Page 3 of Matrix

Fortunately, I know the area well. I’ve spent many hours exploring the woods, so I’ve got an idea that might save us. There’s a large series of rock outcroppings up ahead. It’s the most obvious hiding place, so we can’t use it. But I can make it look like we’re holed up somewhere in the area. There are enough small caves in the rocks that they’ll waste a lot of time searching them. My plan should buy us enough time to find a better spot to take cover.

I drag my feet and make clear impressions in the snow and mud around the base of the rocks. I repeat the process while counting gunshots. It’s not an exact science since I don’t know who’s shooting, but I hope Daisy’s good enough to keep them at bay until I get back. If my count is accurate, she’s about to run out of ammo. I’ve got to move fast.

The key to making my plan work is to erase any other trail we leave. I grab a huge pine bough and throw it onto the edge of the tracks. When we return, I’ll use it to hide our real footprints in the snow.

I run back to her just as she’s doing a tactical reload. Watching her in action shocks the fuck out of me. Her movements are so precise I realize she’s done this at least a thousand times. She’s no farm girl. She really is with the fucking FBI. What the hell is going on?

“Let’s go!”

“Coming.” She lays down a bunch of fire before rushing into the woods to join me.

“I’ve got a plan. Just do what I say.”

“Yep.”

As soon as we get to the rocks, I grab the pine bough. We slow our pace considerably because I need to make sure our tracks aren’t visible. If these guys have any sense, they’ll figure it out, but at least we’ll be far ahead of them by then. Hopefully, we’ll find a better place to hide.

I keep washing the pine bough over the snow until my arms ache. The rock wall is a solid twenty minutes behind us now, so I think it’s safe to drop the branch.

“There’s a rendezvous spot across the next stream. It’s an old hunting cabin.” Daisy glances at me.

“Is it full of FBI agents?”

“I don’t … I don’t know.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Something’s wrong. I was supposed to have backup.”

“They didn’t come.”

“No. And thatneverhappens.”

“We’re not going to the cabin,” I say firmly.

“We have to get out of this weather. Your pants are soaked through. You’ll get hypothermia.”

“Don’t care. I’m not letting you take me in. I know a place we can go.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere those guys won’t find us. The FBI won’t either.”

She goes silent, which is good because one more word and I’ll happily wring her lying little neck.

FBI. Un-fucking-believable.

I lead her through the forest for another hour. We crisscross the highway, which will effectively cover our tracks. It’s almost six a.m., but the sun won’t be up for two more hours. There’s no one on the road, so we haven’t been spotted. By the time we get to the club’s secret cabin, I’m shivering. I punch in the code to deactivate the alarm and shove Daisy inside. Before she knows what’s happening, I grab the gun from her hand.

“Hey!”

“Shut up and sit down.”

“Matrix!”

“Sit.” I stab my finger at the well-worn couch in front of the hearth. Seething, I throw logs into the fireplace before lighting the pile. I have about fifty-million questions to ask her, and she’s going to answer every last one of them. I’m so damn mad I can hardly think. She’s been lying to me for months. Months! I knew something wasn’t right. Fuck!

I wait until the fire crackles and spits embers before facing her. I catch her fiddling with her phone, so I grab it and crush it beneath my boot. She’s not calling anyone for backup. She’s on her own now, and she’s not leaving until I say she is.

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