begins to suspect Stephen’s best agent—and Sophia’s newly assigned partner—a charismatic spy named Jamison Brightly is up to something, he faces a problem. Branded a double agent, a loose cannon after the incident in Sazania, and a jealous ex, no one will even consider his concerns. Alek tells himself that this is none of his business anymore, but, after Jamison abandons Sophia on a mission, he is determined to bring the spy down.

Meanwhile, Collin has developed a renewed interest in Melaeus, his old stomping grounds before a leg injury landed him behind a desk, and Brendan has been assigned to follow up on it. While Alek hates he see his friend go alone, he reminds himself that he is out of the spy business for good and that he has enough to deal with in the form of Jamison Brightly, who is much to slick to actually catch at anything.

However, as Alek digs deeper into Jamison’s past, he discovers connections to Malean Intelligence and its mysterious director Felix Konstantin and his equally suspicious associates, one of whom appears prepared to go rogue if the price is right. Finally, Alek has a chance to catch Jamison once and for all when the man does something Alek never even considered him capable of, murdering a fellow Alyionian agent.