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Forced to the fringes, he’s been content to thrive in shadows…
Years as a human guinea pig for the Unknown Identities program transformed Ben, body and mind, into the operative known as Chameleon. But one betrayal too many fractured his loyalty and now he’s determined to end the program, along with the man profiting from the destruction of good men and women.
…Until he sees her.
Mirage has no memory of her past, only what she has become under the brutal care of the covert operation: spy, killer, obedient operative with skills and stamina military leaders covet. Under orders to use her unique skills to locate and trap Chameleon, she becomes fascinated by the rogue operative’s ingenuity and insight. Though she doesn’t want a bodyguard, she definitely needs a way out.
When Ben promises answers and a secure future on her terms, Mirage takes a blind leap, hopeful that she and Ben can survive long enough to find true freedom and the redemption only love can bring.
*Unknown Identities: an alternative for elite soldiers and spies facing criminal charges… if they can survive the program.
Bulletproof
Double Vision
Sandman
Death-Trap Date (short story)
Last Strike
Mirage
*Unknown Identities/Elle James Brotherhood Protectors World:
Moving Target
Lost Signal
Off the Radar
~Reviews~
Loved it, loved it, loved it. The invisble man meets his match in a woman who can reflect what you want to see, with the added bonus of the ability to see his “heat signature”! Well written, well paced, engaging characters and a chance to reconnect with some of my UI “family”!
5 stars! Nikki, Amazon reviewer
You will find the books hard to put down, with easy flow, full of action, strong emotions, and solid characterizations. I highly recommend you not only read this story but the whole series!
5 stars! Catlou, Amazon Reviewer
~Enjoy an Excerpt~
Chapter One
“Why don’t you take a break?”
Ben stared down at the phone in his hand, not at all sure he’d heard his friend correctly. “You did not just ask me that.”
John Noble was his best friend, the first of only three people Ben trusted with his life and all of the gruesome truths that went along with being himself. John was the poster child of perseverance. For years he’d served his country honorably, then he’d been duped by a master manipulator and spent years serving a less honorable cause. A cause run by ‘the man in the gray suit’, code name Messenger.
“Everyone needs a break,” John said. “Even you.”
Ben shook his head, baffled by these moments when his friend seemed like a kinder, gentler man, rather than the cynical, battle-hardened warrior he’d been when they’d met. After everything they’d endured, he’d never expected John to seek out a normal existence. Hell, he’d never expected normal to be possible for either of them.
“We both know that’s not true,” Ben replied. Unlike John, he didn’t have a beautiful wife and adorable new baby. Didn’t have any responsibilities beyond keeping himself alive and protecting his friends -and the world- from Messenger’s detestable plans.
From his perch on a nearby rooftop, he glared at the cement cube, a bland building sitting back from the Detroit River, a stone’s throw from Canada. That one building was supposedly the last lab still carrying out the atrocities of the Unknown Identities program.
Once a covert effort sanctioned by a small, exclusive group of military experts, Unknown Identities had been formed to promote the research and development of stronger military combatants. The highly coveted ‘super-soldier’. Somewhere along the way, greed changed everything and the original mission shifted. The men who survived the experiments and enhancements, men like John and Ben, had been tapped to execute orders unsuited for typical operatives varying from spy operations to cold-blooded assassinations. They were expendable, and their records had been adjusted so that if they were caught, they’d be labeled as violent, unstable rogues who’d lost their way.
In Ben’s case, it was possible that whole unstable thing might be accurate.
“Ben are you still there?”
John’s voice pulled him back from those dark thoughts. “Yeah, boss.” Though John discouraged it, Ben preferred using the term, especially when he was on Messenger’s tail. It kept him focused to have a chain of command, if only in his head. Add it to the long list of side effects from spending so much time alone.
“Something happening?”
“Not yet.” He moved to the edge of the roof and sat down, letting his legs dangle over the side. In full camo-mode it wasn’t as if anyone could see him and get upset. He’d noticed people in this part of town didn’t look up much, unless there was a crane working to load or off load container ships.
“Everyone needs a break,” John repeated. “We haven’t seen you in months. Detroit wasn’t supposed to be a long-term assignment.”
He paused, but Ben didn’t rise to that weak bait. He liked their place in Montana, but it was too quiet for him. And no matter how many precautions they employed or how many friends they made, none of them would be safe while the man in the gray suit continued to operate.
“Ben,” he lowered his voice. “Amelia will be mad as hell at both of us if you’re not here for Jacob’s birthday.”
And there it was, the one point Ben couldn’t argue. They both knew he’d do anything to keep Amelia happy. She was the sister he’d never had. Assuming he’d never had a sister. There were no details about his past, only a few lines about his last op with Delta Force when he’d supposedly been killed in action.
The fact that he was sitting here alive cast doubt on everything in that report.
Learning to manage the basic enhancements and unique abilities from the UI program had turned most of the survivors into loners. Hazard of the program, plus that was how Messenger liked it. When operatives talked and cooperated, things didn’t always go well for him.
For Ben, it proved nearly impossible to make any kind of a connection when no one could see him. He was the invisible man, no magic cloak required. In the early days Messenger sent him out to eavesdrop and tail people ‘of interest’, often tagging them for other operatives to come in and finish them off. Naturally, the work had warped his views on loyalty, purpose, and relationships in general.
“I’ll be back for the kid’s birthday,” he said, hoping he wasn’t lying to his best friend. Finding a worthy ally in John had been little more than a curiosity at first. They’d been the first two to survive the program enhancements and Messenger kept them apart by design. Now they were friends and John insisted on counting him as part of the new family dynamic.
He chuckled. An honorary invisible uncle.
For a man who lurked around the edges of humanity and barely remembered there was a line between good and bad behavior, those three people were the center of his entire world. He’d do anything for them.
Except take a break.