CELESTE ASHBURY

Broken Allegiance (The Cipher Entanglement Book 1)

Four hearts beat as one. Bound by unconventional love, fierce loyalty, and lethal expertise, they are the Agency’s most effective—and most secret—asset. Liam O’Connell, the magnetic field operative; Eliza Reynolds, the brilliant digital ghost known as Oracle; Javier Mendoza, the stoic technical specialist and guardian, Anvil; Noah Vance, the meticulous analyst called Pathfinder. Together, they are an elite quad operating in the shadows where others inevitably fail. Their unique, polyamorous bond isn't a weakness; it's their greatest strength, fostering unparalleled synergy, trust, and intuition in the high-stakes world of global espionage.

Their latest mission: infiltrate a secure Varkovian research facility and retrieve data on Project Chimera, a potentially devastating bioweapon. They execute the plan flawlessly, demonstrating their seamless coordination. But the victory is short-lived. Back within the supposed safety of their network, subtle inconsistencies in the retrieved data trigger Eliza’s finely tuned alarms. Buried deep within the Chimera files, she uncovers corrupted fragments – a digital breadcrumb trail hinting at something far more sinister: cryptic references to ‘Seraph’, ‘Sovereign Protocol’, and an internal Agency leak.

Simultaneously, their handler, Thorne, begins acting erratically, applying unusual pressure, asking pointed questions. Surveillance, once their tool, tightens around them, unseen eyes monitoring their safe house. Before they can fully grasp the implications or launch their own investigation, the hammer falls. They are declared rogue. Targets of a Burn Notice Omega – the Agency’s most extreme sanction, termination with extreme prejudice – authorized at the highest levels of command.

Betrayed. Framed. Hunted.

Plunged into a nightmare scenario, the people they trusted become their deadliest enemies. Their carefully constructed world shatters. Stripped of resources, cut off from allies, pursued relentlessly by Agency hunters armed with intimate knowledge of their methods, their only sanctuary lies in the unbreakable strength of their four-way bond.

The unique intimacy that fuels their teamwork, the deep understanding forged in shared danger and shared beds, becomes their shield and their refuge. As they navigate a treacherous landscape of lies, safe houses turned death traps, and poisoned alliances, they must rely only on each other. They race against time to decipher the meaning of Sovereign Protocol, to unmask the enigmatic Seraph pulling the strings from the shadows, and to understand why they were marked for erasure.

Can their extraordinary connection withstand the ultimate test when the enemy wears a familiar face and commands the full power of the institution they once served? Can they survive long enough to expose the truth before they are silenced forever?

Dive into Broken Allegiance, the gripping, high-tension first book of The Cipher Entanglement trilogy. Experience a world where intense espionage action meets profound, complex human connection, and the deadliest secrets lie closest to home. The game has changed. Allegiances are broken. Survival is only the beginning.