Dare You to Run by Dawn Ryder

and pointed to the second one in question.
    â€œThe mother. Damascus was in here saying her father has threatened her mother with some bullshit about a private clinic,” Bryan responded. “Something needs to be done. You have more resources than I do in the civilian sector.”
    â€œWhy?” Kagan asked.
    â€œBecause you’re right—if she buckles under her father’s threat, he could make it hard for me to force her compliance, and I need her brains on my team,” the colonel responded. “I plan to take Ms. Ryland under my wing in exactly two weeks.”
    â€œI’ll let Hale know his timeline.” Kagan stood up. “And I will deal with the other issue, if it becomes a reality.”
    The colonel slowly smiled, an expression that would have sent a chill down the spine of most men because it was pure intent.
    â€œTell Hale I can remove my asset any time he gives me the word, and I will be happy to watch his six when he takes Tyler down. I’d enjoy it after that mess he put my daughter through.”
    â€œHe had your name targeted as well,” Kagan reminded him.
    â€œAs I said, I’d enjoy it, and I’ll bring a shovel.”
    *   *   *
    It had been a long time since she’d been alone.
    Damascus smiled as she looked around the crowded shopping mall. Most people wouldn’t think she was alone, but to her she was practically marooned on a desert island. A fact she was going to make sure she used.
    She walked into a clothing store and pulled a dress off the rack, making a wide circle around it and hitting all the departments. By the time she made it back to the register, she had everything from underwear to shoes. Her time with Vitus had been confined to a couple of weeks on the run, but she’d learned a lot from him in that time. She dug some of her emergency cash out of the side of her makeup case and paid for everything without there being a bank record. It was also a small, discount store and unlikely to have a security system, at least one linked to any major network. The Asian girl working the register was clearly the owners’ daughter.
    â€œNo bag. I’m just going to wear it out.”
    The girl nodded and reached under the counter for a pair of scissors. She clipped off the tags and swept them into a trash can.
    Damascus scooped up her purchases and headed into a dressing room. She changed out of everything and put on the new clothing, even sliding into new shoes. They were cheap ones and pinched her toes, but there was no way to know where her sire’s security team had placed their bugs. She was going off-grid and she had to do it right, because if she got caught, there wasn’t going to be a second chance.
    She shoved all of her personal belongings into the bag and stuffed the cash into her bra. On the way out of the changing room, she dropped the bag in a box that was sitting by the door. Yeah, she’d learned a few things from Vitus, and she’d done a lot more research into avoiding detection in the years since.
    The outdated strip mall was frequented mostly by university students. They were clustered around the food shops, sitting on the sidewalk with their tablets open to take advantage of the free wireless network offered by the local coffee shop.
    â€œHey, Damascus!” someone called. “Don’t normally see you out this way.”
    She smiled at the boy who shared one of her advanced classes. He blinked at the welcome, his cheeks becoming flushed. He was fairly typical of most of her classmates—high intelligence scores and failing social interaction ones. The set of car keys dangling from his hand was exactly what she was looking for.
    â€œYeah, any chance I can hop a ride with you across town?” She moved closer to him. “I can toss in for gas.”
    â€œUm…” He looked like he was half frozen in shock. “Sure.” He smacked his lips as he closed his