Page 11 of Matrix

“I need you here, not off in la-la land.”

“We’ll keep her alive while she’s useful. The minute that changes, we’ll make her disappear.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“My loyalty will always be to the club, not a Fed. If the time comes and she’s not helping us anymore, you have my word that I’ll kill her myself.”

“Good. She’s your responsibility from here on out. I want you all over her. She’s not even allowed to take a piss unless you say so. Move her into your room today. Don’t let her out of your sight. Not even for a second. If shit goes south, it’s on you.”

“Got it.”

“Let’s go. The guys are waiting.” Scar turns on his heel and walks back toward the clubhouse.

As I head into the house, I glance at the floor. I’m sure she can hear our footsteps overhead. She’s probably terrified because she knows we’re discussing her fate. Well, tough shit. Sympathy isn’t something I can afford to feel. I understand her motives. If I had a missing sister, I’d lie, cheat, and steal to get any information that might help me find her. I’d do exactly what she did. For that reason, I can’t really blame her. But Scar’s right. Daisy’s a huge liability. I have to keep her close because there’s no way I can trust her.

We hold Church in a meeting room at the back of the ranch-style clubhouse. When I walk into the room, the others are already gathered around the huge wooden table Talon built out of old barn wood. The large, antique clock on the wall chimes nine times. My stomach growls. I haven’t eaten since dinner, and I’m hungry as fuck. All that running around made me work up one hell of an appetite.

“Church is in session.” Scar pounds the gavel. “I talked to Matrix, and here’s the deal. We’re keeping the Fed alive.”

“What?” Reaper leans his elbows on the table.

“Why?” Talon asks.

“She knows things about Blackstone that we don’t know. Somehow, we missed the fact that he started up his human trafficking ring again, but she caught it. She claims she’s got intel that it’s active, and I’m inclined to believe her. The connection between the men at the campground and Blackstone is tenuous, but still, there’s some kind of association between them.”

“And the Demon Riders were there. She mentioned it while you were changing,” Nitro says to me.

“We thought we broke up their club while Max was hiding at Nina’s, but they regrouped. Daisy knows more about that club and their dealings than we ever did.” Scar looks around the room. “I think we can use her.”

“How?” Reaper asks.

“For information. As far as the FBI knows, she hasn’t been compromised. Somehow, she missed the fucking memo that the op wasn’t going down the way she thought it was. I think we need to let her check in so she can find out why shit went south. She might learn something useful,” Scar says.

“Or she might go running back to the Feds and bust us. We don’t know what she knows about our club,” Talon says.

“She would’ve passed on whatever she knows already. She wouldn’t be sitting on information. We’re good at what we do. We conceal shit, especially from club girls. After what happened with that bitch Crystal, we made sure we kept our business private. Even after I kicked her out of the clubhouse, we kept our mouths closed around Daisy. She doesn’t know anything we don’t want her to know,” Scar says.

“She hacked Matrix’s computer,” Reaper says.

“Is she better than you at hacker shit?” Talon asks.

“No.”

“It doesn’t matter who’s better. This isn’t a dick-measuring contest,” Scar says.

“That girl definitely doesn’t have a dick.” Talon whistles.

“Shut the fuck up.” I glare.

“We’ll vote. As always, if it’s not unanimous, then it won’t happen. All in favor of keeping her around, aye?” Scar raises his hand.

I thrust mine into the air. The others slowly follow until the only holdout is Reaper.

“Who’s calling the shots if she fucks us?” he asks.

“Matrix has orders to kill her if she does,” Scar says.

I nod solemnly. Although I don’t look forward to that possibility, I can’t hesitate to follow through if getting rid of her becomes necessary for the safety of the club. My brothers come first. Always.

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