Chapter 2

 

John Noble, previously known only as Bulletproof, stepped into the motel room and leaned back against the closed door. His wife, Amelia, was leaning in close to her laptop screen, engrossed in some story or research. It was a sight he would enjoy the rest of his days.

“All clear?” she asked, her gaze locked on the screen.

“Yes.” If his reply had been ‘no’ she would have shifted into action and been ready to leave the room in less than a minute. A year ago, hell, just last week, that would have filled him with pride. Now he was just weary.

They’d been running for years, zig-zagging across the country, and occasionally the globe, to stay ahead of the vicious team hunting them. It wasn’t all bad, they’d been making a serious dent in the questionable activities of UI—Unknown Identities—the black-ops agency that ended his military career and twisted up his life.

Much as Amelia immersed herself in keeping track of stories and incidents that might lead to UI operations, John had been searching for a place they could call their own. He wanted to find somewhere safe enough that they could stick and settle down without fear of retribution. With cell phones in every hand and closed-circuit cameras on every corner, he wasn’t sure there was such a place anymore.

“I found the chips you wanted.” The chicken and waffle flavor sounded hideous to him, but she’d seen an advertisement and decided she had to try them. Tonight. For a man whose previous last-minute ops typically ended in violence, making a snack run was an easy, pleasant change. And they both knew he’d do anything to make her happy.

He set the six pack of beer and the small bag of groceries on the dresser by the television and shrugged out of his jacket. Taking a beer for himself, he put the remainders in the mini-fridge, then carried the bag of chips over to her.

Knowing better than to interrupt her when she was this focused, he brushed a kiss over her lovely red hair and put the bag where she’d see it eventually.

She startled him when her head popped up and she reached for his hand, keeping him close. “Look at this.”

The screen blurred momentarily as she scrolled back to the headline at the top of the page: Soldiers Found Guilty Escape Prison, Dead After Vehicle Accident.

The byline read Fort Hood, Texas and was dated not quite two weeks ago. “That’s a crock,” he said, skimming the initial facts. “Three soldiers escaping at one time? They wouldn’t be able to get off the post.”

“They were court martialed and found guilty for a murder on a FOB in Afghanistan,” Amelia said. “I’ve been looking up the related articles. John, I don’t think they escaped,” she added air quotes. “And I’m pretty sure none of them are dead.”

“You think Unknown Identities is recruiting new blood?”

“Or trying to.” She saw the chips and opened the bag. When the sweet and savory aroma of chicken and waffles hit her, she blanched. “Nope.” She pinched the bag closed and fanned her face.

“But—”

She shoved the bag at him. “Get them out of here. Hurry.”

“—that’s what you asked for,” he finished.

“I know.” She gulped her herbal tea. “I’m sorry. Please, please toss them out.”

He took the bag of chips and left the room, heading to the trash can at the opposite end of the hall near the defunct ice machine. If they had another seven months of this he might lose his mind. Then he imagined how she’d look in a few weeks as her belly rounded with their child and he recognized the bluster. He’d make as many grocery runs as necessary to keep her and the baby happy.

Hearing a scuff of a boot on the tile, he held his ground and took a long pull on the beer.

“How’s she feeling?” The disembodied question came from the man who was basically invisible, thanks to UI’s signature experimentation. UI called him Chameleon and tallied him as a program loss since he’d turned on his handlers to work with John and Amelia. John and Amelia used his given name, Ben, and counted him as family.

“She’s all right,” John replied. “Craving of the day didn’t work out, that’s all.”

“You think chocolate doughnuts would help?” Ben asked.

“Don’t they always?” John started back toward the room. “Come on. I picked up a six pack for us.”

“Thanks.”

“She’s got her teeth into a new story,” John warned as he dipped the card into the reader. The light flashed green and he opened the door. “Honey, we’re home,” he said, leading the way.

She was pacing by the window, chewing on her thumbnail. “Hey, Ben.” She smiled in his general direction. Her nose twitched. “Did you bring chocolate?”

Ben made himself partially visible and held out the box sporting the bright logo from the bakery down the street. “Hopefully you and the little one will agree on these.”

“We do so far.” Her smile bright and eager, she hurried over. “Have you brought him up to speed?” she asked John.

John shook his head and led Ben over to Amelia’s computer for a quick rundown on the situation with the escapees while she devoured a doughnut.

“What do you think?” She brushed the crumbs from her hands and reached for another doughnut.

“Sounds like classic UI crap. UI gets them in hot water, then breaks them out of prison and they manage to escape,” Ben said. “Though that wouldn’t explain the remains at the accident. Maybe they are dead.”

John looked to Amelia, who was gaping at Ben.

“Come on,” Ben said. “This is a no-brainer. If there had been a prison break originated by prisoners from Ft. Hood that would have made big news.”

Brow furrowed, Amelia set aside her second doughnut and returned to her computer to reassess the vague information.

“Keep going,” John encouraged Ben.

“We both know we only put a dent in things when we wrecked that lab and raided that string of bank accounts.”

Well, yeah. That’s why they were still looking over their shoulder as they tried to locate the remaining UI operatives Ben knew about.

“I may not be on the inside anymore,” Ben continued, “that doesn’t mean I haven’t been peeking in windows.”

“Ben!” Amelia’s face was awash in worry. “You can’t take that kind of risk.”

“I’m careful,” he promised.

She clearly wasn’t convinced, though she resumed her analysis.

“She’s cute in maternal mode,” Ben muttered, nudging John with an elbow.

Any agreement would only land him in hot water. “I heard that,” Amelia said.

John found her adorable in any mode. “What do you know about this?” Thanks to the UI’s experimentation, Ben could go just about anywhere unnoticed. Like many of the enhanced soldiers UI created, Ben was faster and stronger than most men. He’d also embraced the benefits of being invisible. Spending years with little more than his own company had warped his outlook more than a little. Both his sense of morality and humor were slightly off center these days.

“I don’t know anything. It’s just common sense. Best guess. Three soldiers accused of murder over a drug deal on a remote FOB? They insist they’re innocent, but wind up on the wrong end of life sentences and then escape to die in a car crash. Who else but UI could make that comprehensible?”

“He has a point,” Amelia said. “Their service records are stellar, right up to the commission of the crime. More than one journalist has shared the opinion that the soldiers snapped.”

“Or someone snapped them on purpose,” Ben suggested. “Chances are those bodies at the scene are John Does the team managed to scrounge up for effect. If the authorities believe they’re dead, UI can do whatever they please.”

“I can’t decide if that’s good news or not.” John admitted.

“The good news is if they’re on the run, UI doesn’t have them,” Amelia pointed out. “Working off of Ben’s theory, if we go looking, we need a better lead. They have a solid head start on us by now.”

“Do any of the three have assets or ties in Texas?” John asked.

“Not at first glance,” Amelia said. “Even if they did, would they stay in the area?”

“Not likely.” In their shoes, John would want to get as far away from prison and the team who’d captured them as possible. “What’s the latest on Messenger’s position?”

A few years back, they’d managed to corner the ruthless bastard in charge of UI, code name Messenger, and inject him with one of UI’s state of the art tracking devices. It wasn’t as reliable as it had been at the start, but they still got a hit on his actual position occasionally.

“No readings on him for a month now,” Amelia said, auburn eyebrows knitting into a frown.

That was cause for concern, but not the end of the world. If he was involved in this as John suspected, they’d be seeing him soon enough.

“Where do you want me?” Ben asked.

John made a snap decision. “Go back to Ft. Hood and see if you can catch a whiff of where UI was taking them. Amelia and I will stay here another day on research. Maybe we can pinpoint a likely place one or all of them would hide.”

“I’ll be in touch.” By the time Ben reached the door, he was invisible again. Anyone in the hallway would have assumed the room’s occupants had opened the door and let it fall closed.

John pulled the other chair around to her side of the table so he and Amelia could search together.