Die Run Hide by P. M. Kavanaugh Page B

girl heaved a sigh and lowered her weapon.
    Anika’s eyes widened. What the hell?
    “I didn’t think you would kill them.”
    “What do you mean?” Anika asked.
    “Is it true you escaped a solo? That you’re running away?”
    Anika hesitated a fraction before nodding. Could she grab her laser and fire in time?
    The girl took another step forward. She removed her patches to reveal doe-like eyes. “Take me with you.”
    Anika kept her eyes trained on the laser in the girl’s hand. Unstable operatives were the scariest of all.
    “I heard Grey and Wilson talking about you,” the girl continued. “I never thought it was possible to survive a solo. Even they were impressed.” She tracked Anika’s gaze. “Oh.” She tucked the weapon into her waistband. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to shoot. You can pick up your laser. My name’s Kacie.”
    Anika didn’t move. “What U.N.I.T. are you from?”
    “Eight-twenty-eight. In Madison. We were out on basic surveillance training when Wilson got the call to divert here.”
    So that was how Second had gotten a team here so fast. Decided to sacrifice size for speed.
    “Will you take me with you? Please?”
    Anika stalled for time as she bent down, ever so slowly, to pick up her weapon. “Why?”
    “What do you mean, why? Because U.N.I.T. sucks.” Kacie spit out the last word.
    Anika’s hand closed around the laser. “Get down. On your knees.”
    “If you don’t take me with you, I’ll shoot myself. Full strength.” Kacie folded her arms across her chest. “I mean it.” Her mouth twisted into a mutinous scowl.
    “Then I’ll have to stun you first.” Anika wondered how Kacie had made it through U.N.I.T.’s screening system. “Just like Grey and Wilson. You’ll all regain consciousness at the same time.” She didn’t mention that Grey and Wilson would regain theirs in a room sealed tight from the outside.
    “No, wait.” Kacie reached out her hand and Anika aimed her laser right between the girl’s eyes. “Okay.” She dropped her hand and her shoulders slumped. “Now I’ll never get to Kansas City.”
    Anika was curious, despite herself. “What’s in Kansas City?”
    “My best friend. From Leavenworth West,” Kacie said, citing the infamous Midwestern prison for violent pre-adults. “She’s getting married, but my trainer says zeros don’t get offsite privileges.”
    Anika studied the girl’s dejected stance. Sighing inside, she asked, “Do you know about the trick for shutting down your chip?”
    Kacie nodded, keeping her eyes downcast. “I tried it once. Missed. Burned a hole in the dorm wall.”
    Anika bit down on her lip to keep from smiling. “I can do it for you.”
    “That would be so cool-hot.” Kacie’s features animated, her eyes lifting to meet Anika’s. The diamond stud embedded in her front tooth sparkled in the moonlight.
    God, you’re young. “You have to take a hit, anyway. Otherwise, they’ll wonder how I got away.”
    “Oh, right,” Kacie exclaimed. “Good thinking.”
    Anika mentally shook her head. She suspected Kacie could be dead before the end of her training. “As soon as the numbness wears off, you get going, all right? Report back to your U.N.I.T. before the twenty hours is up. Your chip may still be shut down, but don’t push your luck.” Kacie’s eyes, wide as saucers, didn’t blink. “Stay off the main roads. And lose the dazzler in your tooth.”
    “Why?” Kacie’s scowl returned. “My trainer tells me that all the time.”
    “It makes you stand out. You want to blend in. Unless you’re on a sweetheart mission.”
    “What kind of mission?” Kacie’s eyes narrowed to skeptical slits. “I haven’t heard of it.”
    “If you’re lucky, you won’t,” Anika said.
    They stood for a moment, staring at each other.
    Then Kacie reached into her mouth and removed the stud. “How’s that?” She bared her teeth and looked as threatening as a baby cub.
    “Better. Okay, turn around. Lower