Jake Cogburn, code name Hondo, is the deadliest agent in the CIA's secret enhancement program. Designed to be the perfect killing machine, he's the program's greatest asset, and biggest secret, until the night he removes his tracker and disappears. Once he goes rogue, his handler and only friend, Mike Grant, has a big decision to make; hunt him down or delete all the information in his file, including his last known whereabouts.<br><br>Mike has always sensed there's something more to Jake than a mindless killer. He feels drawn to the secret assassin in a way he can't describe, and even though he's sworn an oath to his country, he feels his first loyalty is to his secret agent. Knowing there will be severe consequences, he does the best he can to assist Jake after he disappears, going rogue himself in order to help Jake get a head start.<br><br>But once he helps Jake, who will help him avoid the consequences of a rogue heart?

The Rogue Element

“By the way, what the fuck is up with this?” Jake demanded, moving even closer. Now, barely a foot separated us. My nostrils flared as I tried to catch his scent—he still smelled exactly the same. Like fresh soap and laundry detergent.


“You were going to let them kill you,” he accused, but I didn’t hear anger in his voice. If anything, he sounded pained. Disappointed.


I didn’t know what to say. “Because I just couldn’t stand the thought of living without you” didn’t seem like an acceptable answer, but what did I know? He’d risked his life coming here to save me. Did that mean he hated the thought of living without me? Could it be possible that he actually missed me? Or did he just feel like he had some sort of obligation toward me? He was incredibly loyal, and I had a feeling that was an innate trait, not part of the conditioning.


Chapter 5